The B2B marketing landscape is ever evolving. Advancements in digital technology are further hastening the changes being experienced in marketing and so are the changing expectations of modern buyers. If you want to get the most out of your marketing budget you need to tap into the latest and best trends in B2B marketing to get the highest ROI.
Whether your marketing strategy was successful in 2018 or not, it’s important to stay up to date with the latest trends. Things never stay the same. While the strategy you used in 2018 may have helped you make a big splash, you will soon be old news if you don’t apply fresh ideas to drive your business even further.
The following are some of the best marketing strategies that you should consider applying in 2019.
- Word-of-mouth
According to Digital Authority Partners, generating new B2B buyers relies a great deal on peer recommendations. Many consumers turn to social media, online reviews or their networks to gather information before making a decision.
If you want to harness the power of this marketing strategy you will need to include a robust review section in your website. This should be done on each product page. Actively ask your customers to review your services or products after making a purchase.
Aside from your own website, many people will check third-party sites for reviews. People are more likely to believe the reviews they read on these websites as they believe them to be unbiased. You should leverage the power of these websites to catch prospects with a high intent to purchase and therefore drive qualified leads to your website.
Another great tactic is to turn your customers into advocates (especially if you market a mobile app!). Provide them with exclusive content, host events, offer discounts or create an affiliate or referral program. All of these are great ways to get your customers talking about you to their networks.
Social media is also a great place to engage your audience. One of the most effective platforms for B2B companies is LinkedIn. This platform offers great opportunities to connect with prospects, share product news and generally add value. You can effectively ensure that you stay at the top of their minds.
- Conversational selling
The introduction of mobile phones, the internet and other advances in IT have changed how we interact with each other. The good old days of personal one-to-one interaction with salesmen are mostly a thing of the past.
Another reason this type of selling has become a thing of the past is that it was a costly method of marketing. Companies had to invest heavily to nurture relationships with potential customers. It also wasn’t a scalable marketing strategy.
That is until now. The rise of social media usage and widespread use of digital technology has made it easier and more affordable to add conversational selling to your marketing toolkit. Businesses no longer have to spend a lot of money in hiring and training a large sales team to do the leg work for them.
Modern day conversational selling is a great way to attract visitors to your website, convert them into leads as well as follow up on their interactions. It is a highly effective way to nurture long term relationships through the provision of targeted content. You can connect with prospects at the right time and provide value. This helps to improve customer retention.
The key to success with this marketing strategy is to ensure that your interactions with your audience are relevant. They should provide prospects with helpful information and in real time. This is only possible through continuously gathering customer data. That means having a robust customer data management platform.
- SEO like it’s 2019
A good majority of B2B consumers use internet search engines to find the information they are looking for. Appearing at the top of relevant search results pages is important if you want to attract new prospects to your business.
Most companies with an online presence already have some sort of SEO strategy in place. However, it is important to remember that the digital marketing landscape is constantly changing. You can’t do SEO like you did five years ago. You’re strategy has to evolve with search engine algorithms.
For best results in 2019, Meldium suggests focusing your SEO on:
- Local SEO
Optimizing for local SEO is especially beneficial if you have physical store or offer a service for a specified geographic region. Local results appear the top of relevant search results pages. This is an effective way of getting to the top and getting the attention you’re looking for.
- Long tail keywords
People who have higher purchase intent are often looking for something specific. They are therefore more likely to use long tail keywords. You can increase the chances of these people finding your business by using long tail keywords in your content.
- Mobile users
Optimize your website for mobile. Many B2B buyers are using their smartphones and other mobile devices to carry out business tasks. Optimizing your website for mobile will help to drive traffic, increase dwell time, reduce bounce rate and turn prospects into qualified leads.
- Visual content
This type of content includes videos, infographics and relevant pictures. Relevant visual content is highly effective for increasing engagement and dwell time. it is also effective for encouraging sharing and therefore boosting your SEO.
- Hyper-personalization through AI and data-driven marketing
Marketers have been collecting data on consumers for years. This data has become invaluable with the rise of AI-driven technologies for marketing. This big data can now be used by B2B companies to analyze customer behavior for actionable insights. These companies are therefore able to offer personalized content and increase their conversion rates.
Another emerging trend in marketing personalization is the concept of data-driven marketing. Known as the next gen evolution from leveraging AI technologies, data-driven marketing refers to the process of using big data to better understand consumer behavior and come up with hyper-personalized recommendations that are effective in putting the right product in front of the right person at the right time. ComboApp has a great article on this topic and how it works which can be read here.
Companies for example can provide customers with smart content. This includes information that is highly personalized to match the customer’s stage in the purchasing funnel. The content is delivered to nurture relationships and accelerate the customer’s journey along the sales pipeline.
In conclusion
There’s an increasing demand for a customer-centered experience amongst B2B buyers.
B2B businesses can respond to this need by providing their customers with an experience that is personalized, relevant and has a human touch. Winning your customers’ trust and building relationships should be your top priority for 2019. Not sure where to start with your marketing efforts? Check out this list of Chicago creative agencies that can help you out with your B2B marketing efforts.