Marketing
to businesses can be tricky. Unlike marketing to individuals or households,
where there might be only one or two decision-makers, in businesses, decisions
are often made by committee. In fact, “Chief Marketer” notes that, on average,
B2B accounts have 13 influencers involved in the process. Thirteen! This is why successful B2B marketing requires a different
approach. How can you run a successful B2B marketing campaign?
1. Use multiple touches
every time.
According to BrightFunnel research, it takes an
average of 18 touches to close a B2B deal. Combine that with 13 influencers,
and you have a complex decision-making process that requires a coordinated
approach targeting multiple people in multiple areas of the company.
Multiple
touches are also necessary because individual stakeholders may need distinct
types of information at each stage of the sales journey. Different channels
have different strengths, so the channel you use to bring your product to the
company’s attention may not be the same as the one(s) used to drip more
detailed information along the way.
B2B
campaigns require multiple channels and multiple touches at different stages of
the process.
2. Get to know who all of
the influencers are.
Getting
in front of influencers requires knowing who those influencers are. Sometimes,
they can be hidden. If you are selling IT equipment, for example, you might
know that you need to contact the directors of IT and finance, but the purchase
decision might also be influenced by people in marketing, sales, and customer
service. Find out who all of your
influencers are because, at some level, you need to be marketing to all of
these people, too.
3. Get fresh data.
The
more you get to know your influencers, the more you can motivate them with
relevant messaging. There are many effective data suppliers out there, so don’t
be afraid to try something new. When a single account may be worth hundreds of
thousands of dollars, it’s worth the effort to find new sources, test their
effectiveness, and make sure you are reaching the right people with the right
message at the right time.
Need help navigating the
labyrinth of B2B sales? Let us help!Please give us a call at 440-946-0606
Or visit our website here for more information.
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