{"id":18756,"date":"2020-12-30T15:44:13","date_gmt":"2020-12-30T22:44:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/?p=18756"},"modified":"2024-01-18T16:25:25","modified_gmt":"2024-01-18T23:25:25","slug":"b2b-marketing-strategy-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vdigitalservices.com\/b2b-marketing-strategy-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"B2B Marketing Strategy Guide for 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"
With everything that\u2019s happened in 2020, it\u2019s easy to forget that we are currently in the middle of what <\/span>Deloitte has described<\/span><\/a> as the Fourth Industrial Revolution. In just the last few years, massive strides have been made in both marketing and the scope of technological possibilities as a whole. Technology has completely changed everything for brands trying to hone in on effective marketing strategies for the business to business market.<\/span><\/p>\n And yet, a surprising number of B2B business owners are still trying to take a traditional approach to marketing strategy \u2013 but why is that? There are many reasons that so many business owners might lag behind the fast pace of modern B2B marketing, from tech-related obstacles to a basic lack of experience in the digital landscape.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If you count yourself among the many who are wondering how to revamp your B2B marketing plan, you aren\u2019t alone. But if you want to keep up with your competitors, now is the time to jump into the future of digital marketing for the B2B market with both feet.<\/span><\/p>\n If you\u2019re planning to make 2021 the year that you master B2B marketing strategies once and for all, you\u2019re in luck: The V Digital Services team has put together a massive guide that covers everything you\u2019ll ever need to know on the topic. Our years of experience have allowed us to build a foundational understanding of what it takes to succeed in B2B marketing, and we\u2019ve helped a diverse range of clients achieve (and surpass!) their goals.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Now, we want to share what we\u2019ve learned in an easy-to-use B2B marketing strategy guide that leaves no stone unturned. No matter where you are in your marketing journey, this guide is going to be your go-to resource for implementing a strategy that finally works the way you want it to.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n We\u2019ve broken the guide down into three parts, each one representing a stage of the marketing process. Within each part, you\u2019ll find a wealth of information to guide you from planning to execution \u2013 now, all you have to do is dive in.<\/span><\/p>\n Here\u2019s a handy breakdown of our guide to B2B marketing, in its condensed form:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n By the time you\u2019ve reviewed this guide in full, you\u2019ll be well-equipped to kick 2021 off with a brand-new approach to B2B marketing. Our guide has it all, from the modern B2B market to proven strategies for boosting leads, revenue, and sales. Now, let\u2019s get started.<\/span><\/p>\n No good plan was ever pulled off without a fair amount of planning, making preparation a critical first step. Before you start outlining your new strategies, you need to have a clear understanding of your audience, a basic marketing framework, and a firm grasp on the non-negotiable elements of a sales-driving plan. Without those, your 2021 marketing plan is likely to be a bust.<\/span><\/p>\n In this phase, you\u2019re going to lay the groundwork for the best B2B marketing strategy for your brand, goals, and target audience.<\/span><\/p>\n Traditional B2B sales followed a highly formulaic path, with very little variance from one buyer to the next. Usually, you were dealing with one primary buyer who navigated a controlled path that resembled a classic marketing funnel: first, awareness; then, interest; followed by desire, and finally, action.<\/span><\/p>\n But now, thanks to technology, it all looks dramatically different. Today, buyers no longer follow such an easily predictable journey, and they look for and choose B2B vendors in a completely different way. For B2B business owners, that means reevaluating virtually everything you thought you knew about marketing.<\/span><\/p>\n Until recently, most B2B marketing plans relied heavily on printed marketing materials. Reps would travel to various trade shows, meet face-to-face with potential buyers, and even conduct cold calls in an effort to drum up business. However, those tactics simply don\u2019t work the way they used to, and here\u2019s why:<\/span><\/p>\n So, what does this mean in the big picture? The modern B2B buyer\u2019s journey is decidedly more complex than it ever was. Now, it involves varying loops, multiple people, and a considerable amount of digital activity, jumping from research to discovery time and time again.<\/span><\/p>\n And yet, there is still some semblance of the old marketing funnel framework if you look closely. There are still four distinct phases, though the lines are far more blurred:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Your 2021 B2B buyer more closely resembles a B2C consumer, with the expectation that they\u2019ll receive a similarly high-quality buying experience and service. Whether direct or indirect, customer experience has pushed price and product aside when it comes to B2B buying decisions. Once you understand this, you can strategize ways to treat your buyers more like traditional consumers \u2013 and as a result, you\u2019re likely to find far more success.