June 2015

This year and beyond, B2B companies in Australia will have to live under the strict regulations of the Australian Communications and Media Authority as new inclusions in the Do Not Call Register Act of 2006 have been officially implemented early this year, dramatically limiting the lead generation telemarketing efforts of these companies.

The new amendments include permanent untouchability to anyone wanting to opt out of telemarketing calls. ‘This means that the more than 10 million numbers currently on the Register will never need re-registering,’ said ACMA Chairman, Chris Chapman in a press release posted on the agency’s website.

He added, ‘For anyone wanting to opt out of unsolicited telemarketing calls and marketing faxes long term, any new registrations will also be valid permanently.’

This, however, does not entirely mean the end of B2B telemarketing in Australia. In reality, the new regulations indicate a need to outline DNC compliance. One approach is to use data profiling for making necessary precautions and avoiding complaints.

A partner in building effective lists

The ACMA requires businesses engaged in telemarketing to present their contact lists and compare against current DNC files. To make sure none of your contacts are included in ACMA’s database of restricted contacts, you can verify names, addresses, and telephone numbers effectively. This will avoid possible lapses that may lead to violations and eventual penalties.

Ensuring your lists contains legitimate contacts

As mentioned by Chapman, there are around 10 million telephone numbers currently in the DNC registry. The chances of having one of them in your contact list is extremely high, so you are always hard pressed to second guess every lead that comes your way. You can use client research to scrub your lists of any names and contact numbers considered off-limits to your telemarketers.

Choosing and using the best software

Software products now come with features allowing marketers to effectively filter out unwanted targets. The choice of a sophisticated auto-dialer can provide advantages as well, especially if your choice of brand allows you to review a contact’s profile and other pertinent information about it while the call is being placed.

Prioritize inbound calling

Inbound campaigns offer safer ground for businesses that need to increase their bulk of high-quality B2B leads. Maximizing this area means structuring relevant web and social media content to resonate well with current trends. Using data profiling, you are able to identify audience pain points and create content in line with their current needs and preferences. This allows you to discover contacts not yet in ACMa’s list.

Source: http://searchcrm.techtarget.com/news/920042/Do-not-call-list-changes-game-for-marketers

Australian B2B companies have two things to worry about: competition and content.

If you ask around, a great deal of business executives express a desire to outmaneuver their competitors and acquire a bigger share of their respective markets. At the same time, they want to create content that can help them in their lead generation to achieve better sales numbers.

We can find that competition and content compliment each other in several ways. But it is also important to understand that there are also several ways to increase a business’ performance in the face of aggressive market competition.

It is imperative that Australian vendors and service providers must underscore the necessary marketing skills and techniques for ensuring the success of their brands.

If competition and content is currently worrying you, it’s a signal that you haven’t include these important capabilities:

Blogging: It’s already cliche for businesses to say that “blogging is all the rave” or “blogging is currently the greatest thing that has happened in B2B lead generation.” We get it, no business can survive without a blog nowadays. But tell you what: This craze over blogging exists for a pretty good reason. Blogs provide brand awareness and establish interest in your offers by serving as means for educating your audience. Do you have a new and innovative product? Promote through your blog and attract some people who might want to test your new offer.

Pro tip: Make sure to keep your blogs relevant and visible by selecting the right keywords.

Telemarketing: You cannot ignore the fact that B2B telemarketing is still a significant component for acquiring and nurturing leads. Insofar as quality is concerned, telemarketing establishes real-time discussions in which you are able to directly address the concerns of your prospects. This will eventually lead to a smoother and easier transition to a sales appointment.

Pro tip: Never (and we mean NEVER) throw a sales pitch during the first contact. Always ask questions that focus on the needs of your prospects.

Preparing webinars: Apparently, it’s a new thing, but B2B companies are preparing to use a bulk of their marketing budgets in preparing them. This is because webinars combine the directness of telemarketing and the educative function of blogging. But instead of engaging individuals, webinars aim to influence multiple decision makers at the same time. It comes to no surprise then that holding webinars allow for effecting a better impact on one’s market.

Pro tip: As much as developing your webinar’s content, promoting it through event marketing is important for ensuring a high volume of sign-ups.