BEST 7 B2B MARKETING STRATEGIES YOU SHOULDN’T MISS

Over the years, B2B buyers' behavior has changed considerably: from a purely physical experience with the company, the consumer has become the one who informs himself in advance on the web, moving only at a later time within the store.

In all this, it is necessary to adapt to the new ways of researching and purchasing the consumer, applying B2B marketing strategies, which allow the company to be found at any time and in any place, physical or "digital". In this guide, we discover 7 innovative B2B marketing strategies.

HOW TO BE FOUND BY THE B2B BUYER?

According to a study, 67% of companies looking for manufacturers or industrial or logistics service suppliers do so through the web. The searches are carried out mainly through the search engines and involve visiting the sites and downloading catalogs and technical datasheets. Indeed, many B2B buyers search for specific products and compare different brands: it should be borne in mind that 58% of industrial purchases start from product research combined with that of the brand (for example, "Whirlpool refrigerator").

What B2B Marketing Strategies Can Be Planned In This Regard?

1. SEO (Search Engine Optimization): It is one of the main web marketing strategies: optimization for search engines allows you to make your site appealing, user friendly, and perfect to be in the top positions for a specific search.

Let's take an example. We are running a company that sells industrial-grade refrigerators for businesses and large restaurants. Thanks to SEO, a user can find our site positioned on the front page by searching for the keywords "industrial refrigerator", "food company refrigerator", "restaurant refrigerator".

This result, which is part of a medium-long term strategy, is a consequence of:

• Technical measures on the site (aimed at eliminating duplicate content, canonical problems, 404 errors, ...)
• User-side precautions (mobile-friendly, fast, intuitive site);
• Contents (in-depth texts, optimized on the SEO side by means of specific keywords for the reference sector)
• Backlinks for SEO (obtaining inbound links from sites considered "authoritative" by Google).

In summary, through SEO, it is possible to be found at the exact moment in which the user searches for a term related to their core business. 

2. SEM (Search Engine Marketing): This is another important strategy to apply to get maximum visibility on search engines. Unlike SEO, SEM is short-term and is the ideal solution for anyone who wants to reach the top positions on Google right away.

Through SEM, the B2B Company can carry out ad campaigns for specific keywords, analyzed upstream based on the level of competition and search volume. In this way, a "race" with competitors is set up, which will be won by those who present the highest-quality ads. Not only that: the whole SEM strategy is mainly based on the monitoring and optimization of the ads so that they can obtain and remain constantly in zero position, the best of all.

HOW TO BRING THE B2B BUYER TO THE COMPANY?

According to a study, the purchase time inside a physical store as regards the B2B sector is becoming shorter and shorter. Very often, only one visit is enough to arrive at the purchase. This is why it is necessary for your business to present a user-friendly site aimed entirely at the user, and above all, able to inform him, preparing him for the next step: purchase.

What B2B Marketing Strategies Can Be Planned In This Regard?

3. Content Marketing: Precisely because of the importance that search engines have also assumed at a business level, one cannot avoid taking into account one of the marketing strategies that place content at the center of everything. The ultimate goal of content marketing is to gradually bring the user closer to the company: thanks to the information in the blog or in the product descriptions, those who search will feel supported and "understood" in their purchase phase and will be more interested in the company itself. 

To effectively develop a content marketing strategy, the company website must be prepared in advance. In fact, there must be a union of intent between the blog articles and the path that the user will face within site until reaching the contact or visit to the company, the true point of arrival of content marketing. That's why each article will be enriched by call-to-action (buttons that invite the viewer to act) and landing page effective (pages specific to the user's needs, incorporating a contact form).

HOW TO BUILD B2B CUSTOMER LOYALTY?

Loyalty is a fundamental step for a B2B company, which, in times of crisis or downturns due to seasonality, can thus count on the purchases of trusted customers. Also, in this case, digital has taken on an important role. According to a study, buyers who have had a technological experience with the company and were satisfied are more likely to return. In particular, industrial producers and suppliers wish to purchase different types of products from the company; even those who offer logistics services tend to buy the same product of the same brand. It is with this in mind that customer loyalty through targeted and customized strategies based on the need shown by the consumer; it assumes a value for a B2B company.

What B2B Marketing Strategies Can Be Planned In This Regard?

4.Email Marketing: The newsletter, in the digital field, is used on several fronts. In fact, it can represent an excellent tool to bring back a customer who was lost over time; it can lead, through a careful lead nurturing strategy, towards the positive closure of a commercial negotiation; it can allow the company to build a lasting relationship with the customer, thus increasing its value. Within a newsletter, it is possible to present communications or send discounts and promotions: in this way, the customer remains updated on the latest news and products on offer, deciding at the most appropriate time to buy again. What really matters when it comes to email marketing is personalization: it is good to send the customer only what is actually of interest to him, based on his history, his company, his past purchases. In this way, it will be possible not only to achieve loyalty but also to activate an effective cross-selling strategy.

5.Social Media Marketing: An active and strategic presence on Social Networks can also be an excellent way to maintain contact with the customer even after the purchase. In fact, the social platforms contain millions of active users daily and allow you to address a defined audience. Establishing an effective communication plan, which highlights the benefits of contacting the company, and creating sponsored campaigns that target those who already know the brand and have already come into contact with its products can lead to customer loyalty. Throughout this process, it is good to have as a reference point the search for the right channel in which the company fits: the article "Which Social? Guide to choosing among the 6 most famous Social Networks in Italy "can offer you some clarification about it. In general, however, the social network of choice for B2B companies is LinkedIn.

WHAT TO FOCUS ON TO REACH NEW B2B BUYERS?

Nowadays, it is essential to systematically understand the importance of personalization. The user's entire digital experience with the company must be tailor-made for him and his needs: this is why the starting point should be to reach an empathy with the target audience ( Buyer Persona ) to which you are addressing. Starting from empathy - and therefore understanding the problems that the buyer faces every day -, a successful B2B marketing strategy can be developed.

What Techniques Can Be Adopted In This Sense?

6. Creating a specific navigation menu: Paying attention to the structure of the company website is essential in order to create a unique and personalized user experience in contact with the company. Starting from the navigation menu, you can identify the pages and categories that will approach the buyer's needs. An example? A section dedicated to products, for those looking for a specific product; a section dedicated to services, for those looking for a service; a section dedicated to the target category (for example, restaurateur, food company) to allow the user to understand if, in fact, he is looking in the right direction. This will lead to a twofold consequence: on the one hand, the site will prove clear right away, and there will be a clear one selection between qualified users - that is, who correspond to the reference target - and non-qualified - who will not become customers -; on the other hand, the site will be optimized for search engines based on specific keywords, and anyone who searches on Google for a topic related to the company will be able to find it as a result. In this way, it will be possible to reach an extremely large number of users.

7. Contact segmentation: Your email or SMS marketing strategy also involves some type of personalization. The starting point, in this case, is the segmentation of contacts, based on:

• Customers
• Potential customers
• Former customers

Furthermore, it is possible to segment the contacts based on the type of purchase made. In this way, it will be possible to send newsletters or SMS made specifically for a specific type of customer or potential; if he meets his exact requirement, it will be easier for him to reach the final conversion, and the whole strategy will not have been in vain.

CONCLUSION

In this article, we have seen some B2B marketing strategies, which stick to current consumer behaviors in the digital field. Through targeted actions, it is possible to "catch" the user by leveraging his need, which is explicit in the search engine search, and to follow him throughout his decision-making process, gently leading him to purchase.