The once complex buyer journey has become more streamlined following the COVID-19 pandemic.
More than three-quarters of B2B buyers now prefer to make their buying decisions based on online research compared to the old in-person culture.
Further, Global News Wire reported that 70% of B2B companies attributed their growth to online changes, which included both transitioning online or scaling their online efforts.
The pressure is for you to ramp up your online presence for a futurist marketing approach.
Popular online marketing channels
Website marketing
According to the Hinge Research Institute, 80% of professional buyers check out your website to make a purchase decision. 65% of buyers who visit a website look for relevant, easy-to-access relevant content and info such as pricing and competitive information.
Strong landing pages and detailed product descriptions with clear value propositions can help your buyers convert.
Content marketing
81% of B2B marketers use email marketing as their primary method of customer acquisition and retention.
Video marketing is also big, as 70% of marketers reported that using videos gave them a positive ROI. You can use video to share different types of content including product demos, event teasers, brand videos, case studies, company news, and company stories.
B2B marketers are also banking on user-generated content, with 79% of consumers stating that testimonials, case studies, referrals, and reviews impact their purchasing decisions.
Social media marketing
Facebook simply offers the largest reach for marketers, with over 2.7 billion monthly users and counting. According to Hootsuite, 48.5% of B2B decision-makers head on to Facebook.
Youtube, however, beats Facebook in terms of usage, with over 50% of B2B decision-makers camping there. Today, the trend is bending toward YouTube Influencer marketing.
Account-based marketing
Account-based marketing continues to yield huge revenues for B2B businesses.
This is where you identify companies to sell to, target decision-makers, and create focused marketing efforts for them.
ABM has proved to generate a higher ROI than other marketing efforts for 87% of marketers. Further, 70% of marketers are using ABM in 2021 compared to 15% in 2021 according to HubSpot.
Creating a B2B marketing strategy that works for you
With so many marketing channels to choose from, which one is best for your business? Your marketing plan is the answer.
Here’s how to create a solid strategy:
- Understand the stage of your buyer’s journey
Consider where your buyer is in the buyer journey to determine the best channel. These stages include:
- Awareness – Getting active on social media especially Facebook and Twitter can help you step up your brand’s awareness
- Consideration – Once people now know and develop interest in your products, you can woo them through more personal platforms such as email marketing and paid ads
- Decision stage– When leads are ready to buy and are looking around for the best solution, strategies such as free trials and case studies can help them decide to buy
- 2. Watch your competitors
Track your competitors’ websites and social media to see what’s working for them and do it better.
Some strategies include outlining your unique selling points, launching a bigger and better campaign, and identifying new or underserved markets to launch your campaigns.
- Qualify leads
Once you generate leads, interview them to determine if they are willing and ready to buy your products, to avoid wasting your marketing budget on dead ends.
Some of the key information to dig up includes:
- The key decision makers
- Their pain points
- Their budget
- More about the company to determine how you can customize your products and services to meet their needs
- Nurture and educate your leads
Research indicates that 80% of leads don’t convert to sales. The solution is lead nurturing.
Nurturing your leads fast (preferably within 5 minutes) and consistently will help you retain higher numbers.
You can send follow up emails to your leads pointing out their pain points and why your solution is their best bet.
- Collect and analyze data
Determine your Return on Investment (ROI) by calculating the money you spend in marketing vs. the returns.
The first thing is to determine what to measure. Metrics can include landing page conversions, email subscriptions, and website traffic. Use tools to help you automate the process, for instance setting up website tracking software and social media analytics.
Conclusion
Ultimately, a robust marketing strategy addresses your buyers and their needs.
Conducting surveys, interviews, and checking your competitors can help you gain the data you need to market better.
Don’t forget to keep up with the trends and monitor your ROI to determine what’s working and what needs to change.
