While B2B marketing can be difficult, it is not impossible. The following unique B2B marketing ideas will not only help your business stand out, but can also increase the number of contacts, meetings, and sales your marketing materials generate.
Don’t just show up – sponsor
Walking in for an unscheduled sales call is a thing of the past. More and more companies are finding innovative ways to create meet ups between their sales teams and their target corporations. One way to do this, is through event sponsorship. Sponsoring an event or seminar your prospects will be attending, is one way to get your foot in the door when it comes time to make a connection. If they regularly read an online publication or newsletter, find out about sponsoring an email or prominent ad space. Likewise, sponsoring a charity or philanthropy event, hosted by your prospect, is another way to almost guarantee a face to face meeting. Websites like Meetup make this even easier, especially for small businesses with limited resources.
Let go of “What we can do for you”
When it comes to B2B marketing, most companies focus their message on “what we can do for you”. While this tried and true marketing strategy tells your prospects why they need your services, it is rarely exciting. Instead, focus on major successes you’ve had with other clients; a mailer bragging about how you saved one client $10 million in one year is much more effective than a multi-page cost benefit analysis of why they should work with you.
Create less content, not more
Over 90% of B2B companies rely on content marketing to generate sales. While this is an effective strategy, it also leads to market oversaturation; in an effort to get their services noticed, business wind up flooding their prospects with marketing content. Instead, reduce the quantity and increase the quality. Most target corporations will appreciate receiving 4-5 well designed, easy to read, and relevant messages, as opposed to 8-10 general or universal messages.
While the B2B marketing world can be difficult to stand out in, it is not impossible. By focusing on creating authentic and meaningful interactions between your company and your prospects, you can decrease the amount of time spent making cold call and increase sales.