In the past decade or two, marketing has seen a radical transformation. Ten years ago, concepts like social media marketing and content marketing were in their infancy compared to today’s state of development. The term “influencer” hadn’t yet been coined, and even fewer people back then knew what it meant.
Marketing has evolved into a considerably more complex industry in recent years. For starters, we have access to much more data on customers, providing us a complete view of the buyer’s journey from beginning to end. Because of this, it’s easier to come up with marketing strategies that work, get them in front of the appropriate people, and measure their results once they’ve been implemented.
B2B marketing has also seen a significant transformation in a short period of time. For companies, this has had significant advantages, especially for those who invest heavily in digital marketing efforts that produce results. Marketers may go a long way with just a little strategic thought and creativity.
There is no doubt about it: lead creation is critical to the success of B2B marketing. Prospects are converted into customers via this procedure in a nutshell. More sales force morale, increased income, and improved lead creation may all help shorten your sales cycle by a few months.
However, driving lead creation necessitates that B2B marketers evaluate the most basic aspects of their inbound marketing strategy. B2B companies have adopted inbound marketing to a large extent, but marketers must be able to demonstrate that their efforts are yielding a positive return on investment.
To help you succeed in B2B inbound marketing, we’ve put up this handbook that will teach you all you need to know. We’ll begin by defining B2B inbound marketing succinctly, then look at how it may help you develop your company and assess its effectiveness in that respect in more depth.
After that, we’ll examine the differences between inbound and content marketing, and finally, the current B2B purchasing process. A B2B inbound marketing plan may be started naturally, and then we’ll go through nine strategies to assist you go to the next level.
How to create effective inbound marketing campaigns for B2B companies
This article has been divided into categories to make it easier to locate specific information. Select a section from the links below.
- B2B inbound marketing: meaning
- Does inbound marketing work for B2B?
- Inbound marketing vs content marketing
- Monitoring B2B purchasing process
- How to establish an inbound marketing plan for B2B?
- 9 B2B inbound marketing techniques and tactics
B2B inbound marketing: meaning
As you can see from the definition above, inbound marketing entails providing assistance to prospective consumers in discovering your business via the production of valuable, interesting, and timely information. If you do this, you’ll be able to contact consumers long before they’re ready to make a purchase, giving them an opportunity to learn about something new.
When it comes to business-to-business inbound marketing, the goal is to raise awareness of a company’s brand by creating content that addresses the wants and requirements of prospective consumers. As a result, customers are more likely to favorably perceive your brand. Creating this kind of material, which may take many forms, such as blogging, infographics, white papers, or case studies, offers potential consumers a reason to read and interact with your company.
Calls to action should be strategically used to entice consumers to take the next step in their buyer journey and move deeper down the sales funnel (CTAs). A smart, relevant content strategy may entice consumers, especially important decision makers, to explore your product further when combined with effective call-to-actions.
Customer interaction is increasingly important for acquiring new consumers, and inbound marketing gives companies a fantastic method to connect with their customers. You can cultivate a devoted and engaged client base by delivering valuable content to your visitors, from landing pages and email newsletters to webinars and thought leadership articles.
How B2B inbound marketing may help you expand your company
Inbound marketing success requires delivering excellent content on a regular basis, as we just discussed. Some of the kinds of material you could offer are mentioned below, but it can also include podcasts with thought leaders, for example.
Your inbound marketing strategy’s primary goal must be to foster customer confidence. Prospective consumers will scrutinize your company to see whether or not it can be trusted and whether or not it really has the level of competence it claims to have. With the information you give, they can determine whether or not you can be taken seriously.
Your content marketing plan must start from the ground up with defined goals, proper KPIs, and a rock-solid content strategy with razor-sharp message (or otherwise). The best place to start is with your income targets and move backwards from there.
Customer service and inbound marketing
Customers have more expectations than ever before in today’s business climate. They have a lot of power since they have so many options (and every business is well aware of the damage bad reviews can do). There are several reasons why establishing long-term connections with your consumers is so important. As a result, it should be at the heart of your inbound marketing efforts.
