If you’re a business catering to other companies, you’ll know how important it is to position yourself in the market. Unlike customer-facing brands, you have a ton of factors to consider, which comes from the demand to establish your credibility.
Digital strategies and channels differ for those in the B2B industry, with a variety of ways to reach out to potential clients. If done correctly, you’ll soon find yourself landing contract after contract.
B2B Marketing: A quick background
As you may know, B2B stands for “business-to-business.” It refers to companies that offer their services or products to other businesses instead of the general public (or consumers). Most of the time, these businesses provide services such as advertising or accounting.
Why do you need a B2B Marketing Strategy?
Similar to B2C brands, B2B companies need a marketing strategy to achieve their business goals and attract new leads. You may be hosting different funnels, but there’s no other way to reach potential clients than by advertising your services.
B2B Marketing Strategies are ideally centered on lead generation. It’s your goal to grab their attention and get them interested enough to dig deeper about your product.
Unlike B2C companies, sales funnels for a B2B company can be a bit more complicated because of the complex purchase journey. While customers can impulsively buy shoes, companies (your target audience) don’t have the same liberty.
B2B companies deal with business decision-makers who need to run through several departments and get approval before they push through with the contract. As a B2B marketer, it’s your job to answer the following questions for them:
- Why do they need your business?
- How can your services make their lives easier?
- What are your USPs (Unique Selling Points)?
- Why should they work with you and not your competitor?
Your B2B Marketing Strategies should touch those points on all platforms.
Let’s take a look at the different channels that you can push your marketing efforts to:
Content Marketing
What makes content marketing a popular marketing strategy? Good, quality content passes all acquisition channels: word of mouth, search, and advertising.
Conscious consumers tend to research before they purchase, more so business leaders who are deciding significant company transactions on behalf of a whole organization. Content not only provides your customers with information, but it also builds trust that can lead to sales. It’s an excellent way to establish your credibility and knowledge in the industry. As a result, your market will see you as a reliable source of information.
How can you make the most out of content?
- Collaborate with thought leaders and influencers in your industry.
- Create content for different market segments.
- Utilize social media to share your content with your followers.
Social Media
With the number of social media users who log in daily, it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll reach at least one person who will start following your page to learn about your services.
However, content marketing and social media marketing are entirely different. The former intends to provide value, while the latter is more focused on converting leads. In B2B marketing, choosing which platform to exhaust your strategies is crucial.
LinkedIn is a must for every B2B company because of its professional nature. You can quickly build relationships with leads and talk business. It makes it easier to pitch because you’re already a step ahead.
Facebook, although different and leans more on the personal side of consumers, is still a valuable channel to establish your presence on. Users spend more time scrolling on Facebook than they do on LinkedIn, so there’s a higher chance of exposure for your content or your ads. Facebook also offers a ton of ad options.
Youtube is the best platform for publishing supplementary content such as webinars and podcasts. Non-static content is the best way to increase traffic to your main page while promoting trust in your brand. You can also take advantage of Youtube video sharing to widen your reach. Create content that’s valuable and compelling enough that your followers would want to share it with their audience.
Professional Website
Your website is the primary go-to for customers who are interested in your products or services. Once your leads are on your website, you’ll want to keep them there until they complete the purchase journey. This page is where all of the important details of your product should be displayed – from FAQs to customer reviews. Your content and promotions on your landing pages should be attractive enough to nudge your visitor to check out.
Final words for B2B Marketing
Knowing the ins and outs of your product or service is the key to effective B2B Marketing. If you can effectively show your relevance and expertise in your industry through quality content, your brand will stick to your audience. Whether or not they decide to make the purchase now, you’ll be at the top of their heads when they’re ready to close a deal.