How to Win in North America

A COMPLETE GUIDE TO USING G2 TO FIND SUCCESS IN A COMPETITIVE MARKET

How to Win in North America

Table of contents
Introduction 2

Phase 1: Improving conversion rates 4

How to craft a more robust G2 profile 5
How to scale your reviews 6

Phase 2: Leveraging customer advocacy 8

How to incorporate G2 content into your site 9
Where to use G2 content on your site 10

Phase 3: Growing your leads and opportunities 11

Turn your site into a lead gen machine 12
Target in-market buyers with pinpoint accuracy 13
Use G2 to maximize performance on Google and LinkedIn 14

Phase 4: Make sales teams G2 power users 16

How to help BDRs book more meetings 17
How sales can use G2 to engage opportunities 18
How to help sales close more deals 19

Phase 5: Measuring results 20

How to measure ROI with G2 21

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How to Win in North America

It’s time to stake

your claim

Breaking into a new market can be exciting and harrowing at the same
time. This can be especially true if the market is notably large and highly
competitive. But just because a market is exceptionally competitive does
not mean that companies can’t find success. What you’ll learn
North America presents a tremendous opportunity in the B2B In this guide, you’ll find a comprehensive five-phase strategy
software industry. To say that this region is competitive is an all-time that you can follow to grow brand awareness and drive pipeline
understatement. However, growing and expanding into North America is in North America. Packed with best practices and a step-by-step
achievable if you have the right strategy, process, and tools. process, this is your go-to resource for leveraging G2 to win in
this competitive region.
As the largest marketplace for B2B software, G2 serves thousands of
vendors all over the world. Over many years, we have seen first-hand what
it takes for companies in APAC and EMEA to expand into new markets. Now,
we want to share that insider knowledge and show how you can use G2 as a
powerful tool.

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How to Win in North America

Phase 1:
Improving
conversion rates

How a solid G2 profile leads

to more growth.
Our data shows that buyers researching G2 profiles will convert 5-10% What does a solid G2 profile look like?
more often than those not researching on G2. To take advantage of this, a
good starting point is to build up your G2 profile to capture the attention of Believe it or not, a solid profile does not mean you need to be high-
existing and new opportunities. Additionally, buyers who conduct research ranking or a leader in your target categories. Making it a priority
on G2 have been shown to pay 21-81% higher deal values. that all content on your profile is as complete as possible will
help it stand out significantly compared to competitors. Reviews
It’s essential to begin by looking at your profile and analyzing how you can are critical, but you must also build out other content like your
make it stand out. To do this, you’ll need to create a solid foundation and description, videos, downloads, screenshots, banners, and more.
scale how you collect customer reviews.

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How to Win in North America

How to craft a more robust G2 profile

The first step towards maximizing the value of G2 is to expand upon your current profile. G2 profiles have matured to include
a lot of highly relevant information to buyers, so your goal should be to be as complete as possible. Here are the five areas you
should focus on to strengthen your profile.

1. Differentiate your description: 4. Share pricing details:

Create a unique description and overview to help If your website includes pricing, consider publishing it on
buyers understand what you do best. Having a unique G2, too. Pricing pages are some of the most viewed, and
description also helps SEO efforts. they help buyers transition from G2 to your website. Also,
pricing details on G2 can be beneficial to SEO efforts.
2. Add an interactive banner:
Add an impactful banner with animation or other design 5. Publish a video review:
choices that draw attention to your CTA button to Buyers viewing a profile with a video review are
increase clicks. often on the page three times longer and visit three
times as many pages. They are also great tools to use
3. Include values and ethics: in marketing materials since they are authentic
Although often overlooked, this part of your profile is a third-party testimonials.
great way to differentiate your brand. Our data suggests
that more buyers are increasingly reading this section.

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How to Win in North America

How to scale your reviews

Once you establish a firm base and your profile is in a good place, the next 1. Explore G2 Review Generation campaigns:
step is to explore your review collection strategy. Getting a consistent flow Scale up your reviews quickly with a G2-managed
of reviews is crucial to ranking up and performing well in the G2 Grid and campaign. This is the fastest way to get reviews on your
G2 Reports. profile within two to three weeks when you start with G2.

Having 20+ reviews can go a long way to validate and build trust, but you 2. Leverage in-app review collection:
should always aim to collect them on an ongoing basis since recency plays a Via G2 or certain partner integrations, you can use
big part in your category performance. Here are four ways you can ramp up software to prompt review requests where customers
your review collection efforts. are most active: your product. It’s the easiest way to
scale and guarantees a steady flow of reviews.

