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B2B Lead Generation vs. Lead Nurturing – Explained

Magnet-for-clients
Modern B2B Marketing to fill up your sales funnel | Canada

B2B Lead Generation vs. Lead Nurturing - Explained

Magnet for clients
  • (Revised: 02/02/2023)
  • Reading time: 2 minutes

Acquiring new B2B customers is an exciting but challenging process. As you know, demand creation does not happen overnight. Businesses must pinpoint – and analyze – their target market to develop an effective marketing strategy. Next, they need to engage with prospects and attempt to convert as many as possible into sales. To increase your conversion rate, you must first understand the role of lead generation vs. lead nurturing purpose.

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Lead Generation and Lead Nurturing Defined

Lead generation is the process of attracting and converting prospects who show an initial interest in what you have to offer. Meanwhile, lead nurturing consists of building relationships with potential clients. They might not be ready to buy your solution, but they could be in the future. This is sometimes called drip marketing.

Lead nurturing serves to increase a prospect’s knowledge and shape their perception of a specific solution. Simply put, lead nurturing serves to build trust between your company and the prospect. That way, prospects are more likely to choose your solution when it comes time to execute their decision.

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Lead Generation vs. Lead Nurturing

We’ve set up a table outlining the difference between these B2B marketing strategies. First, we have lead generation, which serves to help your sales team find new prospects. This type of generic campaign is designed to help you identify initial interest in your product/service.

Meanwhile, lead nurturing has a different goal: to turn prospects into clients. With this type of marketing tactic, you’re in it for the long haul. You will build a relationship with your prospects throughout the buying cycle and create customized campaigns tailored to their needs.

Criteria

Lead Generation

Lead Nurturing

Goal

To find new prospects

To convert a prospect into a client

Timeline

Until you identify initial interest

Throughout the buying cycle

Campaign Type

Generic

Custom

Message

Direct

Indirect

In short, B2B lead generation and lead nurturing are two sides of the same coin. These aspects of B2B marketing complement each other. When both methods are used in conjunction with the other, they will help you to generate more conversions.

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Top Five SEO Best Practices for 2016

SEO tactics
Modern B2B Marketing to fill up your sales funnel | Canada

Top Five SEO Best Practices

SEO tactics
  • (Revised: 02/02/2023)
  • Reading time: 2 minutes

Is it time for a better Search Engine Optimization (SEO)? Google is constantly making drastic algorithm changes. Here are a few Google SEO directions:

    • Focusing less on individual keywords
    • Rewarding better quality and authentic content
    • Assessing web usability and performance
    • Relying on established online reputation

We chose the top 5 search engine optimization best practices to assist you in  achieving a higher rank for your site.

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1. Ensure Proper Website Coding

Keywords no longer play as crucial a role in SEO as they used to. Regardless, your site must maintain a lexical correlation between the following:

    • Web page’s title
    • Meta description
    • Header (H1)

These elements need to be unique and should describe the page well. Make life easier for Google’s search engine when it is differentiating between content and code. The more you use structured data methodologies, the better your website will rank.

Additionally, ensure your coding is errorless to avoid search engine crawling failure.

This alone is not enough to achieve a high SEO ranking. All the same, these are mandatory prerequisites for all optimization efforts!

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2. Post Unique Content

One of the top SEO practices is to write quality content. Google likes to index sites that offer valuable information in response to specific questions. As such, Google looks at pages to see if they provide a good answer to a frequently searched question.

This means that Google is now after long-tail keywords and highly readable content. For example, “What is SEO”  Long tail content consists of:

    • Short sentences
    • Words with two syllables

Google chooses to feed selected content into its Direct Answers box at the top of the search results or into its knowledge graph box on the top right (see examples below).

What is SEO Google Direct Answers Box

When searching “What is SEO”, a Google box appears on the top with a definition taken from a highly ranked page.

Google Knowledge Graph: when you search for a term such as “Direct Objective Consulting”, Google will display a box on the top right, providing all the key information about the company.

