This is an anonymous post from an Elpha member.

Lead generation campaign

Necole206·Jul 09, 2020

Hi, I've started working for a start-up (week three) and have very little time to test a B2B product and marketing approach. So far I've contacted people via email (no luck) and have contacted larger membership bodies for my target audience (also no luck). The idea is to have five people test the product each week, but week three and I've only managed to find two people. I'm hoping to have a snowball effect once I get a few people on-board, but was wondering if anyone has any advice on how to find people? The target market is businesses in England. I've been thinking of: telephone outreach, landing pages and social media ads, LinkedIn outreach - in addition to currently unsuccessful email outreach. I can't do press etc because the funding for this hasn't officially been announced. The work culture is quite intense and I feel like I can't do anything right, and have also been unwell - taking time off at the moment. The product has no brand and no assets, and these will be developed after speaking to potential consumers. All help will be invaluable.

teresaman·Jul 09, 2020

Hey anon, I can't fully tell if there is a fully-formed product that is ready to be tested. If so, have you tried https://www.usertesting.com/ or our Beta Tester community? https://elpha.com/c/elpha-beta-testers

MaryQueenie·Jul 09, 2020

@teresaman thanks for sharing the usertesting.com! was looking for something similar to test my product :)

Necole206·Jul 09, 2020

Thanks so much. There is a live product but it can be shaped to the needs of the target audience so is flexible. I'll have a look at the elpha beta testing community.

Necole206·Jul 10, 2020

Hi @teresaman a quick question - would you know how much usertesting.com would cost? the website is devoid of price.

teresaman·Jul 11, 2020

I've actually never been involved in the pricing side for the times I've used it, so I can't give you information there unfortunately. However it looks like according to this post (dated Jan 2020) that if you want to test with more than 15 participants, their annual plan is 18k/yr (very pricey...). So the alternatives in the article may be worth looking into as well: https://userbrain.net/blog/usertesting-alternatives

lsheehy·Jul 09, 2020

Perhaps I can help you with some growth marketing tips :) First, don't get discouraged. Curious as to how many people you have reached out to? Scale is huge (literally) when it comes to yielding interest from potential new customers. Sometimes a .05% conversion rate is golden, which means you'll need to be reaching out to a large scale of individuals to get someone qualified in return. Curious as to what your budget is as well? If you have any at all outside of your time, I would highly suggest digital marketing like ppc to get started. Feel free to PM me, I work at an agency that runs campaigns for pretty flexible rates.

Necole206·Jul 21, 2020

Hi sorry I didn't get back to you - I've been feeling sorry for myself and considered quitting. The budget isn't extensive, but for the pilot of the project (in the next month or so) I basically only need to speak to sixty customers - I've done two. The marketing strategy will come after that. Any insights into how to get those first 60 people would be great. I'm losing hope to be honest. I've sent about 500 emails, contacted umbrella organisations that have access to lots of my target audience, started running ads etc. I've also cold-called people, but the conversions are extremely low on every method I've tried so far.

Lola·Jul 09, 2020

I think you're trying the right avenues. Know that emails can often take 6-8 touches before someone responds, so you might need to continue to reach out to your contacts there (probably is similar to LinkedIn).Another thing to look at might be Facebook groups, slack groups, meetups for businesses you're targeting you could build relationships in those communities and then start to drum up some testers. You might even find people on elpha who might be willing to test your product if you posted it here.

Necole206·Jul 21, 2020

Hey @lolaodelola I've tried Elpha and not had any luck. I've also tried LinkedIn groups, but will try and expand my reach.

juliazhu·Jul 12, 2020

Hi anon! No expert in this field, but I'm currently running a lead gen campaign (with another one in the works), but in the DTC market, so my experience could differ widely from yours (as would be our goals). One of the things we're testing is providing free content, essentially anything we think our target audience would find helpful to their daily lives, in hopes that they'll sign up and provide us with contact information.That way, we can provide even more value now that we have more direct contact with them and build trust. It might not lead to conversions immediately, but it's been ramping up since it launched less than a week ago. If there's any space where your company could provide deeper insights into, there's bound to be someone looking for that information. They'll probably be your best target.

Necole206·Jul 21, 2020

Thanks. I'm trying to push the founder in this direction but its proving tricky.

roshalmascarenhas·Jul 21, 2020

Hey there! I hope you're feeling better. I can truly understand your frustration! I've been there and done that. In fact, I built www.kregzo.com because I went through the same pains that you are. Kregzo is a web platform that connects entrepreneurs to customers to gain valuable feedback in real-time. The best part? IT IS FREE! PM me if you need help or advice, I'm here for you.

Necole206·Jul 21, 2020

Hi @roshalmascarenhas - how is Kregzo able to be free? I'm also looking for feedback from my consumers and this doesn't seem to over that.

roshalmascarenhas·Jul 22, 2020

Hey, Currently we'r an early-stage platform with users who are keen to collaborate with each other and with entrepreneurs like yourself to help launch ideas that fill the need gap in society. As far as I can see, you're in need of feedback for your brand from consumers or early adopters and my startup helps you receive valuable feedback from end-users. DM me if you need further information. Cheers!

Maryna·Jul 22, 2020

You're definitely off to a good start. Local B2B marketing can be tough sometimes, but it's not impossible! Here are a few tactics you might want to consider to get people join your sessions:- Try LinkedIn Sales Automation tools such as PhantomBuster. There are so many other ones in the market too, you can make your campaigns very targeted, but then the secret to success is your actual message copy. You have to make it conversational and about THEM, not you. - There are a number of great business communities on Facebook, Slack, and other forums which you can explore. It then really depends on your target audience (B2B UK is way too broad. What industry are they in? What role? Seniority? Company size?)- A small Google Ads campaign with $100-$200 can do wonders to test your use cases and get initial sign ups if done right. - Run a small ad campaign on Facebook targeting website visitors of your competitors or other industry websites in your niche.These and number of other great tactics can be worthwhile testing. Happy to discuss this further in a PM. You can also get some good ideas on growthchannel.ioGood luck!