If we go through the recent headline-making marketing campaigns, what comes to your mind? The #ShareACoke approach, or Oreo’s Super Bowl blackout? Wait, what about the Twitter campaign Volvo pulled off in 2015’s Super Bowl game? However, all these campaigns were initiated by B2C Companies. Consumer brands have a habit of breaking the charts with new marketing campaigns.
On the other hand, B2B businesses haven’t shown the same level of creativity or planning in the past. However, B2B marketers can catch up by walking in the same footsteps as their B2C peers. Wondering how? Read on!
1. Enhance Your Brand’s Value
Even though, smart advertising tactics that highlight how a specific product can benefit you, are quite useful if you find success in delivering a heart-touching cause for what your brand stands for can inevitably increase your sales.
Your brand’s value is based on how you show it to the world. For example, your business could promise to provide consumers a high-quality product like iPhone and win many brand loyal customers. On the other hand, you can use a brand story like how Jack Ma struggled in the past and still managed to create the greatest organization in the worldwide B2B marketplace. – The choice is yours!
2. Know, and Show Your Worth
Now that you’ve finally decided on increasing your brand’s value, you need to first start internally. You need to know your products and how they are better than your competitors. Convince yourself first, then move towards your target audience.
Next up is how you’ll do it. You need to show your worth to your clients and believe me; it’s pretty comfortable with the right products and a practical approach. Remember, if you don’t have the right resources, you can always consider the services of a digital marketing agency.
3. Get Personal
B2C businesses are highly focused in running marketing campaigns that get personal. B2B companies, on the other hand, have lacked this approach over the past. These businesses usually concentrate on account-based targeting. To be honest, that won’t work for long!
B2B companies need to change their approach and use digital marketing tactics like social media marketing and content marketing to engage customers directly on a channel where they are either active or have shown interest in. Businesses need to understand that humans are purchasing their products and therefore a personal approach is essential.
4. Engage Your Social Audience
Lower down your marketing budget on traditional methods and divert it on digital techniques. You can’t rely on cold calls and emails as much as you used to. B2B marketers need to understand that their customers are actually humans and need to be treated in the same way.
In 2018, B2B marketers need to develop a social media marketing plan that involves social networks. Out of all the major social platforms, B2B businesses need to focus more on LinkedIn, as almost all major organizations are active on this network. One surprising factor to look into is your employees sharing content on LinkedIn. Readers have shown more trust in posts made by employees in comparison to the CEO’s updates.
5. Increase Your Video Marketing Budget
Video marketing for B2B businesses is on the rise. Not because of all the hi-tech video cameras that have emerged, but in fact because videos play a significant role in convincing someone to make a purchase. According to research by Google, 70% B2B buyers watch videos before buying products. In addition, almost 50% of these B2B personals watch at least 30 minutes or more industry-related videos, and nearly 20% watch over an hour of content. – If you plan on getting B2B buyers to learn more about your products and convert, video marketing should be your next step to success.
Verdict
Even if your business is doing pretty well in the worldwide B2B marketplace with traditional marketing techniques, it won’t always stay the same. Many top companies have had to go down the line just because they couldn’t keep up with those B2B marketers who focused on digital marketing techniques. If you think I’m exaggerating, take a look at how Alibaba got listed at the top of the chart with the help of modern tech marketing strategies. If you plan on keeping your B2B business alive, follow the trends listed above and capitalize on the opportunities before it’s too late.