3. Work with your CSM team:

CSMs have a direct relationship with your customer
and can often ask for reviews. You won’t see as much
scale as other methods, but it’s a great way to drive
Truckstop saw a reviews incrementally.

150%
increase in monthly leads. Learn how this Pendo and G2
4. Analyze your review stats:
It’s important to look at your review numbers quarterly.
Consider your flow of reviews, but also try to assess
where you stand against competitors. Ideally, you want
integration helped them do it. to identify new opportunities and see which competitors
are gaining ground.

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How to Win in North America

Advancing beyond phase 1

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How to Win in North America

Phase 2:
Leveraging customer
advocacy

Use G2 data to convert more

website visitors.
With a solid G2 profile and reviews flowing in, you want to put all of that
validation to good use. Not every buyer starts their journey on G2, but you
can still use that data right where they will see it - your website.

From individual reviews to G2 Badges and everything in between, you can

bring the voice of the customer to your website. Doing this will further
build trust in your offerings and increase the likelihood of winning more
deals. Bringing this content to your site is extremely beneficial, but it’s also
important to consider where to place it throughout.

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How to Win in North America

How to incorporate G2 content

into your site
Since your website is one of the most common places buyers learn about your brand, there are many opportunities to use G2 content.
The following are six specific ways you can achieve this.

1. Display G2 Badges with pride: 4. Add a link to G2 in your site’s footer:

If you’re lucky enough to earn a G2 Leader or High Make it easy for buyers to research and read reviews by
Performer badge, show it proudly! Doing this conveys having a link to your G2 profile in your footer. This can
your leadership position and confidence in your reviews. be helpful for SEO but also encourages prospects to
learn more.
2. Use relevant badges in specific places:
For vendors who have received segment or other specific 5. Dedicate a page to customer reviews:
badges, use them in the most relevant places across Create a page dedicated to your customers with reviews,
your website. For example, you may want to display an badges, case studies, and video testimonials. You may
enterprise badge on an enterprise pricing page. have an existing page, so consider what content from G2
you can include to improve this page.
3. Keep your content current:
Once you have content from G2 on your website, it’s 6. Utilize vertical or segment-specific reviews:
important to keep it updated. G2 rolls out new badges If you sell into specific industries or segments, use
every quarter so you can keep your website current. these distinctive reviews to help increase trust in your
capabilities. The more detailed your reviews, the better.

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How to Win in North America

Where to use G2 content Advancing beyond

on your site phase 2
Using G2 content on your site can cause a lift in conversions - if you have By leveraging the social proof G2 provides on your website, you increase
them in the right places. To go a bit deeper, here are some great examples of trust with potential buyers when your customer advocacy is front and
where to specifically use this content to embrace your customer advocacy. center. Increasing trust will lead to an increase in overall conversions.
These could be lead or trial conversions, or even converting prospects to
1. Display reviews or badges beside forms: paying customers.
A G2 review or badge alongside every form can increase your
conversion rates between 42-84%. It’s a simple way to improve ROI and
relatively easy to implement.

2. Add reviews or badges beside CTAs:

Similar to the previous example, adding a review or badge next to CTA
buttons can encourage more clicks.

3. Create competitive comparisons:

Use G2’s Comparison Report to create content assets that show a direct
comparison and why you’re better than your competitors. We’ve seen
this increase conversions, especially in competitive categories.

4. Let data tell your story:

Leverage G2 Research to understand where you stand out and use this
data to tell a compelling story. Third-party data is incredibly powerful in
communicating with buyers and further building trust.

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How to Win in North America

Phase 3:
Growing your leads
and opportunities
Leverage the full power
of G2 to drive more demand
and pipeline.
After improving your presence on G2 and queuing up some relevant content
for buyers, driving traffic and capturing leads is the most natural next step.
Driving traffic to your site can be done successfully through channels such
as Google Search, LinkedIn Ads, and of course, direct from G2.

This phase will focus on leveraging specific tools available from G2 and other
software to increase demand and drive more pipeline.

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How to Win in North America

Turn your site into a lead

gen machine
You probably have a decent amount of traffic coming to your site. The
challenge is how to convert those passive visitors into promising prospects
successfully. If you’re attempting to triumph in a competitive region like
North America, here are four ideas to convert more leads on your site.

1. Lean on review collection to drive traffic from G2:

Review collection needs to be an ongoing endeavor. Since recency is
vital to help you rank better, more reviews typically translate to more
consistent traffic from G2.

2. Link your profile CTA to a designated landing page:

Buyers researching you will want to transition to your website to have a
conversation with you. Link your G2 CTA button with a landing page so
you can more efficiently convert this traffic.

