B2B marketing refers to any marketing efforts geared toward a business or organization. A B2B marketing strategy can be different from a B2C marketing strategy. In B2B, buyers behave differently. A B2B buyer wants to be educated through content. Unlike B2C customers who are driven by emotions, a B2B buyer is driven by logic and wants to make informed decisions. B2B customers are focused on ROI and efficiency, whereas B2C customers are looking for deals and entertainment. B2B customers want to speak to salespeople and account managers before they make purchases. In a B2B scenario the sales cycle is longer as customers are looking for long-term solutions.
The way customers buy differs in both scenarios. Hence, they also respond differently to the respective marketing efforts. A B2B marketing strategy is more focused on the audience. It needs to be customized as per the needs of the target customer. If you are a B2B marketer, then here are some ways that can help you refine your B2B marketing strategy.
Set SMART goals
Before getting started with your marketing strategy, it is important to set your goals. Goals help you direct your efforts in the right direction. According to CoSchedule, 74% of B2B marketers set goals but only 3% achieve them. It’s important to set goals that are realistic for your organization to achieve. When setting goals, go for the SMART method. SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time bound. Keep your goals specific to what you are trying to achieve. Don’t be vague when you set your goals. When you set specific goals, you can measure them easily. Measurement can help you see the progress you make.
Goals should be achievable. If you set goals based on unrealistic expectations, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. You need to consider the team and resources you have before setting goals to help you be realistic. If you set unrealistic goals, you will not meet your target and you may overwhelm your team. Lastly, set a deadline so that you ensure you are working toward achieving your goals.
Focus on a data-driven strategy
Work on building a marketing strategy that is data driven. Data is crucial for the success of your marketing efforts. Data allows marketers to review their progress, analyze mistakes, improve customer experiences, and make better decisions. In addition, data can help marketers to spend their time and resources in the right places. This can save marketers a lot of time and money. Not using valuable data efficiently can lead to lost business opportunities and customers.
Marketers should track all their marketing efforts that can help them refine their strategy and provide better customer experiences. As discussed above the way customers buy is different in a B2B scenario. Customer journeys are complex involving multiple touchpoints. In this situation, data can help marketers analyze their customer’s buying behavior and use it to create personalized strategies.
Moreover, you can also analyze the performance of your marketing and advertising efforts. If any of your marketing campaigns are not bringing in the desired results, you can improve them. According to Salesforce, most marketers use 15 data sources for reporting. This shows that marketers don’t just rely on one tool but use different tools to get the most accurate reports for their marketing efforts.
Create personalized experiences
Customers are looking for businesses that understand their needs and problems. Since B2B has a more complex buyer’s journey, customization is important. Your marketing efforts should be focused on your potential buyers. Understand their pain points and create marketing strategies that offer solutions. Personalizing your marketing efforts also helps you stand out from your competitors. Buyers want to invest in businesses that provide them with a consistent and valuable customer experience.
You need to ensure that you provide buyers with the best experience in every step of the way. From them first coming in contact with your website till they make a final purchase, the entire experience should be consistent. You can tailor content to what is relevant to them. Make offers that they find useful and create landing pages that provide a great user experience. When they contact your sales reps, provide them with great customer service. Focusing on their overall experience can help you form meaningful connections with your leads and customers.
Leverage the LinkedIn platform
Social media is an important aspect of your digital marketing efforts. This allows you to distribute your content, create brand awareness and drive traffic to your website. LinkedIn is one such platform that can be very useful to you as a B2B marketer. Many B2B marketers recognize the importance of LinkedIn to build valuable connections and increase business growth.
Here are some important statistics you should know:
- 95% of B2B marketers are utilizing social media content in some form. It is the most widely used content type. (Content marketing Institute)
- Social media helps 84% of B2B executives to make purchasing decisions. (Leadspace)
- LinkedIn is the most popular social media platform used by B2B marketers, followed by Twitter. (Content Marketing Institute)
- 4 in 5 B2B leads from social media come through LinkedIn. (LinkedIn)
LinkedIn plays a key role in any B2B marketing efforts. There are several tools available on LinkedIn that can help B2B marketers target their audiences, build connections, and create brand awareness.
To know more about how to utilize LinkedIn for B2B marketing, check out these articles:
How to Use LinkedIn for B2B Content Marketing?
Best Practices for B2B Marketing With LinkedIn.
Build a high-performing website
Website is key for all your marketing efforts. It is important to frequently optimize your website and keep it healthy. The first place your buyers go to know more about your business is the website. There are a few things you should keep in mind when it comes to your website. First, your website should provide a great user experience. The visitors coming to your website should be able to easily navigate to the information they seek. Focus on improving the user experience on your website. Review the design of your website and ensure that the layout, color scheme, fonts and various design elements align with your brand image. Fix any errors that may increase the page load time.
Many of your target audiences will use mobile devices to access your website. Ensure that your website is optimized for mobile and other devices. Second, provide content and offers that are relevant to your audience. This will improve engagement and conversions. Lastly, use search engine optimization techniques to help your website rank better on the search engine results page. Optimize your content using on-page SEO to help your content become more visible to your audience. SEO ensures that your website ranks for the targeted search terms so that your audiences can find you easily. It also helps your website improve domain authority, build trust and credibility.
Align sales and marketing
Both sales and marketing play an important role in your business. Marketing focuses on attracting quality leads through various campaigns, and the sales team is responsible to nurture and convert these leads. To implement a successful marketing strategy, you also need help from sales teams. Sales teams are the ones who eventually communicate with these potential customers. Hence, both teams should know what is going on in each department. Marketing teams can provide valuable information to sales teams that can help them communicate better with leads and customers.
On the other hand, sales teams can share their knowledge about what customers expect that can help marketing teams in their campaigns. Sales teams know what problems the customers go through. These insights can help marketing teams build strategies that address the pain points of their customers. Marketing teams can also ask sales teams for customer feedback that can be used to build better customer experiences. If your business is implementing account-based strategy, then sales and marketing alignment is very useful.
Find out more about how to align your sales and marketing teams here.
B2B marketing can seem challenging and there is no one way to do it right. But these practices can help you refine your current B2B marketing strategy that can lead to your business growth. Remember that your audience should be the center of your marketing strategy. Without keeping them in mind you cannot create a successful strategy. Focus on providing a relevant and personalized experience to your customers. By understanding your audience and using these tips, you can create an effective B2B strategy that will help your business grow.
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