What are the best channels to reach your B2B target audience within your marketing budget?

'Half of my marketing actions don't work, but I don't know which one is'. Before getting started with whatsoever action, goal setting or KPIs, we need to analyze baseline and historical information. The objective is to understand what channels, actions, programs, and campaigns work best. It is also key to know how each action works with each other taking into account dark funnel impact.

Budget is just one side of the decision-making process. I look at past results, expected results, and overall trends. I then take 40% of my budget and see which 2-4 channels I must keep as they guarantee to drive positive outcomes. The rest of the 40% is for testing out new channels as it's a must and accounts for the failure of at leat one channel.

Start with core metrics: outreach (number of contacts or companies reached), engagement (opens, clicks, responses), and actions (like demos or sales). These are your fundamental guides. Then, focus on iteration. Small adjustments, a 5% increase here, a 10% tweak there, can significantly amplify your results. It's about fine-tuning your strategy based on these metrics to maximize impact within your budget. Remember, in B2B marketing, small changes can lead to big wins.

Setting sail in the B2B marketing seas requires a clear map. Define your objectives: lead generation, brand awareness, or sales boost. Outline key performance indicators (KPIs) like lead conversion rates or brand engagement metrics. This strategic compass ensures your chosen channels align with goals, steering you toward measurable success.

First, before you even start thinking about your performance indicators, consider and define the precise business objectives you’ll link them to. Make sure that these objectives are important for the success of your own business, not just random goals you copied from a famous company you look up to for inspiration Remember, unless your chosen objectives are relevant to your own organization, you’ll either be achieving nothing with your efforts, or worse, wasting time and money Each performance measurement should serve as a means to get to a certain goal, and should, as such, be connected to that goal If you’re looking to achieve excellence with your goals (which is usually the case), then 3 goals are the maximum you should set at a time

If you have the opportunity to establish a CAB (customer advisory board), then do it! This is the best way to get dedicated time with your proven ICP and learn what is top of mind for them, run short live surveys, and test messaging.

One additional tactic, if your targets are specific organisations, is to target them with display ads based on their IP-data/ranges. Meaning you'll be able to communicate and market yourself/your company uniquely towards a specific target account, regardless of media, saving you both budget and time spent on research.

Don’t spray and pray. ?? ?? A surgical approach generally works better for B2B marketing. If you are able to identify correctly, your prospective customers’ pain points, it will be much easier to send your message to them. Think about the number of times you’ve received emails that look completely templated and worse, get your needs wrong. Last week I received a LinkedIn message asking me if I need cyber security services when nothing in my profile states that I would be someone who would. On the other hand, an agency rep approached me and told me how they are able to help me with some of my challenges as most of their clientele are similar, and get a grant to cover all the costs. Now I was listening… ??

Chatting with a few folks who fit your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) can be a real eye-opener. It's like a shortcut to figuring out what works and what doesn't in your ABM campaign. This way, you're not just guessing where to find your audience or what to say – you're getting the inside scoop straight from the source. Saves time, money, and a lot of guesswork! ???♂?

Martech moves at the speed of light ? There's always something new to test and try and our first instinct as marketers is often, "This is so cool! How can I apply it to my market?" Therein lies the challenge. Sometimes you can't. The best channel to reach your market isn't always the newest one. You still want to run tests, but never disregard your tried and true channels just because they aren't new or sexy. If your ideal client loves printing PDFs instead of web-based resources, stick with ol' faithful. If your ideal client is more likely to engage Sales at an in-person event than click a digital ad, align your budget accordingly. New doesn't always mean better. Always build for your ideal client.

Evaluate resources and budget wisely for effective B2B marketing channels. Consider the balance between time, money, and expertise aligned with each channel's demands. Email and social media often offer cost-efficient entry, while SEO, content marketing, or events may demand more investment. Factor in content creation, distribution, and optimization costs for a strategic approach.

I've been on some scrappy B2B marketing teams (i.e. small budget :)) and I've found that professional associations that your ICP belong to are excellent value for dollar. They often offer a package that includes content syndication, events, and digital ads.

