Beating the bushes for new clients can be disheartening. You make calls and constantly get voicemail. Send emails and a majority go unopened. Follow up and get ignored. Make a fabulous offer… and get ignored some more. You pay for a display ad in a trade publication and hope the right people happen to see it at the right time.

There’s an easier, less expensive, and more effective way to consistently fill your sales funnel with targeted prospects: B2B inbound marketing.

According to Demand Metric, inbound marketing generates three times more leads than traditional methods—and costs 62 percent less. So it seems like a worthwhile addition to your B2B marketing program. 

What is B2B inbound marketing? And why is it effective?

Why B2B Inbound Marketing Works

HubSpot coined the phrase “inbound marketing” in 2006. It means using a combination of relevant, informative content in various channels to increase your brand’s reach and draw people to your website, landing page, or tradeshow booth rather than outwardly pushing your brand, product, or service onto prospects. You attract people’s attention, engage with them, convert them to customers, and then delight them with more useful content.

It’s effective because by offering your audience something of interest and value, you’re cutting through their innate skepticism of advertising. If fact, it’s like you’re not even advertising at all. Rather, you’re communicating and helping them, and that difference can be powerful. You’re building trust, credibility, and momentum with your prospects and customers. 

Most Successful B2B Inbound Marketing Channels

The key to a successful inbound marketing program is to create content specifically designed to appeal to your targeted customers. Here are the most common channels used in inbound marketing:

• Thought leadership pieces such as white papers, eBooks, and infographics that you post on your website or present on industry websites. Those pieces of content show audience members how to do something in a new and/or better way. If the reader likes what they read, they may look around your website to learn more.
• Case studies. Here you’re showing the audience how an organization similar to their own solved a common problem—and maybe your reader will benefit from a similar approach.
• A Blog (like this one!) that offers useful, practical advice that the audience can act on.
• Videos that can take on the role of thought leadership, customer testimonials, product demos or blog posts.
• Social media campaigns that offer quick insights into trends or useful tips and tricks.
• Targeted pay-per-click campaigns on social media and online community pages that offer the promise of something relevant and useful to the viewer. It’s important that you deliver on that promise.

Inbound or Outbound? Both

An inbound marketing element can take some of the frustration and stress out of your marketing efforts by bringing prospects to you while you focus on outbound marketing efforts. That’s the key to an effective marketing strategy: It should incorporate both inbound and outbound marketing to capture the greatest number of prospects.

Lead Nurturing Accelerates the Sales Cycle

If someone choses to convert on your website (fill out a form) for certain types of content, you begin to identify at what level they are in your sales funnel. Designing and programming a series of lead nurturing workflows will help nurture these leads through the funnel over time in an automated fashion. Each month, as you add additional digital assets, these nurturing strategies get updated. It is common to have many of these campaigns running on your website.

Why?  Companies that automate marketing activity see up to a 10% revenue increase in just 6-9 months. (Source: Gartner Research).

Generally, it takes multiple touch points to successfully create a prospect. By building a relationship with a buyer, you can deliver the right content at the right time to move them to the next stage in the buying cycle. This allows you to deliver more highly qualified leads to your sales team and shorten the sales cycle when that conversation begins.

Email Marketing is Still an Efficient Way to Generate Leads at a Reasonable Cost

When you offer your website visitors useful or entertaining content, they choose to opt-in to your information by converting on your website forms. Email marketing is used to keep relationships with leads strong and to promote new content for effective lead nurturing.

Why? 50% of qualified leads are simply not ready to buy. (Source: Gartner Research)

Just because a website visitor becomes a lead doesn’t mean he or she is ready to buy. Email marketing is a great way to keep your name in front of your prospects. Moreover, one email blast can have different messages for different segments of your list. These highly targeted lists can improve your open and click-through rate, increasing engagement with a lead.

Make the Investment in B2B Inbound Marketing

Whatever mix you incorporate into your marketing efforts, you’ll need to invest either dollars or time. If you’re bandwidth is running thin and you need expert support, BayCreative can help. Please just let us know.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

From Forbes: “In order to stand out today, brands need something more. They need to focus on selectively, strategically positioning themselves as true thought leaders.”

From Neil Patel: “22 Inbound Marketing Strategies Your Startup Needs to Start Using Today”

In 2018, 52.2 percent of web traffic came from mobile devices. Another study found that on average, people consume 69 percent of their media on smartphones.

