Revolutionize Your B2B Marketing Strategy: 19 Steps to Building Your Most Effective Campaign EVER!
Angelica Scott
Marketing Strategist and Copywriting for Loma Cotta - Helping Established Businesses Reach New Customers Via Targeted Social Media Engagement, Inbound Marketing, Paid Ad Campaigns, & SEO
If you're tired of throwing money at marketing tactics that don't yield results, it's time for a change. Building a great B2B marketing function requires a clear and targeted approach.
Don't keep wasting your marketing budget on ineffective tactics. Take the time to understand your customers' needs and behaviors, and then create a strategy that aligns with their buying journey. With these steps, you'll be well on your way to building a killer B2B marketing strategy!
1.) Define your target audience - Develop a GTM (Go to Market Strategy)
Before you start marketing your product or service, you need to understand who your target audience is. Who are the people that will benefit the most from what you offer? What are their pain points, needs, and challenges? A Go-To-Market (GTM) strategy is a comprehensive plan that outlines how a business will deliver its products or services to customers. It is essential to develop a clear GTM strategy that aligns with the executive, sales, and marketing goals of your organization. This will ensure that everyone is working towards the same objectives and will help to avoid any confusion or conflicts. To create a clear GTM strategy, you need to:
By developing a clear GTM strategy, you can ensure that your marketing efforts are aligned with the overall goals of your organization and that you are targeting the right customers with the right message.
2.) Run customer research to understand how your best customers are buying.
Customer research is a crucial part of any successful B2B marketing function. By understanding how your best customers are buying, you can tailor your marketing efforts to meet their specific needs and preferences. To run effective customer research, you need to:
By running customer research, you can gain valuable insights into how your customers make buying decisions, what influences their purchasing behavior, and what factors are most important to them. This information can then be used to create more targeted and effective marketing campaigns.
3.) Replicate and visualize the buying journey of every buying committee member.
In the B2B world, buying decisions are often made by a buying committee, rather than an individual. It's essential to understand the buying journey of every member of the buying committee to create effective marketing campaigns. To replicate and visualize the buying journey, you need to:
By replicating and visualizing the buying journey of every member of the buying committee, you can create more targeted and effective marketing campaigns that speak directly to the needs and concerns of each individual.
4.) Map out different marketing and sales activities across the buying process.
The buying process for B2B products and services is often complex and involves multiple touchpoints with potential customers. It's essential to map out different marketing and sales activities across the buying process to ensure that you are engaging with potential customers at every stage. To map out different marketing and sales activities, you need to:
By mapping out different marketing and sales activities across the buying process, you can ensure that you are engaging with potential customers at every stage of their journey and maximizing your chances of closing a deal.
5.) Assign the roles and define the skill set to run these activities.
To run effective marketing and sales activities across the buying process, you need to assign roles and define the necessary skill sets for each activity. This will ensure that you have the right people with the right skills working on each task, and that everyone is working towards the same objectives. To assign roles and define
6.) Develop a strong value proposition
A value proposition is a statement that communicates the unique benefits and value that your product or service provides to your customers. It should be clear, concise, and compelling. Your value proposition should answer the question, "Why should I choose your product or service over the competition?"
7.) Create high-quality content
Creating high-quality, relevant, and engaging content is a crucial aspect of B2B marketing. Your content should educate, inform, and entertain your target audience. It should showcase your expertise, establish your brand as a thought leader, and ultimately help drive leads and conversions. You can create blog posts, whitepapers, eBooks, case studies, infographics, and more.
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8.) Leverage email marketing
Email marketing is a cost-effective way to nurture leads and stay in touch with customers. You can use email marketing to promote your content, share updates about your business, announce new products or services, and more. You can also use email marketing to segment your list and personalize your messages for maximum impact.
9.) Optimize your website for lead generation
Your website is your online storefront, and it's often the first impression that potential customers have of your business. It's crucial that your website is designed to attract and convert leads. You can optimize your website for lead generation by including clear calls-to-action, creating landing pages for specific campaigns, and using lead magnets like free trials or demos.
10.) Start listening and engaging on social media
Social media is a powerful tool for B2B marketers. It allows you to build relationships with prospects and customers, listen to their feedback, and engage in conversations. LinkedIn is the best social network for B2B marketing because it's specifically designed for professionals and businesses. You can use LinkedIn to target people by location, industry, title, company, and other demographics.
11.) Conduct A/B testing
A/B testing is a method of comparing two versions of a marketing asset (such as a webpage or email) to determine which one performs better. By conducting A/B tests, you can optimize your marketing campaigns and improve your conversion rates. You can test things like visuals, site navigation and design, call-to-action buttons, content, pricing, shipping, and ads.
12.) Audit your customer data
Dirty data can cost your business time, money, and relationships. It's crucial that you audit your customer data regularly to ensure that it's accurate and up-to-date. Inaccurate data can lead to slow response rates and wasted marketing budgets. Audit your customer data at least every three months to avoid mistakes.
13.) Invest in video marketing
Video marketing is a highly effective way to reach and engage with your target audience. B2B buyers and researchers are watching more video content than ever before. You can use video to educate, inform, and entertain your target audience. Video marketing can increase brand awareness and drive conversions.
14.) Extend your sales funnel
B2B sales cycles are longer and more complex than B2C. Prospects require more information and education before they're ready to make a purchase. You need to extend your sales funnel to a reasonable period of time that helps people feel confident in your product or service. Provide prospects with as much information as they need, and be willing to build a relationship with them over time.
15.) Follow industry leaders and engage with their content
By following and engaging with thought leaders in your industry, you can stay up-to-date with the latest trends and insights. Engaging with their content can also help you build relationships and expand your network.
16.) Join groups and participate in discussions
LinkedIn groups are a great way to connect with like-minded professionals and share knowledge. Join groups related to your industry and participate in discussions to learn from others and showcase your expertise.
17.) Share your own content
Publishing your own content on LinkedIn, such as articles or posts, can help you establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry. Share your insights and experiences, and engage with those who comment on your posts to build relationships.
18.) Use LinkedIn analytics
LinkedIn provides analytics that can help you track the performance of your profile, content, and activities on the platform. Use this data to gain insights into what’s working and what’s not, and adjust your strategy accordingly.
19.) Don't forget to optimize your profile for search
To increase your visibility on LinkedIn, make sure your profile is optimized for search. Use relevant keywords in your headline, summary, and experience sections, and fill out all relevant fields.
In conclusion, building a great B2B marketing function requires a clear and targeted approach. By implementing the steps outlined in this article, you can develop a successful strategy that aligns with your customers' needs and behaviors. Don't continue to waste your marketing budget on ineffective tactics; take the time to understand your customers and create a plan that will help your business stand out in the crowded B2B marketplace. With dedication and effort, you'll be on your way to building a killer B2B marketing function that drives results.