A lot of people sleep on Facebook, Twitter and other social channels because of their crappy targeting. But if you have a 3rd party data provider, you can upload highly targeted audiences, using lists of accounts and job titles. That's the key to making the most of other channels. LinkedIn and Google aren't your only options.

LinkedIn and Google aren't the be-all-end-all for B2B Marketing. If you have access to a third-party data provider then you can more easily experiment in other channels. Additionally, if you have an attribution tracker, you can then more easily see the actual impact of those channels on Pipeline and ROI. This is the way at Cognism we have been able to make Reddit, YouTube, Facebook and other channels work.

Choosing the right channel is key. Compare options based on reach, engagement, conversion, retention, and loyalty. SWOT analysis delves into strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Consider compatibility and integration between channels to amplify impact. For example, leveraging social media's wide reach alongside personalized email campaigns can create a robust marketing mix.

Effectively managing your budget is key to B2B marketing success. Prioritize proven channels while exploring innovation. Balance timing and frequency aligned with your audience's journey. Monitor results rigorously, adjusting your strategy and budget based on measured ROI. It's the art of strategic allocation for maximum impact.

In B2B marketing, understanding channel attribution is key. Different platforms claim conversions based on different models, often leading to duplicate credits. A solution is a unified tool like Google Analytics 4, offering a single customer view (SCV) across all media. SCVs amalgamate user data from multiple channels, providing a comprehensive view of actions and touchpoints, and enabling sophisticated attribution models like Data-Driven Attribution. This approach overcomes data fragmentation and accurately evaluates each channel's effectiveness, essential for informed marketing decisions.

Whichever channel your audience hangs out on the most is where you should prioritize your budget. The most successful business will focus their efforts here, establish a proven strategy & figure out how to scale it from there, with either more budget or new channels that make sense for your objectives.

No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems! Sometimes you don't have a budget and that's OK! This is when you can leverage LinkedIn Groups! LinkedIn groups provide an avenue to connect with professionals in your industry. Join relevant groups, actively participate in discussions, and offer valuable advice. While some LinkedIn groups may be dead, it's your opportunity to create your own so you can invite prospects and customers and leverage it based on your rules! By building relationships within your own group community, you can expand your reach and generate leads.

When distributing B2B content, it's worth considering adding in a press strategy to leverage your social and paid content distribution. The costs are minimal, and it can exponentially increase impressions and engagement. Subcontract a press agent for a short 1-3 month contract. They can secure you exclusive coverage in at least one relevant business publication. Once the business publication story goes live, pay the AP Wire fee to give your press agents' push real fuel. Business press and media are much more niche than general market publications but very effective at getting eyeballs on and engagement with your B2B content.

1. Build your own community. Great way to reach your ICP and to help drive engagement with your business. Don't use it as a channel to sell to, the idea is to help them to build relationships, get answer to their questions and it gives community members a platform to engage with other likeminded professionals. This can be within their vertical (if it matters to them) or across other industries. Then you can identify relevant challenges, issues, pain points and start to build content around that for your website, email and other comms. Inbound, when they are ready. 2. Build powerful relationships with your current customers and turn them into advocates who spread the word on social and other community platforms. Referrals incoming.

When it comes to B2B marketing, there's often a 'treasure' waiting to be discovered in every campaign. It's that perfect combo of call-to-action (CTA), platform, and targeting that just clicks, leading to outstanding performance. The key? Never stop iterating. Each campaign is a journey towards that hidden treasure. Testing different CTAs, exploring various platforms, tweaking your targeting – all these efforts are steps closer to uncovering what really resonates with your audience.

Make sure you set aside some budget just for testing… Even your most successful playbooks / tactics can go stale & stop working. If you need inspiration, check out what your competitors are doing & test something completely counter to what they’re offering. These types of tests will ensure you don’t lose your edge & can help you discover new things about your audience. Even failing tests will be to your benefit, as they allow you to refine your message & focus on what really resonates.