B2B Digital Marketing – Where to Focus Now

Internet usage continues to increase with a dramatic leap forward in research, shopping, and customer service online post pandemic. Customers aren’t just comfortable with digital interaction; in many circumstances, they now prefer it.

Don’t assume this phenomenon is unique to B2C marketing. Remember that business buyers are themselves consumers; they cannot completely separate their work selves from their personal selves. The expectations and habits they have developed as consumers most certainly carry over to their behavior at work.

The emphasis on B2B digital marketing began prior to 2020, but the pandemic forced B2B companies to dramatically increase their online presence and virtual interaction. Now, customers won’t allow businesses to retreat to their pre-pandemic ways. As reported recently in Forbes, “The days of overlooking the digital marketing space are long gone. Business-to-business marketing is at the cusp of a new era of digital communications.”

How is B2B digital marketing changing post pandemic? Most notably, B2B marketers will need to do more. Here are a few of the most popular and productive digital marketing investments for B2B companies.

Content – The Most Critical Digital Marketing Strategy for B2B

Content can accomplish many objectives in your B2B digital marketing strategy, namely:

• Establish brand and credibility
• Communicate thought leadership
• Educate about products and services
• Engage customers with your website
• Drive leads (if done properly)

Content is a generic term for various types of communication—written, audio and video. Let’s explore the different mediums.

Copywriting

Websites and blogs are the entry-level strategy in digital marketing, and many B2B companies still find themselves here. B2B practices have changed—research shows that the majority of B2B buyers want to research online before speaking to a sales representative to evaluate the company, product fit, and pricing. If you don’t provide an online presence that allows for this research, you will miss out on sales.

Blogs have become a standard B2B digital marketing tactic. These articles can improve engagement for your website, and when written by experts from your team, they can also establish thought leadership and authority on key topics. Well-optimized blogs can also drive customers to your site through search.

More advanced copywriting tactics include whitepapers and ebooks—they provide further information and education to customers and showcase your company’s expertise. Smart B2B digital marketers exchange this content for customer information as a lead generation tactic.

Podcasts

The podcast market has exploded. Podcasts are a great way to reach a targeted audience and diversify your content offering. Podcasts are especially valuable in industries where thought leadership (think consulting and other services) are key; they provide an excellent forum to discuss ideas with podcast guests in an easily consumable format.

Podcasts can live alongside the blogs on your website, or you can distribute them through Apple, Amazon and many other outlets.

Virtual Engagement and Video

In a survey of tech CMO’s, the firm Siegel+Gale found that most companies leaned heavily on online events to replace in-person events in 2020. According to the research, “Going forward, CMOs expect face-to-face activities to play a role again, but alongside rather than instead of the digital marketing initiatives that have recently substituted for them.”

Unlike in-person events, webinars and virtual events can be evergreen and repurposed many times in the future. Establishing a YouTube channel (see social media) can allow customers to access your thought leadership and education, which expands your company brand and reputation.

Product demonstration videos allow customers to do online product research and allow your team to optimize communication on features and competitive advantages. These video views can be tracked and used for lead generation. Product videos can be integrated into web content and also housed on a company’s YouTube channel.

B2B Marketing and Social Media

LinkedIn is by far the most popular and appropriate social media platform for B2B connections. It is good way for individuals within your company to network, share company news and showcase their own knowledge. In addition, your company LinkedIn page can distribute original content, promote company PR and drive traffic to your site/blogs.

Twitter has also increased in popularity in the B2B digital marketing world. The short form and mobile-dominant platform mean that Twitter is best for company announcements, and for driving customers to your website. The downside is that Twitter requires high-volume posting to maintain relevance, something that is still too great a commitment for many B2B marketing departments. But those who do use Twitter successfully find that they build community and a loyal following.

As mentioned, YouTube is also an excellent way to distribute video content. Companies can build their own channels and measure engagement; research shows that customers who watch company videos are much more likely to purchase from them.

Email Marketing Still Thrives for B2B

While consumers may think that email marketing is overdone, in the B2B digital marketing community, email is still alive and well. In fact, according to Hubspot, 93% of B2B marketers use email because:

• Email marketing messages can be easily targeted and those who use segmented campaigns see far greater revenue.
• Engagement can be measured and follow up is immediate; 59% say email marketing impacts their purchase decisions.
• Nearly 75% of millennials prefer email over other types of business communications.

Newsletters are the dominant email tactic and an excellent way to distribute online content, drive traffic to your company website and further establish brand. Separately, email campaigns focus on specific messaging and CTAs for customers further down the sales funnel.

If you don’t have a B2B digital marketing strategy, don’t be left behind! Get started with these ideas to jumpstart your effort and help your business succeed in the post-pandemic market.