Between creative demands, limited budgets, and an evolving target audience, it is quite challenging to develop an effective marketing strategy. Some companies serve individual shoppers, while others sell to organizations. Surprisingly, B2C and B2B marketing are poles apart since they care catering to different audiences. You can lure customers with engaging social media posts and discount offers, but these strategies are unlikely to work in B2B.
Business-to-business (B2B) directs marketing strategies towards another business or organization. Unlike individual consumers, B2B buyers conduct their research, read online reviews, and gain market insights. Therefore, B2B marketers have to hook their audience and evolve with the changing digital landscape. Familiarize yourself with sales cycles, cashflow adjustments, and invoice management software. After all, B2B is all about winning the trust of decision-makers. There are lead generation services that help you get leads and then there are b2b appointment setting services that help convert those leads into business.
Before jumping to promotional strategies, understand the buyer’s journey. If a buyer is on the consideration stage, deliver valuable solutions to solve their problems. Likewise, attract buyers with cash discounts if they are about to make a decision. Do you want to know more? Have a look below. Here we are revealing seven ways to promote your B2B business.
1. Host Events & Product Demos
Unlike customers, you can’t entice businesses with your product or service offerings. In B2B promotions, you have to demonstrate your expertise and show that you are the best person for the job. Instead of online marketing campaigns, host an annual event for all the stakeholders. Feel free to invite all market key players and your clients because the event would reflect your professional values.
It could be an annual dinner or an awards night for employee appreciation. Since you are trying to promote your business, get engraved promotional pens for giveaways. Handover these to all the guests as a thank you gesture for attending the event. It helps your brand get the recognition it deserves while developing a connection with customers. Moreover, if you are launching a new product in the market, host an event to demonstrate the latest invention.
2. Analytics & Automation
Surprisingly, marketing automation can do wonders for your B2B marketing strategy. What if you find website visitors who leave without contacting you? These people have an interest in your offerings, and a little assistance can generate leads. Acquiring such data allows you to send more relevant and useful promotional emails, boosting conversions. Hence, start leveraging automated tools and applications in your marketing strategies.
Alongside targeting correct audiences, analytics can be useful in every aspect. You can gather survey feedback, analyze buyer persona, and thank people for making a purchase. Most importantly, it lets you draw correlations and gain better visibility into the sales funnel.
3. Account-Based Marketing (ABM)
With growing buying circles, marketers want to impact revenue growth directly. Account-based marketing directs resources to an engaging set of target accounts, taking personalization to a new level. As a result, you can readily attract B2B buyers by launching personalized campaigns. It is far better than casting a wide net with lead generation efforts as ABM identifies key prospects and customizes programs for them. Assess your audience’s unique interests and needs to center the campaigns around them. Moreover, it gives you a chance to focus on high-value accounts and do business with industry giants.
4. Brand Storytelling
The objective of B2B promotions is to make your voice heard to target audiences. Even though you are selling to businesses, remember that people run those businesses. Hence, find a way to connect with them on a personal level to earn their favors. Are you wondering how? According to a survey by Accenture, millennials form an emotional connection before purchasing from a brand. Thus, one of the best ways to appeal to corporate leaders is through brand storytelling
All blue-chip companies – Nike, Virgin America, etc. follow similar tactics to build their fan base. The idea is to tell your story, allowing audiences to relate to you as a human being. Showcase the real people behind your brands and the people who design innovative products. You can tell stories through a blogpost or video message.
5. Gamification
Do you know B2B promotions can be more fun by turning it into a game? In this digital world, everything and anything can happen. B2B gamification marketing is skyrocketing. It is a practice of adding games or game-like features to an advertisement, encouraging participation. Feel free to tap into the competitive nature of humans while giving them some incentive to engage. You can introduce badges, digital prices, or leaderboards to make promotional campaigns fun. Alongside generating more sales, gamification is the ideal way to enhance user experience.
6. Use Live Videos
In the 21st century, content marketing is still going strong, but people no longer prefer reading blog posts. So, how about you bring the element of visual content in your marketing campaigns? You can use videos to communicate emotions, guide product use, or spread the brand message across. Believe it or not, but audiences find this medium more relatable than anything else.
When it comes to B2B promotions, use live videos to boost more conversions than any other media. You can hop onto Facebook live as this channel can help you hold a global conference online. People can readily join the live session, ask questions, and get answers to their queries. If your target audience is more active on Instagram, considering conducting a live session there. Remember to give prior notice about the live video to ensure maximum viewership.
7. Influencer Marketing
With an increasing presence on social media, some people are using this forum to influence people. They share their lifestyle and product reviews with their followers. Most people believe their word of mouth as there is no promotion or bias attached. As influencers become popular, brands are collaborating with them to promote businesses. After all, there is more potential in influencer marketing than most people know.
Although personal efforts are imperative, people tend to trust more if they hear about a business from the third person these days. If you want to make your B2B venture successful, join hands with influencers. They market your brand to thousands of followers, creating brand awareness and generating leads.
Conclusion
Indeed, B2B promotions are nothing like conventional marketing practices. You are promoting to businesses who are well-versed with all tips and tricks. Therefore, keep your target audience in mind and think about how your business can help theirs. Once you recognize your strengths and establish a unique selling proposition, promotions would become straightforward automatically. Start thinking outside the box and develop relevant and engaging marketing strategies to promote your B2B venture.