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n With such dramatic changes happening to the B2B buyer\u2019s journey, your marketing framework will need to adapt considerably. Because you are now working to view B2B buyers more like B2C buyers, albeit with more people involved in the relationship, your framework should reflect that.<\/span><\/p>\n One highly effective framework is the See-Think-Do-Care model, created by <\/span>Avinash Kaushik<\/span><\/a>. This model framework focuses on consumer intent, splitting each stage into audience \u201cclusters\u201d:<\/span><\/p>\n The benefit of using this framework is the ease with which it melds with the phases and loops within the modern B2B buyer\u2019s journey:<\/span><\/p>\n Once you establish your framework using these two elements, you can see how certain B2B marketing channels emerge as ideal options, depending on the consumer intent. For example, SEO begins to be somewhat useful in \u201cSee,\u201d though it\u2019s best used in \u201cThink,\u201d \u201cDo,\u201d and \u201cCare.\u201d Email is a better fit for \u201cDo\u201d and \u201cCare,\u201d while Facebook is often better utilized in \u201cSee.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n By overlaying your audience guide (using the See-Think-Do-Care model) and the modern B2B buyer\u2019s journey, you can make more informed marketing decisions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n No matter the industry, every B2B customer must move through a series of six \u201ctasks\u201d in the purchase process:<\/span><\/p>\n So, you need to build a B2B marketing plan that keeps these tasks in mind. The customer experience should allow the buyer to check off each individual task, propelling them through each stage successfully. In order to do so, your strategy should include three key components:<\/span><\/p>\n But how do you actually implement these three elements? There are ten B2B digital marketing strategies, each serving a distinct purpose, that will make accomplishing these components possible:<\/span><\/p>\n In some cases, multiple strategies or channels will be well-suited to a single stage in the buyer\u2019s journey. It all depends on how you choose to apply them, as well as what your goals are.<\/span><\/p>\n You\u2019ve put the work into thoughtful preparation, so now you can begin planning with a clear direction in mind. We\u2019ve discussed lead generation, demand generation, and retention\/recovery, but learning more about the various marketing channels \u2013 and which ones are right for each component of your plan \u2013 is vital.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n During the planning process, you\u2019ll learn which channels and strategies are best suited for each component (and where they overlap). Then, you\u2019ll use that knowledge to create a detailed plan for your B2B marketing strategy.<\/span><\/p>\n Long before you start pinpointing the best digital marketing strategies for your B2B business, you need to have a high-quality website ready and waiting for online users. If you haven\u2019t yet set up a website or your existing website wasn\u2019t designed by professionals, pause here.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If there\u2019s one thing you need to begin 2021 on the right note, it\u2019s a solid website. Connect with a digital marketing agency you trust and get an excellent website up and running. Then, you can come back to work on your B2B marketing strategy.<\/span><\/p>\n You might think it\u2019s overly obvious to dedicate an entire section to get a professional website, but the necessity of a functional, engaging site cannot be underestimated. At every stage, the B2B buyer\u2019s journey has them interacting with your website. The expectation is that a supplier\u2019s website is an effective means of gathering information for their purchasing decision, and is both helpful and efficient. If you fail to meet this non-negotiable expectation, your business could be out of the running almost immediately.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A study published in the Journal of <\/span>Behavior and Information Technology<\/span><\/a> found that the average user takes just 0.05 seconds to form an opinion about your website. In just 50 milliseconds, they\u2019ll decide if they like your website and whether they\u2019ll continue to engage or leave the site completely. That gives you an incredibly limited window of time to make the right first impression.<\/span><\/p>\n There are five characteristics that a successful, sales- and lead-generating B2B website has:<\/span><\/p>\n If you need to tackle website design before moving forward with your B2B marketing plan, V Digital Services can help.<\/span><\/p>\nMaking the Move to a Smarter B2B Digital Marketing Strategy<\/span><\/h2>\n
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Phase 1: Preparation<\/span><\/h2>\n
Understanding today\u2019s B2B buyer<\/span><\/h3>\n
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Finding a framework to guide your marketing strategy<\/span><\/h3>\n
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Key elements of an effective B2B marketing strategy<\/span><\/h3>\n
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Phase Two: Planning<\/span><\/h2>\n
Begin with a professional website<\/span><\/h3>\n
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Create strategies for demand generation<\/span><\/h3>\n