Whether you are operating a business to business (B2B) or business to customer (B2C) business, you need to do marketing to generate, secure, and convert leads consistently. However, for B2B marketing, you need to use varying marketing strategies different from those used by B2Cs. B2B buying is not just different from B2C, it has changed from the traditional B2B buying process which was controlled and initiated by the seller. In this post, we look at marketing strategies for business growth.
The Modern B2B Funnel with Repeated Journey Steps
Today, buyers often repeat certain actions in the journey to making a buying decision. As a b2b Sales Company or a business owner, you need to remember the steps below of the new buyer’s journey.
Awareness of Your Product or Service
Your buyers will want to know of a particular product or service to understand what solutions you are offering to them. This usually happens when people are curious and ask questions or search for an answer to their problem.
Consideration
Buyers will normally do extensive research and consult each other as they find the options in the market. The first point of contact with your sales representatives will come later.
Purchase
At this stage, the buyers purchase what you’re offering. However, the journey does not stop here. In one way or another, it is just the beginning.
Post Purchase
Your buyers will seek top-notch service and customer support. If they are satisfied by both, they will continue to buy from you and be loyal. Furthermore, by implementing incentive marketing and offering rewards for repeat business, you can increase customer satisfaction and encourage ongoing purchases, ultimately building long-term loyalty.
Set Goals and Plan to Track Them
You need to set strategic goals and measurable goals to achieve greater success. Strategic goals are not sales centric, they are market centric. These goals will define how you will differentiate your brand from your competitors in all your marketing campaigns.
When planning your strategic goals you need to establish the threats, weaknesses, strengths, and opportunities of your brand. You need to plan how you will mitigate the weaknesses, and counteract the strengths of your competition. You will also need to set measurable goals to evaluate if the strategies you’re implementing are working as expected.
Prepare to Personalize
Buyers in B2B also need high levels of personalization as per with B2C buyers. Treating B2B buyers the same way you would treat a real person is crucial to making sales. When you personalize, it means you’re tailoring your offers, communication, and advertising to meet your B2B customer needs. You can prepare to personalize by considering these factors:
- Channels: Use the channels and mediums your prospective customers prefer to communicate and get information
- Intent: Plan how you can best target prospective customers with high intent
- Message: Create high quality content pieces, messages, and CTAs which will motivate buyers and move on in the funnel
- Real Time: Anticipate each buyer’s needs by offering real-time human support or chatbots
Endnote
Now that you have seen the above B2B marketing techniques for the modern B2B buyer, you can implement them in ways that resonate with your brand. Remember that buyers control the buying process, and there are many stakeholders involved in the purchasing decision.
