Selling to other businesses is quite a different prospect from B2C marketing. It’s true that both types of marketing aim to engage a target audience, meet customer needs and solve problems, as well as building connections between brand and consumer.
But the needs and pain points of a B2B audience are often very different to those of a B2C brand. This means your approach will need to be quite different.
To get you started, here are the key dos and don’ts to remember for B2B lead generation and marketing:
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Do have a plan – and a way of measuring performance
Strategy is essential in B2B marketing. You need to spend time researching your market and working out how you’ll best reach your target audience. When you have the building blocks of a solid marketing and lead generation plan in place, make sure you also have a way of tracking and measuring success.
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Don’t approach every lead in the same way
Remember that each business will have its own way of doing things. You can’t use a blanket approach and expect it to work on every prospect. In a worst-case scenario, you could end up making a terrible first impression and scaring the prospect off altogether. You’ll need to tailor your methods and take the time to understand the company’s needs. But the extra effort could be well worth it.
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Do use social media – but choose your platforms carefully
Just because you’re targeting business customers, it doesn’t mean you can’t build social media marketing into your strategy. But to get the best return on your time, choose your platforms wisely. Post and engage on platforms your target customers use, making good use of professional networks such as LinkedIn alongside others such as Twitter and Facebook.
Don’t be afraid to use social media – it can be a fantastic tool for reaching out to your audience, sharing information and even providing customer service.
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Don’t copy your rivals
If a competitor is trying out an exciting new marketing technique or making a bold claim, it’s tempting to copy them. This isn’t recommended, as in the customers’ mind it bundles you in with the rest of the crowd. Instead, you should be finding ways to differentiate your business and showcase your unique products and quality of service. Make your own promises (rather than boasting about matching or exceeding your competitors) and make sure you can deliver on them.
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Do follow up quickly
To convert interest into sales, you need to develop a fast and efficient follow-up process. Make these your goals:
- Make it incredibly simple for customers to contact you.
- Respond to all enquiries within an hour – this makes you up to seven times more likely to qualify a lead.
- Use a CRM tool to track and schedule timely follow-ups, in order to carefully nurture leads.
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Don’t rush
You can’t expect results overnight with B2B marketing. You’ll need to give your strategy and campaigns time to kick in. The same goes for B2B lead generation, a careful and skilled process involving lots of patience and the expertise to know when to strike and when to wait.
Lead nurturing is a crucial part of growing your customer base. It’s time-consuming and requires skill, but you don’t have to do it alone.
Get in touch with B2B lead generation specialists IT Focus to find out how we can help.
