The unprecedented times of COVID 19 have been a rollercoaster for B2B businesses. B2B marketers have been working to build new, vigorous marketing strategies, and establish inbound channels such that the business can reduce dependence on the sales teams for revenue.

But how do you, as a business leader, know which B2B marketing strategy will drive relevant sales? The important thing to remember here is that a good marketing strategy requires transparency around decision-making standards and a plan.

Off late, B2B businesses are shifting resources to inbound marketing and examining top B2B marketing practices to reach a new audience. Marketing practices such as Email Marketing, Purchasing Lists, Account-Based Marketing, and Paid Search Ads are seeping more into the everyday workings of companies that earlier relied on tradeshows and in-person B2B sales.

Let’s have a brief overview of the top B2B marketing strategies that are relevant for business today:

Do market research before you start

74% of B2B business buyers spend over half of their research time online. Market Research and Social Listening are high growth zones for B2B businesses. In market research B2B companies need to do more than just pay attention. They need to actively engage with and adapt to what the buyer need and want to be able to flourish.



Market research done via SimilarWeb to understand the questions being asked by customers in the accounting and auditing space, in the USA, between April to June 2021


Create a consistent plan for inbound marketing

Inbound Marketing is a proven medium of engaging, nurturing, and converting leads online. If your target audience is seeking the offerings you sell, don’t you want them to find you? B2B businesses that were already implementing Inbound Marketing strategies prior to the pandemic were less affected by the lockdowns and continued to see leads coming in.



Aspects of Inbound Marketing to Consider


Tap into LinkedIn marketing for traffic and reach

LinkedIn works extraordinarily well for B2B lead generation, making it one of the ultimate B2B marketing strategies as it is built for business networking. In fact, 43% of marketers state that LinkedIn is the most reliable platform and helped them successfully drive business.



Gartner, a leading global research and advisory firm, generated 2% of their website traffic from LinkedIn Marketing, in the USA, between April and June 2021 (as shown via SimilarWeb)


Allocate resources to search engine optimization

SEO is a key piece of Digital Marketing. High-growth firms list it as the most efficacious online and content marketing practice. Remember the fact that - 71% of B2B researchers begin their research with generic Google searches. And 61% of B2B marketers state that SEO and organic traffic is their top priority and they allocate substantial marketing budgets towards it.



Search engine optimization includes a wide-array of elements to consider


Be innovative with social media marketing

Research shows that 60% of purchasers research new service providers on social media, making it a commonly used source of information. Social media provides direct opportunities to businesses, to stay on top of customers minds and influence their decisions making over a course of weeks and months. While on the face of it, LinkedIn might seem like the only relevant B2B social media network, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube all present various opportunities for B2B marketing.



Social channel distribution for Hubspot, a B2B software company, between April to June 2021, worldwide (as seen via SimilarWeb data)


Target customers with pay per click (PPC)

It’s highly important to target your consumers with a mixture of organic and paid outreach. It also helps increase your visibility on search engines and social media platforms. Additionally, pay-per-click visitors are 50% more likely to make a purchase decision than organic visitors.



4% of the total website traffic is generated via paid sources, for the B2B manufacturing industry worldwide, between April and June 2021 (as shown via SimilarWeb data)


Leverage the video marketing trend

Video Marketing is the hottest trend of the B2B Market, and professional-focused B2B videos have been striking the marketplace the last couple years. It helps in boosting engagement on your social channels and educates your audience. YouTube is the highly used B2B social media platform for video, and 87% of video marketers state that it is a potent platform.



The project management tool Basecamp derived 51% of the worldwide social media traffic only from YouTube, between April and June 2021


Build relationships via lead nurturing

Lead Nurturing is forming relationships with your leads and nurturing them via buying process. When companies and brands focus on lead nurturing, they make 50% more B2B sales at a 33% lower cost.



Planning a lead nurturing campaign using Salesforce


Explore account-based marketing

Account-Based Marketing is the same as sounds – marketing that’s based on a particular customer, existing or interested. It is a thoughtful approach in which marketing and sales teams toil together to target ideal accounts and convert them into consumers regardless of the B2B marketing channel. Some of the outreach campaigns include targeted emails, relevant content, and personalized webinars and workshops.

Essential B2B Marketing Goals to Keep in Mind

Additionally, keeping clients engaged and even retaining existing customers can be a proactive strategy. The marketing plan and practices that lay up ultimate results for one B2B company may not work for another. To be efficient, you must initially know your goals.

• Drive brand awareness and build business demand.
• Educate the market.
• Identify more sales opportunities.
• Turn interested audience into inquiry for lead generation.
• Generate marketing qualified leads.
• Generate sales-qualified leads that are ready to buy.
• Create a better end-to-end customer experience.
• Uplift your B2B sales cycle.
• Increase customer lifetime value.
• Reduce customer churn.
• Retain clients to turn one-time buyers into frequent buyers.

Agile and Flexible B2B Marketing Critical at the Moment

You can give your business an edge by demonstrating what makes you unique, from your competitors. You might have heard your buyers describing it as your brand promise or a value proposition. You could even find this in your testimonials and client feedback, it is your north star that guides you.

Remember, hanging loose and watching won’t help your B2B company succeed or thrive. At this time as buyer behavior continues to change, marketers need to polish themselves and practice agile and flexible marketing via inbound channels, ABM and marketing automation platforms.

B2B marketers are the glue that helps in driving B2B companies forward. The important thing is not to halt or grow comfortable. With the aim to remain competitive, your business must continually evaluate trendy B2B marketing strategies and find techniques to polish and optimize your existing marketing infrastructure and practices.

Prabhakar Kaushik

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