Google Knowledge Graph Direct Objective Consulting
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3. Create a Positive User Experience

SEO ranking is no longer based only on your site’s design and content. Instead, Google is looking to understand how readers react to your website. The more positive experience your site is projected to offer users,  the more likely your efforts will further online lead generation.

Here are some things Google looks into:

    • Do readers spend a long time on your pages? (Time on site)
    • What links do users click on? (Click-through rate)
    • What is your website’s performance?
    • Is your site mobile-ready?
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4. Integrate Social Media

Social media plays a major role in our life today. Google knows this and looks at how accepted a brand, product, or service is based on its social presence. It is essential to integrate social media into your website. Google will then be able to see traffic coming and going from your social channels.

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5. Build Your Online Reputation

This is the most difficult practice to achieve. In a way, your online reputation will grow over time. However, this is only true if the other SEO best practices are well implemented.

In order to foster a strong online reputation, we should aim to constantly increase our authority in our fields. You can do so by:

    • Referring to domains with an established online reputation in your business area, or
    • Serving as a source of reliable information in a specific area of interest.

Here’s the bottom line: Strive to become the authoritative source in specific subject matters related to your business.

As we have seen, SEO best practices have changed quite dramatically. But as long as you keep these tips in mind, you will see results. Start by error-proofing your website code, then focus on creating original content. Offer a rewarding user experience and incorporate social media. Over time, your online reputation will grow.

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Analyst Relations: Leveraging the Power of Technology Analysts

Technology analysts relations
Modern B2B Marketing to fill up your sales funnel | Canada

Analyst relations: Leveraging the power of technology analysts

Technology analysts relations
  • (Revised: 02/02/2023)
  • Reading time: 2 minutes

Looking to develop analyst relations with technology analysts? Marketing is no longer a one-on-one process thanks to our current social media-driven society. Now, the art of marketing involves attracting the attention of ,and gathering approval from, the people that are most influential to your market and your targeted clients. There is one valuable segment that most SMEs neglect – that of industry analysts.

Why are analysts so important? They act as a strategic source of information for the entire industry by providing  your clients with accurate statistics, targeted recommendations, as well as reviews of innovative products and services within the industry. These reports are used by your industry buyers to strategically shorten the purchasing process.

How can SMEs “grab” technology analysts’ attention? Either they make a big splash through an expensive and flashy marketing campaigns, though this is not a guaranteed way to draw analysts’ attention, or they build analyst relations through vendor briefings. Most SMEs cannot afford a flashy campaign, which is why they rely on the latter. During vendor briefings, IT vendors have the opportunity to present their products and services to analysts. If they successfully communicate the innovation or the value of their solution,analysts may choose to include the SME in their industry report.

There are four major benefits to being incorporated in an analyst’s industry report:

    • Selling more. Analyst recommendations (and industry reports) shape the thinking of technology buyers. Potential clients will be more likely to consider your organization if you have been publicly recognized by an analyst.
    • Building and establishing a company’s credible reputation. In today’s highly competitive market, it is challenging for young companies to compete against those who have 10 or 15 years experience and a long client list. By using technology analysts and vendor briefings, companies may increase their chances of building a solid, reputable name for their business.
    • Achieving more positive press coverage. An analyst quote may strengthen and help shape the thinking of journalists. The media plays an important role in influencing the buyer’s action towards a certain product or service. If the solution is represented positively by a relevant journalist’s coverage, there is a greater chance that a potential customer will be persuaded to purchase it.
    • Improving your products and services. An independent perspective on your company’s direction and positioning strengthen thinking and go-to-market strategies. Analysts are constantly in sync with market trends can quickly assess just how innovative your solutions may be, and sometimes provide feedback.

