If your company has reached a revenue plateau, and you’re looking for a way to breathe life back into your growth, putting together a B2B digital marketing strategy is something you should consider.
Effective B2B digital marketing requires effective prioritization and diversity in skillsets. And it can be difficult to get right, but that’s why we’re here to help.
The Challenges of B2B Digital Marketing
There’s no doubt that the market for your B2B company is saturated. So, how do you stand out in a pool of competitors?
In this technology-driven age, 81% of people say they always do research before they buy to ensure they’re making the best possible decision. When there are many options to choose from, consumers want to be as educated as they can be about their choices. You want to make things as easy as can be, so they know what they’re looking for without difficulty. To do so, you need the right B2B digital marketing strategies in place.
1. Define Your Messaging
The most important step to overcome the challenges of B2B digital marketing is to define your messaging. If your brand and messaging don’t resonate with your audience, they’ll consider working with someone else.
These key steps will help you get started:
- Brand Positioning. The first step is to work on your brand positioning. How do you want your customers to perceive you? Think of your voice, tone, visuals, and the long-lasting impression you want them to walk out with. Nowadays, people care a lot about what organizations, charities, and causes you support. This proves that customers really care about who they work with—a relatable and respectable brand. They want to be proud of their partners.
- Target Audiences. Next, we need to consider your target audiences. Did you know that you should be thinking of each stage of the Buyer’s Journey? There are many steps to identifying your target audience, and it’s not just one group. When trying to grab your audience’s attention, you must remember that they have different needs and problems at the Awareness, Consideration, and Decision stages.
- Brand Awareness. And don’t forget about optimizing your digital presence with your brand awareness. If people can’t find you, they don’t know about you. If they don’t know you, they will not work with you. Your target audience isn’t going to dig through the trenches to find you, so make it easy for them by putting your foot out there.
To help make things easier, you can take a peek at what your competitors are up to.
2. Evaluate Your Competitors through Competitive Research
Having competitors is a great way to better your business. By gaining a sense of your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses, you can locate gaps in the market that you can fill.
To do this, you’ll need to evaluate your competitors using competitive research. You’ll want to research the following:
- The Products and Services Offered. Look into their features to see how your products and services differ. You’ll also want to consider their pricing.
- Marketing Content. What type of content do they publish, and how often do they post? Is it blogs, videos, podcasts, and more? If so, your target audience may be looking for these resources on your website.
- Their Social Media Presence. Take note of how often they post and how they interact with their audience. How do they position their brand?
- Targeted Keywords. You’ll want to appear before your competitors. To do so, you should aim for the same keywords while checking for open opportunities in keywords they’re not ranking for. This will help SEO bump you to the top.
- Their Clientele. See what their clients like and what they don’t. Try to find ways to convert them over to your side.
- Their Sales Process. To beat your competition, you need a thorough understanding of the competitive landscape. When you know what your competition consistently communicates to the marketplace, it becomes easier for you to create well-targeted marketing messages that will help you stand out from the crowd. Dig deeper by learning more about what channels they’re selling through, if they have multiple locations, if they’re expanding or scaling down, how involved their sales representative is in the buying process, why their prospects choose to purchase elsewhere, and more. By finding the answers to these questions, you can build value in your customers’ and prospects’ eyes by finding what makes your brand unique.
3. Optimize Your Website
Once potential customers find you, they’ll check your website to ensure they have all the information they need before sealing the deal.
When they land on your home page, they’ll ask:
- Are you credible and trustworthy?
- Are you a professional company with a stable background?
- Do you make me feel welcome?
- Am I even in the right place?
- Can I find all the answers I’m looking for?
- Can I see myself doing business with this company?
You want to appear credible in their eyes and ensure they feel welcomed. Making sure your website is mobile-friendly, has clear CTAs, and has quick loading speeds is key to their approval and your success.
4. Engage in Ongoing Marketing Strategies
Finally, don’t forget about your ongoing marketing strategies. These include but are not limited to the following:
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO). SEO needs to constantly be monitored to ensure that you present up-to-date information and maintain high ranks on the search results pages.
- Organic Reach and Social Media Platforms. You don’t always need to spend money on ads to get your name out, and social media is an effective approach. According to SmartInsights, 57% of inbound marketers have obtained leads from LinkedIn, 52% from Facebook, and 44% from Twitter. Continue creating and curating useful, shareable content for customers. They’ll appreciate it!
- Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Ad Campaigns. Data from Unbound shows that 50% of visitors arriving at a company’s website from a paid search ad are more likely to convert than those that came from an organic link. PPC is great for driving revenue to your business. It allows real-time control over your ad spending, targeting, and copy.
- Email Marketing. This tactic is effective for lead nurturing, sending out special offers, and making people feel special with personalized messaging. Even if they don’t always open your emails, you’re still spreading your brand awareness. When they see your email in their inbox, you stay on top of their mind even if they may not always read the content inside.
- Blogs. As a business, blogging is one of the most valuable tools to reach your target audience and convert them to customers. You want people to come across your blog when they’re searching for specific information, products, or services. This also helps with your SEO ranking!
- Reviews, Case Studies, and Testimonials. According to BrightLocal, 81% of consumers evaluate businesses by reading online reviews. It’s a well-known fact that customers are increasingly aware of the importance of online research to avoid a frustrating experience and a poor investment of their time. And often, people look to peers to make a purchasing decision.
Let’s Talk Ideas
As a B2B business owner, it can be overwhelming thinking about all the steps needed to run your business successfully. You understand that B2B digital marketing is essential to reach your business goals, but setting time aside to work on it seems like a headache.
The good news is that we’re here to help. As B2B digital marketing experts, reach out to us today so we can talk ideas.
