The Essential Guide To B2B Marketing In A Digital Economy

THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE

TO

B2B MARKETING IN A DIGITAL ECONOMY

If you’re a small- to medium-sized business (SMB) –

especially if you’re in the business-to-business (B2B)

space – you’ll know how messy the digital revolution

has been for marketing and sales

Not long ago, a sale

needed some sort of

human interaction –

even with the web

Now, from fact-finding to

brand relationship building,

your customers rely on the

Internet to do it all

How can a small B2B-focused company get back

into the discussion in this age of digital selling?

Here’s a guide to help your SMB be found, seen

and heard online

Being found

THE WEBSITE:

Your digital kingdom

Most companies know they need to have a website but

don’t recognize just how critical it is. Your website is your

digital kingdom, a place where you can share your brand

story, connect people directly to your company, and make

that all-important first impression.

Being found

CONTENT:

What’s your story?

Most companies do a great job of explaining what they do,

but fail when it comes to using more dynamic content

(blogs, videos, infographics) to show how they can help.

Customers respond to relevant information and education;

products and services come later.

Being found

SEARCH BASICS:

What SMBs really need to know about search

Being found through search -- search engine optimization

(SEO) -- requires a regular stream of high-quality and

relevant content, as well as social media to boost authority

and visibility. Social media often gets pushed to the side,

but according to this study, seven of the top eight SEO

factors are tied directly to social activity.

Being found

SOCIAL LISTENING:

Figuring out your audience online

Strategic social media use starts by listening to your

competitors as much as your audience, so you have a

complete view of what’s going on in your industry. Watch

what industry players and influencers say and do online,

and pay attention to the tactics that engage thought

leaders, competitors and consumers.

Being seen

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Connecting your ideas with the world

There may be no better way to connect your ideas with the

world than through social media. It can be a terrific way to

boost your company’s visibility online. One of our strongest

recommendations: focus on sharing highly useful and

targeted content that’s of interest to the people you want to

connect with. Popular memes get attention, but they do little

to build a brand; don’t let them distract you.

Being seen

PAID MEDIA:

Placing content in the right spots

Paid AdWords and social media ads can have their place --

for potentially just a few dollars a day. If you narrow your

focus to a very specific keyword or phrase that your typical

client is looking for, an ad that sends them to a strategic

landing page can be well worth the investment.

Being seen

UPCYCLING CONTENT:

Increase visibility and your reach

Content is often written, shared and quickly forgotten.

Upcycling is a trend to reuse and rebuild previously

published information to extend shelf life and boost visibility.

For example, you can take a blog post you wrote six months

ago and expand it in these ways:

Create a SlideShare

Recap the article in a video and post it to YouTube

Republish the article on LinkedIn

Build an infographic for more visual viewers

Expand it into a white paper

Syndicate the content to industry trade publications

Being seen

SOCIAL SELLING:

Moving consumers through the funnel

Social selling is when sales professionals use social

channels to share your company’s content directly with

potential or current customers. It can be a terrific way to put

your brand on the radar — but it must be better than spam.

There has to be context for the information being shared,

and the focus should be on starting a discussion, not

pushing for a sale.

Being heard

BUILD COMMITMENT:

Like, Follow, Subscribe

The path doesn’t end when someone finds your company

online; your efforts are wasted if someone shows up then

leaves. Build commitment by making it easy to stay in touch.

Make social links easy to spot, so people can Like, Follow or

share your content.

Create a simple email subscription form for newsletter or blog post

distribution.

Don’t forget to link to your RSS feed -- some people prefer it.

For rich content like white papers or eBooks, consider gated

content -- a tactic that exchanges basic information for a

download. It can help you generate leads and measure your

investment, but use it sparingly.

Being heard

ONLINE ENGAGEMENT:

A one-to-one conversation

Digital marketing is about driving a better

customer experience, earning sales and

retention by focusing on the importance of

one-to-one marketing. Your end goal is to start

and continue discussions that lead to new

brand advocates, new customers, and long-

term clients that ultimately become referral

generators.

Competing in the digital

economy can seem

overwhelming, but in many

ways the web levels the playing

field. After all, the best content

doesn’t cost the most, it

connects the most effectively.

By focusing on the essentials of

being found, seen and heard

online, it’s possible to not only

succeed in the digital economy,

but to relish in growth and

visibility.

Dan Newman is the president of Broadsuite where he works side by side with brands big and small to help them be found, seen and heard in a cluttered digital world. A regular contributor to Forbes, Entrepreneur and Huffington Post, he is also the author of two books, a business professor and a huge fan of watching his daughters play soccer.

Dan NewmanPresident of Broadsuite

@danielnewmanuv [email protected]