B2B ECommerce

How to Craft a Retailer Lead Generation Strategy with B2B Partnerships

5 min read

June 21, 2023

Are you tired of playing hide-and-seek with potential retailers? It's time to step up your lead generation game and unlock new opportunities for your business by creating a powerful retail lead generation strategy that will make those retailers come knocking on your door. Buckle up and get ready to embark on an exciting journey of B2B partnerships, overlooked strategies, and mind-blowing statistics. Let's dive in!

Harness the Power of B2B Partnerships:

Circle Graph: 65% of companies believing partnerships are essential for future success. If you want to expand your reach and tap into new markets, partnering with other businesses is the way to go. According to Hubspot, partnerships are a powerful tool for business growth, with 65% of companies believing partnerships are essential for future success. By joining forces with complementary businesses, you can access their customer base, gain credibility, and benefit from shared resources.

Ramp Up B2B Lead Generation in a Down Economy:

It might be tough at some points in time, but that doesn't mean you should sit back and wait for retailers to find you. Entrepreneur.com reveals that during a down economy, it's crucial to ramp up your B2B channel partner lead generation. Don't let a gloomy economy rain on your parade; go out there and make it pour leads!

Brands can leverage cost-effective B2B lead generation strategies during a down economy, such as optimizing their website for search engines to attract organic traffic, utilizing social media platforms to engage with potential customers, and partnering with complementary businesses for cross-promotion and shared customer reach, maximizing their impact without significant financial investments. Additionally, offering valuable content through webinars or downloadable resources can establish brand authority and attract qualified leads while keeping costs relatively low. By being proactive and strategic with your lead gen activities, you can outshine your competitors and seize market opportunities.

Unleash Overlooked B2B Lead Generation Strategies:

Entrepreneur.com highlights four overlooked strategies that can work wonders to capture new retailer leads:

Webinars: Hosting webinars lets you showcase your expertise while capturing valuable leads. Zippia reports that 48% of B2B buyers conclude webinars are the most useful type of information when making a purchase. This indicates that for over half of B2B buyers, attending a webinar is a decisive factor in determining whether or not they would purchase a product. Use webinars to educate potential retailers about your product or service and demonstrate how it can solve their pain points.

Content Marketing: Sharing valuable content through blogs, videos, and social media not only positions you as a thought leader but also attracts potential retailers. Create informative and engaging content that addresses the challenges faced by retailers, and watch them flock to you for solutions.

Referral Programs: Encourage your existing partners to refer retailers to your business. Word-of-mouth is a powerful lead-generation tactic and is the force behind B2B decision-makers starting the buying process with a referral. Incentivize your partners with rewards or discounts for successful referrals, and let them become your brand advocates.

Social Selling: In the age of hashtags and viral trends, social media has become a goldmine for lead generation. Gartner highlights the importance of harnessing the power of platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and even Facebook for B2B lead generation. These platforms provide you with an opportunity to connect with your target audience, share valuable content, and establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry.

If you are looking to target those summer trends, try using trending hashtags that are relative to your brand to further expand and connect with your targeted audience. Engaging with potential leads through social media allows you to build relationships, nurture trust, and ultimately convert those leads into loyal customers.

Pop-Up Shops: Pop-up shops are crucial in lead generation strategies for new retailers as they provide an opportunity to test products, gauge customer response, and gather valuable data, helping to refine marketing efforts and product offerings. Additionally, hosting a pop-up shop in a location with many retailers can significantly boost brand awareness by leveraging foot traffic, attracting new customers, and creating a buzz around the brand.

Two professionals conducting a business transaction at a table with a laptop and computer.

The Must-Haves for Effective Lead Generation:

Now that we've covered some strategies let's dive into the essentials for nurturing those new relationships:

Targeted Email Campaigns: By crafting personalized emails that resonate with your audience, you can tailor your messages to specific retailers' needs, increasing the likelihood of engagement and conversion. Additionally, segmenting your email list allows you to deliver relevant content, ensuring your messages are valuable and impactful to potential retailers. You could segment your email lists by region, product category, and average order amount placed, and this personalized approach greatly enhances the effectiveness of your lead generation efforts.

Public Catalogs:

Public catalogs are a crucial step in providing a centralized and accessible place for showcasing products, enabling efficient browsing, comparison, and more informed purchasing decisions for potential buyers. On your Brand Detail Panel in RepSpark Community, you can upload your public catalog for retailers to view your products to restock in their stores. Here are some tips for public catalog:

Showcase the breadth of your assortment, colors, price range and product features
Highlight the main differentiators of your brand
Share any images, lifestyle, and messaging that your brand represents
Share the process and qualifications for retailers to be qualified to restock your products

Compelling Landing Pages: Create landing pages that are visually appealing, easy to navigate, and optimized for conversions. Invest time and effort in creating persuasive landing pages that captivate visitors and entice them to take action.

Marketing Automation: Implement marketing automation tools to streamline your lead generation process. With marketing automation, businesses can track and analyze lead behavior, gaining valuable insights to optimize their lead generation strategies. Companies can stay top-of-mind with potential retailers, maintain consistent engagement, and ultimately increase their chances of converting leads into loyal customers.

Establish a Retailer Approval Process: A well-established retailer approval process is essential for brands as it ensures a seamless experience for retailers seeking approval. By designating a person to approve requests and by implementing automated email confirmations, you can ensure that retailers gain prompt access to your brand, fostering strong partnerships and minimizing missed opportunities.

Creating a new retailer lead gen strategy doesn't have to be rocket science. By harnessing the power of B2B partnerships, exploring overlooked strategies, and focusing on the must-haves for effective lead generation, you can set your business on a path to success. Remember, in the world of lead generation, timing is everything. So, don't wait for retailers to come to you; go out there and conquer new markets with your retailer lead gen strategy.

Ready to take your lead generation to the next level? RepSpark has the tools to streamline your wholesale process and expand your reach and tap into new markets. Schedule a demo with us to learn of the custom solutions to harness the power of B2B partnerships.