The B2B marketing arena has changed
dramatically over the past few years with digitalization taking the B2B journey
online and empowering buyers to self-educate without relying on data provided
by brands!
This drastic shift has increasingly put
pressure on B2B marketers to execute a demand
generation strategy focused on increasing the lead pool.
So, how do you deal with the change in
digital trends and deliver the results expected by your organisation?
Inbound Marketing is the answer to it. Inbound strategies executed with a firm focus on delivering “value” help create memorable experiences that have a positive impact on both people and business. And they even play well with traditional outbound distribution methods.
So here is a list of top marketing practices that produce results for B2B brands.
Invest in Content Marketing – Now!
Yes, content marketing is not the fastest
way to acquire quality leads. But it is one of the most consistent, and
trusted!
The growth in site traffic for content
marketing leaders is 7.8x higher than for followers.
Moreover, website conversions come in at 6x more for those who invest in
content marketing, as compared to those who don’t!
However, content development must be seen as an iterative process.
You must increase the shelf life of your content by repurposing old and existing content such that the time and effort invested into its creation do not go in vain.
For ensuring longevity, you can repurpose
existing content into different formats like trending blog posts, infographics,
or even stand alone social media posts. This will help engage prospects and
align them with their stage of buyer journey.
Here is a fascinating infographic by SEO Tribunal on the history of content marketing, the format of content ruling the roost right now and what businesses can expect in the future.
Boost Authority with Blogger Outreach
Digital marketing is incomplete without outreach, which
is connecting with different people in your niche and reaching out to them via
email or a phone call to introduce your content and get links in return if they
like those.
The more you connect with different webmasters
the more benefits shall you reap for your website in the sense that it shall
improve your industry standing alongside increasing the potential of reaching
out to a much broader audience.
Additionally, you can connect with different
influencers of your niche and get started with either inviting them to write a
guest blog or hosting a live webinar wherein both the parties can provide
value.
The question on your mind right now is – Does Blogger Outreach Work for B2B Brands?
Think of outreach as a simpler form of influencer marketing. Instead of having someone who has the ear of your target accounts promote your product, you have them endorse your expertise with content.
The kind of metrics and KPIs you set for evaluating what you are getting out of your efforts is different for B2B companies. You may not get direct leads.
But look to see:
- How many people are coming back to
your site from your guest post or
outreach platform (you can note this in Google Analytics) - Are they completing any goals on your site?
- Is your brand recognition growing?
This might be a subjective aspect to consider, but more direct mentions on
social, more interactions in Slack groups of your industry should give you a
fair idea.
Get More out of your Neglected Real Estate
The thank you page on a website today is
merely seen as just another webpage that provides visitors with the option to
download the content they’ve initially signed up for.
However, taking your thank you page up a notch
is yet another method to boost your business conversions and
is an excellent opportunity to offer value and engage with customers.
And, this can be done by including relevant call to actions such as survey, webinar, event invitation, promotion or even to showcase new content offerings.
Videos are Non-Negotiable
72{1652eb1ffa4184925f6a63a9c04ea6b421acb7a78117241e7d4325cdca8339fa} of B2B buyers and researchers watch videos
to help them make their buying decisions.
Thus with reference to the latest scenario,
videos are both the present and future of content marketing and a vital element of robust inbound practices.
It is today the most dominant form of native
content on almost every social platform like Youtube, Facebook, Instagram,
Snapchat and others which have managed to level up the game even more.
So, it’s high time that you start investing in
the creation of videos if haven’t already.
The different types of videos to capture the attention of the audience and engage with them include DIY videos, explainers, tutorials, testimonials and even behind the scenes.
So, stop waiting and start creating!
Pay Attention to UX
The most fundamental albeit the most overlooked element of inbound marketing is user experience.
Quite often, a potential customer comes to
your website and leaves disappointed after being unable to locate a simple
search bar. And unnecessarily shooting up your bounce rates.
User Experience is a deep and complex subject. Paying attention to it can not only improve on-site conversions, it can get more traffic to your website.
The more time searchers spend on your site (because of a rewarding user experience), the stronger signal you send to the Google algorithm about the quality of your content. In time, this can have a perceptible impact on where your website pages show up in the SERP and how they rank!
UX practices for B2B brands are not that different from B2C companies. However the things to keep in mind for a business-to-business setting are:
- UX optimization and improvement
should be focused on each leg of the
buyer’s journey because typically it is longer than the same for B2C
businesses where the checkout ends up being a focal point.
- Account based personalization can typically improve UX for B2B companies. There are up to 5 people involved in most business-to-business buying decisions, and with tools like Deploy, you can provide context as well as a sense of belonging and trust to all the individuals from an account visiting your site.
