The year 2017 is in full swing. Trump has entered the White House and won’t leave much of Obama’s legacy standing. Will the elections in the Netherlands, Germany and France push Europe into chaos? Will the EU fall apart? And will the populists back out?
In short: a lot of unpredictable dynamics. But what should you do as an entrepreneur or marketer to secure your business? Lead generation remains essential. No leaders, no business. Do you have some spare time? Then you should definitely read this blog post. Take a seat and get yourself a drink.
In this article I’ll discuss 10 trends regarding B2B lead generation. It’s not scientific research, but based on relevant sources supplemented with subjective perceptions of the undersigned. Whether my ideas on the matter will actually be realised in 2017, who knows. If you do, feel free to give me a heads-up . That’s the advantage of the crystal ball that is called the “future”.
10 Trends for 2017 for B2B
1. Search engine BING is important for lead generation.
2. Lead identification tools form an indispensable link in lead generation.
3. Multi-channel and cross device put their stamp on lead generation.
4. Google and Facebook dominate in B2B lead generation.
5. Lead generation is becoming more data driven.
6. A good reputation is important for promising leads.
7. Lead generation increasingly (partly) outsourced.
8. Lead generation is shifting to business communications.
9. Content is KING for top leads.
10. Landing pages claim greater role in lead generation success.
Trend 1: search engine BING is important for lead generation.
BING was until recently the “smurf” of the Dutch search market. At the time of writing, it has a market share of approximately 9% (source: BING training day November 22, 2016). According to Microsoft, there are about 127 million searches per month in the Netherlands. StatCounter however provides a more modest image.
While Google still dominates, it was hurt pretty bad by the latest Windows 10 update from Microsoft It’s actually nice that advertisers have a little bit more choice instead of Google as a sole platform. In Germany, France and the UK, BING’s market share now exceeds 10%.
So it’s important to keep BING in mind, especially when you’re dealing with international campaigns. Due to the lower competition than compared to Google, BING can produce profitable leads. And because you can easily import your Google campaigns to BING, it’s quite easy to get your lead generation campaigns going.
Trend 2: Lead identification tools form an indispensable link in lead generation.
More and more marketers know how they should deploy search engine marketing to achieve their online campaign goals. Relevant traffic leading to the site and provoking action on suitable landing pages is – if properly handled – apprehendable and above all a lot of experimenting.
But what’s new for some are the tools that can be used to recognize web visitors (leads).
Besides very strong Dutch brands such as Bol.com and Coolblue, on average 98% of visitors leave a website without taking any action. This is obviously a missed opportunity for leads and conversions. Being able to recognize your visitors thus is of increasing importance.
There are already a bunch of online tool providers such as Online Succes and Lead Boxer. A party such as Lead Feeder also provides a technical link with Google Analytics. It is my assessment that the importance of these tools will further increase in 2017.
Trend 3: Multi-channel and cross device put their stamp on lead generation.
In the past, the world of B2B used to be uncluttered. You only had a few channels that mattered. Email was important for lead generation. Telemarketing was often used for sales and leads. Everyone had a PC and some early adopters ran around with a “status-enhancing” mobile phone.
Today, people are confronted with an average of 5,000 advertising messages on a daily basis. (source: Google)
It’s spectacular how different the world is today. The image below is only a sketch of the online media landscape.
Channels aplenty! What’s more, you can focus search engine marketing campaigns not only on desktop, tablet and mobile. Within mobile, you also have the choice of which devices (iPhone & Samsung) you want to target.
Leading is the online behaviour of people. This is highly unpredictable and not linear. The so-called customer journey is complex and fragmented by technology.
As a marketer or entrepreneur, you have many choices regarding the way set up lead campaigns. Consider several different target groups (segments) on the web.
Trend 4: Google and Facebook dominate in B2B lead generation.
The fact that Google is important for B2B markets was already proven last year in a Google study.
B2B decision makers often start their procurement process with a generic orientation on Google. In addition, half of the B2B decision-makers are millennials.
In this article we already unravelled some myths that video content is only used during the awareness phase and that there would be minimal use of mobile devices in the B2B industry. I suppose that the Google Trends from 2015 & 2016 consolidate in 2017. After all, the digital marketing budget continues to grow, with video and mobile as key drivers.
That Facebook and not LinkedIn is becoming increasingly more important for B2B lead generation may sound surprising. LinkedIn has over 400 million users worldwide, often with a role as decision maker or influencer. Facebook, however, has been focusing for some time on larger corporate advertisers as well.
Important advantages of Facebook
1) Targeting options such as demographics, job title, industry and company size.
2) Behavorial targeting.
3) Remarketing capabilities and target approach.
4) Finding lookalikes
5) Clear and cost effective checkout models (clicks, conversions, CPM).
