B2B Marketing: Which Channels Should You Focus On?
With the wide range of channels you can use for your B2B marketing, it would be easy to get overwhelmed and optimize each channel known and allot a budget for each. However, that shouldn’t be the case.
Here are the different channels you can choose from to know which works best for your company and the goal of your B2B marketing strategy.
With the wide range of channels you can use for your B2B marketing, it is so easy to get overwhelmed and invest budget and time for each. However, that shouldn’t be the case.
B2B marketing differs from one type of industry to another, and each channel may work greatly for one but not for the other. Knowing when and where to put your B2B marketing budget will give you a more accurate conversion, thus a mature and successful marketing structure. Further, each channel has their own strength and weaknesses and should attune to the objectives of your marketing strategy.
What’s more is that some of the existing B2B marketing channels might not be as effective today as before. You should also find the time to update them and see which channels you should drop and which ones you should optimize.
Although digital marketing is currently changing the landscape of the industry, traditional B2B marketing channels are still quite dominant with businesses.
Here are the different channels you can choose from to know which works best for your company and the goal of your B2B marketing strategy:
1. Email
If you want to have higher chances with your channel, then you should invest in a good email marketing. You can confidently focus on this channel because it has been at the top of lead generation tools, as it acquires the most revenue for most industries specifically manufacturing and logistics businesses.
What you can do is target the right business with the right type of content at the right time. This outreach is for your content and not for your sales right away. Take note that this is not direct marketing yet. You’re just trying to show that your content is valuable to your consumers’ inquiries and problems.
2. Content
Various statistics have established that publishing 16 times a month in your blog will generate 350% more traffic. Whether that be blogging, whitepapers, videos, or microsites, all of these are content that actually works.
In the dawn of a more interactive and involved content marketing, B2B marketing has also seen the benefits using video / virtual reality, as 91% of B2B marketers subscribe to content in the form of videos, podcasts, and even webinars. Moreover, B2B consumers like watching these videos online. It allows you to include in-depth and interactive content which engages your consumers.
Tech companies should turn their eyes to content marketing if they want to generate more business. At 14%, marketers also see publishing answers to consumer inquiries very valuable in their B2B marketing strategy.
On the other hand, health and pharmaceuticals could find the cure in their lackluster marketing performance when they focus on content marketing as well. This is because businesses would like to do their research first about health and well-being. Providing articles that would answer their health questions ranging from basic to complex should help them understand everything better.
3. Social Media
Although social media is not seen as a direct channel for conversations, it can definitely help you create more engagement between you and your consumers. For lead-to-deal conversion rate, social media came in strong at third place right after referrals and company website.
Do further research on which of specific social networking sites work for you best. YouTube and Google+ communities might help you rank better, while Pinterest and Instagram allow you to present big ideas and bring the name of your business on a higher scale. Remember, social media should also help you observe your consumers’ pain points and address them in real-time.
4. Organic Search
You may flip the world upside down, but SEO still rules as one of the best B2B marketing channels. B2B marketers use organic search to be a part of the “consideration stage” of the consumers, which is where they shortlist a number of brands and analyze which ones would best deliver their needs.
Plant an idea in their minds and let your website be the cultivator, as well as allow your consumers grow on their decision to make that purchase (and not wanting them to purchase right away just like in B2C). That’s why you need to rank better in the search results. Be the first one there.
5. Direct Marketing
Direct marketing is the total opposite of inbound. You explicitly reach your audience through messages that you think will benefit them. Outright, you’re trying to sell them a product. Telemarketing is one of the more prominent channels for this strategy. After researching who your target audience is, calling them is the next step with a prepared pitch at hand.
According to Demand Gen Report’s 2016 Benchmark Report, five of the top nine lead generation channels still come from direct marketing. Moreover, inbound and outbound marketing both generate business for a B2B marketer (small to mid-size companies) at 84%.
6. Events
This might be as old as the classic fairy tale, but events marketing still gets the job done for tech companies according to 14% of the marketers. It is only fitting because the details and intricacies of technology can only be fully appreciated during physical experiences like events and conferences.
Growing your networking during these events allow you to present value proposition and reliability for the transaction that’s bound to happen.
With these different channels presented, it’s up to you which ones you want to activate. However, that decision should be more informed after reading the benefits it could give you. Alternately, you could ask the help of companies who do marketing solutions for a guided journey in your B2B marketing.
With the wide range of channels you can use for your B2B marketing, it would be easy to get overwhelmed and optimize each channel known and allot a budget for each. However, that shouldn’t be the case. Here are the different channels you can choose from to know which works best for your company and the goal of your B2B marketing strategy.