Regardless of what industry you’re in, the digital era has completely transformed the way businesses communicate with their clients and customers. This has put B2B digital marketing at the forefront of today’s marketing needs.
Customers and prospects are rapidly moving online, and traditional methods of getting visibility for your B2B company are declining.
Therefore, it’s time to consider shifting to the digital landscape and building your presence where your audiences are most active and engaged.
In this two-part series on B2B digital marketing, we discuss how digital marketing can be a game-changer for B2B companies and outline best practices to ace B2B digital marketing.
B2B companies can leverage digital to transform their marketing functions into data- and digital-driven machines that draw customers, engage them, and help grow sales.
They can explore the following digital avenues to scale and boost the impact of their marketing efforts:
Another way the shift to digital is helping B2B companies is by narrowing the gap between the marketing and sales functions. In many B2B companies, the marketing and sales teams still work in silos to grow conversions.
In the case of digital marketing, both marketing and sales functions are the driving forces behind strategies and execution, including lead generation, lead conversion, and measurement of results.
While it’s unfortunate for many reasons, it’s also true that since the entry of digital marketing, traditional marketing methods have been steadily declining. Direct marketing has been in decline for a long time. Posters and newspaper ads no longer draw audiences as they once did.
Nevertheless, every new B2B company has a website and social media presence. After all, there’s no better way to find your customers and prospects than the internet.
Here’s how B2B companies can benefit from digital marketing:
Digital marketing provides your B2B company with ample opportunities and avenues to increase your brand awareness among your customers and prospects and build a strong online presence.
If you’re not a big name in the B2B space, prospects may need to learn more about you. With stellar branding and consistent messaging, you can create awareness about your brand and organization. You can also ensure you stay on top of their minds by being present on different digital channels, such as search engines, social media networks, online directories, and so on.
B2B decision makers prefer to conduct their own research before speaking to a sales or marketing executive. They will spend time collecting answers to their queries and gathering knowledge about products/services until they’re completely confident that a B2B company can deliver the desired outcomes—only then will they reach out.
The high marketing costs associated with traditional marketing techniques can become a challenge for B2B companies, especially amid the uncertainties surrounding us today. B2B companies are already looking to optimize their marketing budgets. This is where digital marketing fits the picture. It provides B2B companies with a host of cost-effective marketing tools and techniques.
Companies can use paid marketing methods, such as Google ads, or unpaid marketing initiatives, such as articles and blogs.
With digital marketing, you can define your target audience based on demographics, geography, age, interests, and so on. Most digital marketing channels provide you with the options to select your target and optimize your audience for better reach and response.
With digital marketing, you can effectively engage with your prospects depending on what stage of the buying cycle they are in. For example, if you begin promoting your products/services too early in the buying cycle, you can come across as a commodity supplier not a trusted brand partner. However, if you start the process with educating your prospects and addressing their challenges/concerns, you can win their confidence early on.
Digital marketing can help you develop unique and relevant content for every stage of the buying cycle.
Digital marketing can become a goldmine of data and analytics for B2B companies. Almost all digital marketing tools provide you with access to actionable insights on how many businesses are engaging with your marketing content, what their interests are, how often they are engaging with your business, and more.
Need help developing a digital marketing program?
Book a call to talk about your specific needs and budget.