Of course, there’s a ton of information available in every area and on every topic imaginable. It’s difficult to stand apart from the competition while still delivering helpful and engaging material to your target audience. The benefits, on the other hand, may be very profitable for companies who are successful in this respect.
Customer expectations have changed considerably in the past several decades, as we’ve already noted. To be sure, this changed the game for content marketing. As customers have come to demand more from brands and companies, those that fail to deliver on their promises of excellent content risk losing them as customers. B2B buyers’ decision-making processes may be influenced significantly by content, whether it’s written, visual, or auditory.
Is inbound marketing effective for B2B?
For B2B businesses, inbound marketing may be very successful at generating leads and increasing conversion rates. Needless to say, companies have used a variety of marketing strategies, including search engine optimization (SEO) and pay per click (PPC), to gain a competitive edge. Inbound marketing is especially effective.
One of the primary benefits of inbound marketing is that it may assist potential consumers overcome any reservations they may have about completing a purchase. As we mentioned previously in this book, it may be difficult for purchasers, particularly in the early phases, to determine if a company is all that it’s made up to be. This may stymie buying choices.
Inbound marketing, on the other hand, is an excellent method for companies to demonstrate their authoritative knowledge in their specific area. When prospective consumers notice this, it helps to convince them that the company in issue is real and that its claimed qualifications are trustworthy, which may contribute to lead creation.
Of course, there are further advantages to B2B inbound marketing. Inbound marketing, in example, enables businesses to target a specific target group, thus conserving resources that can be utilized elsewhere. Furthermore, inbound not only produces leads in general, but also quality leads; in other words, individuals who are more serious about making a purchase.
A well-thought-out B2B inbound marketing plan may assist your company in delivering consistent, clear, and insightful message that will help it stand head and shoulders above its rivals. This is why so many companies have already adopted inbound marketing.
Inbound marketing vs content marketing
You’ve certainly seen the words ‘inbound marketing’ and ‘content marketing’ used interchangeably, and you’re probably wondering what the difference is. Of fact, there are many meanings and applications for both words, which complicates things.
However, we like to think of it this way: inbound marketing encompasses a broader strategic approach to marketing activities, while content marketing is more of a technique. Inbound marketing covers a wide range of digital marketing methods, such as SEO, PPC, email marketing, and so on. Content marketing is more precise, referring to the production and distribution of content like as blogs, videos, and social media postings.
Why isn’t outbound marketing enough?
In short, outbound marketing is actively disseminating message to potential consumers and clients via methods such as seminars, telemarketing, and trade fairs.
There are many reasons why companies have either abandoned outbound marketing or tried to supplement it with a stronger emphasis on inbound marketing. It is, in particular, costly and provides a much poorer return on investment than inbound marketing. There are other signs that outbound marketing is becoming less successful.
Outbound marketing’s primary goal is to create leads by disseminating campaigns as far as feasible. This is an inaccurate method, and the percentage of leads produced is likely to be low. Furthermore, individuals are inundated with so much marketing material these days that many have just learned how to shut it out, whether via spam filtering or simply ignoring it.
Taking all of this into consideration, it is obvious that B2B marketers must create strategies for targeting particular niches. If you target individuals who are likely to be interested in what your company has to offer, your ROI is likely to be substantially greater, and you have a better chance of nurturing quality leads.
Monitoring B2B purchasing process
To convert a lead into a client, you must first grasp the B2B purchasing process. This is continuously evolving as the requirements of companies change. Once you’ve mastered the B2B buyer’s journey, you’ll be able to position your own goods appropriately.
One thing is certain: the hard sale is no longer effective. Indeed, an aggressive sales strategy may backfire, alienating potential consumers and driving them to shop elsewhere. Let’s take a deeper look at the current B2B purchasing process and its various phases.
Awareness
Very first step in the B2B purchasing process is the awareness stage, in which the buyer is aware that they have an issue or a need and is searching for methods to solve it. At this point in the process, they are likely to be searching for tools and information to assist them get to the bottom of the problem and expose them to possible solutions.
