Buyer behaviour is changing. And for B2B companies, this means that digital marketing strategies are more important than ever.
Back in the day, B2B marketing tactics were typically very corporate and formal, but these traditional approaches simply aren’t cutting it with today’s digital audiences.
B2B audiences have had enough of the same old stuff, with their behaviour now merging with those evident in B2C audiences. Spending their time online, scrolling through websites, blogs, and social media and answering their own questions as they go, is very typical behaviour for us B2B folk.
60% of B2B buyers prefer not to use sales teams as their primary source of information.
68% of B2B customers now favour independent research using blogs, forums, and review sites.
To stay relevant, today’s B2B companies must review their approach to digital marketing and demand generation strategies.
Think Customer Experience is just for B2C? Think again!
Great customer experience (CX) sits at the heart of all companies – (or it should!), and every effective B2B digital marketing strategy needs to reflect this.
Traditionally, CX has played a bigger role in B2Cs. However, reviewing the way businesses engage with their customers at every point of their journey is just as necessary for B2B as it is for B2C – if not more so!
When you think about it, the only real difference between B2B and B2C customer experiences is the actual customer we’re referring to.
Rather than dealing with an individual, your customer experience needs multiple contact points that provide value to multiple people with different needs, including:
- Blogs that answer questions proactively
- Chatbots to guide consumers
- Customer feedback methods
B2B Customer Experience Trends you can incorporate into your Digital Marketing Strategy
Customers know what they want, which makes staying up to date with trends essential in your digital marketing strategy.
The biggest customer experience trends used by B2B companies include:
Personalisation
The bottom line is, customers want to feel valued. Your customers should be at the heart of everything you do, especially your digital marketing strategy. Leaving them feeling like just another source of income can be hugely detrimental, instead, you should be proving that you’re listening to their problems, solving their issues and essentially providing a tailored experience every step of the way.
Self-Service
Over 43% of B2B customers prefer not to interact with sales reps at all!
Meaning you may have to have a rather drastic rethink of your CX as part of your digital marketing strategy. With buyers conducting their research independently it’s vital you provide them with not just all the information they require, but also different ways and through a variety of different channels to consume that content depending on their preferences.
Multi-Channels
Gone are the days of just having a website as your only source of information. B2B companies that have mastered their CX with a multi-channel approach generate twice as much ROI when compared with peers. Customers today rely on various channels to find the answers to their questions. Whether that’s Google searches, Twitter, email, blog posts, LinkedIn, YouTube, etc., creating great content in different formats should be a key part of your strategy.
The sales funnel is no longer linear, but how can you use this to your advantage?
As audiences shift, so does the sales funnel. Traditionally, customers would enter the top of the funnel and gradually work their way down to conversion- often with a helpful nudge along the way from your sales team.
But, thanks to the internet, customers are now entering, leaving, and re-entering the funnel at random; no longer working their way through in a linear fashion.
With the sales funnel moving away from its linear structure, it’s more important than ever to get the right message to prospective customers on the right platform and at the right time.
Aligning your digital marketing content with various stages of the journey allows you to gently nudge them towards a successful sale while building a relationship of trust.
Everyone’s an expert these days!
The shift towards a B2C approach in B2B buyers means everyone’s doing their own research online.
B2B buyers now go ⅔ of the way through their buying process before speaking to a salesperson.
This dramatic transition means that your digital presence is now more important than ever. It’s no longer up to your persuasive sales team to convince potential customers to purchase, instead, the responsibility lies with your digital marketing activities.
71% of B2B customers now use videos as part of their research process.
Visibility across a range of digital channels is therefore vital to reach all of your potential customers – whatever stage of the journey they’re at.
The power of social
It won’t come as a surprise to learn that B2B buyers are increasingly using social media to discover products and to learn about your brand itself.
Social platforms provide an insight into your brand’s values and ethos, as well as how your business conducts itself – hugely valuable information for B2B buyers.
Social media also provides another environment for you to create and nurture relationships, plus, sharing valuable content and helping customers demonstrates your expertise and value in your industry.
Excluding social media marketing from your B2B digital marketing strategy means you’re missing out on reaching up to 4 billion people – for free!
Is your digital marketing strategy generating demand and leads?
Digital marketing channels allow for the detailed analysis of your campaigns, providing you with measurable results that you can use to influence your future campaigns.
An effective digital marketing strategy helps you:
- Learn more about your target audience
- Re-target them further down the funnel
- Target campaigns at every stage
- Find new audiences
Use your digital marketing strategy to streamline processes and ensure your demand generation is successful in increasing your reach.
B2B digital marketing strategies have never been so important
Without an effective B2B digital marketing strategy in place, you could be missing out on hundreds of leads!
Creating the perfect digital marketing strategy for your B2B company enables you to:
- Understand your target audience
- Re-target them appropriately
- Find new customers
- Increase brand awareness
- Nurture customer relationships
- Build trust with potential clients
Looking for help in creating the perfect B2B digital marketing strategy for your business? Contact us today!
