B2B Basics
Is the primary goal of your business-to-business advertising sales lead generation for your salespeople, representatives, distributors or resellers? If so, consider the following proven lead generation techniques gleaned from working with more than 170 companies and some of the best marketers in the business.
Don’t use image ads. Have you seen the ads showing butterflies and oil wells co-existing, illustrating the oil company’s concern for the environment? This kind of advertising may do a lot to improve the company’s image, but it isn’t designed to generate B2B sales leads.
Focus your advertising’s message on the benefits and applications of your products or services. Then, let the layout and design of your ads enhance your company’s image.
Put benefits in your headlines. Including a benefit in the headline improves your chances of catching the reader’s attention and generating an inquiry or request for more information. If, after reading the headline, the reader asks “so what?,” you probably described a feature instead of a benefit. The answer to “so what?” is the benefit.
Discuss applications. If your product or service is ideal for specific applications, say so. When readers recognize their application for your product or service, they will be more likely to respond. For example, you’re more likely to get an inquiry from someone in a medical records department of a hospital if they notice that your barcoding software is ideal for tracking a patient’s medical records.
Make your ads easy to skim. Everyone seems pressed for time these days, including the folks reading the trade publications where your advertisements appear. With this in mind, make it easy for readers to “skim” your ads and still get the message.
Use bulleted copy, subheads and illustrations or photographs to quickly communicate key points.
Use testimonial ads. Your prospects expect you to be biased. However, they trust their peers to tell it like it is. Use this to your advantage by including quotes from happy customers in your advertising. Or, mention the companies you serve. Another option is to use statistics such as “chosen by nine out of 10 design engineers.”
However, to be believable you have to be specific. For instance, give the full name, title and company affiliation of the person being quoted. Or list the names of a few respected companies that use your products or services. Be sure to back up statistics by referencing the source of the data.
Use fractional ads to be more cost-efficient. Your advertising needs to be present when your prospects are looking for solutions to their problems. So, if your budget is limited, rather than placing only a few full-page ads a year, consider running fractional ads in every issue.
Use “Wrap Ads” to get more for your money. “Wrap Ads” are actually a number of fractional ads, designed to look like new product announcements, all run on a single page surrounding an island half-page ad. This format can also work for half-page and third-page ads. Although more common in tabloid-sized magazines, this type of ad works equally well in standard-sized publications.
Make them an offer they can’t refuse. If you want your prospects to respond, you have to give them a convincing reason to do so. Keep in mind the phrase: “what’s in it for me?” as you’re writing your ad’s call to action. It’s what your prospects are thinking as they decide whether or not they will take the time or effort to respond. It will have a noticeable effect on B2B sales leads generation.
Consider offering application notes showing how other buyers solved their problems using your product or service.
In addition, offering a useful premium or advertising specialty can significantly increase the number of responses. However, try to make sure your offer is of interest only to qualified prospects. For example, a tool for sizing rings would be an attractive offer only to people who use rings. But, everyone might want a free pocket screwdriver set and inquire only to get it, not because they have a need for your product or service.
Many of your prospects may want to try your product before they buy it. If you can cost-effectively offer samples or a demonstration CD, you will generate more inquiries as part of your B2B sales leads generation program.
Choose your words carefully. The word “free” is a powerful inquiry generator. Everyone wants something for nothing. Direct marketers have long known the power of this word. Take a look at just about any direct response ad and you’ll see it used.
“New” is another word sure to attract attention and generate more inquiries. Legally, though, you can only use “new” if it is new, and only for a limited period of time (usually six months). Check with your legal advisor.
Use client-centered language with the reader. Include words in your copy like “you” and “your” to focus on the readers’ needs rather than boasting about how good “we” and “our” products or services are. For example, the statement: “You will get the work done 25 percent quicker” is much stronger than: “Our product is 25 percent faster than the competition.”
Ask for the order. Any experienced salesperson can tell you that you won’t get the order unless you ask for it.
Create benefit-oriented offers such as “call, write, fax, e-mail or visit our website today to request your free Component Selection Guide, designed to help you quickly determine which products best meet your barcoding needs.” Notice that even the words “Selection Guide,” as opposed to “brochure” or “catalog,” were chosen to offer the reader a benefit.
Give them a compelling reason to inquire right away. You’ll get more inquiries if you design your offer to reward those who inquire right away. For example, try something like “If you are one of the first 500 to inquire, we’ll also send you a free booklet entitled, “Fifteen ways to cut your inventory costs.” Or “Request more information before Dec. 31, and we’ll include a coupon good for $500 worth of free accessories.”
Match your offers according to where the reader is in the buying cycle. When prospects are just starting to gather information, they may need literature but are often not yet ready for a sales call. When it is almost time to buy, prospects are usually anxious to speak with your salespeople, reps, resellers or distributors, see a demonstration or discuss pricing.
The number of inquiries generated can be significantly increased by making offers that have appeal to prospects in all phases of the sales cycle of B2B sales leads generation. For example, consider offering Selection Guides, application notes, a newsletter, a demonstration, a test or analysis, samples, a sales call or any combination thereof.
Merchandise your offer. Direct marketers have found that how an offer is packaged can be as important as the offer itself.
For example, if you’re offering literature or samples, include in the ad a small picture of what potential customers will receive if they inquire. If you use a coupon, show a little pair of scissors cutting out the coupon. If you use 800-numbers in your ads, make sure the numbers are big and bold, so they stand out and it’s clear that the prospect is being invited to call.
Make it easy for your prospect to respond. Offer multiple response devices so your prospects can choose their preferred method.
Some people need your information immediately, so they prefer to call or to go right to your website. Some like the 24-hour convenience of faxing or e-mailing their requests. Others find it easier or more comfortable to use the magazine-provided reader service card, coupons or bound-in reply cards.
Mention your website. Make it clear to readers that they can access the rest of the story about your products or services instantly by visiting your website. Then make sure your website makes it easy for them to find this information.
In addition, have an “information request” button on every page that takes them to a form allowing them to identify themselves and their needs, and to request that detailed information be faxed, downloaded as files or quickly mailed to them.
By M.H. “Mac” McIntosh, CBC
M.H. “Mac” McIntosh, CBC, is a business-to-business marketing consultant and publisher of the newsletter: “Sales Lead Report.” McIntosh also teaches university-level courses in sales, marketing, direct marketing and telemarketing, and conducts seminars and workshops for leading corporations and associations around the world. He can be reached at (800) 944-5553, mcintosh@sales-lead-experts.com and by visiting www.sales-lead-experts.com.