Business-to-business marketing (B2B marketing) has become more challenging over recent years. There are many reasons for this, such as long sales cycles and having to build trust. Not to mention, most industries are oversaturated with competition, which means businesses always have multiple options to choose from, whether you’re a broadband provider or web designer. It’s tough — but there are things you can do about it.
Here’s an up-close look at some proven and effective B2B marketing strategies that will help you in the digital age. Upon successful implementation of these B2B marketing strategies, you can expect to see some big results.
1. B2B Inbound Marketing
B2B inbound marketing is when you use inbound marketing tactics to attract other businesses. Simply put, there’s less focus on “selling” and more focus on “value”. The idea is that you attract other businesses in a natural and organic way, which is a great way to stand out in the digital age.
2. Print Advertising
These days, almost every business on the planet is doing digital marketing. As a result, print advertising is like gold dust. With print advertising, you have a largely untapped B2B marketing strategy that can help you to:
- Improve brand recall
Because print advertising activates several different human sensors, it automatically improves brand recall. What this means is that your brand name becomes more memorable. If a business manager didn’t know who you were before, they certainly will after reading one of your print ads.
- Stand out from other businesses
As previously mentioned, most businesses now are only using digital marketing. As a result, their marketing materials are much less noticeable, as it’s hard to stand out in the online marketing world where countless other businesses operate.
With print advertising, though, you can easily stand out from other businesses. Let’s think about this: if a business sees one of your ads online, they’ll forget about it within 10 seconds. However, if they receive a printed ad from you (e.g., direct mail), they’ll pay more attention to it and remember exactly what you said.
- Increase longevity
Print advertising is also a great B2B marketing strategy because of its longevity. Leaflets, letters, posters — all of these print advertising materials last for a long time. For instance, if you post a leaflet to a business office, that leaflet will likely sit on the manager’s desk for weeks or even months.
3. Email Marketing
Email marketing is a good B2B marketing strategy because of one simple reason: high open rates.
When a business receives an email from another business, the odds are that they’re going to open it. As a result, whatever message you’ve written inside will then be seen by the business owner or a member of the sales team.
4. Google Ads
Through Google Ads, you can target other businesses and boost your website traffic. The best part about Google Ads is that you pay-per-click. In other words, you only pay when businesses click on your ads, which gives you a great ROI.
5. An Excellent Website
When a business is thinking about buying products from you or subscribing to a service you offer, it will always check out your website. This is why you need to have an excellent business website that’s dynamic, engaging, and full of helpful resources. On top of this, don’t forget to include clear information on your prices as well as customer reviews and customer testimonials, as businesses can then discover that you’re trustworthy.