Many SMEs are reluctant to approach analysts due to two major myths behind vendor briefings:

    • “Vendor briefings are only for large companies” – in fact, vendor briefings are for any company size, whether you have 3 or 300 employees. The best way to get a briefing is to develop an innovative product or service, demonstrate the market need for such a solution, and provide the required resources to bring the solution to market.
    • “Vendor briefings are too expensive” – most vendor briefings are FREE. In order to assess solutions in an unbiased manner, analysts do not charge for vendor briefings. The only cost that companies may incur is that of conducting a bad vendor briefing when they are not fully prepared, having an insufficient understanding of global markets, or failing  to differentiate their innovation.
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How to Comply With Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation

Direct Objective Consulting CASL DOs and DON'Ts
Modern B2B Marketing to fill up your sales funnel | Canada

How to Comply with Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL): DOs and DON'Ts Checklist​

Direct Objective Consulting CASL DOs and DON'Ts
  • (Revised: 02/02/2023)
  • Reading time: 2 minutes

July 1st is not only Canada Day but also the day Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) comes into effect. The law has been described by some as the most stringent anti-spam legislation in the world. The CBC recently reported that according to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), most small-medium businesses are still unprepared to apply the new legislation. Help your company prepare for the implementation of the new regulation by following these 5 steps:

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1. Verify Whether You Have Received Express Consent From Your Canadian Contacts

CASL deals with two types of consent:

    • Express consent: a recipient explicitly asks to receive your commercial electronic messages (CEMs). This expires only when an unsubscribe request is received;
    • Implied consent: a relationship exists but the recipient has not explicitly asked to receive CEMs. This, on the other hand, expires after 24 months.
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2. Ensure That All Your Electronic Communications Are Compliant With CASL

Every CEM you send must:

(1) Be sent with consent of the recipient;

(2) Clearly identify the sender; and

(3) Provide an unsubscribe mechanism.

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3. Define a Plan to Gradually Build Express Consent From Your Canadian Contacts

You have a period of three years to ask for express consent from your existing business relationships. Implement a plan to gain their consent to ensure you can continue to send them CEMs.

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4. Keep a Database to Monitor Express and Implied Consent

In order to comply with the Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL), maintain a centralized database to keep track of your contacts and their levels of consent. You must be able to prove consent by providing the following information:

    • What type of consent was obtained;
    • When it was obtained;
    • The context in which it was obtained.
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5. Educate Your Team About the DOs and DON'Ts of CASL and Enforce New Policies

It is critical that your employees be fully aware of the new Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation regulations, implications, and risks. Learn more with our CASL DOs and DON’Ts document.

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The Company Blog: Is Your Business Up-To-Speed?

Business Blog
Modern B2B Marketing to fill up your sales funnel | Canada

Blog Writing: Is Your Company Up-to-speed?

Business Blog
  • (Revised: 02/02/2023)
  • Reading time: 2 minutes

We all know the value of a business blog writing, but do we all take advantage of it? In a recent study about the State of Inbound Marketing, marketing software company HubSpot reported 57% of businesses using company blogs have acquired a customer from a blog-generated lead; an increase of 11% since 2010. Further, corporate blogs were ranked by 55% of the respondents as the lowest inbound marketing tactic to result in “below average cost per lead” (see figure below).

hubspot blog EN

When it comes to marketing, there’s no question that business blogging is effective. It drives clients to corporate Websites and companies gain new customers from blog-generated leads. These days, blogs, along with other social media tactics, can play a crucial role in your company’s online presence.

Despite this, company blogs are only effective when they’re updated regularly. Business blogs provide real value to readers through authentic content, which means consistently updating your company blog is as important as ever.

HubSpot’s study reveals most company blogs publish at least monthly, if not weekly. Unfortunately, most businesses lack the time and resources for regular business blogging. This is where Direct Objective can help.

By meeting with the Direct Objective staff once a month to define blog goals, companies can reap the benefits of blogging,  while freeing themselves from the task of actually writing it.

Together we can explore blog ideas, ensure blog posts respect company guidelines, customize the blog to be SEO-friendly, and most importantly, attract new prospects.

