Finding B2B SaaS leads is a competitive task. The cold-calling techniques of decades ago don’t provide much promise in today’s world. Companies must be strategic about crafting quality B2B lead generation campaigns. LinkedIn can be a great platform to cast your net and find qualified B2B SaaS leads. Below, we discuss the importance of having a next-level B2B lead generation strategy and why Linkedin is where you can best engage B2B SaaS leads.
Why you need a “tightly woven” B2B lead generation strategy
A B2B lead generation strategy sits at the heart of the sales process. Without it, your sales pipeline will be nonexistent. You’ll need a highly engaging lead generation strategy to set your business up for success. Why’s this? You can’t expect SaaS leads to stumble upon your product offerings. You must put sales and marketing efforts in place to draw them in.
B2B lead generation strategies are similar to fishing nets. Let us explain. Imagine you’ve been using the same net for years. The fibers are fraying, and the mesh isn’t as tightly woven. You cast your net, but when you bring it back into the fishing boat, there’s barely any fish. That’s because gaping holes in the net allow most fish to escape.
If you’re using an outdated lead generation strategy, you might get some SaaS leads but not nearly as much as you could with modern-day efforts. With a more “tightly woven” strategy (e.g., net), you can expect to reel in more prospective leads (e.g., fish). As you’re aware, good lead generation strategies should attract and retain high-quality leads. Yet, how can you ensure you’re casting a net guaranteed to attract B2B SaaS leads? Be where your prospects are—LinkedIn.
LinkedIn: Is it the right lead generation platform for my business?
We may be biased, but LinkedIn is a game changer for businesses regarding lead generation. With plenty of sales and marketing potential, it’s ideal for those companies searching for qualified leads. This is particularly true for B2B SaaS leads.
Features such as LinkedIn Sales Navigator allow teams to dive deep into the granular details of who their high-quality leads are. Filtering capabilities mean you can search for job titles in specific locations to build the ideal prospect lists. This makes sure your efforts aren’t made in vain. Additionally, most—if not all—professionals looking for SaaS services have a LinkedIn profile.
Your sales team will no longer have to trawl through the phone book or hundreds of business cards looking for potential leads. They’ll all be at the touch of a button. For lead generation in the B2B space, LinkedIn is the go-to for a reason. It’s effective, convenient, and delivers high-quality leads straight to your inbox or customer relationship management (CRM) system.
But this is only if you have a great B2B lead generation strategy ready to gather your SaaS leads. Are you not sure where to start? Here’s where you need to put your focus.
How to build a strategy for SaaS lead generation on LinkedIn
Without a clear strategy, you won’t get far in your search for leads. You must incorporate the following components into your prospecting efforts as part of Linkedin lead generation.
KYC: Know your ideal client
All SaaS companies need an exact picture in their mind of their ideal client. This is often carried out during service or product development. Factors such as demographics, pain points, buying behaviors, and interests determine the correct lead for your business. Your sales and marketing teams must know this persona inside and out.
To attract the right B2B SaaS leads on LinkedIn, your marketing efforts should be tailored to those leads. Understand what kind of language they use (e.g., pinpoint specific jargon or buzzwords) and use this in your messaging. Do they have time constraints? Show your company’s benefits concisely and easily with B2B video marketing. Will they be shopping around for a SaaS product or service? Share a PDF guide showing how you compare to competitors. Knowing your ideal buyer makes it easier to attract them to your LinkedIn company page—and pricing.
Create a robust company page
One area companies fail when implementing a B2B lead generation strategy on LinkedIn is not having a robust company page. There are thousands of companies like yours on this platform. If your company’s page isn’t optimized correctly, your marketing efforts will fall flat—and leads will go to your competitors.
LinkedIn company pages offer free brand advertising. It can be compared to a website and is another area for you to showcase all you have to offer. Many B2B SaaS leads research a company on LinkedIn and elsewhere before engaging in a demo trial or filling out a contact form. If you haven’t put enough effort into building a robust company page, you might be falling at the first lead generation hurdle.
Head to our guide on optimizing your LinkedIn company page to better understand the opportunities you could leverage.
Be a thought leader
Content marketing plays a considerable role in brand awareness and credibility. The same is true for LinkedIn lead generation. According to the Content Marketing Institute (CMI), 94 percent of B2B marketers use LinkedIn for content distribution.
In the B2B SaaS space, you need to be a thought leader. Companies should use features, including sponsored content, to target potential leads with timely posts. Or even better, leverage LinkedIn Trending. Make sure what you have to say is authentic and comes from a unique perspective. This will give your company a competitive edge.
The thought leadership content that does well on LinkedIn tends to be opinion pieces, interviews, case studies, and industry data analysis. Your content marketing efforts should show prospective leads that your team is a subject matter expert. That means being proactive on LinkedIn by sharing valuable content.
Cast a wide net and narrow down the funnel
LinkedIn is a goldmine for finding the right SaaS leads. For your B2B lead generation strategy, cast a wide net and capture as many of your ideal clients as possible. Once you’ve done this, you can begin narrowing them down the funnel. Organic and paid efforts on LinkedIn make this possible.
As you know, leads fall into the sales funnel at various points in the buyer’s journey. Perhaps they’re in the awareness or attract phase. Social publishing or sending them a helpful guide will encourage them down the funnel.
Or, maybe they’ve visited your website and read your marketing material. Now, they’re preparing to enter the action stage. Here’s where you’ll capture their information on LinkedIn and engage them through email marketing. Knowing how to capture leads and identify where they are in the buyer’s journey will help you narrow them down the sales funnel.
Follow-up with your leads
Your sales and marketing efforts have captured the attention of SaaS leads. What’s next? You must follow-up. LinkedIn messaging is great for getting straight in front of prospective leads. However, if all B2B lead generation efforts were to end after that first message, you wouldn’t sell anything. Lead generation is nothing without lead nurturing.
Sending a follow-up message or email isn’t too much; it isn’t bothering your leads. In reality, it shows them you’re serious about what you do. Remember, your leads should receive something valuable from every interaction you have with them. For example, give them a discount on a package you offer. This will make them want to come back for more.
LinkedIn automation tools like Zopto help you easily keep up with lead generation and nurturing. See our client results stories to learn more.
Invest in LinkedIn advertising campaigns
Don’t underestimate the value of adding LinkedIn advertising campaigns to your B2B lead generation strategy when attracting SaaS leads. While often given the reputation of being expensive, LinkedIn ads are anything but, if used correctly. Marketing teams can successfully tailor ad targeting to reach vital buyer personas for your business.
Yet, it doesn’t stop at ad targeting. Lead generation efforts should also be brought into your ad copy. Imagine you’re speaking to operation managers. How would they describe their issue to you? Once you know this, write ad copy that’s conversational but speaks to their pain points.
LinkedIn automation: Generate leads with Zopto
Crafting a next-level B2B lead generation strategy on LinkedIn is worth it. Failing to update your current plan and not leveraging the LinkedIn tools at your disposal will result in low-quality leads. Are you wondering where you or your team will find the time to capture LinkedIn leads? You don’t have to.
With Zopto, we automate your B2B lead generation strategy so you can get qualified SaaS leads each month. Our automation tool does everything from building out prospect lists to automating your outreach messaging. Not only does this save you hours upon hours of work, it means you can focus on what matters — meeting with prospects and current clients.
Watch this webinar on how we implement LinkedIn automation with Zopto. Ready to get started? Sign up for a Zopto plan now.