Turn The Funnel Heat On: Lead Gen Tactics For LMS, SaaS Learning Platforms, And HR Tech Vendors

Lead Generation Is Not A One-Size-Fits-All Approach

No matter which industry you are in, attracting high-quality business leads requires publishing valuable content, driving traffic to that content, qualifying leads, and finally converting them. There are various lead gen tactics you can use to allure potential buyers and show them the value of your solution. However, lead generation techniques for LMS may be different than SaaS platforms and HR tech, as the buyer journeys vary. For example, payroll leads may require a lot longer to convert than SaaS learning platform subscribers. That’s because they have to test your solution first, along with other potential suitors, before investing money in it.

The core differentiator in lead generation marketing is standing out from the crowded market. Keep in mind that thousands of other companies are trying to win over the same audience. So, why should anyone choose you over them? To drive leads, your methods must be unique, engaging, and transformative. If this sounds too good to be true, stick around, and we’ll prove to you that it’s not. You can do it and help your business grow significantly.

In This Guide, You Will Find…

The Different Types Of Leads

• Marketing-Qualified Lead (MQL)

In B2B SaaS marketing, you typically promote a lot of content, including whitepapers, eBooks, guides, webinars, and templates. Many people download these resources or sign up for your events. This means that they are targeted leads who are genuinely interested in your offerings. Their chances of converting into paying customers are higher than those of users who simply enter your website daily without taking any action.

• Sales-Qualified Lead (SQL)

Once your lead gen tactics have worked and you’ve attracted targeted leads, your sales team can qualify those who have a strong buying intent. Therefore, sales pros can proceed to engage with prospects and suggest specific packages and offers based on their needs.

• Product-Qualified Lead (PQL)

The HR software sales funnel usually involves users who first experience your solution through a free trial of freemium. Once they test your solution and are happy with it, they are ready to move on to a paid package. To understand who these users are, you can check their usage frequency and whether they engage with premium features or not.

A potential buyer may not interact with your gated content or try out your free trial. They may jump straight to contacting you, requesting a free consultation or extra information regarding your services. For example, eLearning Industry allows all users to book a free strategy call regarding our link building services.

10 Lead Gen Tactics For LMS Vendors, SaaS Learning Platforms, And HR Tech Vendors

1. Landing Page Optimization

Building a lead generation website is one of the most crucial lead gen tactics, no matter which industry you belong to. The various landing pages on your website should have a clear structure, a concise CTA, and convincing copy. You don’t need to say a lot. A short and clear headline accompanied by an explanatory subheading is enough to turn visitors into buyers. If you’re wondering how to optimize a landing page for lead generation, you should also make your lead form user-friendly. Don’t ask for too much information, as leads might get driven away if they have to spend a lot of time filling it out. Additionally, incorporate social proof whenever possible, including case studies, reviews, and testimonials.

2. Email Capture Forms

For your customer acquisition strategy to be successful, generating leads is your number-one priority. To do that, your email capture forms should be simple and not very long. Why, though? Too much information means more targeted email marketing efforts, right? Yes. On the one hand, knowing a lot about your prospects is good. However, when people interact with your brand for the first time, they don’t have the time or interest to spend ten minutes filling out your form. So, only ask for what you really need, including name, company, email address, phone number, and job title. Also, use autofill options, which are particularly useful for mobile users.

3. Search Engine Optimization

You can’t solely rely on paid promos and ads to succeed in eLearning lead generation. One of the most pivotal lead gen tactics is SEO, which increases your website’s organic traffic, leading to more signups. This is mainly a top-of-the-funnel tactic that aims to bring in the masses so they can check out your products or services and register for your newsletter. Any capable Search Engine Optimization specialist will advise you to perform a competitor analysis to identify the keywords and phrases other companies use to drive more traffic. Sure, you can tackle the highest-volume keywords, but you’ll have a hard time ranking for them. It’s best to focus on high-intent long-tail phrases that may get fewer searches but are more targeted.

Also, when you create content like articles, ensure you add enough keywords throughout the text and link to internal and external material. The more valuable your content is, the more natural, relevant backlinks it will generate.

4. Free Trials And Demos

Among the top lead generation techniques for LMS, SaaS, and HR tech businesses are free trials and demos. They are the best vehicle to generate new leads and deliver first-hand experiences to them. Your lead gen campaign may focus heavily on those two, as buyers in these industries need to use your solution before buying it. You may offer a free 7 or 14-day trial, a freemium, or a detailed demo. With demos, you can personalize them depending on each client’s needs. For example, when you are on your call, you may present to them how your LMS can help their business specifically.

On the other hand, trials are more actionable. Users don’t just watch how your product works. They can be in charge and experience it fully. It’s also an opportunity for you to show how great you are at offering onboarding support. SaaS lead generation won’t mean a lot if prospects don’t get the help and guidance they need to navigate your software.

5. Live Chatbot

AI and automation are undoubtedly among the top marketing industry trends. When we talk about lead generation techniques, we don’t mean only automating email sequences but also incorporating a chatbot into your website. These smart tools can answer general questions without involving any team member. They can also redirect people to the landing page or ask them for their contact details so you can add them to your lead list. You may even train your chatbot to encourage users to request a free demo. Another benefit they have for your B2B lead generation strategy is that they can match each lead with the right representative based on their needs. The conversational character of chatbots nurtures relationships and keeps users on your page longer.

6. Paid Ads

Have you gone on Google recently to research something? You may have noticed that the first few results are sponsored. The same goes for social media platforms. While scrolling, you see ads instead of only your friends’ content. These ads are usually part of larger demand generation campaigns, aiming to generate leads and redirect them to your website. Platforms like Facebook offer specified lead gen ads, eliminating the need to redirect users. People can simply add their contact information on a form inside the platform. Such lead gen tactics reduce the risk of drop-off. Similarly, on Google Ads, you can use lead form assets and add relevant CTA banners to your ads.

