We will admit it – business-to-consumer (B2C) marketing gets all the glory and business-to-business (B2B) marketing has a reputation for being dry and boring, but that doesn’t have to be the case.
B2B marketing has always been tricky and a lot of B2B brands have failed to embrace digital transformation, still treating their sales and marketing strategy like it’s 1999. But, what a lot of B2B businesses don’t realise is they have a huge advantage over B2C companies when it comes to digital – they know exactly who their customers are.
Knowing and understanding your customers is half the battle, for the other half, here are some great ways B2B companies are engaging their customers digitally.
They have a content marketing strategy. A Content Marketing Strategy is crucial because businesses tend to do a lot of research before they buy. By the time they talk to your business development team, they already know a lot about your company. It’s your job to make sure that your website is optimised to answer their questions, build trust and establish a relationship.
By offering up educational and valuable content, you can generate leads, drive sales and show other businesses that you are an industry expert that they should trust.
Tip: Create video content. It doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive, grab a smartphone and share your insights, tips, advice or behind-the-scenes happenings at your company.
Their website generates leads. If your website is optimised to generate leads, there is no reason that your website cannot be outperforming your top salesperson. Your website can and should be producing a ton of leads.
First things first, make sure your website has a clear value proposition and a strong call-to-action on every page.
They are utilising social media (especially LinkedIn). Social media has made B2B advertising so much easier. Since most B2B’s already know who they are targeting, social media allows them to get in front of their target customers at a ridiculously low cost (when compared with traditional advertising). LinkedIn advertising is often the best platform because you can target by company, industry and/or job title.
Tip: You can send InMail campaigns (i.e. emails to your prospects inbox) with LinkedIn. And please don’t forget to share your industry insights and thought leadership articles on LinkedIn Articles.
They host webinars. As a business marketing to other businesses you want to show that you are the expert in your industry. You also want to put a friendly face on your brand and have the opportunity to educate your customers on how you can solve their problems or save them time and money.
Take time to fully explain your product or service and give your customers the opportunity to have a Q&A with an expert. Webinars build trust with potential customers and increase brand awareness. They also serve as a great lead generation tool.
Tip: Zoom or GotoMeeting have some great tools to get you started.
They are hosting podcasts. Your target customers most likely have a unique set of problems that your business can help solve or ease. You are an expert in your field and we are sure you have a lot of knowledge to share. So share it!
Podcasts are becoming increasingly popular and they are super easy and fun to record, especially for those of us that hate writing or being behind a camera.
Tip: Get started with a software such as Alitu or Audacity.
They nurture their leads. As your efforts produce leads, it’s important to follow up with them continuously. You don’t want to be annoying, rather you want to provide them with personalised, valuable content that will assist them in the research phase and buying process.
Tip: For a deeper dive into this, we recommend reading this HubSpot article.
They have a customer retention strategy. In a study by Harvard Business School, it was found that increasing customer retention by even 5% can increase profits between 25-95%. A customer retention strategy outlines the ways you will engage and interact with your current customers to delight them at sales stage, encourage return purchases, and turn them into advocates for your brand.
Tip: Don’t forget to ask for customer feedback and encourage them to review your business or provide a referral.
If you think your B2B business can benefit from some of the strategies outlined above, but aren’t sure where to start, request a free digital audit. In our audit, we will review your website, content and social channels and provide a prioritised action list to start generating more leads.
