In today’s rapidly evolving business environment, generating high-quality leads has become more crucial than ever for enterprises seeking sustained growth.
As technology advances and consumer behaviors shift, traditional lead generation strategies are being challenged, and new approaches continue to emerge – some expected, some a little more surprising.
In this article, we’ll delve into the key trends that are set to shape the landscape of enterprise lead generation in 2023. From leveraging artificial intelligence and automation to making the most of interactive digital content, we’ll outline the strategies and tools you need to stay ahead of the curve.
Ready to discover how the most innovative enterprises generate and convert leads? Let’s get right into it.
What is enterprise lead generation?
Enterprise lead generation is the process of attracting and converting enterprise companies into customers.
Selling at the enterprise level is, in many ways, similar to selling to individuals or smaller companies – however, it also comes with a few key challenges. For example, the companies you’re targeting will likely have hundreds (or thousands) of employees – making it a little more difficult to locate and research the find the right person to reach out to.
These sales conversations are also typically longer and more complex, leading to a lengthier sales cycle and higher resource needs. Of course, the high-value status of these leads is often well worth the work, with higher revenue potential and a serious reputation boost.
With that in mind, being ahead of the game on the latest trends can make a big difference when targeting million or billion-dollar companies.
Top enterprise lead generation trends to look for
As businesses work to bounce back from the economic crash of the COVID-19 pandemic, the following trends are set to make waves in the B2B lead generation process. Are you ready?
Account-based marketing
Account-based marketing (ABM) is a marketing strategy that involves segmenting leads and personalizing the content they receive. ABM relies on targeting “accounts” – specific prospects or prospect groups – and creating marketing messaging that attends to their unique needs.
ABM and lead generation are often viewed as opposing marketing strategies, with the former working in an outbound direction to focus on specific prospects, and the other working in an inbound direction to gain as many potential prospects as possible.
However, using an ABM/Lead Gen hybrid approach can be an extremely effective strategy for enterprise lead generation specifically, since the emphasis for lead gen at this level tends to be on a small number of high-value accounts.
To get started with enterprise ABM marketing, you’ll need to:
- Ensure your sales and marketing departments are working in alignment
- Identify and rank the enterprise prospects you’d like to target
- Craft and share your custom ABM content
- Launch your ABM campaign
- Invest in ongoing ABM training for your teams
- Follow ABM best practices
This year is set to see ABM methods become more commonly embedded into organizational marketing strategies – why not be one of the first?
Automation and automation-based platforms
We can expect to see lead generation platforms further incorporating automated processes, leading to more cost-effective processes and workflows.
A range of steps can be automated to boost productivity and save time – however, automation is best used as a supplement to, not a replacement of, your team members. To embrace this trend, you might want to consider including automation for a combination of the following:
- Targeted email campaigns
- Ad campaigns
- Chatbots
- List-building
- CRM administration
- Lead analytics
- Data gathering
Personalized services and communications
As we move into 2023, personalization is still the name of the game, and nowhere more so than in lead generation.
When carried out well, personalization is associated with the generation of higher- quality leads, boosted prospect engagement, and increased conversions. One of the ways personalization can lead to these benefits is by building a level of trust and credibility with the leads you contact. While generic marketing messages may prove effective with some leads, making use of a targeted approach that acknowledges each lead’s unique pain points is far more likely to gain their interest – and hopefully lead to conversion. In fact, 72% of consumers now state that they will only engage with personalized marketing.
Personalizing your enterprise sales process can involve:
- Creating targeted account-based marketing content
- Researching your prospects and understanding their challenges
- Running personalized email campaigns based on market segments
- Building targeted landing pages or microsites based on specific needs
- Creating detailed customer profiles
- Making use of digital behavioral tracking and analysis to better understand your leads
Interactive digital content
It’s increasingly difficult to capture and keep attention on the internet – with only 45% of clicks to a site getting more than 15 seconds of attention, anything you can do to keep your leads’ eyes on the page is beneficial.
As you work to personalize your marketing communications, prioritizing interactive digital content is the way to capture your leads’ attention.
What do we mean by interactive digital content?
High-quality, multimedia content is the cornerstone of effective enterprise lead generation, engagement, and conversion. Your marketing content has the ability to captivate and engage your leads – the first step towards engagement and conversion. Unlike traditional static content, interactive content prompts a response from the user, usually in the form of a click or typed answer. Types of interactive elements include:
- Videos (click to play)
- Chatbots (a prompt to ask a question to find out more)
- Forms (often a sign-up to receive more information or to access a discount)
- Surveys and polls
- Calculators
- Personalized quizzes, assessments, and quotes
- Augmented reality overlays or features
- Interactive infographics
One of the benefits of using interactive digital content for enterprise lead generation is the benefit is two-directional: the lead has a more engaging user experience, and your team gains access to behavioral data about the lead’s engagement with your site. That’s why having access to comprehensive tracking and data analytics of your digital content is critical to a successful lead gen strategy.
Ensure your B2B lead generation strategy is ahead of the curve with Zoomforth
Zoomforth presents a fresh, digital way for companies to engage with leads and clients through curated interactive content experiences.
Elevate your sales proposals and account-based marketing content by easily creating and hosting immersive, branded microsites. With access to rich data analytics exploring your leads’ engagement, an easy-to-use drag-and-drop site editor, and a comprehensive support package, Zoomforth makes it easy to stay ahead of the curve.
To find out more about how we can support your enterprise lead generation, or to request a demo, reach out to Zoomforth today!
