B2B marketing is not as straightforward as B2C marketing. As a result, many businesses are scared away from B2B and prefer to stick to traditional B2C marketing instead. However, the benefits of B2B marketing far outweigh the challenges that come with it.
The rise of digital disruption and social media has made it easier than ever for companies to market directly to their target audience. Even so, there are still plenty of businesses that prefer to stay away from B2B marketing because they see it as too risky or as an uphill struggle versus an easier-to-market B2C business. But this couldn’t be further from the truth…
B2B marketing is complex and nuanced. For example, a B2B lead generation campaign will require a different set of techniques and metrics than a B2C one. The same goes for other specialized B2B niches like B2B wholesale marketing or B2B telemarketing.
If you’re just getting started with your B2B marketing efforts, the sheer number of differences might be overwhelming. However, that doesn’t mean you should shy away from these challenges. Instead, it means you need to understand the nuances of B2B marketing and identify which approaches are best for your business.
With so many different types of B2B marketing strategies out there, it can be difficult to know where to begin. To help you get started on the right foot with your business’s marketing efforts, we’ve compiled a list of the top five benefits of B2B marketing below
1. Lead Generation and Lead Nurturing
Business-to-business (B2B) marketing is focused on generating leads and driving sales through relationships with other businesses. Depending on the particular vertical you’re working in, this process might begin with a request for a free trial or consultation, or with an invitation to a webinar or industry event.
Once you’ve hooked your lead, the next step is to nurture them through the sales funnel to the point where they become a customer. B2B marketing strategies that generate and nurture leads include lead generation campaigns, sales lead generation programs, search engine marketing (SEM), email marketing, social media marketing, telemarketing and online advertising.
2. Brand Awareness
B2B marketers often have the dilemma of choosing between lead generation and branding. The truth is that you can achieve both at once. As you grow your business and generate leads, you’re also strengthening your brand.
Also read: 11 Ways Social Media Influencers Can Help Your Brand
This is especially true when you use a variety of approaches like brand awareness campaigns, public relations, and social media marketing to reach potential customers. In fact, you can use many B2B marketing strategies to build brand awareness. This includes hosting events, creating videos, guest blogging and leveraging your employees as brand ambassadors.
3. SEO and Content Marketing
A large portion of your sales funnel will be driven by search engine optimization (SEO) and content marketing. These marketing channels allow you to rank higher in search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo. As a result, you’ll drive more leads to your website at a fraction of the cost of paid search marketing.
SEO and content marketing together make up about 70% of a B2B company’s marketing budget. This is because both strategies are scalable and have a high return on investment (ROI).
If your business doesn’t have the in-house expertise to handle SEO and content marketing, then you should consider outsourcing these efforts to a trusted digital marketing agency.
4. Improving the Customer Experience
At the end of the sales funnel, customers expect a smooth and seamless experience. If they don’t receive it, they won’t hesitate to churn. You can boost your customer retention rates and drive more sales with loyalty programs, live chat, a solid return policy and a robust customer support team.
For example, a customer support team can drive engagement and boost retention rates by sending newsletters, tips and tricks, and other relevant information to your customers.
5. Confidence in Your Marketing ROI
As you bring fresh B2B marketing ideas to the table, you’ll start to notice your sales increasing. However, this doesn’t mean that your marketing ROI is high. For example, you might be investing a lot of time and money into SEO and content marketing. However, you’re not seeing the expected results because your website isn’t ranking high enough in search engines.
This is why it’s important to measure and track your marketing efforts. With metrics in place, you’ll have a better idea of where your marketing efforts are falling short and where they’re succeeding. This way, you’ll have confidence in the ROI of your B2B marketing efforts.
6. B2B Marketing is a Strong Lead Generator
B2B marketing is a proven strategy for generating leads, driving sales, and increasing revenue. Even if you’re starting from scratch with your marketing efforts, you can still expect a high return on investment (ROI) with the right B2B marketing campaigns.
B2B marketing campaigns are generally more expensive than their B2C counterparts. This is because they require more in-depth research and more dedicated team members. However, they also have higher conversion rates and improve your sales cycle.
7. It Builds Brand Awareness
Depending on your industry, building brand awareness may be more difficult than generating leads. However, it’s still an important B2B marketing goal to strive for. Successfully building brand awareness involves creating original content that resonates with your target audience.
This might include writing blog posts, creating podcasts, launching podcasts, or publishing video series. One of the most effective ways to build brand awareness is through social media marketing. You can start by creating a social media strategy. Then, identify the appropriate social media channels for your business and create a content strategy around them
8. It Establishes Your Company as an Expert in its Field
One of the most effective B2B marketing strategies is to establish your company as an expert in its field. When you’re an industry leader, it’s easier to close deals, win customers, and expand your business. To establish your business as an expert, you need to be consistent with your messaging.
This can include publishing blog posts, creating podcasts, hosting webinars, or holding in-person seminars. As you consistently publish high-quality content, you’ll attract more attention to your business. And when your target audience recognizes your brand, they’ll remember you as the expert in your field.
9. It Improves Customer Experience
As you’re building brand awareness and establishing yourself as an expert in your field, you also want to improve your customer experience. This ensures that customers have a seamless shopping experience, high-quality support, and a positive brand image. These are important aspects of your business that can impact your bottom line and your customers’ loyalty.
10. It Drives Qualified Traffic to Your Website
As you grow your brand awareness, establish yourself as an expert, and improve your customer experience, you’ll drive more qualified visitors to your website. By implementing SEO and content marketing strategies, you’ll generate more organic traffic. This will allow you to grow your website organically and build your brand without relying on paid advertisements.
11. Customer Retention and Retention Drives Revenue
The best way to grow your B2B business is to retain customers. Retaining customers means they’ll come back to purchase from you again and again. By investing in customer retention strategies, you’ll reduce your marketing costs and increase your revenue. This is because you won’t need to spend money attracting new customers and driving them to your website.
12. Loyalty Programs
A loyalty program is an effective B2B marketing strategy for increasing customer retention. A loyalty program can take many forms, such as a membership program, rewards program, or points-based system.
By rewarding your customers with discounts, freebies, and other incentives, you’ll build brand loyalty and increase sales. Depending on the size of your budget, you can implement a loyalty program in-house or outsource it to a trusted marketing agency.
13. Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing is another B2B marketing strategy that can help you retain customers. Social media marketing involves publishing content on your website and on social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. This can include videos, blogs, podcasts, images, or any other type of content.