13 Lead Generation Strategies & Tactics That Work

According to HubSpot, 6 in 10 marketers prioritise generating business leads.

Which is where this blog comes in - we’re sharing the 13 best lead generation strategies for cutting-edge B2B marketers 👇

1. Use sales intelligence

The result: Get a list of targeted, high-quality leads on demand.

Why generate leads the old-fashioned way when technology can do it for you?

Cognism is a powerful sales intelligence tool for finding B2B leads and their contact details.

With Cognism’s data, you can easily get the contact details of the prospects you want to do business with.

Want to see the tool in action? Take an interactive tour 👇

Key features

• Sales Companion (Web App): Access a vast database of contacts, companies, and buying signals.
• Sales Companion (Browser Extension): Access company and contact details on LinkedIn and other platforms.
• Diamond Data®: Phone-verified mobile numbers for B2B contacts.
• Intent data by Bombora: Identify companies researching topics relevant to your business.
• Cognism AI Search: Find prospects with ChatGPT-style text or voice prompts.
• Cognism Enrich: Instant and scheduled CRM enrichment and on-demand CSV enrichment.
• Seamless integrations with CRMs and sales and marketing tools.
• International coverage: EMEA, NAM, APAC.
• Fully GDPR and CCPA-compliant data.
• Database checked and cleaned against global DNC lists.
• Fast and friendly support team.
• Unrestricted access to person and company-level data (subject to fair use policy).

What Cognism’s customers say

“From a conversion standpoint, Cognism beats any other data provider. If you want to accelerate your lead generation efforts for sales and marketing then you are going to need Cognism.”

Read the full case study

Paul Thomas
CEO @Lead Forensics

2. Simplify your lead gen forms

The result: Improve conversion rates.

There are multiple ways to collect lead information online. One of the best is to use lead capture forms on your website.

But forms only work if you keep them short. You only want to collect the crucial information.

When designing a form, think about the user’s perspective. B2B decision-makers are busy; they don’t have time to type in tons of data.

So don’t discourage them with a lead form that takes too long to complete!

⚠️ Use Cognism’s data enrichment tool to fill any gaps in your data.

3. Leverage contextual data

The result: Engage accounts actively searching for your solution.

What if you could start a conversation with sales-qualified leads before your competitors have the chance to chime in?

Using intent data, you can discover leads who are researching your brand or your competitors. It allows you to prioritise ready-to-buy leads and target them with highly personalised campaigns.

Sales triggers are another useful lead generation strategy. They tell you when a B2B company might be open to a sales pitch.

For example, when a business hires a new CEO, who will be looking to make structural changes and review budgets.

⚠️ Use Cognism’s intent and buying signal data to pinpoint ready-to-buy leads.

4. Use SEO

The result: Get targeted leads via content marketing.

Search engine optimisation (SEO) is one of the highest-ROI online lead generation strategies, mainly due to its low customer acquisition cost.

Creating bottom-of-the-funnel content that ranks organically on Google is an excellent way to generate leads.

One good SEO content strategy is to create comparison pages that explore how you’re different from the competition. This type of content can be a strong driver of marketing-qualified leads.

⚠️ See this example: Cognism vs ZoomInfo.

5. Launch paid ad campaigns

The result: Generate leads at scale.

Paid ads is one of the best lead generation strategies for promoting your product and quickly boosting exposure.

Speed and scale are the two main benefits of paid ads. You can target your ideal customers with precision, test and optimise quickly, and drive consistent pipeline while your organic content strategies ramp up.

In B2B, LinkedIn is the number one channel for generating leads with ads.

⚠️ Use Cognism to target B2B audiences that you can’t find on LinkedIn.

6. Run retargeting and remarketing campaigns

The result: Expand your B2B audience with precision.

Retargeting and remarketing help you zero in on leads most likely to convert.

These strategies use paid ads to re-engage people who’ve already interacted with your website or social media platforms (this makes them warmer, more product-qualified leads).

When you launch ABM campaigns, you typically start with your buyer persona. Retargeting then takes it a step further. Based on how people respond to your original ads, you can fine-tune your audience and create highly targeted follow-ups that drive better results.

You can also find new leads that look like your best customers. Tools like Facebook’s Lookalike Audiences or Google’s Audience Expansion use smart algorithms to help you reach people with similar behaviours, bringing more high-quality prospects into your funnel.

Most ad platforms offer this feature, so make it part of your strategy.

7. Go beyond Google and Facebook advertising

The result: Find the highest-quality leads.

With the rise of new advertising platforms specific to niches, you can get more leads and more market share.