According to Google, 53 percent of mobile website visitors leave a page that takes longer than three seconds to load, yet, most mobile websites still take longer than this. Putting people off with a poor mobile experience means you are losing them at the moment of their peak interest. Sure, they might make a note or check you out on their laptop later, but in terms of the relationship with the viewer, it’s terrible timing.

These stats are motivating to say the least, and it’s clear a website not optimized for mobile is not giving your audience what they need. But what shall we do about creating a great mobile experience?

To start, consider that mobile users are by definition less patient and more distracted. They’re usually out and about, and they’re viewing your website on a device designed to distract. Phone calls, alerts, pings, Twitter, Facebook, are all right there ready to draw attention away from your visitor.

Having a great mobile experience is about a lot more than just having a responsive site build. Design and writing, tailored for mobile, can play a big part and can help you compete with all those other distractions.

Here Are 5 Key Strategies for Making a Great B2B Mobile-Friendly Website

• Swap for mobile
  Consider substituting content for mobile. Along with the sizing adjustments built into a responsive design, are ways to swap content as well. You may have a diagram with a horizontal orientation at the laptop size, but swap it out with a vertically oriented version for mobile. You might shorten some content, or provide links to content that would otherwise be in a longer piece?

• Be wary of the scroll
  People have no problem scrolling—it’s even fun. But too much of it can be a pain, and be wary of long paragraphs and long blocks of copy. Try to break up the content with subheads, small graphics, paragraph breaks, etc. Pace those features in a long story so they can help the reader navigate a long story.

• Fat thumbs welcome
  Few things are more frustrating than tiny, tiny buttons that you’re lucky to click after the 3rd or 4th try. Make your buttons and other “clickables” big (even if that means a little more scrolling). And this goes double for pop-ups and splash screens. Frustration quickly turns to irritation, not unlike that person who stands a little too close while talking to you.

• Write progressively
  Whether your views are “progressive” or not, write content that starts at a high level and gets into the details as you go. Especially in the mobile universe where your attention span is anybody’s guess. People appreciate knowing what they are getting into with a story. Briefly finding out the main points up front, and then being presented with the option to delve deeper, gives readers options. You might even get some bookmarked pages out of this.

• Give them a clear path to follow
  Unlike print and other form factors for bigger screens, it’s difficult for readers on mobile to navigate story components like sidebars and other “featured” elements. Try to avoid long detours from the main story flow. That said, do include pull quotes and other shorter items in the flow. (Per the prior tip–those help readers to stay oriented).

Partner with BayCreative for an Exceptional B2B Mobile-Friendly Website

Creating a B2B website optimized for mobile devices requires both expert design and a well-thought-out approach to content. BayCreative employs experienced web designers and talented writers to help our clients develop sites that visitors can read and interact with no matter what device they’re using. If you’re considering updating your website, give us a call.

We are recognized as a top California Web Design Company on DesignRush.

We’ve previously talked about how B2B white papers can help bring in leads, convert those leads, and establish your company as a thought leader in the industry. All of those benefits hold true for eBooks, too:

• In Demand Gen’s “2017 Content Preferences Survey Report,” 63 percent of buyers said they were willing to register and share personal information in exchange for an eBook

• By identifying and solving problems in your industry, you show that you know your stuff, that you’ve paid attention to the industry and are an intelligent player in it

• By demonstrating your knowledge of the industry, you present yourself as an attractive option when researchers, the government, or the media are looking for someone in your industry to talk about a topic

• If you present real solutions to real problems, the audience will come to trust you, which can have a profound effect when it’s purchasing time

• By highlighting the features that are unique to your product/solution, you’re showing how it’s different from the competition’s

• Since B2B buyers rely on content to research and make purchasing decisions, eBooks allow you to present them with the research they’re seeking—and to suggest solutions to common problems that make your solution attractive

eBooks vs. White Papers

In B2B settings, eBooks are similar to white papers in that they explore a problem or antiquated process and then offer a solution or new way of doing the process. But eBooks take a wider look at the topic.

