With so many players vying for the attention of the same set of customers, businesses need to get creative and think more strategically to stand out. So, let's look at some winning B2B marketing strategies to help companies to achieve their goals and stay ahead of the competition.
Every successful marketing campaign starts with identifying the target market and its specific needs. It's essential to look beyond the demographics constructed from numbers and data. Are you working with your sales team to analyze your existing customer base? Doing so can reveal patterns and trends that effectively refine your target market. Using that data to build audience personas makes it easier to see leads as humans instead of clicks. Are you creating marketing messages that address challenges and show the solutions your targets seek? Here are some resources and strategies to help you accomplish these goals while elevating your brand.
Level up your content quality
B2B marketers who prioritize content marketing can do more than increase their online visibility. Authentic, educational, and memorable content helps establish a brand team or spokesperson as a trusted resource for industry professionals. Offering industry insights and practical solutions demonstrates an understanding of client pain points. Being seen as a solution-driven thought leader helps your brand stand out.
SEO-rich blog posts are still instrumental in improving a brand’s search engine ranking, but so is the time a viewer interacts with your content. So what other kinds of content should you create to increase audience engagement?
1. Add More Short Form Video Content
Instagram and TikTok's popularity is a testament to the effectiveness of an entertaining message squeezed into 15, 20, and 30-second bites. You don’t need a big glossy production. Just be authentic and be relatable with your call to action. Also, don’t be afraid to add a little humor.
2. Create a Podcast
According to LinkedIn, 44% of executives and senior management listen to business-related podcasts monthly. And they aren't just listening; 18% of U.S. companies plan to step up to the mic to create their podcast content. Because B2B podcasts don't need to be blockbusters to make an impact, there’s a minimal downside to trying it.
Share industry news with clarity and confidence, and reference reliable sources to support certain conclusions. Worried about presenting new weekly content? Don't be. Repurpose and expand on popular blog topics, answer frequent questions, or invite a client to share their success story in an audio case study.
3. Re-energize Your Email Marketing
Email is still one of the most reliable B2B marketing vehicles, with an overall industry average open rate of 33.02%, a 1.3% click rate, and a 10.07% bounce rate (according to Constant Contact). Create personalized and relevant content for a hyper-targeted audience identified by contact segmentation. Improve click rate by sending the right message to the right person at the right time. Take audience segmentation a step further with account-based marketing. ABM focuses on customizing marketing efforts that increase the chance of winning and retaining the business of high-value accounts.
4. Partner with B2B Micro-influencers
Exploring partnerships with smaller influencers is gaining popularity as a relatively new and cost-effective B2B marketing approach. Keeping up with posting and answering comments is time-consuming, so consider tapping into the reach and credibility of other industry experts by asking them to contribute content that your audience might find helpful. Even B2C marketers are ditching high-priced celebrities for the opportunity to reach a more concentrated consumer niche.
Leverage Social Media Platforms
Social media remains a powerful tool for B2B marketing. It allows businesses to connect with potential customers, share content, and build relationships. However, choosing the right platforms based on your target market and business goals is essential.
Don't rush to platforms that generate the most revenue for themselves. Instead, focus on the media that can expand your reach, target more qualified leads, and generate revenue for your brand. Consider the platforms that have the potential to drive traffic to your website and offer the tools to help build an interactive community. Let’s look at what the stats compiled by Sprout Social say about the top contenders:
1. LinkedIn
LinkedIn has cemented its status as the platform where business professionals network, learn about new technology, find jobs, or hire talent. With over 900 million followers and nearly 60 million company profiles, LinkedIn is an excellent place for B2B brands to post short and long-form articles to drive readers to their websites. So how can your brand harness the power of the #1 platform for lead generation?
Four out of five of LinkedIn's members can drive critical business decisions in their respective companies. That's over 720 million opportunities to deliver your message straight to the source. And here are a few more stats to consider; audiences exposed to brand and acquisition messages on LinkedIn are 6x more likely to convert. An added benefit is that LinkedIn’s cost per lead is 28% lower than Google AdWords.
2. Twitter
With Twitter at over 500 million monthly users, we also see a rise in competitive networks that want a piece of the action. It's too early to tell if Spoutible, Mastodon, Tribel Social, or any number of other contenders will gain the reach that Twitter has. The great thing about a tweet is that it has to tell your story in 280 characters or less. Your clients are busy. Give them a pitch that is short and to the point. Use hashtags trending in your industry to steer communications in the right direction.
3. YouTube
With over 2.5 billion users and 30 billion views a day, YouTube has long been a source for community building and the place to find practical how-to videos. What most people don't know, however, is that YouTube is the second-largest search engine in the world. As a result, users know exactly where to go to find specific content.
YouTube is far more than the world's largest DIY video archive. It gives content creators, marketers, and sales teams a platform to get in front of the intended audience. Use short-form videos to grab attention and drive traffic. Use long-form videos as educational resources that showcase your insights and expertise.
Where to begin
Building a successful digital presence across multiple platforms takes time. Each channel opens a new stream of lead-generation opportunities that need immediate action. Your teams need to answer questions as soon as they pop up. Responsiveness adds an extra level of credibility to your brand's image.
Brand messaging should be consistent yet flexible enough to pivot across channels when engagement is low. It's easy to miss qualified leads with a set-it-and-forget-it digital marketing strategy. So, where do you begin when you need a dedicated team to maintain so many moving parts?
Yummy Tummy Consulting can help you with the heavy lifting. Our experienced team of professionals is available to step in quickly to manage the creation and execution of compelling 360-degree marketing messages that elevate your brand and speak directly to your base.
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