Here’s what you need to do:

Research your niche and see what social platforms your target audience uses. This lead gen strategy requires you to follow your common sense:

You don’t want to use a platform that’s too niche. But don’t underestimate how many users a platform has. It’s better to test it out and see if it works for you.

Here’s how to start:

Run ads and analyse your lead generation metrics such as clicks and impressions. Compare the results to those from your standard marketing campaigns to see which ones worked best.

Then, optimise your new lead generation campaign based on those findings.

8. Use AI and automation

The result: More effective lead generation with advanced AI.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is here, and it’s already dominating B2B sales and marketing.

Many firms have incorporated chatbots and virtual assistants into their lead generation strategies. These tools help to increase engagement on corporate websites and nurture leads.

For example:

AI chatbots can match leads with the agent best placed to assist them, taking into account the visitors’ interaction history with your website.

⚠️ See Cognism’s guide to AI-powered lead generation.

9. Offer demos and presentations

The result: Better, more personalised user experiences.

While AI is a vital part of any modern lead generation strategy, you mustn’t lose sight of the personal touch.

In B2B, it’s important to remember that people still buy from people. So, you must always seek to build rapport and genuine connections with your leads. Your best route to doing this is offering live demos and presentations.

A live call with a prospect is a great way to get immediate feedback. You can ask them why they were interested in your product or, conversely, what put them off.

This feedback can help you address any issues in your lead generation plan and improve your product.

10. Use video marketing

The result: Higher content engagement and reach.

Video marketing should be included in your lead generation program for a couple of reasons.

Services like YouTube aren’t just video platforms; they’re search engines that people use to find information.

As of January 2025, YouTube has 2.53 billion monthly active users worldwide. This makes it the second most visited global website.

So, if your B2B company isn’t on YouTube and using video for lead generation, you’re missing out on a massive slice of the action.

Start by creating informative and entertaining videos on topics your audience cares about. Don’t think you need top equipment or fancy studios; film your content on your phone! In B2B, authenticity beats slickness every time.

⚠️ See Cognism’s guide to converting content marketing leads.

11. Use your business network

The result: Generate warm, high-trust leads that convert faster.

Your professional network is a great place to generate leads.

It means tapping into trusted relationships to drive sales. Build a network of partners, influencers, or sales professionals who understand your product and can represent your brand with credibility.

But don’t just connect with anyone - choose people who align with your industry and audience. When the right person vouches for your solution, it carries far more weight than a scripted sales pitch.

Why does this lead generation technique work so well?

Because as we said, people trust people, especially their peers. Studies show that only 36% of buyers trust company employees, while 59% trust recommendations from peers at other businesses.

Done right, professional networking can be a very effective lead generation strategy.

⚠️ See Cognism’s guide to working with B2B influencers.

12. Create a social media strategy

The result: Increased brand visibility and direct engagement with leads.

Social media lead generation looks different for every business.

Startups may focus on building awareness, while enterprise companies often juggle multiple sales goals.

But whatever stage you’re at, the first step is the same:

Set clear objectives for social media. Know what you’re trying to achieve from a marketing standpoint before creating content.

Once your goals are in place, build the right processes and choose the right tools to support them. And most importantly, be consistently active and valuable. You need quality content to stay visible and relevant on social media.

If your social traffic is dropping, try short-form video. A HubSpot poll of 1,000+ marketers found 85% ranked short videos as the most effective form of social media content.

Just remember:

Social media evolves fast. Track your results, test new tactics, and refine your strategy regularly. Don’t just set it and forget it.

⚠️ See Cognism’s guide to LinkedIn lead generation.

13. Try interactive content and gamification

The result: Higher engagement and more qualified, self-selected leads.

People love to play games, and even more so to win!

That’s why adding gamification to your lead generation strategy can drive serious results. By tapping into our natural desire to compete and succeed, you can encourage more prospects to move through your sales funnel.

Gamified elements - like a spin-to-win wheel, interactive quiz, or product-matching test - make for fun and memorable experiences.

And here’s the smart part: you can require an email sign-up to participate, turning engagement into qualified leads.

You can also use gamification software to level up your landing pages. Instead of gating content upfront, let users play first, then ask for their details once they’re invested.

It’s lead generation with a dopamine hit!

Generate leads with Cognism

So, there you have it - the best lead generation strategies to use today!

If your team still needs help finding your perfect leads, then talk to Cognism. Here’s what we offer:

• Increased productivity - our tools reduce the time wasted on manual research and data entry.
• Improved conversion rates - our data helps you connect with more decision-makers and close more deals.
• Faster revenue growth - our personalised recommendations help you expand into new markets and territories.
• Reduced compliance burden - as a fully GDPR and CCPA-compliant data provider, we mitigate the risk of regulatory breaches and fines.

Click 👇 to get started.