3. Create a G2 Deal for buyers:

G2 Deals provide a special price or offer for G2 users. Leverage this CTA
to capture more buyers clicking through to your website.

4. Implement Track Your Prospects:

About 90% of traffic from G2 to your website will come from opening up
a new browser tab, leading to a loss in session data. Use G2’s Track Your
Prospects feature to identify the traffic coming from G2.

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How to Win in North America

Target in-market buyers

with pinpoint accuracy
Another challenge with targeting North America for growth and expansion is identifying and engaging with prospects that are
ready to buy. Advertising costs with channels like Google and LinkedIn can add up quickly without the right targeting strategy
to maximize ROI.

Let’s dive into five ways to identify and target buyers more effectively.

1. Integrate G2 with CRM & MA tools: 4. Match your content with buyer behavior:
Use G2’s out-of-the-box integrations to get your G2 Use Buyer Intent to understand where buyers are in their
Buyer Intent data into your existing CRM & marketing buying stage so you can serve the appropriate content to
automation tools. guide them further along their journey.

2. Use Buyer Intent to score leads: 5. Retarget buyers who researched on G2:
Use Buyer Intent data to score your leads better, identify Use Google Ads or LinkedIn to retarget prospects based
active buyers, and then segment these buyers based on on buyer behavior. Many buyers didn’t visit your profile,
where they are in their purchasing journey. but you can identify them through Buyer Intent and target
them on different ad platforms.
3. Trigger campaigns using intent data:
By combining lead scoring and G2 Buyer Intent data,
you can trigger specific marketing campaigns and plays
based on buyer behavior on G2.

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How to Win in North America

Use G2 to maximize
performance on Google
and LinkedIn 1. Integrate Buyer Intent and LinkedIn Ads:
Pipe your G2 Buyer Intent data directly into LinkedIn Ads to
Google and LinkedIn are powerful solutions for targeting and converting help you target in-market buyers with surgical precision.
in-market buyers. However, each requires a unique approach from the other.
Let’s examine some best practices to get the most from these two. 2. Identify where they are in their journey:
G2 provides activity to pinpoint a buyer’s current stage of
their journey. Use these filters to create targeted campaigns
in LinkedIn Ads.

3. Identify their activity on G2:

Did they view a category page, or were they looking at an
in-depth comparison of you and a competitor? Use this data
to better segment your audience.

4. Pair Buyer Intent with G2 Content:

Match your content to where the buyer is in their journey.
If they were on a category page, focus on showing them
thought leadership to improve awareness. If they were doing
a comparison, show them why you are a leader.

Advertising on LinkedIn shouldn’t feel like taking a shot in 5. Embrace sophistication:

the dark. Check out this helpful guide from G2 on how to drive You can create different segments with Buyer Intent data.
LinkedIn success with G2 Buyer Intent. Consider refining by industry, employee size, or geography
and then match your content with these segments with
LinkedIn campaigns.

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How to Win in North America

Advancing beyond phase 3

1. Create compelling content as a lead magnet: There’s a ton to master in this phase with many considerations. Before
Create a compelling report using data and content from G2 moving on to the next step, ask yourself the following questions to
to entice Google Search users. Your goal is to generate leads, determine your readiness.
using this content as a lead magnet.
• Are you converting leads from G2 traffic?
2. Target broad keywords: Combine the utility of G2’s Track Your Prospects and Google Analytics to
Some campaigns focus on broader keywords, with a focus on measure how effectively your website is turning leads into customers.
the category or type of solution you provide.
• How effectively are you identifying and targeting in-market buyers?
3. Target competitive keywords, too: Unlock the value of G2 Buyer Intent data to ensure you’re determining
Another approach is to create competitive content and which leads are ready to buy, where they are in their journey, and how to
comparisons and then bid on competitor keywords and engage them.
phrases. Make sure to avoid using these terms in your ad copy.
• Are you leveraging G2 to fuel your efforts on LinkedIn and Google?
4. Use content from G2 in display ads: From integrating Buyer Intent with LinkedIn Ads to creating compelling
You can extend your use of G2 to leverage our data and content to attract users in Google Search and Display, G2 can help drive
research in display ads. We’ve seen the use of independent, success with these channels.
third-party data in display ads has significantly increased CTR.

Metadata.io saw a 12% increase in conversion rates for ads

using G2 Buyer Intent. See how they did it.

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How to Win in North America

Phase 4:
Making sales teams G2 power users

Empower your teams to increase win

rates and convert more pipeline.
Another way G2 provides immense value for software vendors trying to win in North
America is by encouraging your sales team to become G2 power users to help them reach
ambitious goals. We’ve seen some BDR teams book 20-25% of their meetings using G2.

