Unique dynamics of B2B Online marketing: Forces that shape a B2B success.

The most seasonal marketers feel B2B Online marketing is a lot complicated and tough to understand when compared to B2C. Moving on, some are wary as to ‘how to lay in-roads to their B2B marketing success?’ And some even find it very elusive.

Business to Business online marketing may be one of the least understood disciplines in business. Let’s try unlocking the B2B marketing mysteries and let’s study the elements that need our better understanding and our much needed focus.

“Persuasion is often more effectual than force.”
--Aesop.

The persuasion architecture: To a larger extent, in B2B market it’s the ‘persuasive copy’ that one uses in their website is what defines a website’s success or failure for a company. ‘Persuasion’ is the key. Especially, it’s when your website/blog undeniably becomes a prima-facie of communication for the outside world. Persuasive copy has an explosive effect on conversion. If visitors come to your website and don’t read what you’ve written and don’t take the intended action you desire to take them, all your marketing dollars goes to drain.

Most companies pay very little attention improving their copy. Little things can help, choose actionable verbs in your body copy and try writing in a simple style without resorting to too much of stiff corporate jargon. Find interesting, unusual ways to say what might otherwise be dull. Use ‘customer-focused language.’ Narrate your client success stories in a subtle way but sparsely use strong statements. The content that we write should help to form a positive image in a reader’s mind and should only help in connecting and deepening a relation with an online reader over a period of time. Remember, we are addressing real people here when it comes to writing, your company comes next.

Become industry’s top knowledge resource: Customers apart from looking at your product/service offerings check for your market credibility, your online presence and they’ll see how rich have you contributed to the industry—be the industry’s best resource when it comes to sharing and helping in terms of knowledge, that’s when other companies/prospects will start noticing you. Over a period of time you’ll be their trusted resource for information and which will naturally lead to more business. So, do whatever it takes to become just that—collect, share, provide information to your community. Talk on your industry’s most pressing problems and make an effort; try giving solutions through your articles. Be more insightful, helpful than promotional in social networks. Showcase your company’s different facets at times required—especially, the human side of your company.

Interacting through blogs: Blogging shouldn’t be about you—it’s about them, your prospect customers. Try writing something that would interest your target customers. A blog is just not meant for pumping out articles or is not necessarily seen as a source for driving traffic to your website, but rather should work in conjunction with/complementing your website’s service offerings.

A blog throws away a great opportunity to showcase your product/service offerings on a relatively different; community level, it gives you a means to interact with the outside communities, learn their problems in a more meaningful way, address them in a proper way and contribute to a much bigger cause—being supportive and helpful online, thereby earn trust and help improve your corporate image. So don’t blow away the opportunity, make the most of it.

‘Content is king’ they say! Mere providing product information does no good for a company website; it’s all in creating an ‘impact’ through your writing, we are in a ‘performance’ and a ‘make an impact’ kind of business. A content which is attractive, simple, compelling, persuasive enough and most importantly helpful generates wider audience. It gives other websites a reason to link with you, it attracts prospects, helps form a positive image in the industry and it leaves a greater impact on a reader’s mind- be it through your articles, white papers, press releases, case studies or blog posts etc.

Overall, your website/blog should be enticing, product detailing, a website copy that answers all your prospects questions in a persuasive way; it should act rich as an industry’s best resource. Adopting these methods and nurturing this kind of culture in an organization on a continual basis, can actually elevate a company’s B2B online marketing efforts from a ‘stealth’ mode to a more ‘open’ ‘active’ and ‘competitive’ mode. And thereby giving positive marketing results-- generate more leads and better sales for your company.