6) Facebook algorithm optimizes online campaigns.
If the acquisition of LinkedIn by Microsoft this year will help turn this trend remains to be seen.
Want to know more about Facebook B2B marketing opportunities? Read these two links. Article 1 and Article two.
Trend 5: Lead Generation is becoming more data driven.
Lead generation has become a field for specialists. Knowledge of online marketing, web analytics, and online purchasing behavior are essential for success. While the marketer would could still get away with his gut feeling earlier on, he now has to settle for Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
This explains the increasing importance of certification of major components regarding lead generation: Google Analytics, Google AdWords customer journey and persona development.
Ikea, for example, has completely mapped its customer journey to the smallest detail.
A company that is interesting to mention in this context is Relay 42. They develop technologies that support effective marketing campaigns accross the jungle of online channels.
Trend 6: A good reputation is important for promising leads.
Not so long ago, a company with a moderate image could be successful in ecommerce. Those times are definitely over. Did you make mistakes in the past? By mistreating customers or not fulfilling promises? Well, then you’ll get hit in the face by a boomerang.
People are more vocal and active on social media. A pissed off #fail tweet or a negative message on Facebook is posted within seconds. A webcare department or employee now have their hands full to achieve or maintain a good rep, or to keep – what’s left of it – afloat.
What am I exactly saying? That as a company you can always establish good lead generation campaigns, but customer perception and kindness are just as important.
People do not buy from companies with a dubious or scammy reputation. There are enough alternatives and the human dimension of an organization is key to its business. Redrafted leads and business should be awarded to you, and that is easier to achieve with a good image.
Trend 6: A good reputation is important for promising leads.
Not so long ago, a company with a moderate image could be successful in ecommerce. Those times are definitely over. Did you make mistakes in the past? By mistreating customers or not fulfilling promises? Well, then you’ll get hit in the face by a boomerang.
People are more vocal and active on social media. A pissed off #fail tweet or a negative message on Facebook is posted within seconds. A webcare department or employee now have their hands full to achieve or maintain a good rep, or to keep – what’s left of it – afloat.
What am I exactly saying? That as a company you can always establish good lead generation campaigns, but customer perception and kindness are just as important.
People do not buy from companies with a dubious or scammy reputation. There are enough alternatives and the human dimension of an organization is key to its business. Redrafted leads and business should be awarded to you, and that is easier to achieve with a good image.
Trend 7: Lead Generation increasingly (partly) outsourced.
The image that I sketch about lead generation is one of dynamism and (technical) complexity. Many organizations have their hands full with their daily tasks. And that’s why lead generation is more more frequently, partly outsourced to other organizations. In an earlier blog. I’ve already discussed this matter in-depth. There are both numerous advantages and disadvantages when you outsource the process. I happily refer interested readers to the above article. In any case, it is my expectation that outsourcing lead generation will be an increasingly popular trend in 2017.
Trend 8: Lead generation is shifting to business communications.
Hopefully it’s already clear that lead generation is effectively anticipating customer interaction. Often this is the task of the marketing department. But there are often more people who have customer contact.
All of these customer contacts influence the customer’s experience. According to me, it is not only the sole duty and responsibility of marketing to generate leads. The examples that a service desk signals upsell opportunities thanks to customer calls are numerous. Or that complaints can be turned towards a commercial opportunity.
Customer behavior and communication is smooth and does not stick to how organizations organize their marcom department. They just want to be helped, buy online or realize another conversion. You can try to channel this as an organization but it is mainly about relevant customer-focused communication. This is not a trick but a culture. Really help out customers and pay them attention.
Trend 9: Content is KING for top leads.
Content is KING. You have probably heard this before. But is it actually true? According to me, yes.
The pitfall for many companies, in my opinion, is the fact that most companies focus more on the frequency of their content rather than its quality. The blog posts become spam, with all the negative consequences that entails.
“Great Content + SEO Strategy is King” is a better description (as described in this link).
What matters is:
1) A good content strategy
2) Content that solves a problem and
3) Search engine friendly content.
If you meet these conditions, the probability of good quality leads using SEO is high.
Trend 10: Landing pages claim greater role in lead generation success.
The latest trend for 2017 of design and landing pages. That this is a trending topic can be deducted from a report released on November 1st. Here are 34 trends for 2017 that deal specifically with landing pages. It is worthwhile to read this report..
In summary, these are the most important trends:
• Basic design
• Force of imagination
• Animation elements
• Call to action
• Value proposition
• Social proof
Year of the rooster
I want to thank you for taking the time to read this long blog post. I also hope that these trends will be useful to you in your own lead generation approach and strategy. Be at least a “ringleader” to test new techniques. Failure pays off.
Want to know more about digital trends in 2017? Read this article.
I wish you a lot of success in 2017 and above all happiness and good health.
