The nature of B2B marketing has traditionally made it less glamorous and more challenging than its B2C equivalent.
Products and services can be far more specialised and technical, while convincing thrifty businesspeople of the value of your offering can feel like getting blood out of a stone.
But those companies who excel in B2B marketing use imaginative strategies to overcome these potential restrictions.
So if you’re up for the challenge, here are four useful marketing hacks for B2B firms.
LinkedIn previously had a more staid and sober reputation than the likes of Facebook.
But the business platform is now more dynamic, interactive and interesting — it’s fast becoming a tool that no serious businessperson can ignore.
LinkedIn marketing solutions can help boost your brand recognition, drive visitors to your website and increase sales leads.
There are currently 550 million professional businesspeople on the platform and 4 of 5 members drive business decisions.
A basic company page is free — but you can also boost engagement with paid ads and a campaign manager feature that provides a deeper dig into analytics.
So if you’ve not ventured onto LinkedIn for a while, it’s worth a second look.
Personalisation
B2C companies like Amazon have been using personalisation to curate and upsell recommended products for many years.
But it takes a little tweak to make this tactic effective for B2B marketing.
However, account-based marketing allows marketing and sales teams to target their output toward specific companies based on specific business sectors.
Digital tools like Marketo and Terminus allow B2B firms to deploy a strategy that includes various strands like teleprospecting, personalised website content and account-based advertising — enabling precise targeting.
So 2018’s definitely the time to get up close and personal with B2B clients.
Automation
Marketing can be time-consuming and expensive for SME businesses — but automation tools can put an end to onerous tasks and boost productivity.
GetResponse allows you to create customised conversion funnels for each client with its workflow builder feature — emails, social media links and newsletters are automatically disseminated at optimal times.
And MailChimp has been around for a while — but it still might be the best way of co-ordinating, monitoring and improving email campaigns.
Getting familiar with automation tools might take a while if you’re a newbie to the tech, but once you get into the swing of things, you’ll wonder why you didn’t use them sooner.
Storytelling
Dry and highly-detailed product descriptions can bog down the marketing efforts of B2B companies.
But storytelling helps bring products and services to life.
So if your niche product was crucial to the construction of a stunning skyscraper, create a case study video that’s exciting and informative.
And if your catenary wire is used for scenic funicular railways or terrific tram systems, create a lively and inspirational infographic.
There’s always a dynamic angle for any business offering, so don’t miss out on yours.
These four useful marketing hacks for B2B firms will help you achieve sustained success in 2018.
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