No two marketing strategies are the same, and B2B digital marketing may be even more of a challenge if you’re starting out. From the way you frame your messaging to the channels you use, online marketing for B2B has its own unique challenges.
Digital marketing for B2B business
So, what do we mean by B2B? Rather than B2C, which means business to consumer, we mean business to business. This could be something like an office stationery supplier or hotel wholesaler – anything that doesn’t deal directly with the end-user.
Because we’re not marketing to that end-user, we change our approach. Consider that:
- With B2B, multiple people may be involved in the purchasing decision (rather than an impulse purchase on a Facebook ad, for example)
- There may be a longer purchase journey with B2B – such as demos and setting up account managers
- B2B customers are looking to form long-term relationships rather than one-off purchases.
How does this affect online marketing for B2B?
B2B digital marketing requires a holistic approach to reaching customers, but crucially, we need to think of every channel in relation to the customer journey.
Broadly speaking, we can think of this as ‘awareness’, ‘consideration’ and ‘purchase’. In a more granular sense, we might also add ‘desire’, ‘evaluation’ and even ‘loyalty’ – but the purchase is the primary goal.
‘Desire’ may be more relevant to B2C customers – a Coca-Cola ad might further our awareness of a product, but it also increases our desire, rather than say, a business need. Loyalty, meanwhile, is almost as important as that first purchase for B2B marketers. It’s far costlier to acquire a new customer than retain an existing one, for example.
Awareness: reaching B2B customers
One caveat before we start – your B2B business has to have a website. This is your shop window and should have calls to action, such as ‘book a demo’, ‘request a callback’, etc.
Once you have a website, you can start on those awareness campaigns:
- Social media will help to position you in front of your target audience. This could be organic content or paid ads. Shared on the right platforms with the right value proposition, it will make people aware of your brand and possibly click through to the website.
- PPC is a quick way to drum up awareness while you’re working on SEO. We’d call this inbound marketing – responding to your potential customers’ requests by having ads show up for their chosen keywords.
Consideration: present a business case to B2B customers
By this point, you may have established a relationship with your customer. This is where great content and a strong website can help:
- Case studies and testimonials provide ‘social proof’ to guide decision-making.
- Blog or FAQ content can answer niggling questions and may even help awareness through SEO.
- Website features such as live chat or online calculators can present benefits to customers.
Again, we must remember those CTAs!
Conversion: nailing the sale
By this point, you should have answered your customers’ questions – through on-site content or a demo. You may consider:
- Opt-in mailing lists to showcase new features/product updates
- Social or PPC retargeting to remind people that your brand is there after they’ve left the site.
It’s all about relationships
Remember, B2B sales are there for the long haul and require a personalised approach. Where possible, try to arrange meetings with account managers. Touchpoints such as social and PPC are great for getting the customer through the door, but you can close the deal with live chats and demos.
For more tips on finessing your B2B marketing strategy, contact the WebHummel team.
