Thursday, March 17, 2022

Enterprise Level Lead Generation

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When it comes to lead generation, enterprise leads are considered the gold standard. Every marketer wants enterprise customers because they are some of the best clients you can add to your roster of customers.

Enterprise customers bring in more revenue and add social proof to your business, making it look good in front of existing clients and potential leads alike. But there’s a catch: these leads are not easy to get ahold of. Just like some of the best things in life, they don’t come easily.

In some cases, businesses completely miss the opportunity to interact with these enterprise-level leads simply because they did not realize the size of the “fish” in their lead management system. These leads were missed in the CRM and never followed up, leading to a wasted opportunity. If we’re talking about fish, enterprise customers are considered the “whales” of this industry.

With that in mind, your usual strategy for lead generation may not be enough for enterprise-level leads. You want to develop a specific strategy if you want to capture these leads and eventually convert them. Here we will discuss enterprise level lead generation—what it is and how you could generate more leads of this type.

Enterprise Level Lead Generation Guide

If your product or service could potentially help large companies and organizations, you need to familiarize yourself with enterprise level lead generation. This way, you can not only generate these high quality leads but also convert and nurture them into repeat customers.

The usual marketing strategies may not work here. That’s why you need a specific strategy for targeting these “bigger fish”. If you are still using the old “spray and pray” method, you need to change things up immediately. This strategy is outdated and no longer works on modern consumers—especially if your targeting large corporations.

Your lead generation strategy should target enterprise customers specifically because their needs are different from your general B2B leads.

Although it is more challenging to secure these leads, the benefits are also undeniable. These are more valuable accounts and can therefore give you increased monthly recurring revenue. Working with large corporations, especially those that are widely-known will also make your business look good. This type of lead is not only good for revenue but also good for your brand.

Enterprise Lead Generation: What is it?

Enterprise customers are those that are million-dollar or even billion-dollar companies. This naturally includes Fortune 500 companies and organizations with more than 1,000 employees. You can expect these businesses to sign on for larger contracts, and that brings in a ton of revenue for your company if you manage to secure them.

You can see why they are referred to as the “whale” of all leads. They are the most valuable leads you can get and you should definitely be going after them. If you’re not targeting enterprise customers, you are missing out on a great opportunity. You don’t want them working with your competition. If a large company has expressed interest in your product or service, this may be your chance to convert them into paying customers.

But lead generation for enterprise-level customers requires a slightly different approach.

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Benefits of Enterprise Lead Generation

Generating enterprise-level leads could potentially help you generate a large amount of revenue, simply because these companies have much deeper pockets. Enterprise companies tend to have large budgets and they rarely hesitate to spend it on solutions to important problems. If your business could offer that solution, they will definitely pay a lot for it.

In addition to this, large companies will also pay the price for the high level of support they require. Since they are aware of the size of their organization, they will have realistic expectations in terms of the cost.

Finally, working with these enterprises will be good for your brand and its reputation. From an outsider’s perspective, if these trusted companies are willing to work with you, it must mean your business is worthwhile and equally trustworthy. Working with enterprise companies is like getting an indirect endorsement from them.

The best part is that people will start to take notice. This is perfect for reputation management, especially if you manage to convert a Fortune 500 company into a paying customer. Other potential customers are more likely to trust you then.

Challenges and Limitations of Enterprise Lead Generation

The payoff for securing these leads is definitely worthwhile, but this is easier said than done. Marketers and salespeople need to be prepared for the challenges that come with enterprise-level lead generation.

Enterprise companies are much larger than other businesses. They generally have over 1,000 employees, which means they are always looking for the best-in-class solutions. This also means they have longer sales cycles, typically ranging from 6 to 18 months. You have to be on top of your game for an extended period of time to close the deal.

Speaking of sales, it could get a little complex when you are working with an enterprise company. These companies have many stakeholders who influence various decisions, creating different pain points.

To overcome these obstacles, you need to have a solid lead generation strategy that works specifically for enterprise customers. You also need a lot of resources. You need to make sure your company has the team and the infrastructure to manage your enterprise customer’s needs so that you are ready once the deal is secured. Your goal is to ensure that everything goes smoothly so your enterprise customer has a positive experience with your company. Keep in mind that you can still lose this lead even if you’ve already won them.

How to Generate Enterprise-Level Leads

Businesses that want to achieve the best possible return on investment (ROI) should start working on securing high-value customers and accounts.

ABM or account-based marketing is the name of the game when it comes to enterprise-level lead generation. ABM is a focused approach to B2B marketing wherein the sales and marketing teams work together to specifically target best-fit accounts with the goal of converting them. Combining the expertise of sales and marketing teams will allow companies to locate and engage with these high-value customers effectively.

