Everything you need to know about digital marketing strategies if your business operates in B2B
All B2B companies should work on digital presence, have a website and plan appropriate B2B digital marketing strategies so as to attract new customers and retain old ones.
If your company operates in B2B, even before thinking about the actual strategy you need to think about your current and potential customers: who are they? What do they want? What do they love and what, instead, drives them away? Where do they work and how do they work? Why do they choose your competitors and not your company?
These are just some of the questions you should ask yourself; after finding an answer with market analysis you canimmediately take action: planning strategies, studying your competition more and more, and imposing your online presence more firmly.
Today we’re going to talk about just how to find the answer to your questions and what areas of digital marketing to focus on if you work in B2B.
Are you looking forward to satisfy your curiosity? Then go right on to the next lines!
Why you should target the right customers (and address their needs) before launching a B2B digital marketing strategy
Why do you want to do B2B marketing? Probably to acquire new client companies, to not risk losing current ones, to grow in your target market… and maybe even to keep up with the times, which never hurts!
Also consider that many business-to-business companies still think they don’t have to establish themselves on the Web, so the ease with which you can rout the competition is palpable.
Perhaps you have already begun to think that your customers are not abstract entities or “things”-they are people, entrepreneurs like you, who have doubts, ambitions, needs.
They look for information and solutions online, make appropriate assessments. Then they turn to B2B companies that best meet their needs and with whom they have established trust through online communication.
This is exactly where we want you!
With a well-established web presence you can perfectly meet the needs of your customers.
But how can you know these needs if you don’t know your target customers, their problems and needs?
Read also: B2B marketing: how to choose the right customers for your business step by step
Here’s how to find the right customers for your B2B digital marketing strategy
To define the right customers to channel your digital marketing strategies toward (and to understand what they need, the right channels to communicate with them, and the perfect content) you need only one thing: amarket analysis.
But let’ s not talk about surveys, interviews or insights had by doing some Google search.
We are talking about market research conducted with the help of powerful software that mines millions of online data. Data that we at CMI then organize, interpret and represent in comprehensive and clear reports that you can use right away to do B2B digital marketing.
What can we find out with market research?
Here is an idea of what we will give back to you:
- The list of top prospects based on trends in numerous factors. For example, our interactive report of your prospects, dedicated just to the B2B sector, gives you this information:
- Category of products/services
- Type of company
- ATECO Code (with description)
- Geographical area (city and region)
- Turnover and risk classes
- Turnover trends
- Profit trend
- Export activities
- Economic results
- Number of employees
- Contacts (including employees)
- What information your customers are looking for online (and how much they are looking for it)
- What media to use to communicate with customers
- Where your target customers look for information. What platforms do they use to inquire about their work?
- Competitor analysis: what are your competitors, which customers are they targeting, and what digital marketing strategies are they using (which ones are winning and which ones are not?)
- How visible your competitors are on the web and how much traffic they drive to their sites
With the study of all this information you can then start planning a B2B digital marketing strategy – and have a great chance of success! -.
Read also: B2B marketing: here’s why knowing your target customers helps you develop a winning strategy
How to organize an excellent B2B digital marketing strategy?
The steps for a good online marketing strategy should all aim at one goal: to reach the right audience at the right time, and let them know that your company has a distinct value added over that of your competitors.
Here are, one by one, the steps to build an excellent online marketing strategy if you operate in B2B:
- Define your target audience through a thorough market analysis, understand what their problems are (and how to solve them), what they like and dislike.
- Contact industry professionals who can create your website or, if you already have one but have never maintained it, to revamp it. The site must be eye-catching, informative and convey confidence.
- Work on your website by focusing on SEO (search engine optimization). Again, there are professionals who deal precisely with optimization operations, namely SEO experts.
- If your customers hang out on social media (very likely) work on those as well, but be careful to choose the right ones so you don’t waste resources in terms of time and money.
- Start good PPC campaigns based on the information you have obtained from market research. Campaign content must be optimized and perfectly responsive to what your target customers are looking for. Better to focus on your company’s value, product categories, or specific products? This depends on the needs of the clientele!
Now that you know what you need to plan a B2B digital marketing strategy do you want to start off on the right foot, so with online market analysis?
Then we have just the thing for you: from comprehensive market research to customized, interactive reports to training with theCMI Academy, we can help you catch the right customers for your business.
Contact us now for a free consultation-we will help you figure out which solution is perfect for you.