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Business-To-Business Marketing Horror Stories

Marketing mistakes
Modern B2B Marketing to fill up your sales funnel | Canada

Business-To-Business Marketing Horror Stories

Marketing mistakes
  • (Revised: 02/02/2023)
  • Reading time: 2 minutes

Every year on Halloween, people of all ages turn off the lights, cuddle up on the couch, and watch their favorite horror movie. While Halloween only happens once a year for everyone else, I am faced with horror stories all year long. On a weekly basis, I meet with companies that are living their very own nightmares as a result of their own marketing inexperience and unpreparedness. While I am the first to agree that business-to-business marketing is no easy task, I am also the first to admit there are always ways to try and avoid problems. So for this Halloween, we here at Direct Objective have a little treat in store for you. Turn off the lights, cuddle up on your office chair, and get ready for our very own Business-to-Business horror stories… candy not included.

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Chapter 1 - Marketing Without Measuring

Companies who spend large amounts of money on marketing should live by one word: measuring. If marketing initiatives are put in place without the ability to measure key performance indicators, then why bother? Make sure that you have the right plan in place in order to fully reap the benefits of your marketing initiatives and not fall victim to the Marketing Grim Reaper.

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Chapter 2 - Branding Is NOT Forever Young

The branding of your company is not where you should cut corners. While a substantial investment into your online content, signage, and logo is definitely recommended, remember that over time, as the industry around you changes, so too should your branding. Allocate an annual budget for revamping your website,marketing material, and even your logo, if necessary, to avoid being viewed as the Mummy of your industry.

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Chapter 3 - Marketing Tactics Are Not Automated

So, your company wants to invest more in various marketing tactics? While this is a step in the right direction, do not think that merely setting it up is enough. Integrate and automate your tactics to ensure that your social media, email campaigns, SEO, PR, and other campaigns are aligned accordingly. Not doing so would be the equivalent of getting lost in a haunted house. Avoid it and plan ahead!

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Chapter 4 - To Go International or Not to Go International

Every year innovative products are developed, successfully tested in local markets, and 7 years later there is still no attempt to break into the international arena. In today’s business market, the world has become a global village, easily accessible to all who want to access it. Cut down your time-to-market by daring to enter the international market – you’ll find that it’s a lot less trick and a lot more treat.

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Chapter 5 - International Expansion Needs International Experience

Breaking into the international market is better when you have someone that you trust with the knowledge on how to capitalize in that market. Before embarking on this new endeavour, make sure your company is ready for a new market and that you are attracting new leads in the market  for when your senior salesperson takes over. Remember, if the sales are not there… R.I.P.

So there you have it, your very own guide to avoiding B2B Marketing Nightmares. Now turn on the lights and get back to work!

Happy Halloween!

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Making an Impact in Your Market

Marketing tactics
Modern B2B Marketing to fill up your sales funnel | Canada

Making an Impact in Your Market Has Never Been More Important, or Easier

Marketing tactics
  • (Revised: 02/02/2023)
  • Reading time: 2 minutes

I believe our age will be called the Internet age. Before I jump into this, however, I ask you to consider the past decade or so. We have seen revolution after revolution gradually shift the political and economic spheres in which we live. Political power has become more horizontally integrated with the advent of social media, something which has proven  effective in toppling long-standing military regimes (i.e., the Arab Spring) as well as defeating unpopular legislature (i.e., the US SOPA & PIPA postponement). In each of these cases, the momentum came and was sustained, not from powerful committees and the elite, but from ordinary citizens like you and me. Take as an example, Greta Thunberg, a 17 years old girl that initiated the rise of Eco Warriors in the Fridays for Future events.

Increasingly, individuals have the power to influence the course of events, and marketing is no exception to this trend. That said, just because influence is readily available to anyone, doesn’t mean it can be mastered by everyone. Just like in the past, to be influential, you must be engaged with your network of people or companies. If you like something, whether it’s a product, service, or just a piece of writing, don’t be afraid to share it and tell other people about it. If you like what someone else has shared, tell your network about it. This is an ever-growing part of communication with significant which shows no signs of disappearing.

