If your company sells to businesses, you need a digital marketing plan. It may look different from a business to consumer marketing plan, but it’s outdated and short-sighted to think you don’t need to invest in marketing to businesses. After all, behind the masthead are regular people who make buying decisions with their emotions just like they do for products and services they purchase as a consumer.
There may be more people involved in a buying decision and they may use different logic and processes, but they are still human beings with problems to solve and needs to fill. When marketing to a business, you are taking the opportunity to introduce your offering, share the solutions and value you bring and convert them into new customers the same way you would with consumers. Yes, there are differences, but the underlying concept is the same. Here are some fundamental necessities in your B2B marketing plan.
Educate Your Customers
Businesses often have very specific problems to solve and many people they are solving issues for. By putting your focus on education, you can ensure that your target audience thoroughly understands what you offer and how you can help them solve problems and achieve their objectives. Always ask yourself “How do we help?” and provide valuable content that conveys this answer. Teach your clients how to solve their issues and how to use your products and services to their fullest.
Have A Clear Vision
Before you start marketing your brand, you need to have a very clear vision of who your customers are, what your business stands for and what you offer that makes you unique. This information will guide your messaging, content and how you set up your whole sales process. Know what your strengths are and how to position that to those you want to attract.
Know Your Competitors
It is critical to fully understand who you’re competing against for business in your market so you can position your products and services in their own unique way. You may also find this information shapes how you proactively handle objections in your SEO marketing and which features to highlight as your strongest areas. It can also help you to narrow down the specific niche you want to target.
Determine How To Access Prospects
Traditional channels may not work as well for B2B customers so you should give some consideration to the best ways to connect with new prospects and your existing customers. Email marketing is very popular with B2B customers and can be a great way to make an initial connection. Tradeshows, webinars and associations are more heavily used in business-to-business sales than they are for consumer-focused marketing.
Have A Dynamite Website
Website quality is one thing that will not change no matter which type of customer you are doing business with, so consider going with kickass web development services to enhance your online presence. You always need a great website that jives well with the algorithms and is easy for visitors to navigate and convert on.
What is often different with B2B websites is that you’ll often want a heavier focus on rich content that educates and many different types of calls to action for those at different stages of the buying journey. Where a consumer site can convert a quick sale on a very simple site, most B2B purchases require much more information and sales cycles are longer, requiring many more micro conversions.
Invest In Great Content
They say content is king in digital marketing in general, but it’s absolutely critical in B2B marketing. Content is required to attract and educate your customers. It makes your website more robust and creates trust with potential customers. It also helps you to ensure your customers get the most out of your offering so they stay loyal customers for longer. Content such as use cases and case studies also help customers to see the potential of your brand for them and others they may refer.
Use Social Media
It’s a common misconception that B2B companies shouldn’t use social media to attract and engage with potential customers, but that’s definitely not true. Platforms like LinkedIn are made for sharing, connecting and building lasting relationships. Even Facebook, Instagram and TikTok can be great places to find new customers.
Remember, the people making buying decisions at a prospective company are still humans and they use social media as consumers. They also look to social media to be a place they can find information and learn more about a business behind the scenes. Social media is also an excellent place to share all of that amazing, educational content you’ve created. Influencer marketing is also growing rapidly in the B2B space, so consider partnering up with the thought leaders in your industry.
Which areas of marketing you focus more heavily on may change when you are selling to businesses, but the concepts are really not all that different. Digital Monk has worked with many B2B companies to target their most aligned customers and help them grow their businesses. Contact us today to find out how we can help your business too!