When targeting an enterprise, you need to remember that you are not just dealing with a single person. You are talking to an entire organization with multiple stakeholders. This is where ABM comes in. Here are some of the steps you can take to generate enterprise leads.

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Identify Your Targets

You can’t proceed with enterprise-level lead generation without knowing who your target is. Unlike your traditional B2B lead generation approach, you can’t catch a wide net and expect results. In enterprise-level lead generation, you will benefit more from targeting a specific enterprise and focusing on securing them.

Identify your targets and be strategic when choosing an enterprise to focus on. Familiarize yourself with all the players in the market so you can choose the one that fits your company best. This will help you save a lot of time and resources later on.

Spend enough time doing research on all potential leads. Find out about their affiliations and networks with other companies, particularly who they are working closely with. Learn about their products and services. Find out how productive they are and how effective their current solutions are. This way you may be able to determine which enterprise companies are most in need of your own products and services.

During this phase you shouldn’t be too selective, but at the same time you should be ambitious. Try to get the word out about your products and services and accommodate those who respond, but also target those who are specifically a good match for your business.

Qualify Your Existing Leads

You can actually use traditional marketing channels to find enterprise leads. You can try using case studies, web forms, trials, demo requests, eBooks, whitepapers, and other channels that you are already using to try and connect with enterprise leads. In fact, a lot of companies don’t even realize that they already have these large companies in their CRM databases. They miss out on the opportunity to convert these enterprise leads because they are not aware that they’ve already made contact. Avoid this mistake as much as possible.

Using these traditional channels, you can come up with a list of high-value targets. You can then create a profile for each prospect. Break down all the important details regarding their company so you know as much about them as possible. Look into their products and gather as much information you can, including what materials and technology they are using to produce them.

It also pays to look into the history of the company, their long term goals, and their motivations. This will help you identify pain points and make it easier to create a connection. This information will help you engage with them properly once you are finally connected.

Engage Your Enterprise-Level Leads

After identifying the best-fitting enterprise leads for your business, it’s time to engage with them. While engaging with leads is usually a tough task, engaging an enterprise company is even more challenging and you need to be sure about your approach. If you are only beginning to build your network, you may find yourself competing with more experienced B2B companies that are already well-established. In this case, your edge will come in the form of your products and services.

To succeed in enterprise-level lead generation, you have to be persistent and committed. Use every channel in your arsenal to connect with your high-value prospects. Connect with them over the phone, through email, via social media, etc.

During your research stage, you may have already identified the channels they prefer to use. Take advantage of this information to connect and finally engage with your enterprise target. Send out invitations and proposals using the proper channels.

If you manage to set up a meeting, treat it just like any great opportunity. Come on time, be courteous, and value the time of your prospect. Most importantly, be prepared for the meeting itself. Anticipate questions about your products and services and be ready to give them the best pitch. It is your job to convince them that working with your company is in their best interest. You need to get that message across so you have the best chances of converting them.

One of the biggest challenges when it comes to generating enterprise-level leads is the fact that you are also dealing with multiple stakeholders. You are not just communicating with one individual—you are appealing to many different decision makers and trying to make them see the value of your product.

The key is to make different content for a wide variety of personas. Once you’ve connected with them, it’s all about nurturing those relationships.

This involves creating content for a variety of different personas. And by nurturing those relationships, you can tweak messaging to appeal to different decision-makers.

Demonstrate Value

Engaging with your target audience and telling them all about your products and services can only go so far. For enterprise-level customers, what they value more is results. They are not just gonna take your word for it. So your best bet is to demonstrate value by creating cases studies.

Enterprise-level leads are usually busy, so you have to demonstrate value right away. Case studies are the perfect tools for this because they allow you to show the power of your products and services through real world examples. Show them all the companies you’ve helped in the past that are similar to their enterprise. You don’t necessarily have to show them other enterprise customers, just companies in similar industries or those with similar problems.

Use case studies to move your sales process forward faster. The best part is that these case studies are very easy to share and reuse for different leads. They help you secure more customers, who can eventually become part of your case studies themselves.

Since you will be encountering various buyer personas while chasing enterprise-level leads, you need to make sure that your messaging is consistent no matter who you are speaking to. Stay true to your brand and don’t forget to deliver on your promises. This is the best way to not only attract the attention of enterprise customers but also to gain their trust. Lead gen campaigns are most likely to succeed when companies are able to deliver on their promises.

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Create Customized Demos and Solutions

This is one of the most important strategies when targeting enterprise leads. Aside from your case studies and your pitch, enterprise leads would appreciate customized solutions that will tackle their specific problems. Therefore personalization is the key to successful enterprise-level lead generation.

When dealing with these high-value leads, you have to go straight to the point. Avoid generalizations. These prospects want to know how you could help them achieve their goals or solve their pain points using your solutions. Get into the specifics.

