When it comes to your B2B company thriving despite the current unstable economic conditions, it may very well all come down to your online marketing efforts. For B2B companies, the sales funnel, as well as the buying process, is so different from the B2C companies that only a strong and viable online marketing strategy is essential to growth and future success. In some recently compiled research data by Marketsplash, it is somewhat easier to see what is working and what is not for B2B companies. The following is taken directly from that published research:
- Staying a few steps ahead of the competition requires sharp attentiveness. One of the best ways to stay relevant in the marketing world, in general, is by becoming somewhat obsessed with B2B marketing stats.
- You might be tired of hearing about the pandemic on social media platforms, but it has indelibly changed how B2B marketers do their jobs. While some trends have picked up momentum, others have been dropped entirely. Nearly 70% of salespeople stated that almost 50% of their business is conducted through online sales. Many traditional sales techniques faded into obscurity during this radical shift while sales reps increasingly wield new technological developments.
- Despite obvious growing pains, nearly 6 in 10 sales and marketers believe that their B2B companies are excelling despite the state of the world. This stat mirrors a similar report that showed almost 60% of sales and marketing heads reported having surpassed their 2021 total income objectives.
- On a more concerning note, less than half of salespeople positively regarded the assigned budget reallocations from in-person to digital selling as a marketing tool. It seems that these marketing efforts have not translated as well into the digital channels and spheres as some may have hoped.
- Search engine optimization, better known as SEO, is how B2B marketers understand consumers’ search engine behavior. B2B content marketers use SEO strategies to boost the prominence and visibility of their websites on SERPs or search engine results pages.
- In terms of converting views, email collection forms were highlighted as a winning choice, with a conversion rate of 15% noted. Marketers have begun investing in SEO at a far higher rate, with a 5%. Strategic keywords were used by 71% of marketers as the number one strategy for the best type of online content marketing efforts. Localization (50% usage) and mobile optimization (48%) were also part of B2B marketers’ and mobile users’ preferences.
- 75% of SEO users found this B2B marketing strategy to be superbly effective for aiding them in reaching their objectives, while 83% were moderately to highly confident that their optimized B2B websites helped them hit their targets. Email marketing strategy has an essential place in your current toolkit
- While B2B video marketing took first place, that doesn’t mean that video marketers should forget about the traditional blog post. Blogging is still crucial for influencing the average consumer’s purchasing decision, with over 50% of marketing teams keeping this type of content alive and well.
- The thing about email marketing is that, despite being consistently regarded as defunct by the odd content marketing institute, it continues to hold an important place in the B2B marketer’s toolkit. 2021 saw a rise in email engagement, with 76% of B2B marketers enjoying a more intimate relationship with the method and consumers alike. The trick with email marketing and email newsletters is to develop messages into impressively personal communications and instill a sincere sense of authentic and transparent care.
-Written by Kevin Sawyer