The framework and environment for acquiring new customers in the B2B sector has changed completely in recent years. Because modern business partners are increasingly present in online media, a well thought-out digital strategy is indispensable for your successful B2B company.
The entry of digital media into our everyday lives is an ever-advancing process. This is just as true in the business world.
The next generation grew up with digital media from an early age. This has resulted in an online-savvy generation of employees who are currently in the middle of their professional lives.
Many decision-makers in the B2B segment obtain information directly from the Internet at the beginning of a problem-solving process or search for new business partners there.
The contact restrictions in connection with the Corona pandemic have significantly strengthened the already existing trend towards digital media.
The cancellation of trade fairs and exhibitions has drastically changed the framework conditions for acquiring new customers. Personal contact is no longer possible in many cases.
Therefore, a well thought-out digital strategy for B2B companies is becoming increasingly important.
It is no longer sufficient to simply have an up-to-date website as a presence on the Internet. It is much more important to be actively visible on as many channels as possible. This way, it is possible to attract promising target customers from the B2B sector within the framework of a skilfully created concept.
In the best case, with the right strategy, a paying customer can be generated for your successful business from interested parties after a successful customer journey.
The framework for acquiring new customers and business partners has completely changed in the B2B segment. For this reason, classic B2B companies have to retool their business model for acquiring new customers and increasingly rely on online marketing.
Personal contacts are only possible under more difficult conditions and direct marketing has also lost its appeal. This is mainly due to the legal requirements for cold calling customers. Here, data protection has ensured a narrow interpretation of the possibilities for direct customer contact.
The future of acquiring new customers and business partners in the B2B segment clearly belongs to the perfectly elaborated strategy for use in digital media.
The prerequisite for this is the creation of a tailored approach that is supported by the employees in marketing and sales.
Here is an example of the comprehensive concept of a digital strategy:
Target groups as the basis of the digital strategy
Digital presence according to the digital strategy
Channels to implement the digital strategy
Technologies to support the digital strategy
If you manage to implement the strategy consistently and to constantly record and evaluate the information and customer data obtained accurately, success will pay off for your business in the long term.
To start with, it must be carefully planned how the strategy for the digital channels, which should be aligned to your company, should look like. The first step is to determine the basics for your digital presence.
This includes details such as:
Selecting the appropriate target audience for the campaign
Determining possible touchpoints to pick up prospects and provide them with information
Updating the company's website and enriching it with interesting content
Selecting digital channels where you can reach as many of your target customers as possible
Selecting appropriate technologies that will be most successful for the implementation of the campaign
Precise planning of your digital concept is significant. In any case, it is advisable to monitor the progress of the campaign and analyze intermediate results. This way, your digital strategy can be optimized at any time.
Before marketing can launch a digital campaign, it is necessary to define the appropriate target group. The importance here is not to present content to an as large audience as possible, but instead to reach a few selected interested parties.
Acquiring promising leads for your business is an elaborate process.
Therefore, you should only focus on a small circle of potential ideal customers by asking specific questions.
Based on these selected questions, the circle of promising prospects can be narrowed down well:
From which industry does the desired customer originate?
What is the catchment area of the desired customer?
What are the needs of the desired customer?
How can the need be satisfied with solutions from your own company?
Who are the contact persons in the target company?
It is better to start a digital campaign with a few selected target customers who have a high potential for a referral to the sales team. At the same time, it is crucial to know your target group so that you can then communicate in a targeted manner.
The central medium and starting point for the digital strategy is the company's own website. The aim here is to present interesting content for your desired customers.
In addition, your website is the destination for further actions. For example, posts are shared on social networks.
Your website should always be up-to-date and free of errors. Use tools such as:
Industry news
Product calculator
with which you provide important information to potential customers.
Offer the possibility of downloading free valuable content such as:
E-books
to enable obtaining the contact details of target customers.
This gives you the ticket for targeted information distribution and allows you to start a dialogue with your potential customer.
Remember that information takes precedence over advertising messages when it comes to your Internet presence.
When choosing channels for your digital strategy, it is crucial to know where your target customers are active online. This includes social media channels such as:
YouTube
Become an expert on social media and benefit from the additional reach that comes from shares and likes.
A targeted email campaign is suitable for the distribution of gated content.
An important channel for the distribution of content is the website. Accordingly, a good ranking on Google is crucial. Search engine optimization (SEO) or search engine advertising (SEA) can place your messages in the top positions on Google.
Marketing Automation is about software solutions that help support processes in the acquisition of new customers. In this context, sub-areas of the digital strategy such as:
Lead Generation
Lead nurturing
Lead scoring
Data updating and maintenance
Evaluation and reporting
Email Marketing
Social Media Marketing
can be automated and thus relieve the marketing department. The scope of these measures depends on the needs and scope of your digital strategy.
With the help of a well thought-out digital strategy, your B2B company will be able to continuously acquire leads and convert them into new customers despite changing customer expectations and extraordinary situations.
It is important to know your target group and their behavior in order to run targeted campaigns and to reach the target group where they are with a message that appeals to them.