Want to boost your B2B lead generation game through strategic channel marketing? If you’re an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) with a channel marketing program, a B2B lead generation program is an important way to expand your sales platform’s reach and growth.

The goal is to connect with decision-makers early in the buying process, earn their trust, and build a relationship so when they’re ready to make a purchase, they buy from your sales network. 

Use these five tips to create a winning B2B lead generation strategy that leverages the power of channel marketing.

1. Understand your audience for effective B2B channel marketing

The foundation of a successful B2B lead generation program within channel marketing is a deep understanding of your target audience. Simple surveys, data analysis tools, and customer feedback can provide valuable insights. This understanding is crucial for successful lead generation efforts because it helps you tailor marketing messages and strategies to the needs and interests of potential leads. By aligning your efforts with the audience's preferences, you increase the chances of engaging and converting leads effectively within your channel marketing program.

Not sure where to begin? Here are three ways to get started: 

  • Work with key channel partners to research and analyze the demographics, behaviors, and preferences of your potential customers.
  • Develop a buyer’s journey model to better align sales and marketing efforts with how customers actually make purchasing decisions.
  • Create comprehensive buyer personas and document what resonates with the audience as they make buying decisions. 

The foundation of a successful B2B lead generation program within channel marketing is a deep understanding of your target audience.

2. Develop the right content strategy for generating leads 

Help your channel partners attract more quality leads with a solid content strategy that targets the right prospective customers at the right times, depending on where they are in the buying journey. Determine the mix of paid, earned, shared, and owned content to draw prospective buyers toward your brand within your channel marketing ecosystem.

And don’t forget about the important role of content in generating B2B leads. By offering compelling, valuable content or incentives, you can help move potential prospects from demand to lead generation. “Valuable” content for your target audience could include downloadable resources and guides, access to exclusive tips and expert insights, or special offers that prompt users to provide their contact information. 

3. Create effective lead nurturing strategies for your dealer channel

As an OEM, you likely have a long purchasing cycle; and a lead nurturing strategy can help cultivate leads that are not yet ready to buy. The valuable, compelling content we mentioned above is a vital part of nurturing leads. By providing content that helps customers solve their pain points, you build prospects’ trust and engagement with your brand. Understanding how to build a channel marketing program that includes strong nurturing is key. The bottom line to creating a successful lead generation program is to speak your target audience’s language and meet them where they are in their purchase journey. Building a strong B2B lead generation strategy that aids your dealer channel will not only foster collaboration — it will grow the sales pipeline for the future.

4. Use lead-scoring methodology to optimize lead generation

Rather than having your channel partners chase every lead that you help generate, maximize efficiency by helping them sort leads according to their value and interest through a customized lead-scoring methodology within your B2B channel marketing strategy.

Lead-scoring is a method of evaluating and ranking leads based on their likelihood to convert into customers. It assigns numerical values to leads based on such criteria as known data points or engagement with marketing content. This boosts your ROI because it enables your channel’s sales and marketing teams to focus their efforts on leads that are more likely to convert.

Lead classifications range from information-qualified lead (IQL) to marketing-qualified lead (MQL) and sales-qualified lead (SQL). Leads transition from colder (IQL) to warmer (SQL), enabling you to prioritize efforts on leads that meet specific goals. In order to facilitate seamless alignment between marketing and sales teams, it is important to establish a shared understanding and agreement on the criteria and values associated with lead classifications. This shared framework enables a more effective transition of leads from colder (IQL) to warmer (SQL), allowing you to prioritize your efforts by targets and goals.

5. Effectively share and manage leads with your dealer channel

It’s essential to have a clear process for handing leads off to channel partners to ensure timely follow-up and avoid duplicate outreach. Best practices include defining lead ownership and qualification criteria, using a shared CRM or portal for visibility, setting SLAs for partner follow-up, and providing context on each lead’s engagement history. Coordinated communication and regular performance reviews help ensure a smooth handoff, better customer experience, and higher conversion rates.

Upgrade your channel marketing

Interested in improving or implementing a lead generation and/or channel marketing program? Learn more about our agency's channel marketing expertise and experience or contact us to discuss how we can help with your B2B lead generation efforts, ensuring that your teams are well-equipped with the right tools and CRM training for optimal results.