How do you get in front of customers in a down economy where budget is doled out with an eyedropper? Executives and marketers need every ounce of creativity they can muster to see their company through these challenging economic times.
Trade show attendance has dropped and companies just can’t afford the cost anyway. Other traditional tactics historically used to build a sales lead pipeline are less effective as well. More companies are turning to online lead generation tactics — and seem to like what they see.
If spending is a barometer for what works, data from Outsell’s Annual Advertising and Marketing Study 2010: Total US and B2B Advertising (as cited by BtoB Magazine and eMarketer) sheds light on alternative ways B2B companies get in front of and engage prospective customers using Social Networking, Webinars, Search Engines and Company Websites.
From the look of the research results, these online lead generation channels must be working out.
In fact, all of those channels represent great ways to reach your target audience, build reputation and trust. As of late, I’ve become more and more intrigued by Webinars as a reliable, manageable tactic for B2B lead generation. Webinars leave less to chance and provide you with control and predictability for building a robust sales lead pipeline.
That sentiment was echoed in a recent audio podcast we did with UEVision‘s CEO, Sarah Kling: Generating Internet Business Leads: Webinars. Sarah’s team has achieved significant success using Webinars to attract interested prospects, educate them, establish UE Vision’s bona fides and then follow up with qualified leads to nurture them in the sales lead pipeline.
While Webinars represent a cost-effective, highly controllable tactic, bear in mind that success doesn’t begin and end with producing the Webinar. We’re researching best practices in this area now, however, it seems clear that successful online lead generation will at least include:
- A strong upfront marketing plan to register members of your target market
- Aggressive reminders to registrants as you get close to the Webinar
- Proactive follow-though with leads and nurturing communication to participants
Are Webinars worth the effort? Do the math. In fact, do the math and calculate the internal resources and energy you’ll need to figure out a projected break-even point. If your break-even estimates show even the possibility of a winner, wouldn’t trying Webinars as an online lead generation tactic be worth testing?