Here are a few ways the two are similar (and yet different.) We think they complement each other:

• eBooks are more about “how to” do something, while white papers take a closer look at a specific topic

• eBooks are broken into smaller chapters and use more bullets and pull-out boxes to maximize skimming and scanning; white papers tend to look denser and are more linear

• eBooks are based on ideas and trends of interest; white papers tend to be more data-centric and based on formal research

• eBools tend to be less scholarly, less formal, and less technical in language and tone; white papers have a more scholarly, technical tone

• eBooks will bring in more data—including deeper looks at trends, reviews, and more curated content used elsewhere

• eBooks are frequently used to initiate the buying process; white papers educate buyers through the decision-making process

Because of these similarities (and differences), eBooks are generally used in the earlier stages of the buying process—when the audience is still trying to narrow down their options and preferences—and white papers later in the process.

So, Which Is Best for a B2B Inbound Marketing Program?

In our experience, a combination of eBooks and white papers build a robust, effective inbound marketing program. That’s not just our observation, though: In the “2017 Content Preferences Survey Report,” 77 percent of buyers said they used white papers in the past year to research B2B purchasing decisions, and 67 percent said they used eBooks.

If you think one or the other might be right for you—or you’re unsure which is best at this time—please let us know. At BayCreative, we excel at creating engaging content of varying depth and lengths to fit our clients’ needs. When you’re ready to go, just reach out to us.

In a new study, 48 percent of B2B decision makers polled said B2B advertising is boring, and only 22 percent feel B2B advertising prompts them to take the next step in the purchase funnel.

In other words, current and traditional B2B advertising isn’t doing its job. In the same survey, 82 percent of decision makers said they wished B2B had the creativity associated with B2C. Eighty-one percent said they feel they would make better decisions if B2B advertising was more engaging.

The way forward with B2B advertising is clear: make it more creative and engaging for the audience.

As we’ve said before, even in B2B advertising, you’re talking to people, selling to people, not machines. Your content needs to speak to those people.

How do you engage them?

BayCreative specializes in creating engaging content for B2B clients, so we’ve offered an 8 step checklist below.

8 Step Checklist to Focus on Your B2B Audience

1. First and foremost, create content for a specific audience. That seems common sense, but so often, B2B content is created once, for all audiences, even though your audience is actually segmented. And because it’s created for all audiences, it comes across as too technical or too dumbed down, and the pain points don’t relate to the decision maker reading the content, or the messaging is simply off. Engaging content relies on knowing the specific audience you’re targeting and tapping into their hopes, fears, pain points, and situation.
   
2. Create content of value for the customer. Teach them something, or show them something they didn’t know.
   
3. Create stories that highlight your product/solution’s features and benefits, rather than list them. Case studies and videos are particularly good for this, but white papers and eBooks work well, too.
   
4. Include numbers that tell a story of why your product or service is such a valuable option for the company. That tangible evidence of value will have them wanting to know more if you’ve targeted your content correctly.
   
5. Share data. In the “2017 Content Preference Survey Report,” 76 percent of B2B buyers said that more data and research content would improve the quality of content provided by B2B vendors.
   
6. Consider tying your content to current events. People are interested in current events, so your content is more likely to engage them if it’s tied to current events.
   
7. Create a consistent, seamless brand message. The audience will become familiar and comfortable with your story and want to continue following it.
   
8. Keep it simple and easy to read. There’s no reason to show off how smart you are. You’re creating content to connect with the audience, not to inflate your own ego. Don’t write like an MBA. Write it right at the level that’s appropriate for your audience, and that’s usually going to be a lower level than you think. When you’re writing for a B2B audience, you want to be professional, but you don’t have to use overly technical language. Revise your content one more time to simplify concepts and explanations.
   

In Demand Gen’s “2017 Content Preferences Survey Report,” nearly half of B2B buyers said they rely more on content to research and make purchasing decisions than they did the previous year. And 77 percent of respondents said they used white papers for that research.

When asked reasons why they selected a particular vendor over others, 66 percent of respondents in Demand Gen’s “2018 B2B Buyers Survey Report,” rated “Demonstrated a stronger knowledge of the solution area and the business landscape” as significant; 65 percent ranked “Provided informational content that was easy to consume” significant.

Finally, 56 percent of respondents in that survey said thought leadership content such as white papers was important when they visited the website of potential solution providers.

So, do you have white papers on your website?

A white paper is a persuasive, authoritative, in-depth report on a specific topic that presents a problem and provides a solution. It’s not an overtly promotional document—the best white papers won’t mention the producing company’s solution until the end—but many or all of the features needed for the solution can be found—twist ending!—in the solution sold by the company that produced the white paper.

