B2B advertising is, by itself, a large subject covering many different marketing tactics, strategies, and methods. It is only understandable that many a marketer is confused about what strategies for B2B to adopt, leading to a resistance to change and being stuck in the same strategies, overusing them.
Hence, in this post, we will cover 4 key marketing strategies for B2B advertising you can concentrate on. Although there are other equally effective strategies, these 4 can act as an adequate foundation of your marketing before expanding to other strategies.
Choose a specialization or niche for maximum effects
High-end B2B companies tend to market themselves as experts and specialists in a specific niche. In other words, they act as indispensable thought leaders. Any business that opts for a specialization makes their marketing strategies as simple as they come.
This is because specialization is able to clearly outline what your business does while also establishing it as a unique expert in the field. That means that whenever a customer wants something in which your B2B business is specialized, they know precisely whom to call.
Additionally, they’ll know which B2B business they can recommend whenever someone asks for a referral. Through specialization, most of your advertising is already completed for you once you have gained a reputation as an expert in the niche. When you opt for a specific niche, your marketing team will be able to drive your business forward to greater success.
Mobile optimization
Corporations have been optimizing content for smartphone platforms for the last several years, and this fashion is growing more and more popular.
According to Cisco, mobile traffic will exceed PC traffic. Although in 2019, PC accounted for 41% of total Internet traffic, by 2022, PCs will account for a mere 19% of IP traffic, while smartphones will account for 44% of total web traffic by 2022.
This clearly illustrates why many B2B leaders are shifting toward a mobile-first advertising strategy. It’s all about creating exceptional experiences that feel fluid on mobiles and tablets. Smartphone prioritization also supports an effective SEO strategy, as last year Google announced its commitment towards smartphone-first indexing, which means it uses the smartphone version of a webpage for ranking. Gone are the days of separate mobile websites.
With a modern, responsive design, a single website can automatically optimize itself for whatever device accessing it. It also eliminates the risk of duplicate content which can negatively impact your search engine rankings.
Printing
With all these digital marketing blogs posts on the Web, one would think that print-based advertising is dead. It isn’t. The trick lies in knowing how and when to use print to complement digital marketing for targeted reach and massive scale.
Print advertising is the ideal backing solution for your PPC and video ads marketing and can advance you even closer to your marketing goals. Just remember to go locally with it. For example, if you’re an Australian resident, choosing to print in Eastwood will enable you to adequately advertise, as local-based services have a better grasp of what would work effectively in your case.
If you’re from New York… well, you get the point. Magazine and newspaper ads and even trade show publications can make your customers more familiar with your offerings, making your online ads even more powerful once they’re encountered.
Making your B2B buyer personas to enhance your marketing
Do you deeply understand your customers? Without a precisely defined target audience, you are only throwing marketing dollars as you chase all the wrong leads.
A defined ideal client will boost your marketing and sales efforts as it leads them toward the right goal. Buyers personas are generalized representations of your ideal customers.
Depending on your business and sales cycle, you could have just one or two personas – or even more. Here are a few practical tips for gathering info about them:
- Send out questionnaires – email your current customer base an online survey, and, if possible, offer a small incentive to those who answer all questions.
- Talk to your sales team – they know your current customers the most. Ask for impressions and details about each client.
- Interview clients and prospects – either in person or over the phone, ask them about themselves, their issues and wants.
As you can see, many of these B2B marketing strategies work best when they’re used alongside others. Your B2B buyer persona and specialization will focus your marketing efforts toward a specific and efficient goal, while mobile responsiveness and print advertising can support your digital marketing efforts.
Use a mix of these marketing strategies to meet your B2B marketing objectives in 2019.