Which Strategies Work Best for B2B Marketing?

Listen in! Pick up some expert advice to a reader's question that we selected from CyberSchmooz.

Most focus these days is on digital marketing and how businesses can persuade and convert traditional customers and clients. In other words, they focus on finding strategies that will work for B2C (business to customer) marketing. Granted, the overwhelming majority of marketing demand revolves around businesses appealing to customers, but a growing segment of the broader industry is dedicated to businesses that provide products and/or services directly to other businesses (B2B marketing).

While many of the main tenets of marketing are similar for both B2B & B2C, there are some key differences. This ultimately leads to varying strategies that work better or worse, depending on the target. But which ones work best for B2B marketing when this is exactly what you need?

Here are a few of the top examples.

Search Engine Optimization

One of the most effective long-term marketing strategies for B2C approaches is also similarly effective for B2B marketing. Search engine optimization (SEO) combines technical optimizations with design improvements to help businesses and brands be visible in search results. Ultimately, SEO is highly effective because it requires minimal budgets compared to other strategies (though the trade-off is usually extra work and time before results are noticeable).

A variety of SEO approaches and tactics exist, depending on the size and scope of the brand. The key to SEO generally revolves around a steady supply of content, keyword optimizations, good website design, and building links. There are a number of SEO firms and agencies dedicated to producing results for B2B marketing professionals; some work with this B2B marketing agency to optimize search engine marketing outcomes (both organic and paid).

Niche Marketing

To properly target businesses with promises of a particular product or service, fellow businesses must adopt a specialized, refined approach. With select aspects of B2C marketing, broader marketing strategies can be utilized in terms of messaging and target audience. With B2B marketing, however, the need for more precision is absolutely ubiquitous.

The most successful B2B brands tend to be companies that focus on a particular audience or specialty within an industry, incorporating their marketing strategies to better promote this reality. While some businesses that do business with other businesses provide a litany of related but nevertheless different services, advertising oneself as a veritable Swiss army knife of sorts generally does not provide ample benefit. Ultimately, each service or product must be individually promoted and targeted to a highly-specific audience for B2B marketing outcomes to be optimal (click here for B2B niche marketing ideas).

Social Media

It shouldn’t shock anybody that social media remains one of the most effective marketing strategies regardless of the type of audience. While many B2C marketing campaigns on social media target individuals who intend to use products and services, B2B marketing on social media generally works best when targeting those who make purchasing decisions.

Even in the professional world, social media platforms such as LinkedIn – whether it be via ads, referrals, or testimonials – are influencing purchasing decisions by managers and department heads. Given that even professionals regularly use even more casual forms of social media, B2B brands targeting these individuals with ads across a variety of social media platforms only makes good business sense.

There are dozens of potential B2B marketing strategies to consider, but social media, niche marketing, and SEO are among the most effective solutions for businesses that aim to persuade other brands to make a purchasing decision.

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