On top of the benefits of Buyer Intent data, sales teams that become frequent users of G2
have access to highly relevant content, including feature feedback, G2 Badges, competitive
information, and specific reviews to build trust during the sales process. With G2, your sales
professionals have more tools to help them close more often.

For this phase, let’s focus on three areas that matter most to your sales teams using G2:
booking more meetings, engaging fresh opportunities, and closing more deals.

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How to Win in North America

How to help BDRs book more meetings

Although just one arm of your sales team, your BDRs have a tough job. Allowing them to explore how G2 can help them have
better conversations can put them on the path to booking more meetings in no time.

1. Develop unique Reference Pages: 4. Prioritize Buyer Intent signals:

For every market you serve, consider creating a G2 It’s imperative for BDRs to comprehend the difference
Reference Page for each. This could be by industry, and value of these signals. This helps them know which
segment, geography, specific use cases, or even messaging and content to match with each signal.
competitive wins.
5. Use Buyer Intent integrations:
2. Train BDRs to use Reference Pages Create content assets using G2 Research to help
and relevant reviews: show how you are leading your category, beating your
BDRs should understand how to use Reference Pages competition, and delivering satisfaction and value. With
on G2 to show how you have delivered value to your so many data points, countless options exist to produce
customers. Similarly, train them to use specific, relevant unique assets.
reviews (by industry, segment, etc.) for prospects.
Reference Pages can also be valuable for sales teams to
help close deals later on.

3. Segment G2 Buyer Intent data:

Instead of giving BDRs a list of leads from Buyer Intent,
segment this list by behavior to help them pitch more
effectively. For example, a category view is very different
from a comparison view.

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How to Win in North America

How sales can use G2 to engage

opportunities
Sales professionals have many tools at their disposal, but their success 1. Use Buyer Intent for a second chance:
relies heavily on timing and relevancy. Knowing when to engage is as Most opportunities don’t close, but many of them may return to you. G2
important as having the best messaging in hand, so consider these four Buyer Intent can determine when former opportunities are back in the
ideas to help sales teams utilize G2. market before they even reach out to you.

2. Use badges and content to showcase leadership:

G2 Badges and quarterly report performance are great ways to
nurture buyers. Both tout your customer obsession and performance
and provide an excellent reason to reach out with the latest results.
Additionally, this is another chance to use content assets created with
data from G2 Research.

3. Share relevant reviews based on needs:

Use G2’s Popular Mentions feature to identify reviews particular
to a buyer’s needs, requirements, or use case. Ideally, use this to
demonstrate what problems or needs your product addresses.

4. Reinforce capabilities with Feature Scores:

Each G2 Profile will have a rating score for each feature identified.
These are great for providing authentic third-party feedback on the
performance of features identified by buyers.

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How to Win in North America

How to help sales Advancing beyond

close more deals phase 4
By training them to use G2 often and arming them with the best content, Winning deals is what expansion into a competitive region is all about. Your
BDRs and sales have what it takes to close more deals. Here are three more sales team has an uphill battle ahead of them, but these best practices can
considerations in which G2 can give your sales team a competitive edge. help them prepare for the challenge.

1. Find out which competitors buyers are researching: Making G2 another indispensable tool arms them with valuable resources
It can be beneficial to know which of your competitors your buyers are to score new business to fuel continued growth in North America. Before
researching. Use G2 Buyer Intent to identify these competitors and see progressing to the next phase, here are some aspects to keep in mind to
which competitive comparisons and alternatives pages they’re viewing. leave no stone unturned.

2. Have Comparison Reports at the ready: • How can G2 improve BDR and sales conversion rates?
Once you know your key competitors, create custom Comparison We already know that having a solid G2 profile can increase your
Reports for your these competitors to prove why you’re the better conversion rates by 5-10%, which means using G2 in the sales cycle can
choice. These reports are great closing tools to help give a buyer increase this even more.
additional confidence in your solution.
• Are sales teams leveraging the voice of the customer?
3. Make use of valuable data points: Sharing your customers’ stories will build trust with new buyers and
The two most powerful data points for buyers are Time to ROI and Time contribute to more success.
to Implement. This data from G2 Research is specific to your customers
and provide useful context for buyers. • How can we speed up the sales cycle and close more deals with G2?
When BDRs & AEs feel comfortable using the voice of the customer
in selling, using G2 to its fullest extent will help accelerate your sales
cycles and increase conversion rates.

ROI Hunter saw a 20% shorter sales cycle than the previous
year. Read the full case study to learn more.