In other words, during the awareness stage, customers are assessing the problem at hand and deciding if it is worthwhile to invest in a product or service that will assist them. They will also decide whether or not to prioritize the issue.
Consideration
The contemplation stage is the following step in the B2B purchasing process. By this stage, the buyer will have narrowed in on the issue or difficulty at hand and will have a good notion of the kind of solution they’re searching for. So, at this point, they’ll be studying the different choices available and seeking for the one that’s most suited to their requirements and budget.
When a buyer reaches the contemplation stage, they’ll be searching for information to help them determine which product or service will help them solve the problem at hand without blowing a hole in their wallet.
Decision
By the time they get to that step, the decision stage, the buyer will have decided on how to solve their issue. All they have to do now is go through the many choices accessible to them and choose the best one—making a final buying decision.
Many customers will weigh the benefits and drawbacks of the different suppliers and solutions on the market. They’ll be searching for information that will help them make this final choice, persuade them that a certain solution is the best one for them.
Inbound marketing methodology for B2B
Understanding the different phases of the B2B buyer’s journey will put you in a much stronger position to provide the kind of material that can assist potential clients solve any difficulties or challenges they may have. You should create content that is customized to each step of the buyer’s journey, gently nudging them down the sales funnel.
Hubspot’s B2B inbound marketing approach has four main phases that roughly correspond to the buyer’s journey: attract, convert, close, and delight. The appeal stage entails producing content that will entice visitors to your site by addressing important questions. Blogging is still an excellent method to do this, especially when combined with SEO aiming for better SEO ranks.
At the ‘convert’ stage, you should be seeking to collect leads’ contact information. You will, however, have to compensate them for their time, so consider white papers, webinars, ebooks, case studies, and so on. The following stage—the ‘close’ stage—requires material that corresponds to the last phases of the buyer journey, with customized messages to nurture the blooming connection with the potential client.
The ‘delight’ stage occurs after the first purchase and entails the ongoing maintenance of strong client connections. Keep current clients up to date with frequent material, such as blog articles and social media discussions. Send them frequent email digests to keep them up to date, but don’t overwhelm them.
How to establish an inbound marketing plan for B2B?
This section will examine how to launch an organic B2B inbound marketing campaign. Remember that inbound marketing does not need spending money on physical events, PPC, or Google AdWords. Instead, engaging material is priceless.
Set B2B marketing objectives
Firstly, your B2B inbound marketing plan must have measurable objectives. These objectives ought to be realistic—there’s no need to aim for the moon—measurable, and based on a comprehensive assessment of your current situation. Your objectives should be precise, with clear criteria for success. The more specific your objectives are, the more likely you will succeed.
Engage your target market
A detailed understanding of your target audience is also indispensable to inbound marketing. You must have a good idea of what your audience is looking for at the respective stages of the buyer journey, and what it will respond positively to. There are various ways by which you can deepen your knowledge of your target audience.
Form ideal customer profiles
Many companies create client profiles and buyer personas to help them understand current and potential clients that little better. We’ll speak about buyer personas later, but start with an ideal customer profile. What B2B companies do you want to target? What are they likely to be searching for? An ideal client profile may help you better understand yourself.
Design a buyer persona
Similarly, creating a buyer persona may assist. Who will decide whether or not to buy your goods or services? There are two types: decision-makers and doers. Decision-makers are more concerned with overarching strategy, whereas doers are accountable for day-to-day product usage.
Create buyer personas for each of these groups, and consider their usual traits, pain areas, and needs.
Organize account-level research
You should also conduct out extensive investigation at the account level. Examine your customer accounts, including business and industry news, social media postings, and content audits. This should help you create more targeted messages.
Do market research
It’s also important conducting out buyer research, to assist you gain a better understanding of what customers are searching for at every stage of their journey. It’s critical to understand changing buyer expectations. Buyers, in particular, want to be left alone to conduct their own research and manage the process.
Make engaging content
This may seem apparent, yet it is worth mentioning. Authority and engagement are required. There’s a lot of material out there, and it’s no good simply regurgitating the same things that everyone else is doing. You must differentiate your material from the crowd.
