Improving B2B Marketing Efforts

Before the pandemic made the world uncertain, sped up digital transformation, and greatly changed consumer purchasing behaviors, B2B marketing efforts were already facing plenty of challenges.

But there are plenty of opportunities to raise the bar in terms of B2B marketing efforts, as B2B companies value connecting with their consumers just as much as companies in any other industry.

With many companies in the B2B industry developing more digital content than ever, executives have put the spotlight on the performance of that content, and have noted the increase in their digital budgets. But if the digital content isn’t meeting any expectations that consumers have, then it’s not performing as well as intended.

Customer Engagement

One of the biggest elements of the marketing experience that companies use to attract buyers is customer engagement, with 70% of companies adopting an always-on digital strategy in the new year. However, the reason why customer engagement and experience efforts aren’t meeting consumer demands is a lack of buyer insights. One of the solutions to that issue is investing in better marketing technologies, as well as soft skills like empathy.

Following through with customer insights can come in the form of relevant answers to questions consumers have about products or services, talking about relevant topics, or creating digital content in formats that are appealing to the audience. This can all help customer engagement efforts.

Companies should also be investing in better customer insights so that they can make better decisions about the formats of the digital content they create, and so they can make content that the audience prefers to see. Optimizing all of the digital content that B2B companies create can also improve customer experience and engagement.

Optimized content turns those companies into the best possible answer for the questions that consumers are asking when looking for solutions.

Authenticity

None of the content a company in the B2B industry creates will be considered good if it’s not trusted, nor if it’s failing the right people and driving conversations. There is plenty of research on why many consumers don’t trust branded ads, while they put a lot of their trust in industry experts or peers.

That’s why, instead of creating content that’s strictly promotional, companies should be focused on developing authentic content through thought leadership, podcasts, live streaming, and collaborating with influencers who are experts in certain subjects, and who consumers truly trust.

Companies have to work hard to optimize their content for trust, engagement, and reach, which is why many businesses in the B2B industry invest in influencer marketing.

This also helps them be perceived as thought leaders by consumers. Influencer marketing efforts help companies appear more relatable and human to their consumers.

This is because instead of talking about the products, the brands and the influencers they work with will be talking about the real problems that the customers are struggling with and trying to solve.

Ronn Torossian is the CEO and Founder of 5W Public Relations. Torossian is also the author of leading PR Book ‘For Immediate Release’.