Create customized demos for your specific enterprise lead. A hyper-personalized experience will be much appreciated by your high-value targets, which will increase your chances of getting their business.

Enterprise vs. B2B Lead Generation

B2B means business-to-business, which means enterprise lead generation is technically a form of B2B marketing. B2B lead generation is used by marketers to drive prospective customers closer to a sale organically. This involves the use of different inbound marketing strategies that create awareness towards the marketer’s brand. B2B marketing aims to build visibility and drive interest so that prospects would turn into leads and leads would convert into loyal customers.

Lead generation is a strategy that involves guiding your prospective customers through the sales funnel all the way to the final sale. Capturing leads means collecting their name and contact information so that you can connect with them. There are many ways to capture leads.

Examples of B2B lead generation methods include social media posts, blog posts, and search engine optimization or SEO. The goal of lead generation is to find qualified leads and convert them to increase your sales and revenue.

The approach for enterprise-level customers is slightly different because you have to involve high levels of personalization, which takes a ton of research. But the benefit is that you can wor

Benefits of B2B Lead Generation

Done properly, B2B lead generation can increase your sales opportunities and build awareness for your brand. The main goal is to attract your target audience so you can build relationships with them.

Content marketing is a popular strategy for lead generation for this reason. With well-written content, you can establish your brand as a go-to source of information on all things related to your niche. This helps you gain your audience’s trust, making them more likely to look into your brand and consider buying from you. When it’s time to decide on a purchase, you will be top of mind because you have developed that connection.

Building trust is another important aspect of lead generation. Whether it’s an enterprise or an individual, customers like to work with brands that they trust. If you reach this level, you can create loyal customers.

Lead generation strategies are important because they help you find high-quality leads. People who read your content and engage with you online are the ones who are most likely to be interested in your products and services. This is what sets it apart from traditional marketing strategies where you may reach people who are not particularly interested in what you have to offer.

Because it is done organically, B2B lead generation also costs less than your usual paid advertising. As we all know, paid advertising can get expensive very quickly. Some companies spend hundreds of thousands—or sometimes even millions—of dollars just to get their ads in front of large audiences. Even digital ads are becoming more expensive.

But when it comes to B2B lead generation, all it takes is a bit of time and effort, and the right strategy to produce some high quality leads. In fact, this further highlights the fact that enterprise-level leads are extremely valuable. By connecting with them, presenting your case studies, and using a personalized approach, you can get a high-value lead without spending too much money. You can focus your budget on making sure your products and services are topnotch.

A proper lead generation strategy will benefit both you and your customers. It will give your customers the solutions they need to solve their problems, and it will increase your revenue. All of the best lead generation strategies keep the target’s needs in mind.

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Use Kennected for Enterprise-Level Lead Generation

If you want to reach enterprise-level leads more effectively, you need to figure out where they like to hang out online and be there. Out of all the social networking platforms out there, LinkedIn is by far the most popular among CEOs, COOs, and other decision makers in various industries.

LinkedIn may not be the most popular social media platform, but it is the largest social platform for professionals. That’s what sets it apart from Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. LinkedIn is specifically built for professional and business connections. If you want to network with professionals, this is where you want to be. And with over 800 million users around the world, LinkedIn is the best source of high quality leads.

You might be thinking that it’s time-consuming to pursue leads on this platform, but that’s not necessarily true. You can use LinkedIn automation tools for prospecting and connect with your target audience effortlessly.

Of course you need to use a safe LinkedIn automation tool—one that will not make you look like a spammer in front of enterprise-level leads. This is where Kennected comes in.

Kennected is an automation tool that lets you make the most out of LinkedIn. With this cloud-based software, you can reach countless professionals who are on the platform. And you can do this without spending hundreds of hours looking for leads manually.

To set up a campaign on Kennected, you simply use LinkedIn’s data-rich filters to identify your ideal audience. You can then copy and paste the search result URL into the Kennected dashboard. Then you set up a personalized message that will be sent out to your leads. You can set up personalized messages and follow ups which will be sent automatically—but not in bulk so it’s like you were sending them yourself.

Kennected even limits the number of messages sent per day so you don’t end up spamming other LinkedIn users. That’s what sets it apart from other automation tools. The personalized approach to messaging also ensures that you get a timely response from your leads. Once you receive a reply, Kennected notifies you and you can jump right into the conversation to start building those relationships.

Focus on converting enterprise-level leads instead of spraying and praying on LinkedIn. That’s the power of Kennected. Imagine being able to send personalized messages and follow-ups to everyone in your defined geographic area that has a LinkedIn account.

If you are looking for a cloud-based software for your enterprise sales team, Kennected is the best lead generation tool out there. Book a demo with Kennected today and learn more!

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source https://kennected.org/enterprise-level-lead-generation/

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