General News A renewed focus on customer relationships and B2B video content are among the most commonly cited aspects of marketing that those in the trenches say are yielding success
B2B marketing has seen better economic times. The challenge of the current environment is stirring debate about what works in B2B marketing and what does not.
Such debates can stir passionate responses, but I wanted to know what those in B2B marketing are doing right now that’s working. So, I put that question to Source of Sources by Peter Shankman – a free PR resource that emails daily queries from reporters and bloggers.
I received about two dozen responses and whittled these down to seven I thought were actionable – and listed them below. Please note there is no order of merit or ranking to how I’ve listed these ideas.
1. Livestream video – followed by repurposing
Witmer Group President Kristina Witmer says she’s seeing results with B2B video content – and more specifically live-streamed video. She next takes the video and chops it up for repurposing across other mediums like podcasts, social media and email.
How does she know it’s working?
“I was on a new business call a month or so ago and a person on the call said, ‘Oh I saw you on your LinkedIn livestream, I was only able to catch a part of it, but it looked interesting’,” she says. “I know that regardless of whether he attended or not, just the fact that he saw that level of activity and engagement was helpful to closing this sale for our company.”
She added, “The key is consistency, as with all marketing.”
2. Free advice offered through custom videos
K2 Global Communications has been auditing the websites of prospective customers – and providing a customized video with constructive criticism. The company calls these “comms checks.”
“We perform one-to-two-minute audits of potential clients’ public-facing communications – their websites and LinkedIn activities,” says Amy Kenigsberg the Israeli firm’s COO and co-founder.
She says the firm is generating new business meetings – and clients – using this approach. They’ve turned the idea into a systematic process, so they are producing the videos efficiently.
Her agency is a HubSpot shop and so, at my request, she provided an example video that constructively critiques HubSpot’s website. You can watch the video here and you can see a screenshot of the video below.
I noticed the company is using Vidyard to share videos, which also provides the prospect with a form – an easy means to reply.
3. Remember there are people behind the data
Too many marketers ion B2B “forget that relationships are at the core of every exchange,” says Hilan Berger. He’s the COO for SmartenUp, a Johannesburg-based consultancy that helps companies get the most out of Salesforce.
His business relies on “data and performance metrics to drive our outreach and marketing campaigns” but it’s important to remember “that there are people behind the data.”
“We try to leverage relationship nurturing as much as possible when marketing ourselves and it works wonders,” he added. “People like to feel valued as individuals, no matter their industry or specialization.”
4. Prioritizing audience value over anything else
“One thing working for me is really good content,” says Kathy Bryan, EVP, Head of Marketing for Electives, which makes a learning & development (L&D) platform. “And by really good content, I mean content that my audience thinks is really good.” [emphasis added]
More specifically she means, “This is content that prioritizes audience value over SEO results or conversions or anything else. It’s content that my audience needs now. They’re searching for it, they’re consuming it and they’re sharing it.”
5. Being active on LinkedIn
“B2B leaders need to be on LinkedIn so that they can be found,” says Paige Arnof-Fenn, founder & CEO, Mavens & Moguls. “It adds credibility and transparency when you know the people you are meeting or working with know people in common. LinkedIn has become more than an online resume or rolodex, it is the foundation for building trusted relationships in the digital economy.”
It’s important to ensure your profile is complete and up to date. “You get one chance to make a great first impression so make sure every section of your LinkedIn profile is complete, with no blank spaces or gaps,” she adds. Among the key tasks she suggests completing are a professional headshot, headline and summary of experience.
“To present yourself as an expert in your industry post interesting and educational content by sharing a great article you’ve read recently or if you truly want to make valuable connections and represent yourself as a talented thought leader in your industry, you should be crafting your own articles on LinkedIn.”
6. Cultivating customer relationships for personalization
DesignRush, a B2B marketplace for finding creative help, has found focusing on strengthening customer relationships has been fruitful, according to Gianluca Ferruggia, the company’s general manager. He says his team strives to understand “the specific needs of each client” to better tailor those “services to meet those needs.”
“This might seem like a ‘back to basics’ tactic, but in a digitally-driven landscape, this human touch matters more than ever,” he says. “We found that going the extra mile to understand our clients and their goals strengthens trust, encourages collaboration, and eventually drives business outcomes.”
He says his company has the data to prove it too: “The clients for whom we have personalized our services have shown higher satisfaction rates and longer engagement periods with our platform. Moreover, these clients have frequently referred us to other businesses, resulting in a growth in clientele.”
7. A/B testing and landing page optimization
“A/B testing and email automation have been instrumental to our success,” says Joe Amaral. He leads a digital marketing agency called Anthem Software. An A/B test for a SaaS client demonstrated that landing page optimization improved results by 63%.
His company has also worked to match email automation – specifically drip campaigns – to behavior and found success: “One client had a 34% uptick in free trial signups by triggering an email sequence when someone downloaded their ebook,” he said. “Timing and personalization are everything.”
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What ideas are working for you? Feel free to send me a note here or message me your ideas and I’ll potentially hold them for a future roundup.
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