Leads, glorious leads: why websites should do more than support the B2B sales process

Why B2B websites should always be lead generation tools.

A website is a critical asset, one which should pay for itself many times over if, and only if, it serves as an effective tool for generating leads. 

From our perspective, there’s little point spending time and money to build and maintain a website if its core function is solely to support the sales process. But for some B2B brands, this is the case, as we recently discovered. 

For businesses that have refined their sales process, the website is not always intended as a lead generation tool but instead used to support the brand and its sales process. The website is visited by salespeople during the sales cycle to showcase the scope of the brand’s solutions and provide live demonstrations to potential buyers, while potential buyers are supported in their efforts to find what they need to make informed buying decisions. Lead prospecting is then carried out by an in-house team using a platform such as LinkedIn’s Sales Navigator to contact unsuspecting ‘cold’ leads.  

Though this approach may work well enough, in this digital-first age, it is possible for brands to generate leads through the website – your website should be working harder on behalf of the business, and that means earning its keep as a high-performance, lead generation engine.

Why your website should be generating leads 

Gone are the days when websites acted as little more than static digital shop fronts and a URL on a pocket-sized business card. In today’s busy B2B landscape, the sales process is typically long-winded and multi-stranded, and brands are realising it is not enough to have a brochure for a website. 

The website needs to play its part in engaging, nurturing and capturing leads, and help to convert opportunities into qualified leads. 

Why? As mentioned previously, websites are costly to build and maintain. If the website is not generating leads, you are effectively wasting that investment. 

Furthermore, leads are every brand’s bread and butter, yet they can be hard to come by. Brands need to engage in sustained marketing activities – which can also prove costly – and cultivate industry connections simply for leads to continue to trickle down the sales funnel. 

And if you’re running marketing campaigns, you will gain more from those campaigns in terms of lead conversion and return on investment if you have a website geared towards lead generation. Think of each landing page as a launchpad for turning leads into qualified leads.

The benefits of having a website that generates leads

Consider websites today. They can provide multiple ways to capture leads and learn more about the leads who visit your website but don’t convert. 

Websites also give you access to valuable leads data. Whether you lean on Google Analytics or a lead generation software tool like Lead Forensics, or preferably both, websites allow you to capture and harness the power of data. This data could be captured via a form on a landing page where a lead has consented to share their email address to access a downloadable resource, or via a live-chat feature strategically placed on pages where leads may require further information. 

A tool like Lead Forensics unmasks the identity of every business that visits your website, and it does so in real-time, so you can quickly start to nurture that lead. 

Your website is also important for hosting any content marketing campaigns you may be running, and this technique of storytelling first and selling second has proved effective for B2B brands looking to generate leads through their website. In addition, your website is also one of the best platforms through which to:

•    Capture, educate and nurture leads  
•    Verify leads
•    Grow your email list
•    Advertise targeted offers
•    Offer product demonstrations 

All of which help to turn a lead into a customer.

Brand expectations vs. user expectations 

Despite the arguments we’ve made in support of B2B websites as lead generation tools, it is important brands consider what they want their website to achieve. 

Do you simply want your website to reinforce messaging leftover from sales meetings and networking events? Or perhaps you just want your website to represent your brand and its ethos? 

That is fine, but then consider what it is your audience (potential leads) expect to find when they visit your website. They will be expecting to find a solution to a problem they have and be able to discover why your solution is preferable to that of a competitor. If their expectations are met, that visitor is more likely to become a lead. 

So, what we’re saying is, don’t think only in terms of what you want your website to achieve. Instead, put yourself in the shoes of your target lead and consider what they want your website to be, for them. 

Given the nature of B2B, the website of a B2B brand must be able to support marketing and advertising activities to capture leads and must be sales-orientated while having the content and messaging required to educate and nature leads as they move from touchpoint to touchpoint. It’s also important your website is optimised for search so potential leads can find your website, then the website should be structured with your target lead in mind. 

Lead generation is the main sales benefit of a B2B website. When used effectively, your website can achieve two things: 

1.    Generate leads from ‘cold’ visitors who land on your website
2.    Convince ‘warm’ leads that your service, product, or solution is the only one for them

Your website presents one of the best opportunities to generate and convert leads. Seize it. 

If you need support to write engaging, audience-driven content for your B2B brand or agency, contact Copestone today.