Business to Business (B2B) advertising refers to any marketing strategy that is targeted towards a business or organisation. B2B advertising is done with the interest of increasing commercial transactions between businesses. It differs from Business to Consumer (B2C) advertising as this is done with the aim of increasing transactions between a business and consumer.
These differences bring vast changes in advertising strategies, as they have different target audiences. Occasionally a business will need to implement both B2B and B2C marketing strategies such as Amazon. However, this isn’t as common and often marketers will be able to focus on one strategy.
Some advantages of B2B marketing include higher order frequency, higher order volume and longer customer retention. Successful B2B marketing can be difficult to get right and requires more time to gain new leads and sales.
We have provided 3 B2B marketing strategies that won’t provide instant gratification but could provide very beneficial to your marketing strategy.
It’s surprising how many B2B companies forgo social media marketing. B2B owners often find social media marketing a waste of time because they aren’t selling to consumers. Behind every business are people, and people spend an awful lot of time on social media (including B2B customers).
LinkedIn is one of the most talked about social media platforms for businesses and professionals. With approximately 30 million active businesses on LinkedIn it’s no surprise as to why professional B2B marketers find themselves drawn to LinkedIn. Advertising on LinkedIn allows you to optimise CPC, conversion tracking and geo-targeting.
The added benefits to LinkedIn are in its ability to pinpoint companies based on seniority level, business type, and experience. Finding a perfect B2B audience couldn’t be made any easier than with their matched audiences feature, which allows businesses to upload custom audiences and the platform will find you similarities.
Direct Mail Marketing
Direct mail marketing has stood the test of time. Direct mail marketing is one of the longest running methods of advertising. Direct mail marketing is the act of sending physical marketing materials right to the very door of potential prospects and customers.
So, what makes it so effective? In this digital age, print stands out against the vast sea of online marketing. It allows businesses to highly target their audience and create content that will appeal to the doors it lands on.
There are many ways to get creative with your direct mail marketing from z cards to infinity cards. 90% of direct mail gets opened which increases the chances of your campaign being read and retained.
Email Marketing
83% of B2B companies use email newsletters as part of their content marketing program. It is a tried and tested method for turning leads into customers. Email marketing allows B2B marketers to specifically target businesses instead of consumers.
A successful email marketing campaign will involve meticulous planning. Planning often involves creating enticing subject lines, CTAs, design, and audience research.
Building up a list of contacts and segmenting your audience can be made easier with email marketing software such as Mailchimp Hubspot, and Drip. The unbeatable 4200% ROI makes email marketing one of the most important marketing channels for B2B companies.
