Marketing and advertising cover a great scope of materials, platforms, techniques and trends which are constantly updating and upgrading. Marketing is a giant umbrella with a variety of smaller techniques underneath, one of which is business-to-business marketing or B2B Marketing for short.
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What is B2B Marketing?
B2B is a form of marketing where the strategy and outcome are targeted towards another business or organisation and are typically delivered by another company. This process promotes services or goods to a business buyer and is all about selling to corporate customers instead of regular customers. B2B marketing has the main aim to increase visibility, drive leads and make sales through platforms such as social media, SEO and content marketing.
What are the different types of B2B markets?
There are four main types of B2B markets based on the businesses involved and what the offer includes.
Producers: Companies that create something using your resources. For example a restaurant, bakery or technology solutions.
Resellers: The process of products or services being resold that were originally created by a third-party provider for example wholesalers, a garage or a local supermarket.
Government: This includes government agencies across the globe that buy and use products. All national, regional or local governments are involved in this.
Institutions: Covers nonprofit organisations, hospitals, religious buildings and charities.
B2B Marketing Strategies
Like most elements of marketing and the digital world, B2B marketing is an ever-changing strategy which brings new trends and updates each year. Although you never know when a new and improved strategy might arise, there are a number of techniques which markers can rely on and continue to implement into their marketing plans.
Email Marketing
Email has been around for years, and although it technically does the same thing it’s always done, modern media and technology have meant email marketing has become creative, everlasting and timeless. By using this platform for things such as cold calling, subscription services and newsletters, marketers have adapted their email usage along with current digital trends and used it as a way to retain their customers. Most businesses and employees will have some sort of email or contact, making it the perfect option for B2B brands to stay in touch in a familiar, simple way. 87% of B2B marketers say email is one of their top free distribution channels, meaning they’re the ideal place to engage a new prospect, inform new clients, build a community and promote products or services.
Influencer Outreach
Influencer marketing has now crept into the world of B2B and although it’s more of a complicated process, it’s a modern-day strategy that is proving to work for both sides. The main purpose of this marketing strategy is to find influencers with expertise in a particular area or industry. These influencers should be in line with your business needs, morals and goals and both sides of the collaboration should be benefitted. You can then get these influencers ( who tend to have a business account ) to partner with you and collaborate on PR, gifting and advertising.
Social Media Marketing
There’s been a huge rise in B2B brands using social media to collaborate, boost sales and grow their brand name. By investing time and resources in particular platforms, businesses are now using organic and paid content to advertise products and communicate with other companies and audiences. This content includes videos, blogs, digital downloads and interactive features and brings a more creative aspect into business collaborations. Most B2B businesses focus on Linkedin as this is a professional network where many users are hunting for leads, looking for partnerships or actively recruiting. The key to social media is having a distinctive brand voice. Just because you are a B2B brand doesn’t mean it has to be serious and constantly professional. Businesses appreciate relationships and honesty, so making your platforms personal is always a good move.
Content marketing
Content marketing can include a variety of different formats and materials, but all in all, means publishing high-value content which is reliable, trustworthy and high quality. This content might include tips and tutorials, guides and downloadable resources for others to benefit from and engage with. This is especially beneficial for B2B companies as they can communicate about the same topics and industries, learn from one another and provide significant resources for educational purposes. The different types of B2B content which help drive traffic and conversations include:
- Video Marketing
- Infographics
- Blog articles and news
- Research reports and materials
- Podcasts
- Webinars
- Case studies and testimonials
- Email or printed newsletters
The most important part of content marketing is knowing which technique works and what your audience enjoys. These features help to engage the viewer or business and move them smoothly along the sales funnel.
B2B Digital Marketing For Businesses
Do you want to up your newsletter game or social accounts so that you can secure a higher ROI from your marketing efforts? As with any marketing strategy, it always pays to consult the experts!
Here at Imaginaire, we’re a digital marketing agency specialising in web design, website management, social media, SEO and PPC in and around Nottingham and the rest of the UK.
Simply book your free consultation and we’ll get to work on devising a strategy tailored to your business. If you’d like to find out more about what we can do for your business, drop us an email or call us on 0115 697 1541 to find out more.
You can even get a free website review from our specialists. Just head over to our free website review page and we’ll take a look!
