Web scraping is the process of extracting information from a source or website which contains valuable information and scraping all of that and saving it in your system in the format you would like to view it in such as CSV file and much more.

Previously, if a company needed to extract information from a website, they would opt for the method of copy-pasting. But the drawback here was when it comes to large data the copy-pasting would consume a lot of time to conduct the action and when you copy-paste big data the website slows down alerting the owner of suspicious activity.

Interesting Read : How web scraping can help in Automobiles?

But with web scraping, this isn’t the case. In just a few minutes you can easily extract information without slowing down the website which is why it has grown to be popular. To conduct web scraping activities is convenient, all you need to is:

1. Select the website/source you want to scrape

2. Choose the data which you needs scraping

3. Run the web scraping code

4. Save it all in your system

Let’s learn better how web scraping can help your business by conducting multiple activities which are essential in your lead generation process.

1. HELPS YOU FIND THE RIGHT AUDIENCE

The key ingredient to tapping leads is to find out first which is your target audience. When you don’t engage with the right target audience, your chances of converting leads becomes relatively less.

Hence with web scraping, you can easily find out which audience will be best suited for your brand. You can scrape websites of your competitors and monitor which leads are great for your brand and start engaging with them sooner.

2. COLLECT CONTACT INFORMATION

With web scraping, you can easily collect lead information without any hassle. So many times, your competitors or other sources have a sign-up option for their leads to engage with them.

If you scrape such data you can easily retrieve email addresses and phone numbers which will help you to tap leads and convert them into a potential sales lead.

For B2B leads the number one way to go ahead and win leads is through referrals and when you can collect such information it becomes quicker for you to assist them too.

3. MONITOR DATA

The market keeps changing and so does your client's preferences. Before your competitors can even plan their next move it is crucial that you hit the target audience first.

With web scraping you can subscribe to daily data capture from sources so that you are always aware of what your current clients are looking out for. For B2B lead generation, web scraping helps you to monitor the raw data you have in hand so that you can apply the solutions when you plan your next lead generation action.

4. ASSISTANCE IN LEAD GENERATION ACTIVITIES

For B2B lead generation to take place, many things are vital as mentioned in the above pointers, the right target audience, the contact details and the update on client preferences. With web scraping, this can all be assisted.

Interesting Read : Step By Step Complete Guide to Web Scraping With R

Since all the vital information is being extracted it is put to good use with your lead generation activities. This data that you receive is important because it helps you in nurturing your clients at the right time whilst tackling the huge competition in the market. This will also help you conduct the below stages of lead generation better.

5. CAPTURE DATA FROM SOCIAL MEDIA

‘’49% of B2B marketers site social media marketing as the most difficult lead generation tactic to execute’’

Today every client of yours is on social media. But the sad reality is that there are so many of them but you might not be able to find them all. So many different social media handles, multiple users, constant engagements can lead you to miss out on a few essential leads which could cost your brand a high value. With web scraping this is possible.

You can extract any information about your clients from Instagram, Linkedin or Facebook and even get a hold of their community so that you can keep a closer eye on who you can engage better with.

With almost everyone imprinting its presence, it’s great to capture B2B leads with such a platform that has potential leads right closer to you.

6. FIND POTENTIAL LEADS ON LEAD SOURCES

Another great way to generate leads is to find them in places which they often walk upon.

Let’s understand this with an example:

If your clients are found more on a particular social media handle, say for instance Instagram, you can use web scraping to conduct this process. Another great place to find your leads is through craigslist. You can find many listings and it’s a great source to scrape them to retrieve valuable information.

7. STAYING AHEAD OF YOUR COMPETITORS

This is one of the most crucial factors to conduct B2B lead generation. An excellent way to receive quality leads which will instantly turn into hot leads, which will give you the expected results you aim to achieve and which will help you soar your brand higher sooner is by web scraping your competitor's information.

With web scraping you can easily monitor and track down all the information of your competitor's next move, from their pricing patterns to their lead reviews and feedback, you can get all this information in your system via web scraping and apply its solution by improvising your solution to sell them better.

8. FOR SUCCESSFUL CONTENT CREATION

Content is a great tool to engage with your clients. Not only does it trigger the attention of your clients, but it also makes a huge impact on lead generation activities too. For instance, many content tools for instance SEO are a great medium to generate leads.

Let’s understand this with an example:

With SEO you can find the keywords which your clients are using so that you can include in your content and pull their attention towards your brand solution. Even other forms of content such as blogs or social media posts are a great way to engage with your leads more closely.

With web scraping, you can easily gather keywords or the posts and topics which your clients want to see and apply the same when you engage with them via the content platform.

To get started, you can start with the chart below:

9. CAPTURING LEADS BETTER WITH EMOTIONAL CONNECT

When you can connect with clients during the conversation, you have scored your way to develop their trust upon you and begin listening to what solution you have to offer them.

Similarly, when you can understand what runs in your clients' minds when it comes to their emotional connection with a brand, you can use this mechanism to grasp them more closely to you.

Let’s understand this with an example:

If your clients engage with a brand because they were able to relate to them, or they were able to connect emotionally, chances are your leads can be converted quicker.

With web scraping, you can scrape the data you have to find out about what are the factors that trigger an emotional connection with your clients. You can then use that information when selling your solution to them.

10. KEEPING YOU UPDATED ON LATEST MARKET STRUCTURES

It's 2019 and how the market was years ago will be solely different when you compare it to today. Your client's preferences change with the growing trends which is exactly why you need to step your next game action. With web scraping this is possible.

It is important that you know what’s going on in the current market so that you can enhance your sales strategy and product improvement better.

With web scraping, you can use this technique to extract regular market changes information and quickly modify the way you create, interact and communicate with your leads.

When your clients are aware that you are selling them the latest solution which is trending, they will automatically be drawn closer to you hence increasing B2B lead generation more efficiently.

Interesting Read : Step By Step Complete Guide to Web Scraping With Python

However conducting web scraping on a daily basis can add a risk of your IP getting blocked hence it is important that when conducting web scraping this activity is secured which is why our next solution can help you in this matter.

Proxy servers stand between a user and the website it wants to access. When a user sends a request to view a restricted website the proxy server will receive the request first and then send it to the website. The reason why a proxy server receives it first is that it changes the IP address.

Many times you get blocked when viewing restricted sources of information because your IP address speaks about the location you are in. What a proxy server does is it helps to eliminate that issue by hiding your actual identity and giving another one.

When it comes to web scraping for your business activities, proxy servers are beneficial. While you continue to scrape the multiple websites, proxy servers ensure that your identity is hidden and that the scraping activity conducts quicker.