When most people think of business-to-business marketing strategies, thoughts of cold calling and outbound messages come to mind. Outbound prospecting is very successful, however, successful B2B marketing techniques include more than just making more calls.
Businesses are still run by people, meaning that creating a connection with your prospective customer is just as important as it is with business-to-consumer (B2C) marketing.
We will discuss some different strategies you can use to get your message in front of the right businesses at the right time and drive leads for your business.
Business-to-Business Marketing Strategies
Some marketing strategies are universal to both B2B and B2C, however, we will discuss how each strategy aligns with marketing to decision-makers in a business.
Research Your Target Audience
Once you've determined your target audience, it's time to understand who they are. Where do they hang out online, what's their buying process, and how do they consume information are just some of the questions you need to ask.
You can also use tools like Seamless.ai to research B2B leads, however, B2B leads can be tricky especially with larger companies where role changes are much more frequent.
High-Converting Website
Create a website that explains what you do, makes it easy for clients to take the next step with your service or products, and provide value so website visitors stay longer.
Your website is the cornerstone to your marketing funnel. It's where we can start to really track the buyer's journey.
Good blog content, guides, tools, links, and anything else that is focused on helping your prospects are good things to share on your website.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
B2B SEO is pretty much the same as B2C. We are targeting searches that your prospective customers perform when searching for your services or products, and we provide content that provides answers to the questions and problems your prospective customers are searching for online.
Google Search Ads
Google search ads are ads that are delivered based on keyword and location targeting in Google search results. If someone is looking for "business attorney in Chicago" on Google, you could bid on that keyword in that area and pay any time your ads are clicked on.
These clicks are relevant and targeted bringing you people that are in the market for your services.
Podcasts, Webinars and Speaking Opportunities
For the budget-conscious, speaking at events, on podcasts, and creating webinars can bring you in front of thousands of your prospects for little to no initial investment.
Depending on the size of your audience, you can also get them to promote the podcast episode for you through social media.
To get started with these marketing strategies, identify the podcasts that your audience is listening to and ask to be a guest on the show.
You can also create webinars that you can record or do live to set yourself as the expert in the industry.
Social Media Marketing
Social media is a way for us to share relevant content and provide value while staying top of mind. LinkedIn and Facebook are the most used in B2B marketing strategies
Social Media groups are prime places to build authority and awareness with your target audience. Answer questions, share content, gain email list subscribers, and be present for your audience while in these groups and you will be rewarded with customers.
Social media ads are a great way to promote a B2B offer or brand. Social media works really well as part of an overall strategy or for a really good offer (i.e. free guide).
Email Marketing
Email marketing is an inexpensive way to stay in front of your business-to-business prospects and customers. Creating a strong email or landing page strategy can be a great way to trickle your brand into your prospects email inbox so they don't forget who you are.
Do a really good job and you can feed them into a sales funnel so they become a paying customer.
Direct Mail
People still like getting mail. Direct mail is a guaranteed way of getting a message in front of a prospect. Direct mail is harder with B2B because getting mailing addresses for the business decision-makers is not as easy as in B2C.
You must get your message to the right person at the right address. We have found that handwritten or "robot handwritten" letters work extremely well and only cost $3-$5 per letter to send out.
Conclusion
B2B marketing is a lot different from B2C, but there are many more levers that we can pull. If you want to get in front of your prospects and customers, the key is to provide value on a routine basis through content creation and social media sharing.
If done correctly, these strategies will build awareness for your brand over time.
If you are not doing these strategies already, it's time to get started. If you need help, reach out to us using the contact page on our website or by messaging us on LinkedIn or Facebook. We would love to help!