12 B2B Lead Generation Ideas and Examples to Try

Back in the day (even just 15 years ago), cold calling prospects was the only way to generate the b2b sales leads you needed to grow your business. Luckily, we no longer live in the dark ages. Today, there are a plethora of ways to generate leads for your business to whom you can then sell your products and services.

This practice is known as lead generation (lead gen for short). Designed to raise brand awareness and more attention to your brand, lead generation has become vital to your B2B marketing strategy.

Lead gen can take place online and of course on social media sites like LinkedIn. It can take the form of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) that ranks your site on the first page of search results so prospects can find your business from a quick Google search. There’s also the increasingly popular lead generation strategy of starting a podcast or seeking out guest podcast appearances. Or you can just go old school and ask your network and current customers for referrals. You can also just stick with the tried and true cold calling (which is the original form of lead gen).

12 Lead Generation Examples

Want to know how to generate leads? This article will teach you just that. Here are 12 lead gen examples that you can explore as a way to grow your business. We suggest trying out different lead generation strategies until you find the one or combination that works for you and your business.

1. LinkedIn Lead Generation

LinkedIn offers multiple ways to build your sales funnel since it is the world’s largest professional database. You can create a content strategy and post regular content that will be seen by an increasingly larger audience (if you do it right). This can create both a personal brand for yourself as well as for your network. Speaking of networks, make sure you are actively growing your own on LinkedIn network as well. You can do this by sending connection requests and messages to those you want to follow and converse with. Sparking informative and engaging conversions with your network, both through your posts and in your DMs, is how you make the most of LinkedIn for free.

Linkedin organic posting and outreach was actually the original business Impactable was founded on before being acquired and pivoting into the LinkedIn Ads agency we are now.

We still recognize the strength of this approach so much so that our agency has recently acquired Respect.Studio, a 30-person LinkedIn outreach agency specializing in building a sustainable pipeline for B2B teams. 

You can easily search for the type of connection you’d like to make such as potential clients, partnerships, podcast hosts, or anything else you can think of. The key isn’t to just grow your network, but instead to strategically grow it in a meaningful way and then to have a plan of how to interact with that network as it grows.

If you want to go the paid lead gen route – LinkedIn is also a great place to run Pay-Per-Click ad campaigns (PPC), which we will talk about next.

2. PPC (Pay Per Click)

Paid Advertising on platforms like LinkedIn Ads, Facebook, Instagram, and Google Ads can be an extremely powerful sales tool, but you have to use it right. You need to have a great sales page to lead your prospects to. Your sales page must clearly convey the benefits of your product or service. Your sales copy should be persuasive in enticing prospects with an irresistible offer. When it comes to PPC on Google – your ads will be built around specific keywords that potential customers are searching for on Google. The idea is to step in front of traffic that shows a high degree of implied intent. 

For example we pay to show up for search terms such as “LinkedIn Ads Agency”, “B2B LinkedIn Marketing Company”, and “LinkedIn Advertising Management Agency” which show an intent to find more than just information on a topic but for an actual solution. 

LinkedIn Ads can pour in some of the highest quality prospects into your marketing ecosystem but lacks intent or buying signals which means sales cycles there can be longer but worth the wait in the long run. 

3. Retargeting PPC Campaigns

Retargeting ads are the second step in your PPC campaigns. They aren’t a “maybe” or a backup plan. They are a must for running a successful PPC campaign. The right retargeting ads that draw back previous visitors who didn’t take action (either by booking a call or making a purchase), combined with an effective initial ad will net you leads.

Check out this masterful 6-month LinkedIn Retargeting Framework we’ve built and rolled out for hundreds of B2B orgs. 

4. Create a Referral Program

Developing a successful referral program will help you boost sales leads by tapping into your customer base as a way to spark word of mouth advertising. This is a great lead generation strategy since it turns your customers into your company’s spokesperson. Offering either a financial incentive or free work in exchange for a referral can help get your referral program started.

5. Write Guest Blog Posts

Guest blogging is another great way to bring traffic back to your site, and it will also expose you (and your brand) to the host blogger’s audience. This will help improve your site’s SEO (we’ll get to that), and it will provide you with sales leads.

6. Start a Podcast

While not everyone has the time or resources to start their own podcast, it is still an excellent sales funnel marketing strategy if you do make this commitment. You can get your name out there and increase sales leads by appearing on other people’s podcasts (a great way to tap into their already built-in audience). If you do have the time and resources necessary to start your own podcast, make sure you talk about relevant and useful information that your audience will want to both listen to and share with their own network.

7. Hold Live Events With Your Community

Hosting a live event is a great way to get the word out about your brand and to fill your pipeline with personable and qualified leads. The sales leads you get out of live events are higher quality leads than can be found through your other lead generation strategies. Why? Because you are building real relationships at live events. When you call on them in the future, they will already know you and have your number saved. It’s also a way to meet like-minded people in your industry that can connect you to future clients.

8. Free Lead Generation Magnets

These are things like free eBooks, whitepapers, and anything else that is offered in exchange for contact information. You can offer these free items in exchange for email sign-ups or social media followings. Pretty simple and straightforward way to generate leads. 

9. Dive Deep Into Your Current Network

Tapping into your current network, customers or otherwise, is a useful way to generate leads. If you are dedicated to this lead generation strategy, you will be able to generate lasting business relationships with people you already know.

10. Email Marketing

Email marketing is a great way to build a following for your brand. They get your products or services in front of dozens to thousands of people on a regular basis. Emails should be sent out at least once per week to anyone that has opted into your list or those you have gotten contact information from via other means (such as offline). The email content should provide value and offer something of value to your readers, followed by a clear and enticing call to action (CTA). Email marketing is a great way to promote your free lead magnets as well.

11. Direct Engagement

Knowing how to generate leads through multiple different avenues, both online and in-person is invaluable to the success of your business. But sometimes direct engagement through cold calling prospects and knocking on doors is simply the best way to generate b2b sales leads. If you’re feeling determined and you have your online lead gen boxes checked, then get on the phone or on the street.

12. Ask experts for help

When it comes to generating sales leads on LinkedIn, let’s just say we are more than qualified to assist. In fact, our clients use our LinkedIn lead generation strategies everyday to book meetings with Fortune 300 companies like Nike, Visa, and Google. Book an intro call with our team today to learn how we can help you do the same.