Best New B2B Marketing Strategies
Like everything else, B2B marketing has gotten more complicated. So what are the best new B2B marketing strategies you should be using to grow your business faster?
Let’s take a look at 5 key strategies we’re using with many B2B customers to increase lead generation and find new customers faster. Many of these are tools the big guys have been using against you, that are now becoming more economical and effective for small and medium businesses to access.
#1 – Marketing Automation
The best way to extend the effectiveness of your sales force is to help them do a lot more cold outreach with marketing automation. In short, we build a universe of contacts and send a series of cold outreach emails (a sequence) on behalf of your sales team.
As potential customers engage the emails, you can track their interactions (email opens, website visits, digital tools interactions, phone calls, text messages, emails, etc.) and know when it’s time for a human to pick up the lead and close it.
What is Marketing Automation & How Marketing Automation Works
#2 – Content Marketing
One of the best ways to gain the confidence of a potential new customer is to provide useful information that helps them solve problems. Often, people like to do research and educate themselves before they make purchasing decisions.
Helping people with educational and informational resources in the early stages of their buying process can assure you a seat at the table when they’re ready to buy. This process is called content marketing.
The Case for Better Content Marketing
#3 – Online Estimators
Potential customers want to access basic information and pricing and other specifications when they reach the most active stage of the buying cycle. And more and more, they want to do so without the perceived pressure of “dealing with a person.”
It has long been a basic premise of B2B marketing and sales that pricing is withheld until a prospect actively engages — often meaning they provide contact information and probably make further commitments to the sales process. It’s the old, “How much is this car?” “Let me go ask my manager.” way of thinking. And in the digital age where transparency is equated with trustworthiness, it’s important to give buyers at least the perception of control, and probably more actual control.
The reality is that, for most of us, pricing is pricing. So why not make it more readily available? There is more to gain than lose by giving potential buyers easier access to cost and other critical information for their purchases. The argument that competitors will see it is no longer valid.
Out of your comfort zone? Here are some alternatives to just putting all your pricing out there for all to see:
Online Order Starter. If you don’t want to go all the way, go part way. Let people request pricing by letting you know useful parameters. They get the feel of control and privacy, and you meet half way.
Automated Quote Responder. Let people enter parameters and have pricing sent to them automatically (or with the feel of automation). This satisfies the idea of “not having to deal with a person” even if a person is technically involved. And you control the pricing going out.
Bottom line, giving people a greater sense of control of the sales process (what happens, in what order, and when) satisfies the trend in B2B sales.
#4 – Text Messaging
We’ve been using text integration tools like Text Request to give clients the ability to interact with prospective customers via text messaging. It shouldn’t be surprising that more and more people prefer this method of communication. What IS surprising is how resistant many businesses are to SMS.
However, tools like this make it really easy to add text messaging capabilities to your marketing and sales efforts. And you’ll be shocked how quickly customers embrace it. In fact, you’ll be shocked how many are already trying to text you!
#5 – Geo-Fencing Industry Events
Now that conferences and conventions are ramping back up, there is a way to identify everyone who attends and continue to advertise to them during and after the event using a tactic called Geo-Fencing.
What is Geo-Fencing and How Does It Work?
Essentially, your ads appear in websites and mobile apps your targets visit. We have found that talking business when people aren’t “in the weeds” during the workday can improve their ability to absorb and engage your advertising message.
Explore These Trends Further with Our Experts
We help companies like yours grow faster with B2B marketing tools like these. Schedule a free consultation with our team, and we’ll make sure our B2B experts are on the call to share our best practices and answer all your questions.
We’ll also show you how we’re combining a lot of these strategies with our Real Time Customer Leads feature.
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