Not to brag, but we’ve helped a lot of enterprise, mid-market and SMB companies tell their B2B customer success stories. Doing so is always fun, and it helps our customers show prospects how the vendor’s solution has solved a problem that a company similar to the prospect’s company was having—and that they likely have themselves.

It’s important to show prospects that their peers are getting benefits from your solution, and to do so in their own words, because studies show that 53 percent of B2B buyers rely on peer recommendations before making any purchase decisions.

But there’s commonly one challenge we come across when building those stories: The customer has a challenge communicating the measurable performance improvements (metrics or key performance indicators [KPIs]) they’re seeing as a result of the new solution/product/service.

They may say "sales have increased", or they "definitely have better relationships with their clients and prospects", but they’re not able to give tangible data that supports those claims. Sales increases could be attributed to a number of factors, they’ll mention. Or they’re not sure how much interaction they had with clients and prospects before the implementation. 

And therein lies the problem: They don’t have enough “before” data for a great before-and-after comparison. And without strong, tangible data to support your solution’s impact, your success story will be weaker than it should.

For Convincing B2B Customer Success Stories, Start Early—Before The Implementation
But you (or we) can fix that problem easily enough. It just takes forethought.

You need to start collecting data before the implementation even begins. Early in the process have your marketing people ask the client questions like: "What are your specific goals?" and "What do you hope to accomplish with this solution?" 

Based on their responses, you’ll be able to figure out two or three areas that should improve after the implementation. Look at those areas and collect metrics associated with them. Write those metrics down for later. Then, after the implementation has been successful and the customer has (hopefully) been getting those anticipated results, go back and get those same metrics, which will now show improvements.

That will make for a persuasive before-and-after comparison. 

Other Roadblocks to Compelling Data—And How to Overcome Them
Sometimes, the lack of before numbers isn’t the problem. I have seen a variety of reasons why a customer hasn’t been able to provide solid measurable performance results: Some clients try to keep performance metrics confidential; others don’t invest in measuring performance results as well as they should; for others, the solution hasn’t been implemented long enough for good performance metrics; and, in some cases, the performance metrics aren’t that good, so they’re hesitant about divulging them.

I'd like to offer two quick tips if you’re having trouble getting great metrics from a customer:

• Consider waiting longer; if you do, will you be able to better measure impact and KPIs?
• If they’re concerned about revealing confidential numbers, or if the numbers aren’t really that impressive, consider using percentage improvements. An increase in sales from 50 to 60 a year might not sound too impressive, but a 20 percent increase in sales does!

BayCreative: We Get Them Talking
At BayCreative, we’re experts at drawing out the kinds of metrics that create strong B2B customer success stories. So if you’re looking to build your library, and tell some great stories, please let us know.

• These days, you have to have a responsive design to your B2B website, meaning it automatically adjusts the layout to the device it’s being viewed on. That way, your website will have a mobile-first feel to it. Also, write your on-page content for mobile devices—keep it concise and break it up with white space and bullet points.
  
  
• Your B2B website needs to be search engine optimized so it appears high in the list of results when a prospect looks for your product/service on an online search engine. SEO has been a staple of websites from the beginning. But, like website design best practices, it’s constantly evolving; that means you have to constantly be re-approaching your site content and off-site SEO factors.
  
  
• Related to that is the need for consistent, quality content on your B2B website. A good website is more than just a storefront with a list of products. By including regular blog posts and other content such as case studies and white papers, you turn your website into a library of content that showcases your knowledge.
  
  
• When you think about content for your B2B website pages, don’t just fixate on text. Include compressed video, pictures, infographics, and more. Be sure to fill in the alt tag and description boxes for those content pieces, because that will help with SEO, as well.
  
  
• Use consistent messaging throughout your B2B website.
  
  
• Keep navigation easy. Set it up so that the end user can reach any page within three clicks, make the path to that final destination clear, and ensure the user has clear choices and can easily get to where they want to go within your site.
  
  
• Don’t load your B2B website up with plug-ins and large photo and video files that bog down load times. The longer the page takes to load, the more likely the visitor will grow impatient and leave the page.
  
  
• Put a clear call to action (CTA) on every page, preferably on the top half of the page. Don’t leave visitors wondering what to do next.
  
  
• Continue to maintain, update, and analyze your B2B website to ensure it continues to work for you.