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When you're managing marketing for a B2B technology company, nothing wastes more time and money than trying to follow leads that don't convert. You need to know that your efforts will produce qualified leads that are worth your sales department's time as well as strengthen the bond between sales and marketing.
Conversion rate optimization starts with attracting the right audience in the first place. But once you have qualified leads on your site, disjointed messaging and processes could keep you from closing the deal. Here's what marketing leaders are doing today to fix those issues and consistently generate higher quality conversions on their websites.
5 Conversion Rate Optimization Tips for B2B Tech Marketers
1. Show — don't tell — how people are using your B2B technology.
You can spend a whole infinite scroll-enabled web page talking about why you're the best choice for your target audience. But at the end of the day, what you say about yourself doesn't matter. It can be informative and conversational. But to convince someone to convert, you need to show them what you're talking about. Demonstrate that you've actually done what you say and can do it for them. Provide social proof!
One of the best ways to show is to prominently display testimonials or case studies on your homepage. Let other people pat your back and say, "job well done." That's a million times better than congratulating yourself. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then someone else sharing how you've helped them is worth even more.
92% of customers hesitate when it's time to buy because they can't find customer reviews. And 32% of people who have to leave your site to find reviews won't come back. Generate more sales qualified leads by putting your current customers’ stories on full display.
2. Optimize content to generate more sales qualified leads.
It may be a tired, worn-out cliche by now. But that doesn't change the fact that "content is king."
Quality content is built around your target audience or "buyer persona." It’s targeted and offers actionable, data-driven information that prospects can use to do what they do better. When a prospect has a question about a topic in your field, they should feel confident that your B2B technology company will have the answer.
According to HubSpot, marketers who are consistent with blogging are 13 times more likely to get a positive ROI. Deploy marketing automation to regularly publish, promote, and engage. This strategy will help you get to the top of prospects’ social feeds and rank higher on Google. Also, use analytics to continually measure and improve content performance to increase conversions, thereby generating more sales qualified leads.
Content marketing's effectiveness doesn't end when that lead hits the salesperson's desk, so don’t forget to create content that sales can leverage, too. For example, create brochures and one-pagers about each of your B2B services. These documents will not only help sales more effectively manage objections and seamlessly nurturing leads but can also act as a guide to ensure your messaging is consistent. In turn, maximizing marketing and sales alignment will increase ROI.
3. Make it seem like everybody's doing it.
We may all be grown-ups now — business people in suits or pajamas, if we're working from home. But most people never lose that urge to follow the crowd, be one of the herd, to belong. You can tap into this bandwagon effect for your own conversion rate optimization.
Use language that infers a trend like "Here's why so many marketers are using this B2B technology." And when possible, use actual numbers as long as they're truthful. For example, "200,000 HR managers downloaded this app."
This technique combines the powerful human instinct to not only be curious about what others are doing but to experience FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out).
4. Eliminate the friction.
Form length varies. Sometimes you may need to know someone's role in the company or how many employees they have. But ask yourself, do I really need this now? Are too many questions hindering a conversion?
No two B2B audiences are exactly alike, and some studies have shown that longer forms lead to higher conversions. In some instances, though, shorter forms perform better.
To see what works best for your B2B technology company, do an A/B test. Create identical landing pages with identical offers. For example, offer customers a free 30-minute consultation. On one landing page, ask for the individuals first name, last name, email, phone number, company name, job title, and industry. On the other, only ask for a first name, last name, email, and company name. Compare the conversion rates on both landing pages to see which form is most effective with your target audience.
5. Test offers for conversion rate optimization.
Have you ever read your own copy, and thought "wow, I'd be convinced"? You've provided case studies and testimonials, and your CTA seems strong. But then your campaign goes live, and it's not playing out that way with your B2B audience.
Sometimes it's not the words that are the problem, but what you have to offer. You could be making it too generic. Sign up for a free trial. Download this PDF.
Ask yourself, what's the value proposition? What will prospects get out of downloading this PDF or getting this free trial? You may not need to change the offer itself. It's about how you're conveying the value of that offer that may need some work.
Think about your buyer persona. Consider their needs, goals, and barriers. Make sure your offer creates immense value for this person. Help them imagine how signing up right now will change their life. Paint that picture.
Try it for yourself. When you apply these five methods, you can instantly improve your conversion rate. Generate better leads for your B2B technology company and understand how your audience perceives your content to do what you do even better.
Want to see a real-world example of how these strategies can help you achieve conversion rate optimization? Download our case study and learn how one of our B2B technology clients increased their organic lead conversion rate by 220%. 