Most larger companies have already taken notice of this social trend and are increasingly monitoring and measuring their social interactions. They recognize that it is you who will ultimately make or break them. Search engines like Google take into consideration the behaviour of their users when ranking web sites for search queries. It is you who they are trying to satisfy.

Since an individual voice can have such a powerful influence on a product’s success, companies have started to do what they thought inconceivable only a few years ago-they now tailor products and services to the individual client. Personalized web sites are essential in this technology-driven economy, but Amazon and Dell have gone a step further to change the position, elements, and functionality based on how the site tests with users. By design, the ads we see are as relevant to us as possible and, with the advent of mobile marketing, we can expect to see even more personalization with location-specific ads.

Did you learn something from this post? Have an impact and share the information with your network through the links on the bottom-right. Speak out and people will take notice!

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Attracting Clients in a New Marketing World

Attracting clients
Modern B2B Marketing to fill up your sales funnel | Canada

Attracting Clients with Pull Marketing Strategies

Attracting clients
  • (Revised: 02/02/2023)
  • Reading time: 2 minutes

As we discussed in a Direct Objective’s previous blog, Major Shifts of B2B Marketing Evolution”, some traditional marketing sales processes are becoming less effective. The difference is between Pull Marketing and Push Marketing. Many traditional marketing strategies are based on the concept of a controlled sales environment, where actions are driven by a “numbers game”. Simply put: the more outgoing calls => the more message visibility for potential clients =>  the more clients your business gains. In a new world, this equation is not necessarily true anymore.

The easiest way to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to marketing is to shift your fundamental focus by adapting your methods from Push to Pull. Why spend enormous resources chasing down clients with constantly changing needs and ways of absorbing information, when you could simply entice customers to come to you? This will not only reduce the cost of finding new clients, but also ensure you attract an exponentially higher quality of client since they have already acknowledged your company as a potential solution-provider.

Your next step is to identify the right tools to help you effectively make the transition from Push to Pull Marketing. Some recent examples from our clients include:

    • Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – One of our clients has been an industry leader for the past 15 years, but potential clients had difficulty finding them on search engines since they were way down on Page 16. They are now located in the top third of the first page, and their Web visitor inquiries, along with their web-generated leads, have seen significant growth
    • Company Blogs & Social Media – In an age where we choose word-of-mouth over slippery salespeople, an open relationship with clients through a blog or social media outlet can build trust. We assisted another client with writing their blog, spreading positive information by social media and word-of-mouth, thereby engaging clients with their solution. a result they saw their registration levels increase dramatically
    • Whitepapers – One company we worked with had an extremely intricate and innovative solution, but it proved challenging for them to communicate this to their target market, especially compared to their competitors. We offered to produce a special whitepaper and distributed it to influential industry figures on their behalf and, as a result, their company is now attracting the right clients who firmly understand  how the solution can benefit them.

Pull strategy is a necessity in this rapidly changing marketing world. There are a number of other new techniques that can simplify the Pull approach process, but it’s most effective to create an overall marketing strategy which is unique in successfully integrating the relevant tactics tailored to the specific needs of your company.

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The 5 Interesting Major Shifts of B2B ‘New Marketing Evolution’

Marketing Evolution
Modern B2B Marketing to fill up your sales funnel | Canada

The 5 Major Shifts of B2B 'New Marketing Evolution'

Marketing Evolution
  • (Revised: 02/02/2023)
  • Reading time: 2 minutes

A year is wrapping up, and the marketing industry is facing some major changes moving forward. Though this year was nowhere near as financially tough for many as the year before, the recovery, while starting to show signs of hope, is still hampering firms. In response to the economic downtown, as well as new, emerging technologies, companies have undergone a major shift from the old marketing regime in a process we’ve coined New Marketing Evolution.

We have identified 5 major consequences of New Marketing Evolution to consider as we head into the new year.

