This is the ultimate B2B Marketing Guide to finish 2024 off strong!
It feels like back-to-work and Valentine’s Day campaigns were underway just yesterday. And if you thought the first half of the year went fast—buckle up. It’s full speed from here on out!
There’s no time to muck about in Q3 and Q4 if you want to smash your targets.
This is the time when your target market’s budgets are contracting, and their sales cycles shorten. Competition is fierce, but we’re all talking to a fatigued audience.
Standing out requires strategy!
Here’s how to inject life into your inbound marketing and make the most of the rest of the year.
Biggest Challenges for B2B Marketers in Q3 & Q4
Once the July school holidays are over, business hits warp speed. It’s as though we’ve completed our warm-up, and the real work starts now.
B2B marketers in South Africa, especially in ITC & Mining, face the following challenges:
- Tightened budgets. Most financial decisions and commitments commenced with the financial year. By Q3, companies are focused on bringing in money, not spending it. This is a double-edged sword because it’s harder to secure finance for your marketing initiatives, but you also need that funding because it’s harder to generate leads when your prospects are also not as inclined to spend.
- Shortened sales cycles. With year-end on the horizon, there’s pressure to close deals faster and lock down those annual targets. Marketers must see where to sharpen their targeting, pre-qualify leads, and tweak their customer journey to accommodate this behavioural change.
- Increased competition. Sleep, and someone will overtake you. The closer it gets to The holiday season, the fiercer the competition becomes. The best way to stay ahead is to plan your Black Friday and year-end promotions now.
- Burnt-out buyers. At this stage of the year, your audience is tired and almost definitely suffering from decision fatigue. Convincing CFOs, CEOs, COOs and CTOs to invest in your products requires creativity.
- Economic uncertainty. Even with peaceful elections and the promise of the GNU government, we’re yet to see significant positive yields in the business confidence indices.
Keep reading for the solutions to overcoming these typical challenges.
Boosting B2B Lead Generation Before End Of Year
Remember that your marketing plan is a living document. So, it’s not only ok to analyse and strategise. It’s encouraged!
1. Take Inventory.
Take time out to evaluate your marketing. What is performing, and what is not?
Where have some plans fallen short; are they salvageable right now?
Trim the fat. Drop what’s not working for now. You will have time at the end of the year to perform a deeper analysis and adjust accordingly for 2025.
2. Focus on Actionable Strategies.
Dreaming big is crucial for breaking marketing ruts and moving the needle. However, at this stage, you should prioritise realistic strategies that you can activate quickly.
You also want to use what you’ve got instead of creating from scratch. Here are some ideas:
Use Existing Data.
See how you can cross and upsell to your existing base. An email with an incentive is fast and inexpensive.
Re-Heat Leads.
Shuffle your PPC budget to focus on remarketing. Target those leads that seemed qualified but dropped off. Perhaps they weren’t ready at the start of the year, but they are ready now.
Capitalise on New Converts!
Nurture your new customers and strengthen your online positioning at the same time. Check-in with your new customers and ask them to leave reviews on your social media. (Pro tip: Google My Business is also a social channel.)
Get Content from Your Community.
While we’re on the topic, leverage user-generated content! This clever little tactic tackles three troubles at once:
✔ Amplify your reach (brand awareness)
✔ Build brand fans (social trust)
✔ Content creation on a budget (reduce costs)
Turn FAQs into ROI.
Frequently asked questions are a gold mine of inbound content topic ideas. Here, you have a list of what your audience wants to know—out of the mouths of babes.
If they are taking the time to ask your company about it, you can bet your bottom dollar that they’ve Googled it. Meaning there are many like-minded (and therefore qualified) leads doing the same.
Turn Objections Into Opportunities.
Engage with your sales team and get a list of the objections they often get. See if there are any quick-win ways to solve these problems for your target market.
While you’re going for the quick wins immediately, be sure to table the others and address them when you have time at the end of the year.
Get the Jump on Events & Holidays
The best marketing advice you can take in Q3 2024 is this: Lock in your marketing coms & campaigns for the rest of the year NOW.
Most marketers fall into the habit of creating campaigns and content on demand, but the last half of the year flies by too fast for that.
The sooner you can commission designs, copy, and schedule your campaigns, the better. Creatives get fully booked and have exorbitantly longer lead times towards the end of the year. Function venues and décor hire are booked out. Likewise, corporate gifting companies are swamped and run out of highly-coveted stock.
B2B Marketing Communications August to December Cheat Sheet
Public Holidays & Events
Most of the fun stuff happens in the first half of the year (back to work, Valentine’s Day, Easter). The latter part gets neglected—presenting a golden opportunity to shine!
Public and special holidays that make for great participation include:
- Heritage Day (Braai Day), 24 September. One of the happiest events on our calendar as we celebrate SA’s diverse cultures.
- Administrative Professionals Day (previously Secretary’s Day), 4 September. This is a must for B2B companies where we interact with and depend on Administrative Professionals most of the time.
- Boss’s Day, 16 October. Need we say more?
Sales Days & Shopping Season
Black Friday, recently Black November.
Where belts are tightened, sales are welcomed. It’s no secret that most buyers hold out until November for unbelievable bargains. While this American shopping day was intended for retail (B2C) the tradition has infiltrated every facet of South African business—B2B corporations included.
Year-end promotions (pre-Christmas sales).
Our economy has made consumers and businesses highly price-sensitive. As such, we’re partial to promotions. It’s common to see “Secure this year’s prices” promotions towards the end of the year.
Think about clever ways that you, too, can secure revenue for the next year before the long summer break. Consider discounts on annual packages (sign up for 12 months, pay for 10) or a referral campaign, making your customers an extension of your sales team.
Position Your Brand For Success In 2025
By putting these campaigns to bed early, you’ll avoid stress and buy yourself loads of time for juicy, data analysis to plan the perfect 2025 marketing strategy.
You can also dedicate your time for the remainder of the year to reinforcing your brand positioning.
You’ll be able to relax from day one of your holidays and ease back into work in the new year. Meanwhile, your competitors will be exhausted and simply repeat their reactionary cycle another year.
That’s the kind of clever, inbound digital marketing that makes winners.
Here's the smartest strategic move yet:
Let the experts do it for you. Famous Digital Media has helped hundreds of B2B businesses get ahead since 2015.