B2B Marketing
B2B Firms (Economically) Ramp Up Their Marketing Effort as the Economy Recovers.
Getting and staying ahead of your competition is as important as ever, but as new work continues to trail in slowly, how can firms justify investing more dollars for marketing? With the economic downturn, most firms and industries have learned to become more lean and fit from an operational standpoint. When it comes to marketing, being resourceful and budget-conscious is also the name of the game. While overall methods and strategies have tended to stay solid, tactics have become more nimble and technology-driven. At Marketri, we take this all into consideration when planning for our clients.
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Ads Are for Losers! How B2B Professional Services Firms Can Earn an Audience by Being Interesting
The title of this blog may be a bit extreme, and I realize that some planned, strategic advertising can be part of an effective marketing plan for certain types of businesses. However, to launch an effective campaign, advertising should be both targeted to the right audience and conducted consistently over timeand that’s not always achievable, especially with a tight budget. Advertising may be valuable when it comes to "quick trigger" purchases, like many consumer products or servicesbut when it comes to B2B professional services, there is traditionally a longer sales cycle, and often several touches needed to close a sale. For many small to mid-sized B2B professional services firms, where advertising budgets are not exactly bottomless, there are other cost effective alternatives to consider.
One advantage of being in the professional services industry is that you offer something unique to a specialized client base. People who have a need for your service tend to crave industry knowledge and aim to develop trust prior to purchase. By finding interesting angles and being creative, you can get quite a bit of mileage and success from marketing efforts other than advertising. Consider the following:
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Starting to Think About Purchasing B2B Marketing Services? (Part 3)
Here are the Most Frequently Asked Questions for the Late-Stage Buyer
Part Three of Three
There are many options when it comes to purchasing marketing services. In this third and final segment about the buyer’s journey, I will answer the most frequently asked questions about how to make the right vendor selection. During part one, we discussed what marketing is and isn’t. With clear definitions in hand, we were able to cover what marketing services can do for B2B companies in part two. Now, we are rounding third and heading for home plate! Your goal is to score the winning run. And you will do just that by carefully considering the most frequently asked questions by the late stage buyer of marketing services.
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Starting to Think About Purchasing B2B Marketing Services? (Part 2)
Here are the Most Frequently Asked Questions for the Mid-Stage Buyer
Part Two of Three
The purchase of B2B marketing services is typically a three legged journey. The first phase, which I covered in part one of three, addressed the most frequently asked questions of the early stage buyer. Today’s blog post covers what the majority of mid-stage buyers of B2B marketing services have on their minds with the primary question being, “How will marketing help my business?” A valid question indeed! So, let’s dig in and address the FAQs of mid-stage buyers.
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Starting to Think About Purchasing B2B Marketing Services?
Here are the most Frequently Asked Questions for the Early-Stage Buyer
Part One of Three
As the owner of Marketri for almost 10 years, I have been on many, many B2B company prospect calls. Some of these meetings would be considered early stage in the buying cycle, meaning the business owners were simply gathering information about marketing. Alternatively, conversations during mid-stage buyers meetings typically have focused on “what can marketing do for my business?” And then finally, discussing why Marketri is the right choice for a B2B organization usually happens during late-stage sales calls.
While I have occasionally been asked some questions “out of left field,” for the most part, there are some frequently asked questions (FAQs) during each stage of the buying cycle. The purpose of this three-part blog series is to answer B2B business owners’ questions about marketing and the purchase of marketing services regardless of whether you are just getting up to bat (Part One); rounding the bases (Part Two) or crossing home plate (Part Three). This is Part One and I’ll begin by sharing and answering the early stage buying FAQs.
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What is a Community Manager and Does Your B2B Company Need One?
In the marketing field, the term “community manager” has become increasingly popular. Sometimes we hear these words so frequently, we think we are familiar with them, but still have no clue what the name truly entails. So what does this term really mean? A community manager is the online face (and voice!) of your company and the individual who interacts with your online audiences through various means including blogs, social networks, message boards and even online events. Ideally, this person should be savvy in online and digital marketing and may have responsibility for items ranging from communications and PR to social media, events, and even content creation.
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How to Create Alignment Between Marketing Communications and Customer Experience
Say What You Do, and Do What You Say!
We all know that a big part of marketing is making promises. And in B2B marketing, a field in which purchasing decisions are based more on logic than emotion, companies need to be prepared to live up to the hype that they create. There is no “marketing police” that ensures brand promises are legit (except in regulated industries). Yes, many companies can make any promises they want – the sky’s the limit! In fact, many B2B firms throw around words like “leading,” “best-in-class,” “nationally renowned,” and “unparalleled.” But just because there isn’t a watch dog to keep your brand promises real, don’t think that your company won’t be judged! Your customers serve that function every time they experience your company’s product or service. This critical juncture, where promise meets performance, is where B2B companies can create a brand “loyalist” or “foilist.”
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5 "Can't Miss" B2B Marketing Blog Posts from 2012
It's been an exciting year in the world of B2B professional services marketing -- filled with new tools, fresh challenges, exciting trends, and plenty of changes for firms looking to grow through marketing. As marketers to the professional services industry, Marketri has been there every step of the way to explain and analyze it all. We've collected 5 of the most popular posts from the past year; be sure to review them now if you hope to be ready for the new tools and trends that are sure to emerge in 2013!
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3 Lessons B2B Brands Can Learn from Man's Best Friend
I open my front door, my heart fills with joy as my beautiful, precious Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (“Cav”) runs to leap in my arms and shower me with kisses. This doesn’t happen just once in a while – it happens every single time I enter my home. There aren’t instances when my Cav decides she is too busy chewing her bone, watching Cesar Millan, or sleeping in her fluffy bed to give me that much anticipated greeting. What does this have to do with B2B brands? The answer is “EVERYTHING!” B2B companies trying to elevate their brands can stand to learn a lot from man’s best friend!
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The Art of the Follow Up: Why Professional Services Marketing Can Sometimes Feel Like "Professional Nudging"
In the past week alone, I have had at least two clients point out my follow up tactics and patterns. I guess it’s safe to say that after a year of working with me, my clients are on to me with my approach to following up on pending and overdue items. It’s true. My list of tried-and-true tactics for following up with clients and colleagues on projects has been perfected over my time in professional services marketing.
Let’s face it; any professional services marketer worth their salt knows that you are bound to hit roadblocks with projects when you are waiting on another party to deliver a response or piece of the project to keep things moving. I have talked to countless other B2B marketers who have lamented the same issue. And when tight timelines and budgets are involved (especially in looking out for a client's best interest) in this equation, it makes getting a response even more crucial. So while subtlety may not be my middle name when it comes to follow up, I do pride myself on getting things done and doing so in a positive manner.
Whether you’re an in-house marketer working for a B2B firm or an outsourced marketing consultant like me, here are my tips for gracefully following up with hard-to-reach clients:
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