Imagine going fishing without any bait. Your empty hook floats in the water as dozens of massive fish swim right by. Unlike you, the fisherman downstream was prepared, and on his hook is a big juicy worm. He’s catching fish left and right while you’re sitting there high and dry. 

You’ll never be able to catch big fish if you don’t have the right tools to attract their attention and reel them in.

And this is exactly how your lead generation efforts will pan out if you don’t have the right tools to help you land those big prospects. 

So what’s the solution?

You may need a good B2B lead generation tool, or two, to supercharge your lead gen process.

There are SO MANY great B2B lead generation tools out there. But don’t feel overwhelmed. 

To help you get started, we’ve put together a list of some of our favourites.

Prepare to dive into a world where prospects are no longer elusive creatures, but rather eager opportunities just waiting for you to sweep them off their virtual feet.

CRM Tools 

HubSpot

There’s no denying it—HubSpot is one of the best CRM platforms for B2B businesses offering a comprehensive suite of tools and features that cover the entire lead generation process. 

We’ve worked with a ton of lead generation tools at Konstruct, and to be honest, the tools in HubSpot really take the cake. 

From creating captivating landing pages and forms to engaging email campaigns, HubSpot provides a centralized solution that streamlines the entire lead generation workflow. It really is the whole shebang!

After you’ve generated a lead, HubSpot’s CRM provides a unified platform for managing and tracking that lead. The platform allows you to capture and organize lead data efficiently, making it easier to prioritize and follow up with prospects.

HubSpot also offers robust analytics and reporting features that enable you to measure the effectiveness of your lead-generation efforts. You can track key metrics, analyze campaign performance, and gain valuable insights to optimize your lead generation strategy continuously.

But, all of these great features don’t come cheap! Although they offer a free version, you have to invest to really take advantage of this platform. 

Don’t let the price tag scare you, though. If your budget allows for it, we promise this platform is worth it. 

Price: $1034 – $4700 per month.

Salesforce

Viewed by many as the crème de la crème of CRM tools, Salesforce offers a fantastic range of features specifically designed to support lead generation. 

Salesforce lets you capture leads from various sources and channels, such as website forms, social media, and events. With customizable lead capture forms, lead scoring capabilities, and automated lead assignments, the lead gen management process is practically seamless.

This all-in-one customer management guru also doesn’t come cheap, though. You’ll need some deep pockets to take full advantage of what Salesforce offers. But, for those who have the budget to invest, Salesforce is worth every penny.

Price: Various pricing options.

Email Marketing Tools 

MailChimp

When it comes to email marketing campaigns, MailChimp is the legendary OG that’s been rocking the scene forever. 

Not only is Mailchimp a fantastic email marketing tool, but it also brings a whole toolbox of user-friendly lead-gen goodies to the table.

Mailchimp’s marketing automation features enable you to set up automated email sequences based on triggers and user actions, so you can nurture leads over time, delivering targeted and personalized content. By designing automated workflows, you can engage with leads at various stages of the buyer’s journey, increasing the chances of conversion.

Price: Free – $465/month

Apollo.io

Apollo.io is a fantastic lead data collection tool that provides a vast database with millions of verified business and contact records for cold outreach campaigns. 

With robust search and filtering capabilities to find highly targeted leads that match your ideal customer profile, you can narrow down your search criteria based on various parameters such as industry, company size, location, job title, and more. 

And here’s the kicker: Apollo.io enriches contact records with additional data, such as social media profiles, company information, and professional backgrounds, giving you valuable insights about your leads, and facilitating more personalized and effective outreach strategies.

Easy integration with popular CRM platforms also enables seamless data synchronization and ensures that your lead information is updated across your sales systems seamlessly. 

Plans: Free to $79 per month.

AeroLeads

AeroLeads is another great lead look-up tool and email finder for your lead gen arsenal!

This tool provides access to an impressive database of contacts, including email addresses and phone numbers, which can be utilized for lead generation. 

The user-friendly interface lets you search for potential leads with a few simple clicks. Just enter relevant keywords, company names, or domains, and the platform will unveil a treasure trove of promising leads within your target markets. 

AeroLeads is also a master of integration, connecting seamlessly with popular CRM systems and other marketing tools to facilitate smooth data transfer and lead management. 

Price: Free – $499/month

LemList

When it comes to successful lead generation, personalization is an important element in capturing the attention of your prospects. 

Cue LemList!

Lemlist is a B2B lead generation tool that excels at personalization, allowing you to create highly customized and personalized email outreach campaigns. 