Use content repurposing to maximize distrinution
That said, if you’re producing excellent content, you also need to exploit it completely. One method of accomplishing this, and of bringing material before a broader audience, is to reuse it. There are many methods through which you might accomplish this. Incorporate blog posts into podcast discussions, or make testimonials shareable social media material.
Consistency builds credibility
Consistent production is required to resonate with consumers and keep them engaged with your company. Consistent in terms of both quantity and quality of material produced. Customers will leave if content isn’t consistently excellent, intelligent, and authoritative.
Build real connections via content
As we’ve shown throughout this book, putting out material is a fantastic method of building meaningful, long-term relationships with consumers. This sort of steadfast devotion is becoming more uncommon in business, yet it can make or break a company. This is how you should always see your material.
Focus on your brand reputation
B2B customers want assurances that a brand is reliable. So your content is vital in establishing your brand’s image and reassuring consumers. Use your material to highlight your knowledge and your team’s skill and authority.
Maximize the whole customer lifecycle
The customer lifetime should be considered while creating content. Your material should be relevant to purchasers at all phases of the lifecycle, including new and returning consumers.
The marketing funnel analysis
Adopting an inbound marketing approach is one thing, determining if it works is another. Analyzing the success (or failure) of your plan requires a data-driven approach. This means you need to invest in the appropriate technologies, from marketing automation systems to content monitoring software. These tools will offer you with comprehensive insights and information to assist you evaluate outcomes
Process and foundations
Finally, you must avoid ignoring the process itself. Ensure processes are consistent and clear, and that content production and quality control are balanced (project management tools are very useful here). Notify partners or customers when they are featured in material and encourage them to share it on their own networks.
9 B2B inbound marketing techniques and tactics
Now that we know the basics of inbound marketing, we need to look at how to effectively apply it. Here are nine great ideas and techniques to get you started.
- Blogs
The cornerstone of every inbound marketing plan is blogs, which drive visitors to your site. We want you to publish often, at least once a week. But be patient. Blog articles typically take 12-18 months to produce fruit and generate exponential visitor increase.
- Video content
Video content has developed significantly in recent years and now plays an important role in inbound marketing. This material may include product demonstrations, video blogs, and customer testimonials. But be careful with your presentation since audiences may be harsh. Your videos must be polished.
- Email marketing
Email marketing is still vital in inbound marketing. Regular email updates keep current consumers interested and informed about new material. You may also deliver customized information to certain client segments by nurturing unique contact lists.
- Automated marketing
Marketing automation is becoming more popular. This has several benefits. It saves sales teams time and effort by focusing on warmer prospects who have previously been nurtured with material. This material is more targeted and therefore more effective.
- Workflows for lead nurturing
Digital marketing solutions may also automate and expand lead nurturing processes, promoting content according to the buyer’s journey. An online customer who views your price page may be put to a workflow and sent relevant information to help them progress through the buyer funnel.
- SEO
Don’t overlook SEO and SEM. Inbound marketing relies on this as well. Keyword research may assist you understand what people want and help you target them with relevant content. It’s impossible to determine what content will be of interest and therefore reach leads without proper keyword research.
- Voice of the customer programs
A VOC program may help you understand your current consumers and attract new ones. Customer testimonials are a tried-and-true way of gaining new clients. With a VOC program, you may collect engaging testimonials and ask your consumers relevant questions about their experience.
- Content promotion
It’s one thing to create excellent content, but another to market it. Know your audience well before you start marketing and sharing your material. Examine the material people engage with and share, and where they discover it. Also, don’t depend on Google to discover your material (as important as SEO strategy is). Promote it on social media and consider what material works best on each platform.
- Advanced content creation
Advanced content usually goes further into a subject than blog articles, for example. This material includes whitepapers, case studies, how-to guides, and ebooks. Advanced content may help move existing leads further down the sales funnel.
Produce one advanced piece of material each month. This is a great method to show prospective clients your company’s experience and skill.
Seologic is motivated by a passion to data-driven content and SEO. We can help you connect with your audience via evergreen content. Book a consultation to learn more about what we can do for you.