Just when you thought the business-to-business (B2B) space couldn't get more exciting, the digital revolution came along and changed the marketing game. No longer are in-person interactions necessary for closing deals. Today’s B2B customers do their research long before signing on the dotted line. In fact, ab2b_marketing staggering 94% turns to the Internet before making purchase decisions, according to a recent study from the Acquity Group.
As a sophisticated B2B marketer, you need to evolve your strategy to keep up with the shifting landscape. But how do you create the most effective marketing plan for your B2B company? Here are four digital marketing tips that are time-tested and proven to work perfectly in the B2B sphere.
1. Understand your target audience.
Again, this boils down to heavy research—on your end this time. Get the big-picture view of your prospective audience.
- Who are they? Look at what they deal in—what stage of growth they’re in, how much their annual turnover is, etc.
- Where are they? What digital platforms are they using and how frequently?
- What are their needs and concerns? Find out what information they’re searching for.
- What is the buying cycle of your prospective customers? Find out how long your prospects spend in the various stages of becoming a customer: Awareness, research, comparison, selection, and finally, the purchase.
Getting to know your prospects is critical to ensuring the digital content you create is not only relevant to each audience but also to the stage of the buying cycle they’re in.
2. Create dynamic content.
As you will notice in the getting-to-know phase, the digital audience is mostly impatient. Modern-day marketers need to focus on creating content that is dynamic and engaging. This includes blogs, videos, infographics, eBooks, etc. By switching up the content you deliver, you’ll boost your chance of keeping your audience’s interest. An editorial calendar will prove incredibly valuable for aligning your content strategy with the different stages of the buying cycle.
3. Connect with your target audience.
This is the most pivotal piece of the B2B marketing puzzle. Having a good grasp on your target audience and the content you need to deliver is important; how you share that content with them is key. Be consistent. Indulge in serious lead nurturing to ensure you convert prospects into customers. The best way to nurture your leads is by constantly updating your social media profiles (especially LinkedIn), website, and blog. Send them e-mails detailing your brand and engage them in one-to-one conversations via social media. Being consistent at this stage will significantly raise your organic search engine rankings.
4. Outsource digital marketing services.
Knowing your audience, creating dynamic content, and effectively sharing it are all easier said than done. The audience you will be dealing with is overwhelmingly large and has varying traits. The digital platforms are also numerous and have different aspects of usability. So, nurturing your leads will require a customized approach. You need to outsource digital marketing services and implement marketing automation in order to make everything work automatically. A full-service marketing/creative/branding agency can provide everything you need to streamline your digital marketing efforts.
All of the above tips will help you transform your B2B marketing endeavors. But it is up to you to take action—and follow through diligently. You will be glad you did when you see the results.