1. The definition of marketing, transformed

During the last 2 years, the marketing industry has undergone a significant shift. The mindset of potential clients has changed and, if you or your company continue employing the old methods, you may quickly fall behind the curve. The key changes:

Old Marketing Regime New Marketing Evolution
5-year marketing plan Real-time, here and now: Marketing strategies, technologies, and techniques are evolving every day, so companies are now sticking to a 6-12 month outlook.
Mass approach Customized to the prospect: If you’re pitching a one-size-fits-all package to a potential client, odds are that they’ve seen it before, they can do it themselves, or they can find better options by searching Google. A customizable, personal option is the way to make leads stick around.
Spending big bucks WOM (Word-of-mouth): Why spend thousands on an ad campaign that you’re not even sure can reach the right people? B2B marketing strategy based around word-of-mouth saves money and can drive real, relevant leads.
Controlled sales environment Welcome to the Wild West: Whatever your business, there are likely twenty others just like you, eager to capitalize on their product. Just like the Old West, you need to constantly stay on your toes and adapt continuously.
Push marketing (tell me what I need to do) Pull Marketing: Businesses are constantly overwhelmed with marketing attempts. This isn’t the death of the cold call, but the new marketing strategy is: don’t interrupt me, I’ll call you when I’ve done my research.
Use of traditional offline media Use online and offline media: Integration is a key for the success of a marketing campaign. Combining the power of online marketing with some of the proven traditional media strategies may yield the 1+1=11 effect. Just ensure that you effectively plan it out.
Mostly manual Automated process: There’s an app for that. Just like about everything else, marketing automation software has become extremely prevalent and it allows you to do more with less.
No ability to measure What is the ROI?: Calculating return-on-investment has become effortless but increasingly sophisticated, like a simultaneous paradox. Invest in the marketing activities that would make an impact on your sales.

2. The competitive landscape is more spirited than ever for three reasons: (A) the economic situation leads to less buying power, thus decreasing the number of potential consumers or clients, (B) a smaller world approach brings a lot of new competitors from international markets that were not present in our market before, and (C) the high pace of changes and the consolidation of technologies creates inherently new competitors, both direct and indirect. For example, the introduction of Apple’s iPad imposed competition not only on eBook readers, but also on laptop, notebook, wireless phone, and portable entertainment devices. In the first quarter of 2011, iPad will have its own breed of competitors; since, just two weeks ago, HP released the Slate.

3. Internal pressure to use fewer resources and deliver results faster: Marketing budgets usually shrink or almost disappear in slow economies, but the need for good leads to fill your pipeline is still there. You just need to work harder with the limited resources you have at hand. Once more let’s look at the table above and notice how new B2B marketing strategies are designed for efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

4. The new marketer must master technology and create original content: While a lot of marketing is performed online nowadays, there are countless tools that can be used to research, measure, and automate the marketing process.  In order to efficiently master them and produce creative content, here are the necessary approaches:

Old Marketing Regime New Marketing Evolution Approach
Static Content Authentic and valuable content
Monologues and speeches tone Share, interact and collaborate
Isolated campaigns Integrated strategy across channels
No data, no worries Prospect data should be analyzed and drive improvements

If you’re not producing creative, original content through a company blog, a Twitter account, a sales presentation, or any other part of your marketing campaign, then why should a client listen?

5. Delivery = ROI: After you’ve spent time developing and implementing a well-targeted, carefully-researched, meticulously-refined marketing solution, you’ve only just begun. It is not enough to just spend time on delivering marketing activity; you must listen to your target audience, collect and analyze marketing results, deduct what the return on investment is, and determine how it can be improved for future marketing activity.

Marketing Evolution may have created a more competitive and constantly changing environment, but it has opened the door for customization, unique interpretation, inspiring interaction, and creativity. New technologies and techniques allow new B2B marketing strategies to build closer relationships with clients than ever before. How your company evolves with New Marketing Evolution is up to you.

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