Marketing is easy. Digital marketing is hard. Effective B2B digital marketing is harder. Decisions such as creative collaterals, ad copies, budget limits and channel decisions that are made are interconnected to each other. Adding to the complexity, marketing to businesses is very different from marketing to consumers. While the purchase process and customer journey decisions may differ, the main B2B digital marketing channels remain largely similar to their B2C counterparts.
1. Website
A good website is the backbone to any B2B marketing strategies. This is the main digital marketing channel that consumers would go and refer to before as they embark on their customer journey. It is absolutely crucial that your website is fast, secure and visually appealing to your consumers. Make sure that your website is also mobile-friendly. This is especially so since mobile users are making up more than half of website visits, even for B2B consumers. Finally, make sure that you fully utilise all the functionalities of a website in terms of capturing user data and driving users to the product that will meet their needs.
2. Email Marketing
Setting up newsletters is still the best way to capture user information and also stay in touch with them. It is important to stay present in your customer’s mind in order to maintain brand salience. Make your consumers feel special by informing them of any updates to your business and sharing exclusive discounts with them. Additionally you can use this channel as a way to conduct surveys and understand your customers better for future product developments.
3. Content Marketing
High quality content is a fantastic way to demonstrate industry knowledge and expertise. Consumers are smarter and more savvy and want to feel reassured that the companies they purchase from are credible and reliable. Take the time to produce original white papers, research findings and any other key industry know-how articles or infographics. These marketing collaterals can be repurposed to collect leads on your website or as a newsletter to your subscribers.
4. Social Media Marketing
Even if you are targeting ‘businesses’, the ones running the business are people. More often than not, these people will also have social media accounts that they check on a daily basis. Thus, it is always good to establish a presence on social media platforms as well. For B2B marketing, consider having a Linkedin account to reach out to your target audience.
5. Search Marketing
Over 75,000 searches are conducted on Google every second, all over the world. That’s a lot of searches everyday. This shows you the power and reach being on Google search engine really is. This is true because people use Google all throughout their customer journey process. Ideally, you would want to be present on both organic search as well as the paid search marketing platforms. Establishing a presence on both would increase the visibility of your business.
Take note that Google is constantly updating their search algorithm. The latest update on Google is the Core Web Vitals. Make sure you stay update with any new updates in the future as well.
6. Display Ads Marketing
Display ads are a great way to communicate your advertising message. These can be shown on various other digital channels such as websites, emails and even social media. One of the greatest advantages of display ads is that they generally have a lower CPC. Additionally, display ads also allow for retargeting. This is where you can choose to show your ads to a user who has shown interest but has not converted yet. Thus, you are able to reach people on various levels of the customer journey.
7. Video Marketing
Video content is essential to any marketing strategy. Thus adding in a video channel is essential even for B2B marketing. Take note to add in video to your digital marketing channel to your marketing mix also.
Conclusion
Digital marketing channels are platforms where you can reach out to your target audience to inform and educate them more about your brand, product and service. Additionally, these channels also allow you to position your brand and business well in front of your target audience. Different channels work differently and have different objectives. Do take the time to measure and analyse the key metrics and adjust your digital marketing mix accordingly.
