B2B marketing, meaning marketing when you sell to businesses, doesn't try to close the sale with a single ad. It tries to make you the obvious partner at the moment the business decides to buy. To find business clients you need three things: the right people need to know you, they need to see proof that you know your job, and no enquiry should get lost along the way.
What changes when you sell to businesses
In sales to businesses, the decision takes time and passes through many hands. The person who finds you is not always the one who approves the budget. One wants to know whether the solution works, another how much it costs, a third whether it will cause problems for their team. This means three things for your marketing:
- A long sales cycle: you need ways to stay on the customer's mind for months, not just on the day they find you.
- Many people involved: your content needs to answer the technical lead, the finance director and the owner, each with their own questions.
- Trust before price: whoever recommends you within their company is putting their own position on the line, so they want proof.
That is why, in B2B, marketing and sales are not two separate jobs. Marketing starts the conversation and feeds it with material. Sales moves it forward. If the two don't talk to each other, opportunities get lost in between.
LinkedIn and content that demonstrates expertise
For many B2B businesses, LinkedIn is the natural channel. The company page is necessary, but the personal profiles of founders and senior staff often reach further, because people follow people. A practical start is one or two posts a week from the founder or the head of sales, about something specific: a problem you solved, a mistake you often see in the industry, an answer to a customer's question.
The content that brings in business clients is not generic. It is the content that answers the questions you hear in meetings: what the cost depends on, how long implementation takes, what is needed on the client's side, which mistakes to avoid. Write each answer once, properly, on your site, and use it everywhere: on LinkedIn, in your newsletter, in your proposals.
A useful tool on your site, such as a cost estimator, a checklist or a short quiz, gives visitors a reason to stay and leave their details. It is one of the most natural approaches to B2B lead generation, because the visitor gets something useful before you ask them for anything.
Case studies and events: the proof
A case study, meaning a description of a project from start to finish, is one of the most persuasive materials in B2B. It doesn't need to be long. It needs structure:
- Who the client was and what problem they had.
- What was decided together with the client, and why.
- What happened in practice, with images from the work.
- What changed afterwards, with figures the client agrees to have published.
- A quote from the client themselves, with their approval.
Always ask for written permission before you publish a client's name, details or photos. If you can't mention the name, describe the sector and the size of the business: the story is still persuasive that way.
Events do something no online channel can: they put the customer in front of you. An industry trade fair, a small breakfast for a few clients or a webinar on a practical topic can open conversations that would otherwise take months. The key is the follow-up: who will contact whom the following week, and for what reason.
CRM and follow-up: where the sale is won
In B2B, many leads are not ready to buy on the day they come in. Without a system, they get forgotten. A CRM, meaning a system where you record every contact and every opportunity, doesn't need to be complicated. It needs three things for every opportunity: what stage it is at, who is responsible for it, and what the next step is, with a date.
Set simple stages, for example: new enquiry, first conversation, proposal, negotiation, won or lost. Note where each lead came from, so you know which channel brings in customers and not just contacts. Every week, look at three numbers: how many new quality enquiries came in, how many proposals are open and how many opportunities have no next step. You will find more on metrics in our guide to the marketing dashboard.
B2B lead generation checklist:
- You know which businesses, and which people within them, you want to reach.
- Your site answers the questions you hear in sales conversations.
- The founder or head of sales posts regularly on LinkedIn.
- You have at least two case studies with the client's permission.
- Every lead goes into the CRM with a source, a person responsible and a next step.
THPAUL is an independent creative and marketing studio for businesses. It organises enquiries and contacts in a CRM, with an incoming enquiry flow, a pipeline (the stages of the sales process), team roles and reports, and it designs the content, landing pages and campaigns that feed them.
Frequently asked questions
What is B2B marketing?+
B2B marketing is the marketing of a business that sells to other businesses. It differs from marketing to consumers because the decision takes longer and involves several people. That is why it relies on trust, on content that demonstrates expertise and on organised follow-up after every contact.
How do I find business clients?+
Define precisely which businesses you want and who makes the decisions within them. Be visible where they are, for example on LinkedIn and at industry events, with content that answers their problems. Show proof with case studies and make sure every contact has a next step.
Which channels suit B2B lead generation?+
The channels that usually suit B2B lead generation are LinkedIn, a site with useful content and landing pages, email to contacts who have given consent, and events. Search advertising on Google helps when customers are already looking for your solution. The right mix depends on where the decision-makers are.
Does a small B2B business need a CRM?+
Yes, even a simple one. Without a CRM, enquiries get lost in emails and notes, and nobody knows what the next step is. A system with a few stages, plus a person responsible and a date for each opportunity, is enough to start with.