Inbound lead gen has evolved. But many marketing teams have not caught up. It’s time to rethink lead generation.

Many marketing teams have an outdated vision of inbound lead generation. In this version- the buyer is attracted through SEO, social media, blogs, and the traditional methods that keep the glue of B2B marketing together.

But with the self-directed buyer and AI tools on the rise, this glue has peeled off. There is no semblance of the old inbound lead gen left anymore.

Embers, yes. But the rest has vanished away. Yet, many organizations create content that speaks nothing and has no voice.

Even great companies do this- to rank, they create blogs that are full of content that has no real value, and they know it. All of the value they are creating lies in the product they are selling. All they want is for their buyers to buy their product.

And the propagation of misinformation continues to exist because the companies that rank for these terms have gained authority through their products. But companies who are starting out need to be careful.

These content pieces will introduce you to basic concepts but will not give you the answer.

But there is a clear answer: Inbound lead generation is about attention and standing out.

The question is: Are you creative enough to take that risk?

The Modern B2B Buyer’s Journey

However, there is a reason risk-taking is seen with caution. Many organizations have to think beyond marketing campaigns. They must think about their reputation.

1. What if this message is ill-received?
2. What if we get canceled?
3. And worse, what if there’s no buzz?

These are all logical and vital questions to ask before running campaigns. Brand reputation is what sets most competitors apart.

But there is a loop here. To stand apart from your competition and gain a brand reputation, organizations have to learn to take creative risks. But why is that?

Why are risks such a deciding factor? It’s because of the buyer.

Before everyone went digitally native, the buyer had no choice but to turn to Google for information. And SEO wasn’t as stringent as today— but that is also because Google has been intentionally killing organic reach to make companies spend on advertisements.

Now, buyers have changed their attitudes. After the virus, everyone has become cautious of their spending. And importantly, they have become wary of whom to trust.

Unfulfilled promises and buyer regret have jaded the modern buyer. Now, they trust themselves to make the right decision.

And the numbers reflect this bright as day.

1. B2B buyers are done with 80% of their buying journey.
2. Buyers have a preferred vendor ready
3. They know their requirements.

It’s clear that buyers have bias. There are many reasons for having these biases— maybe they have formed deep relationships with their partners or know that they will get the job done. However, these biases are difficult to navigate.

Not impossible, but there are many obstacles standing in your path.

Leveraging the B2B buying committee

The average B2B buying committee is made up of 11-13 members. Each member has a bias, and they bring that to the discussion.

However, the reasons behind these biases may not matter. The main point is there is one. And there are three things that are happening: –

1. The bias is helping you
2. The bias is not helping you
3. You’re not part of the buying list.

The third option should be your least preferred one.

But then you ask, how do we market our products and services if we’re not even going to make that list?

That’s the question.

And the harsh truth is, if you don’t trust your product to be different or the service to provide something unique— even if it’s price or quality or process— no amount of marketing will fix that.

However, the assumption here is that your product/service solves a problem, no matter what that is.

In this case, you leverage the buyer committee, which is made up of diverse individuals. And as these people are leaders, they will have an opinion.

You must sway these opinions in your favor.

Inbound lead generation today is about swaying this opinion. Becoming part of this bias.

That brings us back to risk-taking.

Value as the New Currency in Lead Generation

Ciente has created a value framework. Through observing high-quality posts, our traffic, and countless social media posts, we’ve realized that content that speaks to its intended audience follows this framework.

However, many organizations and individuals teeter on the line of safety. Never really say anything of substance and value.

For example, let’s look at this blog.

Who is this written for?

It’s for SEO purposes, yes. But beyond that, what purpose does this serve? The definitions offer no new insights and provide no value.

This is the AI score of the entire blog. And this is one of many. Tens of thousands of these blogs have the same structure and say the same things.

And the buyers have caught on to this.

Whether it’s an agency or a product company, B2B buyers are looking for depth and quality— not quantity. Their industries are full of risks, and they want mitigators, not imitators, to help them bridge the gap.

How can an organization help others if they don’t create original ideas?

Value is in perspective.

What if an organization promised you a product that can give you research on your ideal buyer?

They tell you: –

1. They are AI-powered
2. They do all the research and give you insights.

Floored by the app, you buy it and realize that the insights are not real-time and the AI is just a ChatGPT clone.

You complain and ask for a refund. But the organization tells you they did not promise real-time data. Just insights and the research.

If the data is outdated, it’s not their fault. You got what you paid for—research, insights, and an AI.

And this has happened to many organizations and buyers. Faced with unmet promises, they have had to evaluate the value of the organizations they are buying from.

They now look very closely at what you say. And what value you bring.

And a good metric of value is the perspective you offer.

1. Why did you create the tool?
2. What does it do for its users?
3. How does it do it?
4. What has been the effect of the tool after people have used it?

Such introspection helps you create messages that move the audience to action. It also provides clarity and authenticity— something buyers will be craving a lot more of.

There is a reason organization like G2 and TrustRadius have become successful. They peel the layers of authenticity and help buyers make sense of their buy.

However, the perspective has a catch: your product and services must embody it.

Alex James, one of LinkedIn’s upcoming B2B stars, believes that your perspective is your product, quite literally.

