Why Your B2B Marketing Strategy is Outdated and How to Fix It

HypnoArt / Pixabay

Is your B2B digital marketing strategy stuck in the Stone Age? The fast pace of the marketing world can make the hottest marketing tactics yesterday’s news in the blink of an eye and leave you struggling to generate leads.

Here’s what you might be doing wrong and what you need to change to step up your B2B marketing game.

Creating “Salesy” Content

If you approach content marketing as if you were writing one continuous commercial for your products and services, potential leads will lose interest after skimming the first couple of paragraphs. Today’s content marketing is all about engagement through the delivery of relevant, high-quality information in a variety of formats.

Pay attention to how your ideal clients search, the keywords they use and the problems they’re looking to solve. Tailor your content to these metrics, focusing on providing answers and offering guidance rather than selling. Update popular existing content pieces with new information to draw people back and attract new customers.

Making Social Media an Afterthought

A recent report from Forbes shows the importance of social media for ROI in B2B marketing. In 2016, 39 percent of marketers said social campaigns generated “significant” ROI, an increase of 30 percent since 2015. However, you can’t get this kind of return simply by queuing up a bunch of somewhat relevant content and deploying it indiscriminately across channels. Real results come from a plan with a balance between your own content and high-quality pieces from other sources shared in an engaging way appropriate for each platform through which you communicate to your audience.

Hanging Your Hopes on In-Person Contact

Trade shows and other networking events aren’t dead, but you’re wasting your time if you make face-to-face meetings the core of your B2B marketing strategy. Your audience is primarily online, researching product and service options on their own time and with their own unique methods. These behaviors can be tracked and analyzed in ways the contacts made at a trade show can’t, and follow-ups are much easier to perform.

Blasting Everyone with the Same Message

No matter what channels you use for marketing, personalization must be part of your strategy. Sending the same message to every potential lead says you don’t understand the unique needs of a diverse audience. The trend of personalization taking over B2C marketing also applies to B2B and must be embraced with customized email messages, landing pages, social media content and remarketing techniques. Create lists and groups for each audience segment, and deliver content tailored to the needs of the decision makers in each segment.

Experienced digital entrepreneur Sam Ovens cites attention to needs as a critical aspect of B2B marketing. Applying this strategy allowed him to build a booming consulting business and power up his clients’ marketing strategies.

Taking a similar approach to your own B2B marketing is essential if you want to support robust sales and create a thriving brand. With a strong plan for the future, you can leverage the latest marketing strategies to create valuable long-term client connections.

Source: B2C