Digital marketing represents huge potential for the B2B space to expand your client base and grow your business
Marketing for B2B companies involves a unique set of challenges, but it also presents immense opportunities. One of the biggest hurdles for a B2B organisation is that the audience is typically restricted to a very small pool. Since the reach is already limited, identifying and creating targeted communications for this niche segment becomes even more essential. The advent of digital marketing offers tailor-made solutions that can help B2B companies address their challenges. Today, when a powerful digital presence is indispensable for a brand, here are the five most important steps B2B companies need to take to build a strong reputation online.
1. A comprehensive website
One study by Hinge Marketing found that 80 per cent of consumers visits the website when scoping out B2B companies. In the B2B space, unlike in B2C, customers are not going to make decisions based on emotions. Instead, they will decide to engage with your company only after careful consideration using all resources available. Your website needs to cater to the discovery mindset that your audience approaches this research with. Your website content should present a clear picture of what your organisation stands for, the services it provides, key differentiators, as well as testimonials and case studies for credibility. With 80 per cent of Indians accessing the internet through their phones, having a mobile-first design can also help your website perform better.
2. Content marketing for thought leadership
B2B has longer lead times than B2C, often extending for several months or longer. Throughout this cycle, lead nurturing through targeted content marketing can be one of the most powerful ways to push leads down the conversion funnel. Since Indian language internet users are growing, having a strong regional content strategy can be a powerful way to build a strong relationship with your target audience. Building a knowledge resource through blogs, staying connected through drip email marketing and publishing informative content in the form of videos and e-books are some of the tried-and-tested content marketing strategies for B2B. Tools like Buzzsumo and AnswerThePublic.com can help you find trending topics that your target audience will find engaging.
3. Optimising for search engines for greater discoverability
While B2B companies are actively seeking out new customers, it’s important to remember that customers are also looking for service providers. With the already narrow market, B2B companies operate within; it’s crucial that consumers looking for services find companies able to provide them. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) can bridge this gap and help a B2B brand gain visibility. After all, even the best website is of no use unless your audience is able to find it easily. A combination of aggressive on-page and off-page SEO tactics can improve your search rankings, drive organic traffic to your website and ultimately, generate leads for your company. A strong SEO strategy is also inseparable from your content marketing efforts as they essentially work hand-in-hand to drive greater results.
4. Cost-effective performance advertising
Paid advertising across diverse channels can provide your customers with multiple touchpoints to become aware of your brand and make an enquiry. Because of the limited audience in B2B markets, customer acquisition costs tend to be much higher than in B2C markets. To ensure that advertising budgets are used efficiently, brands need to advertise on relevant platforms to targeted audiences. Currently, there are over 25 digital advertising platforms available such as LinkedIn, Google Search and Display, programmatic advertising and more. However, the exact mix of these you need to include in your digital advertising strategy will depend upon which are most relevant to your brand. The best choice of platform will help you find your audience and gain high quality leads at a lower cost-per-lead.
5. Integrate offline and online marketing
Adopting a digital marketing strategy doesn’t mean disregarding traditional marketing. Both approaches have their own unique advantages and one cannot replace the other. Instead, both your offline and online marketing efforts need to be seamlessly integrated so they can support each other. The foundation of most B2B businesses is relationships. Relationships with future or current clients need to be nurtured over time for a sustained revenue growth. The key to developing these relationships is by backing up your digital touchpoints with offline support and vice versa. For instance, you can attend relevant seminars or conferences to represent your company and publicise it on digital media by writing blogs or tweeting about it.
Digital marketing represents huge potential for the B2B space to expand their client base and grow their business. With these strategies, your brand can develop a strong and credible online presence to drive greater results.
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by Vikas Chawla
source: Entrepreneur