Without this perspective, without this unique take, your service will be white noise. But it need not be grand— differentiate on price, on process, or on delivery— but differentiate and provide what your buyer is looking for.

Value is in building trust.

This is the crux of this entire blog. The Tl;dr.

Trust in your brand is what modern marketing teams should be fostering. You must have heard about a common pain point that affects the B2B industry— there is no single definition of a lead.

While there can be no specific definition, marketing teams should broadly define the lead as an entity that shows interest and has begun trusting your brand.

Even if they don’t buy from you immediately, this trust will be that mindshare. If you’re selling a manufacturing plant, your ideal buyer should think, “Hey, I know XYZ, I like what they’re doing. Let’s contact them.”

And make no mistake, attracting the buyer so that they call you is what you want.

Value is in diversification.

A significant shift in marketing is the transformation of content and online platforms into assets.

These assets are: –

1. Owned media (Your website, email list, apps, software, etc.)
2. Paid media (Ads, sponsorships, influencers, etc.)
3. Earned media (Word of mouth, press mentions, UGC, et al.)
4. Borrowed Media (Social media, YouTube, platforms like Medium and the like)

While having owned media that has authority is the dream, lead generation campaigns must give value by creating content with all these four assets in mind.

Repurpose great content to deliver value across each channel. It creates authorities of different types and attracts a diverse pool of leads that can help you.

But there is one hiccup that marketing teams fall under.

Creating low-quality content. For a lot of teams, repurposing content means low effort.

While creating an inbound lead gen strategy, teams must repurpose content for various media.

However, while creating a multi-channel strategy, the delivery for each channel is different. Maybe your blog breaks down the principles of design: –

1. For LinkedIn, it could be a carousel with eye-catching graphics.
2. For YouTube, it could be a ‘director breaks down a scene‘ type of video.
3. For Instagram, it could be a quick reel.
4. For your newsletter, these could be actionable items.

Imagine such a strategy and the leads it would deliver you. Remember, lead gen focuses on giving actual value to your prospects.

But why, you ask?

Because lead gen is increasingly about mindshare, diversification, and providing business value when and where your prospects need it.

Value creates mindshare

Mindshare is crucial for businesses to survive. Peep Laja, the CEO of Wynter, published research on LinkedIn. It is an interesting piece. Wynter surveyed 300 C-suite buyers and found out:

1. Top of mind determines if the buyer will consider the vendor.
2. 75% of buyers turn to peers when creating the shortlist.
3. Famous brands are automatically qualified for consideration.

There are a lot of valuable insights in the post, but for this section’s sake, these three will do.

They tell the story of mindshare not just between your ideal buyer but also the industry they are in. And valuable pieces bring in this mindshare.

Of course, you will need channels to deliver your content. But they should be eye-grabbing. That can be through some radical new message or speaking of your perspective clearly.

This process has to be done again and again. Your perspective needs to be synonymous with what you’re trying to sell.

Multi-Channel Asset Strategy for Modern Inbound Lead Generation

When we speak of diversification, it is essentially the multi-channel strategy to build assets.

For lead generation, the traditional methods, while helping you stay discoverable, do not help much in brand building and trust. By this point, it should be apparent to you— that trust and relationship-building drive real growth.

But how do you use these four types of media to get mindshare?

1. Owned media (Your website, email list, apps, software, etc.)
2. Paid media (Ads, sponsorships, influencers, etc.)
3. Earned media (Word of mouth, press mentions, UGC, et al.)
4. Borrowed Media (Social media, YouTube, platforms like Medium and the like)

Of course, investing in SEO and SEM should still be a priority. According to industry buzz, marketing teams will now need to create copies optimized for LLMs like ChatGPT and Perplexity.

But, they still don’t have the lion’s share for service-based searches— Google retains that.

So what is the multi-channel strategy here?

1. It’s creating content around your buyers’ needs and problems.
2. Repurposing it and making yourself synonymous with the solution.
3. Using paid media to increase brand-audience surface area.
4. Earning testimonials and word of mouth
5. Using different channels to spread your solution.

This has to be a continuous and patient process. And young brands need to realize the power of effective adverts very early — it helps them.

But for inbound lead generation to work and for the multi-channel approach to be successful, your brand has to be your service and product— it cannot be different from your process. Every piece of content must solve a problem your buyer has or might have in a way that you would solve.

As Elsa Dithmer of Auvik says, “High-value content—whether in the form of thought leadership, case studies, or interactive tools—should provide actionable insights that empower buyers. When content is well-optimized, highly relevant, and consistently delivers value, it establishes authority, nurtures prospects, and ultimately accelerates [sales] pipeline velocity.”

Inbound Lead Gen will help you make the shortlist.

And everything you do culminates here. For a while now, B2B marketers have lagged behind. But now, they can’t afford to.

Buyers have a list of vendors and, on average, choose from 3. But many teams are busy bottlenecking themselves- marketing to every buyer available in the hopes that they buy.

That is not your function- marketing is not sales.

Marketing is directing the buyer and priming them for sales.

Your job is to increase the surface area of your product/services and your brand. To build trust with your buyers.

Give them what they want, and the buyer will come to you. But make sure to increase that surface area time and again. Market to everyone in your ICP, even if they are not buying. Because they will buy tomorrow and you need to be there to be remembered and to be called.

Change the way you do lead generation, and only then will you make the shortlist.