B2C (business to consumer) companies are frequently in the spotlight on digital platforms. B2B (business to business), especially product companies, rely more on traditional marketing. Cold calling, networking meals and tradeshows are favourites. Digital marketing is not seen as a sales driver. While that may be partially true, it’s wise to start building for the future. And it’s not the long-term future we’re talking about. Digital is growing exponentially. Procurement managers are moving online for that vital first step in a buying process: awareness and information.
First impressions matter. And the role of a salesperson in that first impression is shrinking. Your first impression is now your website, social media and digital footprint. You need to ensure that those platforms are accurately reflecting your products value.
So which platforms and formats should you use? This article looks at the key platforms B2B companies should use for increased reach, visibility and lead generation.
Website
Your website is the first port of call. It should reflect your business as credible and professional. It should anticipate and answer your customer’s key questions. How long have you been in business? What’s your product range? Which renowned customer has bought from you? What do they have to say about your product?
Social media
The first choice is LinkedIn. For starters, 10% of its total userbase of 500 million are in India. Internationally, 80% of B2B leads from social media are from LinkedIn. What should you do on LinkedIn?
- Create a company page and an individual profile if you don’t have one
- Join and participate in discussion groups relevant to your industry
- Post regularly on your company and your page. Posts could be company / product updates, articles (yours and others) relevant to your target audience. Post what your audience wants, not necessarily directly related to what you sell
LinkedIn is well integrated with Twitter. It’s zero effort to post on both platforms simultaneously. That’s useful since Twitter is the second most useful B2B platform.
Don’t get discouraged if your posts don’t get the attention you want immediately. It’s a long game and every drop counts. Also, don’t look at social media solely as a lead generation machine. It also builds your brand through reach and visibility. A collateral benefit is easier recruitments. LinkedIn is becoming the go-to place for job hunters. Your LinkedIn company page is as important as your website in presenting a professional face to job seekers.
After you get LinkedIn and Twitter right, look at other platforms like Quora, YouTube (how-to videos, company video), Instagram, and Facebook. Remember to create a personality. Don’t be boring. Have fun and engage with your audience.
Email marketing
Email marketing works. Despite all the spam! A newsletter or article is a great way to stay in the mind space of current and potential customers. Again, focus on content which your audience wants. If every email is an ad for your product or service, your mails are likely to go unread or marked as spam. Exclusively focus on value to your audience.
Don’t start-stop. Build engagement through regular emails. There are several value for money email marketing tools. Pick one and have a go! Our own campaigns run on Mailchimp, with an intuitive UI and free till 2000 subscribers.
Other channels
Two others worth mentioning- Google and Amazon.
Google AdWords (now Google ads) is increasingly cluttered and expensive. Yet, its worth doing a trial of AdWords Express and analysing cost-benefit. SEO is expensive and time-consuming, without guaranteed success. Focus on content generation which might organically get you on top of the search results.
Amazon has transformed B2C sales. As a result, the list of big brands spending big money on Amazon advertising is exploding. While Amazon Business is yet to see the same success, the number and complexity of items being sold is fast increasing. So, try listing a couple of your standardized products there, advertise a little and see how it goes.
Closing note
What if you are in an industry where buyers know and respect your product and your company? Does digital marketing still matter? It sure does. There is an ever-increasing amount of information available on the internet. There’s a good chance that your customer is aware of alternatives to your product. Going digital allows you to stay at the top of your customers’ mind.
Do you use any other channel that’s bringing you great results? Or you think digital is not worth the effort? Share your views in the comments section below.
Want to discuss how these channels work or how they might be useful to your business? Write / call on suildias@iv-advisors.com / +91 9322737127 or drop by our office
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