Technology has significantly improved how various business operations are run, and marketing has not been an exemption. Today, businesses can collect, organise, and personalise marketing data faster and more efficiently. This is attributed to the fact that more customers have access to digital devices, data-driven exposure to the right marketing content, and unlimited access to information. Unfortunately, over 60% of digital marketers maintain that generating leads, and traffic is still the biggest hurdle one would have to face within the marketing space. Most marketers fail to understand that the world of business-to-business marketing is continually changing, and effective marketing strategies must be adopted to keep up with the pace. This post highlights 4 effective B2B marketing strategies that are ideal for a B2B business model.
Social Media Marketing
Social media advertising is not just for businesses targeting individual consumers. According to recent studies, over 75% of the modern B2B customers rely on social media to make purchasing decisions. Such platforms as Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn provide your business with a channel to connect with your customers, build your brand awareness, and acquire online presence and personality as an enterprise.
One of the ways to gain a competitive edge on these platforms is through social media video content marketing. This includes creating video ads, profile videos, cover videos, or stories to launch a marketing campaign. For example, Ipsy, a global beauty subscription service provider, generated an annual income of over $500 million in 2019. Growth in the company’s income is attributed to its increased presence on social media, particularly Instagram, where Ipsy prides having over 2.5 million followers.
Content Marketing
Content marketing has become a foundational B2B marketing strategy for most brands across the world. Over 85% of B2B marketers rely on content marketing as a crucial component of the organisation’s marketing program. This is because a significant number of B2B customers depend on digital content to make a purchasing decision. In fact, a majority of B2B buyers rely more on an article than an ad to get information about a brand or product. Some of the content marketing pieces include email newsletters, blog posts, e-books, news articles, and infographics.
For example, you can use regular guest blogging (daily posts) to fuel your business growth and enhance your website's visibility on search engines.
TED, an organisation that specialises on conference talks, has positioned itself as a global giant in content marketing. The company boasts of having over 10 million subscribers, with their videos receiving a viewership of over a billion times.
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
SEO is the most effective digital marketing strategy, especially when the aim is to push your brand's content to rank higher on search engines, such as Google and Bing. Apparently, over 70% of potential B2B customers begin their research on a brand through generic Google searches before engaging the brand. If your brand ranks higher than your competitors, then you stand a better chance to grab the attention of most customers.
Small businesses in a highly competitive industry are less likely to feature in Google's top 12 results. In such cases, applying the right SEO techniques would help your business gain leverage in the rankings. For example, you can use long-tail search terms that are unique for brands in your sector. This may include words such as 'The Best T-Shirts Below £5' or 'Where to Buy Affordable T-Shirts in the UK.'
Nerdwallet is an example of companies that have built their revenue streams to substantial amounts through SEO. Nerdwallet values at slightly above $530 million, with a monthly organic traffic of over 11 million search visitors.
Email Marketing
Email marketing is one of the oldest yet the most effective digital marketing strategies used by B2B businesses. It involves sending messages to a list of customers and prospects via email. Today, over 80% of companies primarily rely on emails to acquire new customers and connect with already existing clients. However, you must be aware that almost every business uses email marketing to reach the same customers you are targeting. For this reason, you must ensure that you employ the right tactics to stand out from the crowd.
For example, you can come up with unique and enticing subject lines to hook your readers into opening the mail. The higher the open rate, the more traffic and potential leads you generate. Mumsnet, one of the UK’s leading parenting websites, is among the best-performing companies across the UK in terms of email marketing. In 2018, the organisation recorded over 119 million users and an annual income of £8.6 million.
Conclusion
To remain relevant in the ever-changing B2B marketing space, you must ensure that you have the right strategies for your business. Such strategies include social advertising, video marketing, email marketing, content advertising, and search engine optimisation. But most importantly, you must always assess the strategies you have adopted and find ways to improve them.
