It’s the mad dash at the end of the year. We’re in Q4 and time is going by fast. Everyone wants to finish off 2021 with a bang and kick off 2022 on the right foot. So what are some strategies that you can be doing in order to generate better leads? That is the topic for today’s Software Marketing Made Simple episode.
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SHOW NOTES
Conversational Marketing [01:01]
Telemarketing Outreach [02:27]
A growing focus on meaning and purpose [03:02]
Events are back! [04:00]
Social Selling [04:47]
Accounts-Based Marketing Outreach [06:14]
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TRANSCRIPT
Liz Lemarchand: How is it that innovative software solutions have the ability to change the world and improve our lives yet they don’t sell themselves? How is it that I know my target market but I’m not able to generate enough qualified sales opportunities? how do I even get started to create visibility for my brand across channels when I’m not an expert at marketing? That is the question and this podcast will give you the answer.
Welcome to SMplified Software Marketing Made Simple.
Hey everyone, it’s Liz from MediaDev and today I’m going to talk about successful outbound lead generation tactics. So, it’s the mad dash at the end of the year. We’re in Q4 and time is going by fast. Everyone wants to finish off 2021 with a bang and kick off 2022 on the right foot. So, what are some strategies that we can be doing in order to generate better leads, that is the topic for today.
So, the first thing that I think is important to discuss is this new trend which is emerging, I don’t even know actually if it’s new, but I think it’s something that should not be ignored, which is conversational marketing.
More and more as marketers are automating, there are different systems and processes and outreach and emails and AI-powered chatbots that are proliferating on websites to help customers with their inbound inquiries.
We’re seeing that there’s a pushback by consumers. So obviously we know that mass messages that don’t resonate get ignored, but as people are confronting this kind of automated process, they are more and more reacting when you have a very engaging, personalized, one-on-one dialogue, so nothing is ever going to replace that one-on-one interaction, especially when you’re looking to build trust and rapport.
So, creating a dialogue with prospects across channels and encouraging them to share their challenges and concerns without cramming sales pitches down their throats is really the best way for marketers to learn even more about their buyer personas to build effective marketing messages that are adapted to changing needs over time.
So, telemarketing outreach, I know that a lot of people think that telemarketing is an old school kind of tactic, but we’re really seeing a surge and a comeback, especially now that people are back at least in a hybrid office environment, especially those who are working part-time in the office where there aren’t that many people there, they’re much more amenable to engaging over the phone, so this human-to-human tactic has taken on a new form as personalization and marketing becomes a must.
I also see a growing focus on meaning and purpose, so when people know your why and you’re expressing that why to your prospects, you differentiate yourself from your competitors and it enables you to stand out in an authentic way.
I’ve done another podcast about authenticity marketing and it really attracts customers because nothing resonates more than sincerity.
So, coming from a place of purpose will help drive marketing initiatives to attract your ideal customer. And those customers are really the ones you want to do business with because they’re the right fit. They’re the ones that are best served by your offer, and they’re the ones that are going to bring the most value to your business, as well.
So, focusing on the greater good that your solution brings to your customers will help them to see the bigger picture and this fundamental idea not only helps you better position your brand, but it will take on new heights as prospects adhere to your mission.
Obviously, events are back in full force, so now that people are having a little bit more freedom, they’re very excited to be attending live events. I think that also goes back to the human interaction that people are really craving, so we’ve seen that events and tradeshows, you know, that were banned for the past 18 months have really exploded in demand now that they’re back.
So, events are literally everywhere and attendance is higher than ever as people crave that connection and organizations are participating in events, organizing events, and it’s a great way to network with prospects to introduce them to your offer.
It’s important as well that after the event, you follow up a very structured outreach so that you can continue the momentum you’ve built at the event itself.
So social selling obviously really took off when people were confined during COVID, but it’s not going away. Many people underestimate the power of social selling on LinkedIn, and more importantly, the quality of leads that can be generated both through paid advertisements and organic outreach initiatives.
So organic social selling is often neglected by marketers because it’s assumed that sales reps just naturally do it themselves as part of their own prospect nurturing. But the truth is that most salespeople don’t have time for that. It’s very time consuming to build a network to post content, to follow up with people, to continue to try to send messages to people that are not necessarily responsive right away, so it’s very good to have kind of an extra layer of support when it comes to social selling so that you can educate prospects and know that you will convert, but it’s not an instant sale.
I think a lot of sales reps are really, really focused on that low hanging fruit, which is great, but it’s also very important from a marketing perspective to have an always-on approach, leverage the valuable content that you have, and get it in front of your target audience consistently over time. It’s really that consistency that’s so key so that your nurture pipeline never runs dry.
And the last real trend that we’re seeing this quarter, which will absolutely be part of everybody’s 2022 plan is ABM outreach, so accounts-based marketing, and what we’re finding, there’s more interest in these days is real market intelligence because that accounts-based marketing list is very small and consists of the most strategic new potential business partners that you could be engaging, it’s very important to know everything about those companies, all the ins and outs — Who are the key decision-makers? What are some of the triggers that can be identified that will help you to personalize those pitches, to get your message in front of the right people?
Many times with some larger enterprise accounts, they’ve gone through some acquisitions or they’ve launched a new product, or you can find press releases about new projects that they’re focusing on and conducting deep research into those accounts really are a must so that you know everything that’s happened within those accounts and again find a way for you to be able to position your offer so that it’s highly tailored for that particular account.
So now is a great time to start vetting your list for 2022, starting to conduct market intelligence to understand the triggers that make an account a good account so that you don’t waste your time focusing on companies that are not the right fit next year.
So that’s it for today, thanks again for joining us and we’ll see you back soon for another episode.
You just listened to SMplified brought to you by MediaDev. If you have software marketing questions or need help marketing your software solution, reach out to us at contact@mediadev.com and check out other amazing assets for you on our resource library at mediadev.com.
