Updated July 24th, 2023
Table of Contents
What is B2B Marketing: Strategies to Use for B2B Lead Generation
The process of interaction of one legal entity with another, and subsequently the sale of goods and services of one company to another is called business-to-business marketing.
This type of marketing relies on practically the same methods of attracting customers as the sales segment to the end consumer. However, there are other methods of marketing attraction.
In this segment, the level of competition is much less. However, this market is one of the largest. Numerous companies spend millions of dollars on goods and services essential to maintaining their business.
Attracting new business leads is a task of paramount importance. However, an even more important task is to establish strong ties with at least one business lead, which will later become a loyal client that brings the company regular profits.
Features that distinguish B2B marketing from B2C marketing
Although marketers often follow similar practices at both companies, there are significant differences in their marketing campaigns. For prospecting to be successful, which will allow you to constantly increase income, you need to have a clear understanding of the differences in each segment.
B2B
- Target audience: companies, enterprises, and organizations;
- Examples: plants, factories, advertising agencies, furniture manufacturing companies, garment factories, and so on;
- Language: technical, use of professional terminology;
- Customer needs: high-quality goods and services, professional knowledge, favorable conditions for long-term cooperation;
- Decision-making process: well-considered decisions made based on hard numbers, sound arguments, and facts.
B2C
- Target audience: end consumers;
- Examples: clothing stores, cafes, restaurants, hotels, beauty salons, coffee houses, and so on;
- Language: informal, colloquial;
- Customer needs: low prices, quality products, bonuses, and discounts;
- Decision-making process: often impulsive purchases, decisions about which are made on emotions and sensations.
By selling to legal entities, companies establish contact with high-ranking people, such as top managers. In the process of such sales, well-established joint work of marketing and sales departments is essential.
At first, marketers do their work on prospecting and appointment setting, after which the employees of the sales department are included in the work. There are a lot of employees in the sales department since each of them performs certain tasks.
Lead generation marketers need to understand that there are various sales titles to provide salespeople with quality leads as well as reliable information to win over a customer quickly.
Strategies used in B2B Marketing
On the web, you can find a huge number of tips and tricks to help you quickly create an effective marketing strategy. Many professionals still stick to using direct marketing.
This involves sending messages directly to potential customers. To do this, you need to have a ready list of leads that you can get at LeadsForce.io and, without wasting time, start establishing contact with each client.
In addition, other strategies have proven effective over the years. If used correctly, they can bring impressive results. Here are some of them:
Email marketing
Sending email newsletters is a great way to communicate your unique selling proposition to potential customers. Unlike end consumers, companies often look through their corporate emails in an attempt to get a good offer from vendors.
According to statistics, about 95% of marketers use this strategy to establish new business relationships. Email messages help lay the foundation for long-term partnerships, as well as keep customers up to date on what’s going on and offer great company deals.
In this process, every email must reach the top managers, which can be verified using reliable email marketing tools. Each email should contain less advertising and more useful information. You can convey to new customers all the compelling facts and data to establish a lasting relationship.
Customers do not want to receive conventional advertising, instead, they want to receive information about products and services that will help them solve their problems.
Content marketing
Your company’s official website and email newsletters are the places to use effective content marketing strategies. On the website and in the email message, customers want to receive new information that will convince them that you are a professional in your field.
So, your job is to be in the business of creating quality expert content. In addition, it is important to invest in SEO so that your potential customers can quickly find your company in the search.
Advertising does not provide valuable information, as it only has a positive effect on increasing your brand awareness. Content published on your company’s professional blog helps to cover all relevant and up-to-date topics in your professional industry.
It’s a win-win for both parties as you provide valuable information to your potential customers and also demonstrate the benefits of your products and services.
Meanwhile, you can benefit from a sound SaaS content marketing strategy if you’re running a SaaS company or into selling SaaS products. This entails making sure your team understands SaaS SEO, your target market’s needs, pain points, and interests. As a result, it allows you to craft promotional content that resonates with them, increasing your chances of converting leads into buying customers.
SMM
It’s no secret that since the boom of social media, it’s become one of businesses’ go-to tools for marketing their respective brands and offerings. But you must know where your audience is active and focus your efforts there. This way, you’re using your valuable time and energy effectively.
Moreover, social media is a two-way street. If your audience actively engages with your posts, you must respond at all times and keep them from hanging. Don’t ignore messages and comments; you can find valuable suggestions for improvement there. And your audience will feel that they matter to you if you reply or react.
Social platforms have long ceased to be platforms where people can only communicate. Currently, over 75% of customers in this segment use such platforms to find reliable suppliers of goods and services.
Through such platforms, you get a source of B2B lead generation, as well as the opportunity to establish fruitful business relationships.
In addition, they help build a positive image of your company. By publishing posts, you can not only give potential customers valuable information but also demonstrate the successful work of your employees.
This will help motivate them even more to improve their performance. In addition, on social platforms, you can benefit from the shares of your colleagues and partners.
SMS marketing
A strong argument in favor of developing and implementing this strategy is that the open rate of SMS messages reaches over 95%.
During the B2B online lead generation process, you will receive data about your potential customers, such as names, locations, the scope of work, and so on. Use this information to create personalized text messages.
This strategy helps to inform both your potential and loyal customers about new promotional offers, and discounts on goods and services, as well as tell them about events organized by your company.
Conclusion
Although B2B marketing is similar to marketing to the end consumer, they have differences that help you choose the most effective marketing strategies. Trends are constantly changing, so companies should keep an eye out for up-to-date information in their area of expertise.
To date, email marketing, the creation of useful content, SMM, and SMS marketing are still relevant. The main thing to remember is that customers don’t buy on impulse.
They are looking for products and services that can satisfy their needs. Thus, your task is to find an approach for each client and establish fruitful long-term cooperation.
