If you own a small B2B business, you need to know how to attract your audience and get them to take action. Honestly, this is the goal for every type of business, but achieving it can be particularly difficult for B2B brands. That’s not to say marketing is significantly easier for B2C companies, but it does mean B2B businesses face unique challenges, and things have only gotten harder.
New research indicates that 73% of marketers believe that attracting a B2B audience’s attention is more challenging than it was a year ago. And this insight isn’t coming from B2B marketers working at newer companies that are still trying to gain a bit of visibility. This survey garnered responses from 150 B2B marketers working at brands with more than 500 employees. So, if big B2B companies are struggling to market their products and services, it’s safe to say the struggle is real. But what’s making things so complicated?
According to senior B2B marketers who responded to the survey, three barriers hinder success:
- Budget: The study found that 76% of B2B marketers think a small budget prevents effectiveness.
- Lack of creativity: Surprisingly, 90% of larger organizations—that have 2,000 or more employees—would prefer to design marketing material that’s safe instead of stepping out of the box to do something different.
- Increased competition: The B2B space is becoming increasingly crowded, making it more challenging to stand out and gain attention.
While these obstacles are complex, they’re not so intimidating that you can’t overcome them if you own a B2B business. All you need are the right B2B marketing ideas to utilize.
The best B2B marketing ideas
If you want to stand out from the crowd and gain your audience’s attention, there are six B2B marketing ideas you should implement. All of them are straightforward and easy to execute, so the only thing you need to do is put them into practice. Keeping that in mind, here are the best B2B marketing ideas you should use.
1. Create an engaging website
When someone lands on your website, they need to get a sense that your company is active. One of the best ways to ensure that happens is to build a website with updated content. Do you have a resource center or blog? Do you have any new e-books or whitepapers that people can download? If not, your audience may visit your site and assume you’re no longer in business. If you want to avoid giving that impression, post content regularly to show that your company is active, vibrant, and ready to take on more clients.
2. Prioritize your on-site and off-site SEO
What if your target audience has no idea you exist? In that case, you can’t expect them to visit your website unless they find you. That’s why the next B2B marketing idea you should prioritize is on-site and off-site SEO. Implementing this idea will help make your brand discoverable.
With effective on-site SEO, prospects will find your website when using keywords you’ve targeted in content. Similarly, with off-site SEO, potential clients will discover your brand by clicking on links in articles or social media posts that lead to your website. Both of these are free ways to help your audience notice your small business.
3. Become active on social media
It’s easy to think social media is just for B2C marketers, but it’s a perfect space to engage a B2B audience as well. More and more bands are using social media to network and connect with vendors and colleagues. If you want your business to get more exposure, you need to engage with all the business owners who are on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
Of course, you can start slow by focusing on channels your audience primarily uses. But the overall point is to use social media and engage your audience on these platforms. Provide them value, ask questions, and post helpful videos to start conversations. Then, you’ll build relationships with the very people you want as clients.
4. Create a referral program
Referrals go a long way in the B2B space. In fact, research suggests that referrals are the top source of quality leads for 65% of B2B companies. So, creating a great referral program is one of the top B2B marketing ideas you should implement immediately if you don’t have one already.
People trust their connections’ recommendations, so all you need to do is incentivize your clients to refer business your way. Some great incentives are freebies, discounted rates, and cash back.
5. Do online advertising
When you’re running a small business, every dollar counts, so online advertising may not be a B2B marketing idea you want to utilize. Or, it might not be something you want to commit much money towards. Both responses are understandable, but online advertising is still worth considering because it can deliver a significant return if you do it correctly.
All you need are well-targeted and engaging ads. That means you’ll need to dissect the channels you might use for advertising. See what ad formats they provide, what type of content works best, and what other businesses have experienced on the platforms. After gathering your research, run a short campaign to see what results you get. Then, continue to iterate to improve your return on investment.
6. Create an irresistible lead magnet
If you want to get your audience’s attention, offer a valuable resource they can’t help but download. It could be an e-book, whitepaper, infographic, survey findings, video series, or a PDF with templates. The main goal is to provide something your audience wants and would readily take steps to get.
Just make sure the lead magnet is gated content, meaning your audience must provide their email address to receive the resource. That way, you have the opportunity to contact them and nurture the relationship. After all, B2B email marketing provides the highest ROI.
7. Make sure your audience feels seen
Your audience must feel seen no matter what type of marketing initiative you’re launching. In Seth Godin’s book, This is Marketing, he explains the importance of looking at your audience more than your banker. If the executives you’re targeting don’t feel important or known by you, your marketing efforts will fail.
So take steps to learn about your audience. Seek to understand how they think and perceive the world. And use psychographics to get deeper insights into who they are so your messages resonate and stick.
Experience success in B2B marketing
Equipped with six great B2B marketing ideas, you should have more success speaking to your audience and getting their attention. But never stop looking for strategies to help you improve. As technology advances and the business landscape changes, you’ll need to continuously adapt to experience marketing success. So, keep an eye out for new B2B marketing ideas that you can use to supercharge your business growth.