The New Year is just around the corner, and the economy is still reeling from a difficult 2020. Growth might be daunting for everyone, but one thing remains true, there is still a lot of room to drive new business in 2021.
In this guide, we look at the trends that will be the driving force of growth in the year to come and how firms can take advantage of them.
Lead Generation Automation
There has been a lot of talk about automation, and it’s a term that’s been generally thrown around, but specific automation related to lead generation is something that can propel a firm to the next level.
Although lead generation can’t be fully automated in the strictest sense, there’s a lot that firms can employ now to free up valuable human talent. Automating marketing workflows, email sequences, retargeting and remarketing, autoresponders, and cross-platform integration within apps is something that firms should look at.
Also, a lot of lead prospecting tools with features to target highly-specific audiences are increasingly becoming commonplace.
One of the biggest ways to drive new business leads is to make sure that active lead generation efforts are using the latest technology. This free up time and resources and minimizes human error.
Local SEO
Businesses looking to expand their local reach can rely on local search engine optimization to bring in passive leads through search. Local SEO usually consists of optimizing a business’ local listing on Google Maps via Google My Business to appear higher in rankings when a prospect searches for a keyword related to their establishment.
Improving rankings is usually dependent on sending on local signals to Google by updating your Google My Business pages, having great citations, reviews, etc.
Start Rethinking Content
Content has – and will arguably – always be king, but there has been a push towards non-traditional types of content.
A great example would be Hubspot, who’s moved to turn traditional-looking content into responsive pages that seem to look like miniature websites. This move towards responsive content allows firms to engage viewers with the novelty and keep their attention with the array of media on the page.
Firms that compete with content have to start rethinking the way they deliver content to their followers.
Although whitepapers and case studies won’t be extinct anytime soon, the use of gamification within the content, surveys, augmented and virtual reality, infographics, etc. all deserve a little attention as 2021 rolls in.
People have started to demand richer content, and if trends are something marketers go by, they’re going to get it.
Video Marketing
Video-sharing giant YouTube is in a league of its own, with its video search feature turning into one of the world’s biggest search engines. This has opened up a whole new world of marketing using video to reach wider markets.
The beauty of video is not only the fact that it’s engaging but the number of things that firms can create to leverage it.
There are different types of video content, such as:
- Webinars
- Q&As
- Instructionals
- Educational content
- Product guides
- Vlogs
These types can be leveraged in the same way that traditional articles have been used to gain traction for companies in the past.
Leveraging Social Media
Social media is also continuously changing. This year, we saw the rise of examples such as shoppable posts on Instagram and the use of “stories” on Facebook to drive marketing campaigns based on storytelling.
This trend will continue toward 2021 as people start to get used to storytelling instead of just plain deliberate advertising.
Companies that want to drive new leads with social media marketing have to start thinking in terms of stories because it’s one of the best ways to capture attention and create campaigns that resonate with viewers.
LinkedIn is Taking Center Stage
The professional social media platform already has around a quarter of a billion active users monthly, with that number set to grow as more people graduate to the platform.
According to recent statistics, using LinkedIn for lead generation is 277 percent more effective than using Facebook or Twitter.
Running LinkedIn-centered marketing for B2B campaigns is becoming a trend as potential prospects on the network are already there for business, to begin with.
Automated lead generation campaigns and funnels centered on passive lead generation on the market have become prevalent.
It’s important to note that LinkedIn is a great network to develop a multi-channel approach to lead generation and nurturing.
B2B Influencer Marketing
Influencers and thought leaders in the B2B realm are increasingly being tapped to be spokespeople and representatives of brands because of the audiences that they command.
What started as a popular trend in B2C markets is becoming a mainstay in the B2B realm because of what they bring to the table.
B2B influencers that endorse particular products are popular because they bring a notion of trust to the brand that they support. People can see them as modern-day “trust signals.”
Also, B2B influencers bring their followers to the table, allowing brands to tap into hyper-segmented audiences whenever they are brought on board. To a degree, they can be more cost-effective than running traditional online ad campaigns.
There are plenty of ways to drive new business leads for 2021 and get new prospects in your pipeline. What’s important is to stay informed and keep up with the trends your potential prospects are adopting.