7. Retargeting And Remarketing

Marketing to B2B is demanding, and it takes many touchpoints before someone takes initial action. For example, let’s say someone clicks on an ad and visits your HR tech’s website. They click on various tabs and check your payroll software’s properties and benefits. Eventually, they leave without taking any further action. Don’t take that as defeat. Maybe this user is still researching. If your goal is to get them to download a demo, keep targeting them after they exit your domain and encourage them to take action.

This lead generation technique belongs in the account-based marketing sphere, as you personalize your remarketing approach to align with each prospect’s journey. To improve your sales lead generation, you can enforce SMS marketing—apart from email marketing—which has a response rate of 45%.

8. Lead Magnets

We can’t be talking about lead generation techniques and not mention lead magnets. Imagine passing outside a store and seeing a large poster advertising unique sales or a new product release. This is what a magnet looks like in real life. In the digital world, a magnet is a gated asset, like eBooks and webinars, luring people to click your links and CTA banners. For instance, someone may read an article and find it so interesting that they decide to click on the CTA that leads to an eBook. Still, your lead gen strategy won’t go far if your magnets are low-quality and don’t offer anything new. Don’t treat them like traps, aiming for the “Gotcha!” moment. Your lead magnet ideas should offer real value and enrich your audience’s knowledge.

9. Contests And Giveaways

We talked about many lead generation methods and strategies, but we haven’t mentioned anything yet about your social media strategy, apart from paid ads. This lead generation tip may not be at the top of your B2B SaaS marketing plan, but it’s a tactic you can try. Once you’ve built a respectable and loyal audience on platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and X, you can arrange a contest or giveaway. You can run them on your email marketing campaigns, event booths, your website, and partners’ sites, like influencers you work with. Your lead gen tactics should include the right participation steps. For instance, you can ask participants to follow your account, use a specific hashtag, or subscribe to your newsletter.

But what prize will you offer? Do some audience research to understand what your ideal buyers want. Maybe you can offer a free two-month subscription, extended free trials, strategy calls, or tangible gifts.

10. Review Sites

Are you looking to fix or improve your online image? Online reputation management is exactly what you need. HR tech marketing strategies focus on encouraging satisfied customers to leave their positive reviews on industry-specific sites that targeted buyers visit during the consideration stage. Triumphant reviews build trust and credibility and show potential buyers that other reputable companies have had lovely experiences working with you. Google, Capterra, G2, and Software Advice are great options for SaaS and HR businesses. No matter how positive or negative your reviews are, take some time to answer, even if it’s just to say “thank you.” For critical reviews, take accountability for your mistakes and assure clients you will do your best to improve.

If you want to add another method to your lead generation techniques, PPC directory listings are also magnificent at expanding your reach and building credibility. Especially when you boost your listing, your reviews and a CTA button appear right next to your listing.

How Do Lead Gen Tactics Work During The Sales Funnel?

48% of businesses admit that their B2B clients require a long cycle of nurturing until they are ready to purchase. This means that your B2B lead gen tactics go through a lead generation funnel with different stages depending on how ready a customer is. So, B2B lead generation strategies require a lot of patience and a steady stream of techniques. Instead of going for the hard sale, marketers should treat this journey as a marathon. Build your list and segment your audience so you can create content that aligns with their needs. Unfortunately, 68% of companies admit that they still haven’t identified their lead generation funnel.

So, what does a lead generation funnel represent? It’s like watching users from the moment they make that first click until they purchase your solution. Most users aren’t ready to buy from the get-go. A well-defined funnel instructs you which lead generation techniques to use at what stage to get someone to move forward. The reason it is shaped like a funnel is that the people who will reach the bottom are fewer than those entering the picture.

• Top-Of-The-Funnel (TOFU) = Attract

This is where your leads get to know you and your brand. Content like blog posts, articles, social media posts, guides, infographics, podcasts, and videos are content marketing tactics you can use to attract targeted leads. Your main goal is to provide value and showcase your thought leadership without necessarily pitching a sale.

• Middle-Of-The-Funnel (MOFU) = Engage

This is where your lead generation activities start showing results. Some website visitors are ready to move on and provide you with their content details. Gated assets like eBooks, whitepapers, newsletters, and webinar marketing are exactly what you need to build your email list. Once you get their information, you can start engaging and promoting relevant content and products. You want to show that your services are the solution to their problems.

• Bottom-Of-The-Funnel (BOFU) = Convert

Now, the time to sell is here. Prospects on this stage have seen what you can offer and have built a certain level of trust in you. Case studies, comparison pieces, FAQs, and demos are the last steps before checkout. You just have to help them overcome their objections. Reviews and testimonials play a pivotal part, too.

Key Takeaway

Now that we’ve mentioned how lead gen tactics like SEO, landing page optimization, free trials, paid ads, and remarketing are ideal, let’s also discuss one of the worst things you can do. Buying leads is often considered a shortcut that can be beneficial. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Paid leads are often completely useless, as they belong to inactive, low-quality accounts that are not interested in your solution at all. That’s why you should focus on building a strong lead generation marketing strategy, rooted in effective techniques. Chatbots, review sites, contests, and lead magnets are important ingredients you can’t omit.

Along the buyer journey, users want to feel like you know exactly what they need and how to solve their pain points. It may take a while to convert B2B and SaaS buyers, but you are building long-term relationships rooted in trust and loyalty. Remember that one account may bring you significant revenue for years to come.