With Lemlist, you can dynamically insert personalized elements like names, company information, and custom images into your emails, enhancing engagement and response rates. You can also easily set up and automate email sequences, enabling you to nurture leads and maintain consistent communication. 

Price: $50-$83/month

SendGrid

SendGrid offers many features specifically designed to support effective lead generation. 

With SendGrid, you can say goodbye to boring emails and hello to eye-catching designs to capture your leads’ attention and drive conversions.

But, SendGrid doesn’t just stop at email. The platform enables you to orchestrate multi-channel campaigns, reaching your leads wherever they are. From emails to SMS, social media to website personalization, you can deliver a cohesive brand experience on every platform.

SendGrid’s automation features allow you to set up a system that delivers personalized and targeted communication to your leads at every stage of their customer journey. It’s like having a virtual assistant who knows exactly when to send those welcome emails, drip campaigns, and even those sneaky abandoned cart reminders. 

Price: Custom pricing options.

CRO Tools 

OptinMonster

OptinMonster is a CRO tool offering a number of fantastic features to help you generate subscribers, leads, and sales from the traffic you already have. 

The platform integrates seamlessly with most major email marketing and CRM platforms and offers a user-friendly interface that makes it easy to create and customize lead capture forms. 

No more trying to decipher code and complex web tools; OptinMonster’s intuitive drag-and-drop builder allows you to design visually appealing and highly effective opt-in forms in a matter of minutes!

A standout feature is OptinMonster’s advanced targeting options. You can unleash the power of behaviour-based targeting rules to show off personalized offers that match your visitors’ every move. Whether they’re about to exit, spending loads of time on your page, or casually scrolling through your content, OptinMonster will deliver the right message at the right time, increasing the chances of conversion.

Plans: Plans start at $9/month.

Woorise

Many marketers give a big “Woohoo!” for Woorise! 

This all-in-one marketing and lead gen platform offers an intuitive and user-friendly campaign builder to create engaging and visually appealing lead capture forms, surveys, quizzes, and contests. 

With Woorise, you can engage and capture the attention of your target audiences across multiple channels. 

How do you do this, you may ask. Well, Woorise offers various campaign types to choose from depending on your lead-generation goals.

And here’s another fantastic feature…Woorise’s seamless integration with popular marketing tools, CRMs, and email marketing platforms makes it really easy to sync captured leads and automate follow-up processes. 

Plans: Free – $79 per month.

Landing Page Builders 

Unbounce

Unbounce is a lead gen platform that offers an intuitive drag-and-drop builder and pre-designed templates to create visually appealing and high-converting landing pages. 

The platform provides customizable lead capture forms that can be easily embedded on landing pages. These forms can be optimized to gather the necessary lead information while minimizing friction. Smart form features like progressive profiling and conditional logic ensure a seamless and personalized user experience, increasing the chances of lead conversion.

Unbounce integrates seamlessly with popular marketing platforms, CRM systems, and email marketing tools, so you can synchronize lead data and automate lead nurturing processes, providing a streamlined approach to lead generation and management.

Price: $99-$625/month

Leadpages

Looking to create high-converting landing pages and lead-generation forms with a platform that integrates easily with your existing marketing and CRM tools? Then check out Leadpages. 

With an easy-to-use drag-and-drop editor, customizable templates, and an intuitive interface, the process of building and optimizing landing pages is simplified.

Leadpages provides an impressive collection of professionally designed templates that are optimized for conversions. Plus, you can deliver lead magnets, such as eBooks or downloadable content, as part of your lead generation strategy, facilitating the exchange of valuable content in exchange for visitor contact information. It’s a win-win!

Price: $37-$74/month

SeedProd

With an intuitive and user-friendly interface that allows you to effortlessly create and customize landing pages and conversion forms, SeedProd makes website creation a breeze.

From customizable form fields and A/B testing to advanced analytics and integrations with popular marketing platforms, SeedProd is a great platform to drive successful lead-generation campaigns.

SeedProd’s templates are based on industry best practices and can be easily customized to align with your branding, ensuring visually appealing and high-converting landing pages.

Price: $39.50-$239.60/month

Lead Insights Tools 

Qualaroo

Have you ever tried using surveys as a marketing tactic? 

Surveys are a fantastic way to gather feedback, insights, or contact information from your visitors or users, and Qualaroo is just the tool to help you do this.

Qualaroo allows you to create targeted surveys that can be strategically placed on your website or within your application. 

You can trigger surveys based on specific user behaviours or actions, which helps you to engage with potential leads at critical moments and gather insights relevant to their experience.

Qualaroo provides robust analytics and reporting features that allow you to track survey responses, analyze data trends, and gain insights into your audience. 