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How to Win in North America

Phase 5:
Measuring results

Understand the ROI

you get from G2.
There are countless ways in which G2 can be immensely valuable to help
vendors expand into new regions and markets. But your brand needs more
to justify it all. Just like how it can be crucial to leverage and repurpose
data from G2, you need to have a process to analyze performance data to
understand whether G2 provides positive returns.

Everything covered up until this point is an extensive list of best practices to

uncover success. Let’s now focus on how to analyze and gauge that success.

Here’s a breakdown of the different metrics you can use to measure the
effectiveness and performance associated with using G2.

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How to Win in North America

Options for measuring ROI with G2

Branding Traffic & conversions Pipeline & sales

• Traffic to Your G2 Profile • Traffic from G2 to your website • Pipeline created or influenced by G2
• # of Reviews • Traffic from your website to G2 • Closed sales
• # of G2 Badges • Quality of traffic • Conversion rates from users on G2
• Category ranking • # of Pages
• Report performance • Time on site
• # of comparison views • Bounce rate
• ROI calculator • Goal Conversions
• Leads
• Trials

Timing: Timing: Timing:

• Quarterly • 6- and 10-month mark • 6- and 10-month mark

Requirements: Requirements: Requirements:

• None • Implement G2’s Track Your • Provide pipeline data for a Buyer
Prospects pixel Intent match
• Add custom ID racking
• Google Analytics Data

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How to Win in North America

How to measure ROI with G2

You’ll need to create a framework that clearly defines which metrics you want to
measure and how to take action on the data.

1. Determine the appropriate measurements: 4. Use ROI calculators:

Consider the three buckets in which you can measure ROI Once we know the existing ROI, we can use our ROI
with G2. Use all three, or pick whichever suits your needs. calculator to estimate how to improve upon it based
on the data.
2. Establish a cadence:
Selecting the appropriate timing to measure is essential 5. Adjust where necessary:
since enough time needs to pass to collect the right We’ll make recommendations on what you can do to help
amount of data. further increase or maintain your ROI with G2.

3. Perform initial measurement:

Depending on which measurement options you choose
from above, our reporting will provide a combination of
data from G2 and you. We’ll present this data to help you
understand your current ROI.

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How to Win in North America

Winning in North
America is
possible with G2

Breaking into a competitive region won’t be a cakewalk. B2B software is

becoming a more brutal and crowded industry than ever. However, we’ve
seen numerous software brands make it happen and successfully expand
into a competitive region like North America.

This resource only covers a handful of the capabilities, features, and value
G2 provides that software vendors can utilize to ramp up their growth. As
you become more familiar with G2, it’s worth understanding the complete
ecosystem of products and services to get the most out of the world’s
largest marketplace for B2B software.

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How to Win in North America

What the overall G2 ecosystem looks like

Reviews, Buyer Intent, & Content Data to enhance G2 Buyer Intent

G2 Buyer G2 Ecosystem IP Identification + Suggested Technographics Spend + Company

Activity Buyer Activity Firmographics* Contacts Utilization Changes
Tech stack by
Surfacing users’ Track Your Company name, Provide more vendor, industry, Total spend, logins, Recent investments,
behavior on G2 Prospects, Content, domain, employee suggested contact etc. time in application rev growth, key
Review Ecosystem size, HQ location, info to supplement by app, team hires, etc.
domain, etc. account data

Data Approach

Partner in future
to add this data

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How to Win in North America

If you’ve made it this far and feel comfortable implementing this five-phase
approach, congratulations! You’re now using G2 to its fullest, and your
company is reaping the benefits.

In closing things out, let’s explore some final takeaways that make G2 an essential
part of your growth strategy in a competitive region like North America.
G2 is the world’s largest and most trusted software
• Keep the reviews flowing: Collecting reviews isn’t a one-and-done marketplace. More than 80 million people annually — including
activity, so don’t stop! Develop an ongoing collection strategy to employees at all Fortune 500 companies — use G2 to make
consistently get fresh reviews on your profile to maintain your position smarter software decisions based on authentic peer
as a leader or to reach for new highs. reviews. Thousands of software and services companies of
all sizes partner with G2 to build their reputation, manage
• Think about where G2 fits: You are doing a lot with your marketing their software spend, and grow their business — including
efforts. Keep evaluating where G2’s Reviews, Data, Content, and Market Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoom, and Adobe. To learn more about
Intelligence can fit within each initiative you drive forward. where you go for software, visit www.g2.com and follow us on
Twitter and LinkedIn.
• Communicate success: Create a review culture by sharing your results
across your company beyond your sales and marketing teams.