The first thing you need to know about digital marketing for a B2B business based in Canada or the United States is that it can be one of the most powerful revenue drivers for your business.
Creating a B2B digital marketing strategy is no easy task. However, implementing a holistic digital marketing strategy can pay off in the long run.
B2B digital marketing tactics
B2B transactions involve a large network of suppliers and service providers. They also imply a greater degree of trust and loyalty, which is why it’s important to have a positive interaction with a potential customer at every touchpoint. Your future customers in Canada start their buying journey online, making digital marketing for B2B businesses an integral part of the marketing toolkit.
For your B2B business to be successful, you need to make sure you make a good impression on your buyers, who occupy different roles within the companies they work for. From purchasing to finance to various operational departments, many people can be involved in a purchasing decision.
Digital marketing strategizes to reach and influence them at every stage of the buying cycle. And since they are in the industry themselves, their standards and expectations are generally quite high and specific.
So what should you do? How do you ensure that your target audience, which includes more than one type of B2B buyer, is not only satisfied but also impressed?
Digital Marketing for B2B Businesses
Digital marketing for B2B businesses. This is your answer! It is essential that you focus on a B2B digital marketing plan if you want to ensure that your business stands out from other B2B businesses, has the perfect levels of brand awareness and is also able to generate leads.
1. Adapt to a new digital reality
The pandemic has prompted more and more people to rely on the digital sphere to do everything – especially in the business world. Companies are increasingly doing business online – from finding new customers to meeting them and closing deals.
Well-executed digital marketing for B2B businesses means conveying your digital marketing tactics and professionalism to the customer. With just one click, your customers can have access to who you are as a business. If your digital marketing strategy is well-designed and presents the type of content your audience wants to see, they will be more likely to trust you as a brand and invest in you.
Adapting to this online world requires rethinking how your customer journey has evolved since the pandemic. Early adoption of digital marketing and developing an online presence can lead to increased sales and market share.
2. Growing competition
In recent years, startup culture has almost completely taken over many industries, replacing others and causing a shift in market dynamics. This means it’s easier than ever for anyone to start a business, even a B2B business. There is a lot to learn from this new cohort of startups!
But that’s not all, the emergence of new businesses also means that the market can potentially expand, creating more space for growth, provided you can compete effectively. And you can only do this if you are technologically advanced enough. Online marketing is therefore practically essential.
3. Increased Proliferation of Business-Specific Social Media Channels
Nowadays, more and more businesses interact with each other on social media, which means an increased reliance on it. Social media platforms like LinkedIn are leading the pack when it comes to finding new B2B customers and positioning your brand in front of the right people.
Establish and grow your brand presence – the Canadian B2B commerce landscape is diverse and quickly reaching the right prospects to establish your brand presence can be an asset in generating demand.
Formalize a communications framework – with a multitude of channels and formats available online, digital marketing helps you formalize a communications approach across each of these channels. What may work for one channel is not necessarily best for another!
4. More cost-effective than the traditional approach
Spending money on traditional prospecting, compared to digital marketing, is likely to be more damaging because it is not as effective. With digital marketing, especially with things like canned emails, retargeting ads, personalized offers, and other automated elements, you not only save time but also money. Let’s look at some B2B digital marketing tactics that can help you optimize your marketing spend to get the best possible ROI.
Social Selling for Thought Leadership and Lead Generation – B2B customers exhibit sophisticated buying behavior, consuming content across multiple channels before making a decision. Social selling is a great tool that allows your sales team to be where your customers are by sharing content that addresses their problems. With social selling, you can expand your market, connect with customers throughout the buyer’s journey, improve sales effectiveness, and develop thought leadership!
5. The evolution of the customer
In recent years, your customers are much more autonomous than ten years ago – even if they are businesses themselves.
In this regard, it is important to offer them seamless integration of business and digital channels. For example, if cost per click is used, it should be used in a way that resonates with the customer and meets their needs. This means you need to optimize your landing page to help the potential customer speak to a sales representative within hours.
In fact, your customers’ overall experience depends on how you treat them digitally. So, it’s high time that you develop a B2B digital marketing strategy.
In conclusion
We hope the tips given in this article will help you improve your marketing efforts to be better than your competitors when it comes to digital marketing for B2B businesses.