Top 10 Most Effective Marketing Strategies

10 Business-to-Business Marketing Strategies

We were curious about what business professionals thought about marketing. We took a look at recent survey results and reports that compiled data on the topic, and created a list of 10 B2B marketing strategies commonly recognized as successful regardless of industry. Here’s what we found, in no particular order:

Growth Hacking

A marketing phenomenon popularized by startups with tight marketing budgets, growth hacking combines creativity, analytical thinking and social metrics to sell products and gain exposure. Growth hackers leverage social media, viral marketing and other low-cost alternatives to traditional media for one absolute focus: growth. Sean Ellis, who coined the term “growth hacker,” explained that growth hacking does not replace marketing, but it’s different in that every tactic employed in growth hacking is scrutinized by its potential impact on scalable growth.

Growth hacking is effective because:

• Every decision is informed by growth
• Products and services are redefined as tools for growth instead of something to sell
• It’s fluidity keeps it adaptable and low-cost

Fast Fact: Growth hacking is credited with generating 10% more leads than traditional marketing techniques

Referral Programs

A referral program is an umbrella term used to describe a systematic approach companies take to incentivize people to tell others about their products or services. Implementing specific affiliate programs, customer referral programs and partner programs are meant to offer the instant credibility of existing customers to grow a customer base. “Referral programs” is often used synonymously with “referral marketing.”

Referral programs are effective because they:

• Leverage the recommendations of happy customers
• Authentically recognize customers’ brand loyalty and reinforce it
• Are perennially popular with customers 

Fast Fact: The lifetime value for new referral customers is 16% higher than non-referrals 

Earned Media and PR

Earned media (or “free media”) is publicity that’s created through efforts other than paid advertising. It can take a variety of forms – a social media testimonial, word of mouth, a television or radio mention, a newspaper article or editorial – but one thing is constant: earned media is unsolicited and can only be gained organically. It cannot be bought or owned like traditional advertising.

Earned media and PR are effective because they:

• Are generally “free” advertising channels
• Are unsolicited and, therefore, have instant perceived credibility
• Increase awareness of valuable, educational and trustworthy content

Fast Fact: 25-40% of all traffic and lead generation comes from earned media 

Networking Events

Tradeshows remain a top B2B networking tool, as they gather companies within a specific industry into one location for demonstrating their latest products and services. Rarely open to the public, trade shows give companies the chance to establish or strengthen relationships with key industry partners, customers and prospects; identify market trends and opportunities; and, gain an understanding of what their competition is offering in the market.

Networking events are effective because they:

• Encourage face-to-face interactions and relationship building
• Are typically well-attended, creating a target-rich environment for lead generation
• Allow businesses of every size access to the same audience and information

Fast Fact: Converting a tradeshow lead to a sale costs 38% less than sales calls alone

Search Engine Marketing

Search engine marketing, or SEM, is a tool that companies use to grow their website traffic through paid online advertising. One of the most popular SEM methods is pay-per-click (PPC) links. Essentially, a company buys or “sponsors” a link that appears as an ad in search engine results when keywords related to their product or service are searched. Every time the ad is clicked, the company pays the search engine (or other third party host site) a small fee for the visitor – a literal “pay per click.”

Search Engine Marketing is effective because:

• Of its breadth in online tools and reach
• It’s a cost-effective way to generate high visibility
• It’s easily adaptable to multiple markets and audiences

Fast Fact: Informational/educational content is distributed via SEM 96% of the time

Retargeting

Most websites visitors do not convert on their first contact with your site. Retargeting uses browser cookie-based technology to identify users who visited your site but left (or “bounced”) before completing a transaction. The cookie allows for targeted advertisements to appear in those users’ subsequent web searches and interactions, even if they’re not related to your site specifically. Retargeting is an effective conversion tool because it repeatedly gets your brand in front of audiences that are already interested in your product or service. 

Retargeting is effective because it:

• Recaptures the attention and purchase power of “window shoppers”
• Generates high click-through rates
• Lends itself to visitor segmentation and tailored messaging 

Fast Fact: On average, businesses using retargeting experience a 55% conversion rate 

Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing focuses on providing users with content they find valuable and want to share across their social networks, resulting in increased visibility and traffic. Social media shares of content, videos and images also influence SEO efforts in that they often increase relevancy in search results within social media networks like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram and search engines like Google and Yahoo.

Social Media Marketing is effective because it:

• Reduces marketing spends while increasing lead generation
• Provides metrics that give companies additional marketplace insight
• “Humanizes” brands and encourages conversions

Fast Fact: 70% of all B2B marketers use at least one of the "Big Four" social media sites (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube) to distribute content

Search Engine Optimization

Search engine optimization, or SEO, is the process of increasing awareness about – and traffic to – a particular website by making sure it appears among the top unpaid (or “natural”) search results on search engines like Google, Bing! and Yahoo. 

While social media, email, banner ads and other marketing tools generate website visits, SEO visibility is particularly important because search engines are the primary way users navigate the Internet. It automatically increases your audience in a relevant, targeted way – they self-identify as someone who wants, or at least is interested in, your product or service. 

Search Engine Optimization is effective because it:

• Continues to evolve to keep pace with mobile and local search engine optimization
• Simplifies searches for customers interested in your product or service
• Is a cost-effective way to keep your brand competitive with similarly situated companies

Fast Fact: 57% of B2B marketers state that SEO generates more leads than any other marketing initiatives 

Content Marketing

Content marketing emphasizes education over selling to influence buying behavior. This strategic marketing approach focuses on creating and distributing information relevant to prospects’ needs in order to attract those best aligned with – and most likely to purchase – your product or service. Since communication is ongoing, content can be tailored to reflect what you learn about leads over time, and may include varied formats like infographics, webpages, podcasts, videos, blogs, white papers, webinars and eBooks. It’s important to note that content marketing is not synonymous with inbound marketing (see below). Content marketing is an important component to an overall inbound strategy, but it does not integrate other marketing methodologies to maximize content value.

Content Marketing is effective because it:

• Draws prospects through the sales funnel
• Grows brand visibility, credibility and desirability
• Engages your target market with relevant information 

Fast Fact: 9 out of 10 B2B buyers say online content has a moderate to major effect on their purchase decision

Inbound Marketing

Inbound is far and away the most effective B2B marketing strategy because it leverages the strengths of the majority of the other nine strategies to attract, convert, close and delight customers. Unlike traditional marketing methods – or even those of the other strategies listed here – inbound earns the attention of customers and pulls them to company website by producing meaningful content. Because messaging is relevant and appears in the right place at the right time, inbound invites visitors in rather than annoying them with interruptive traditional advertising.

Inbound Marketing is effective because it:

• Works for businesses of any size or type
• Creates more knowledgeable prospects
• Can be easily integrated and managed using a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, like HubSpot CRM

Fast Fact: 80% of corporate decision-makers favor getting brand information through an article or blog series more than ads

Taken individually, the majority of the strategies we listed provide limited marketing clout. However, inbound marketing aligns the heavy-hitters – SEO, SEM, content marketing, social media and earned media – to deliver a well-rounded, cost-effective marketing approach that generates qualified leads, strengthens customer relationships and successfully builds brands. by >>

https://www.weidert.com/whole_brain_marketing_blog/bid/108524/top-10-most-effective-marketing-strategies