Price: $69-299/month

Discover.ly

Discover.ly is like the internet version of Sherlock Holmes, gathering data from various sources to provide comprehensive intel about the potential customers that you seek.

The platform provides social insights by seamlessly integrating with popular social media platforms, allowing you to uncover valuable information about your leads, such as their social profiles, connections, and interests, so you can tailor your approach and engage with leads more effectively.

If you’re looking to save valuable time and resources (who isn’t?!), Discover.ly may be the time-saving tool you need. Discover.ly automates the lead generation process by identifying and capturing leads in real-time, eliminating the need for manual research and data collection. 

Price: Various pricing options

Miscellaneous Tools 

LinkedIn Sales Navigator

We like to think of LinkedIn Sales Navigator as the secret key to the professional kingdom! It opens the doors to LinkedIn’s vast network of movers, shakers, and decision-makers, making it the ultimate B2B lead generation playground. 

No more shooting in the dark or playing a guessing game with your target audience. LinkedIn Sales Navigator offers advanced search and filtering options, so you can narrow down your search based on specific criteria such as industry, job title, location, company size, and more. 

With InMail messaging capabilities, you can send direct messages to prospects even if they aren’t a connection. 

Price: Various pricing options

Marketo

Marketo is no ordinary lead generation tool. 

It offers advanced marketing automation capabilities to take your lead engagement and conversion game to the next level. 

With Marketo, you can create automated campaigns, segment leads, and personalize messaging, resulting in more effective lead engagement and conversion.

With advanced lead-scoring functionality, you can prioritize and track leads based on their engagement and behaviour. This feature helps you identify the most qualified leads, enabling your sales teams to focus their efforts on high-potential prospects.

It gets better…

Marketo allows you to run coordinated campaigns across various channels such as email, social media, web, and mobile, maximizing your reach and enhancing lead generation effectiveness.

Price: Various pricing options.

Zapier

We wouldn’t classify Zapier as a lead generation tool per se but rather as the ultimate integration magician to enhance your lead generation efforts.

Zapier is an automation platform that connects various apps and tools to streamline your workflows.

With Zapier, you’ll witness the magic of seamless data transfer and synchronization that keeps your lead generation game on fire. Imagine your forms, landing pages, and CRM systems joining forces with other marketing and sales platforms, creating a symphony of automated data flow. Say goodbye to manual headaches and hello to efficiency, as leads are captured, processed, and stored efficiently. 

Price: Free – $134/month

ActiveCampaign

If you’re looking for a lead-generation tool with robust automation capabilities to create personalized and targeted lead-nurturing campaigns, then ActiveCampaign is worth considering. 

ActiveCampaign is an email and marketing automation software with CRM baked in, making it a fantastic platform to implement and manage your lead generation. 

With ActiveCampaign, you can automate follow-ups, segment leads based on behaviour and interests, and trigger personalized communication across multiple channels based on specific actions. This level of automation is next level, helping you build stronger relationships with leads and drive conversions.

Price: $66-$201

Extole

And now for something slightly different from the other B2B lead generation tools we’ve mentioned. 

Extole!

Extole is a platform that specializes in referral marketing. By incentivizing existing customers to refer their contacts, Extole helps you tap into your customer network and expand your reach organically.

From referral incentives to program rules and messaging, you can design a customized referral program that aligns perfectly with your brand and lead-generation objectives.

Another master of connecting with other platforms, Extole integrates seamlessly with various marketing and CRM tools for smooth data flow and simplified lead management.

If referral marketing is something you want to dabble with, then Extole is worth investigating.

Price: Various pricing options.

The Best B2B Lead Generation Tool for Your Business

And there you have it–the best B2B lead generation tools to add to your marketing arsenal!

The world of lead generation is evolving rapidly, and having the right tools at your disposal can make or break your marketing and sales efforts. 

Don’t be caught out fishing without a net again, and don’t waste your time trying to generate leads without the right lead-gen tools!

Truth be told, though, although some of these tools are pretty cool, it still takes A LOT to strategize and run successful lead generation campaigns. 

If you don’t have the time, resources, or internal expertise to use these tools to their full potential, the best tool for your business may not be a tool at all… 

That’s where we come in! 

At Konstruct, our B2B lead generation experts can work with you to devise and execute successful lead generation campaigns that not only hook and reel in those big fish (AKA high-value leads) but convert them too. 

Request a proposal today, and we’ll share how we can help you supercharge your lead generation and maximize your sales. 

