Top 5 B2B Marketing Strategies

Top 5 B2B Marketing Strategies

Wondering what business professionals think about different marketing strategies? We looked at recent survey results and reports that collected data on this topic and created a list of 10 B2B marketing strategies that are commonly considered successful regardless of industry. Here's what we found:

Content marketing emphasizes education before selling to influence buying behavior. This strategic marketing approach uses content to attract and convert viable prospects as they search online.

Content marketing is effective because:

• Attracts potential customers through the sales funnel
• Increases brand visibility, credibility, trust and desirability
• Aligns relevant content, target markets and key decision makers

Social media marketing focuses on providing content to users that they find valuable and want to share on their social networks. Content tailored for each social media platform (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram) drives engagement and promotes your brand, which in turn increases visibility, website traffic and growth potential.

Social media marketing is effective because:

• It reduces marketing expenses while increasing the number of qualified leads
• It promotes brand engagement, “humanization” and trust
• It supports and improves SEO performance

Using email marketing allows you to promote new blog articles to subscribers and send newsletters, featured new pieces of advanced content, and the like to those who have signed up for email communications. The convenience of email access encourages recipient engagement, and workflow automation makes it easier than ever for marketers to deliver the right content at the right time to prospects and customers.

Email marketing is effective because campaigns:

• reach your target audience and encourage conversions
• drive website traffic
• cost-effective to generate a substantial return on investment

Industry events give companies a chance to establish or strengthen relationships with key partners, customers and prospects; identify market trends and opportunities; and understand what their competition is offering in the market.

In-person and online trade shows are effective because:

• Focus on meaningful interactions and relationship building
• They are generally well attended and create a target-rich environment for lead generation
• Give businesses of all sizes opportunities to access the same audience and information

Earned media is a powerful way to build brand credibility. Social proof, non-marketing buzz and are highly valued by potential customers when evaluating a company. Having a solid unpaid online presence can tip the purchasing decision in your favor.

Public relations (PR) works in much the same way, but is a little more subtle. Communication and audiences are organized using media – television, print, radio, social platforms – to build and maintain business relationships with the public, increase brand credibility and image, and share the messages you want to present. PR serves to protect and promote your brand's reputation online and through multi-channel distribution.

Earned media and PR is effective because:

• They are generally "free" advertising channels
• They are unsolicited and therefore have instant perceived credibility
• Raise awareness with valuable, educational and trusted content