B2B customers and consumers have many similarities. For instance, both types of customers rely heavily on search engines such as Google at every step of the customer journey. However, selling to business can involve multiple contacts, complicated requirements, and prolonged buying cycles.
Use the following tips to market your company’s services to other companies.
B2B Research
Just because you aim to sell to businesses rather than consumers doesn’t mean that market research doesn’t matter. Like every other business, you need to identify what businesses need and how you can meet that need while delivering exceptional value and earning a profit.
Market research should also involve identifying and analyzing your competitors. To begin with, you can learn from their mistakes. You can also identify their weaknesses and use that knowledge to create a sustainable competitive advantage for your company.
In many ways, B2B and B2C marketing tactics are converging. Both customer types expect personalized buying experiences. Also, they both respond to emotional triggers. Your job is to get to know the companies that comprise your target market so you can meet their needs.
Your Website
Rather than regarding your website as an online billboard, think of it as a hub of your business’ online presence. From this perspective, create a high-performance website that stands out from your competitors in the way it looks and functions.
When a B2B customer searches Google for the type of services that you provide, you want them to see your company in their search results. This requires a well-planned SEO strategy. Also, make sure that your site loads quickly and displays properly on mobile devices.
Your content should add value to your customers by answering their questions and providing solutions to real-world problems. Also, you should have easy-to-find screen elements that include navigation, your contact information, and registration links.
Engage
After attracting prospective customers to your site, you should engage them in ways that encourage them to choose your brand. Always remember that B2B customers usually spend more time in the sales funnel than consumers do, so education and nurturing are essential activities.
During this period, build relationships and educate your prospects. By the time they’re ready to make a buying decision, they should automatically choose you.
Support your engagement efforts with the use of social networks, including LinkedIn and Instagram. In addition to using your social media presence to attract new prospects, you can use it to interact with your past, current, and prospective customers.
Advertise
Online advertising networks allow you to create precisely targeted audiences. This means that you can focus on the people who work for companies that can become your customers.
For example, You can leverage paid search engine advertising to increase your visibility in Google. Social networks operate their own advertising platforms that can increase your exposure to B2B customers.
Additionally, look for opportunities to advertise with relevant industry websites and publications that serve your target market. For example, if you sell the best employee benefits, you might consider advertising on websites that serve the HR management industry.
Analyze
Always monitor the results you get from your marketing activities to optimize your ROI. Start with the statistics generated by your website social networks, and advertising platforms.
In addition to analyzing your data, respond to it. For instance, if you discover that you’re losing traction on some of your most valuable keywords, you should revamp your content and SEO strategies.
Similarly, if website visitors don’t engage with your website, you could be attracting the wrong visitors. That means you should reevaluate your advertising strategy. Always reinforce tactics that work and abandon those that don’t.
In summary, you can adapt general marketing principles to address the special needs of B2B customers. While applying the above tips, stay alert for new ideas that can help you achieve your goals.