Picture this: You had a busy morning at work, and you finally sit down to eat your lunch and take a break from the world by scrolling through your LinkedIn feed. The first thing you see is a post from a software company that says, “Our software is rated #1 by customers”. You yawn and immediately scroll past it. Then you see a post from your competitor that says, “Happy National Cat Day”. You chuckle under your breath and think, “At least our social content isn’t THAT bad!”

When it comes to B2B social media posts, there are some blatantly obvious don’ts. 

For example, the classic rookie mistake of accidentally posting your personal Facebook story to your company’s Facebook account. Obviously, don’t do that! 

And everyone knows that sharing photos of your cat on LinkedIn is bad. Like almost as bad as the movie Cats bad. Almost. 

But the truth is most B2B social media content isn’t that bad. It’s really just… meh. 

The social content that you post for your B2B business probably doesn’t raise any red flags or result in the dreaded “do you have a minute to talk?” Slack message from your boss. 

However, few B2B businesses really excel at social media. So, when it’s time to cut marketing spend, what’s the first thing you throw out the window? Say it with me—social! 

Booooo. 

Stop doing that. 

B2B social media done well can be transformational for your business, widening your sales funnel and exposing your brand to a significantly larger audience. It can also do things like boost your brand credibility, increase customer loyalty and retention, boost traffic to your website—all that good stuff! 

But what should you actually start and stop doing to turn your “meh” social content into content that does all of those great things?

Well, that’s what we’re covering here! 

Hey Siri, play *Never Gonna Give You Up* by Rick Astley. Let’s get into it.  

B2B Social Media Dos

A great B2B social post is like the golden child in a family full of B-grade students. It gets all the love and attention. 

Take a scroll through your LinkedIn feed and make note of the kinds of posts that stop your scroll, hold your attention, and make you want to engage or participate in the conversation. 

What makes those posts so special? 

At Konstruct, our team of B2B social media specialists has spent countless hours unpacking that exact question. 

Here’s our take on what to do to make your B2B social content magnetic, drawing in and holding the attention of your target audience. 

1. Start With a Scroll-Stopping Hook

How fast do you scroll through your LinkedIn feed? 

Do you stop and read every post that meets your eye? Probably not. 

Life is busy, and there’s simply not enough time to waste on reading content that doesn’t pique your interest. 

We’re willing to bet that you scroll through most posts in less than a few seconds. 

And that’s true for most people too, including those in your target audience. 

This all proves just how crucial that first line of your caption really is. 

There’s no better way to capture your audience’s attention and get them engaged in your content than with a scroll-stopping hook.

Here are some hooks you can try to get your audience to “stop the scroll” and spend their precious time reading your post. 

• Here’s something you probably don’t know about X….
• Contrary to popular belief…
• Calling all [job title] 
• This industry secret will surprise you…
• Struggling with X? You’ll want to save this post. 
• The #1 question we’re asked is…
• X doesn’t have to be so complicated. 
• A common misconception about X is that…
• What if we told you…
• When was the last time you… 

2. Use the PAS Formula

A fundamental truth about humans is that we all like to feel heard. 

Like the kid at the playground saying, “Mom! Mom! Mom!” incessantly as his mother continues to ignore him and scroll through her phone, we all just want to feel like someone is listening to our problems and is there to help us with our needs. 

When it comes to copywriting, the PAS formula is known for helping content marketers connect with their audience. 

If this is your first time learning about this formula, here’s how it works: 

When the PAS formula is done well, it not only makes readers feel heard, but it can also influence their behaviour. 

Here’s an example of how you can use the PAS formula in your social content: 

Pro tip: If you don’t know your audiences’ specific pain points, check out their competitors’ reviews and see what their customers are saying!

3. Make Your Customer the Hero

Who watches a Batman movie and thinks, “I would love to be Robin”? 

No one. 

Everyone wants to be the hero. 

Okay, maybe not in the conventional sense. Risking your life to fight the bad guys isn’t for everyone. 

But everyone likes to see themselves in the content they read. 

Making your customer the hero is one of those things that sounds great in theory but is much more challenging to do in reality. It’s easy to list all of the ways that your company is great. 

What’s harder is putting yourself in the shoes of your target audience and accurately portraying their innermost feelings, wants and needs. 

But that’s where the magic happens. 

Let’s try it together: 

Company as the hero: 

 “We are #1 in the industry with hundreds of awards proving that we have unmatched expertise in our niche.”

Yawn. 

Who cares? 

Now let’s flip the switch. 

Customer as the hero: 

“Here’s how to reduce your admin time by up to 50% so you can focus on priorities that really make a difference.” 

Ding ding ding! We have a winner. 

Now your audience is locked in and ready to hear what you have to say.

4. Make Your Posts Shareable

Out of all of the different ways that your audience can engage with a post, shares really take the cake. 

Here’s why: 

When your audience shares your post, your content is dispersed to their followers, an entirely new audience previously beyond your brand’s reach, filled with many people that likely have a similar role, interests or needs as the person who shared the post in the first place.  

But how do you make posts that are shareable? 

In our experience, shareable posts have to do at least one of the following: 

• Inform your audience about something interesting that they previously didn’t know. 
• Entertain your audience with something highly relatable to their day-to-day work life. 
• Surprise your audience with a unique perspective that they otherwise wouldn’t have considered. 
• Inspire your audience to rethink their approach to something. 

Pro tip: You can also make content more shareable by adding a call-to-action that literally asks people to share the post! 

Basically, it’s the reciprocity effect in action. If you offer something highly valuable to your audience, they will be more likely to do something for you in return—especially if you tell them exactly what you want them to do!

3. Include CTAs

Tell a dog to sit, and it sits. 

Try to transmit the word “sit” to your dog telepathically, and it looks at you like you’re a weirdo. 

Where am I going with this? I swear I have a point! 

You can’t expect people to behave in the way you want them to while providing literally zero instructions. 

That’s not how life works. 

That’s why CTAs, specifically very clear CTAs, are so important.

See! I told you I had a point! 

When writing your CTAs, you need to make them compelling enough that your audience would actually want to click on your link or comment/share your post. Here are some examples of good CTAs: 

• Want more X tips like this delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for our newsletter! *link*
• In our recent blog post, we talked about X. You don’t want to miss it: *link*
• Do you X? Let us know in the comments below!
• What do you think about X? Let us know below! 

6. Ensure Your Graphics Create Intrigue 

Do you catch more fish with a neon pink gummy worm or a big wriggly earthworm?

While humans might prefer the gummy worm, it’s not very intriguing to your target audience—the fish. 

When it comes to social media graphics, the same rules apply… kind of. 

Your graphics not only need to look visually pleasing, but they also often benefit from having text that piques the interest of their intended audience—like the earthworm that wriggles rather than the gummy worm that stays still. 

In fact, your graphics are just as important as the first line of your caption when it comes to hooking your audience. 

The key is to create intrigue without giving too much away. 

For example, instead of including text that says, “Our software will help you reduce admin time by 50%” try, “Here’s how you can cut your admin time by 50%.” 

It forces your audience to do more digging, and the more they dig, the more they learn about your brand.  

B2B Social Media Don’ts

Now for what you shouldn’t do…

1. Don’t Be Overly Self-Promotional

It’s probably no surprise to you that boastful, self-indulgent content doesn’t tend to perform well on social media. 

Nobody likes the “friend” that constantly brags about their five annual vacations, their timeshare in Vermont, and the massive bonus they got for Christmas. 

To put it bluntly, no one cares about what makes your company great. 

Seriously.

But people do care about themselves and what you can do for them. 

That’s not to say that there isn’t a time and place to share social proof on your social media accounts, but it’s all in how you frame it.

2. Don’t Make Your Hook Too Long

Get. To. The. Point. 

The first line of your caption is primo real estate! Don’t waste it babbling on and on. 

If your hook is too long, it will be truncated, automatically losing a ton of value for your audience. 

You’re only going to get people to click “see more” if you’ve intrigued them enough in the content before the truncation. 

So try to keep your hook concise! 

However, if you plan your hook out correctly, you can use the length to your advantage.

In the following example, we wanted the audience to click “see more”, so we added an ellipsis to intrigue the audience.

3. Don’t Make Your Social Post a Mini Landing Page

Hot take: if someone wanted to read a landing page, they would visit your website. 

Sorry, not sorry!

Ready to Craft a High-Converting B2B Social Media Strategy?

Now that you know some of our top dos and don’ts when creating social media content for B2B businesses, it’s time for you to give it a try! 

Or…

You can rely on our content marketing experts to tackle the B2B social media marketing challenge for you. 

Creating engaging social media content takes a lot of trial and error. 

People often think, “It’s social media, it can’t be that hard”.

But with ever-changing algorithms and trends, staying on top of social media best practices can become more tedious than remembering to change your oil.

That’s why we’re here! 

At Konstruct, our content specialists stay up-to-date on all things B2B social media and know exactly how to produce content that packs a punch and drives tangible results for your business. 

Get a proposal, and let us help you level up your social media marketing strategy so you can have a solid social media presence that builds brand awareness and pushes your potential customers through your marketing funnel.