Successful B2B brands get ahead by tailoring their approach to their industry, and this blog shows you how with marketing strategy examples for the most challenging sectors.
Where Business-to-Consumer (B2C) marketing appeals to an individual’s needs, Business-to-Business (B2B) marketing involves multiple decision makers with a complex evaluation process. B2B marketing emphasises solutions to business problems, which requires a keen understanding of the challenges in that target’s specific industry sector.
As B2B brands usually have a smaller, more focused customer base, developing a tailored B2B marketing strategy is crucial to sales conversions. Generic or one-size-fits-all marketing strategies lead to ineffective communication, wasted resources, and missed opportunities.
Some sectors are notoriously difficult for marketers. They include engineering, mining and construction; information and communication technology; and SaaS, supply chain and logistics. Let’s take a look at proven marketing strategy examples for these challenging business sectors.
Data-Driven Decision Making
You can’t afford to overlook data if you want a competitive edge in a technology-first business world. Data helps you to make informed decisions, faster.
Analytics Unlocks Accuracy And Agility
There’s a plethora of analytical data available to help you capture targeted attention and create a high-converting customer journey.
- Use the information you have on hand to gain insight into your customers’ behaviours and propensities. This will guide your digital marketing strategy, helping with decisions around the channels and type of content.
- Implement tools like Google Analytics 4 (GA4), Google Search Console, Meta Business Suite, and CRM that integrate with these tools. It is also essential that your CRM tracks and captures information that will assist with accurate lead attribution.
- Refine your reporting, and use tools that assist with data visualisation if possible. This turns complex analytics into clear narratives, providing you with streamlined insights. (Sagefrog)
Now, you will be equipped with a profound understanding of your audience and how best to reach them. The benefits of which are:
- Cost-savings. Why spend money advertising on Instagram if your prospects aren’t there?
- Higher ROI. Yield better results by spending your allotted time (and money) where it works.
- Superb personalisation. Go beyond inserting a first name to using messaging that speaks directly to the heart of your target. Showing that you understand them through relevant, individualised messaging fosters trust and forges a deep emotional connection.
- Scaled automation. Work smart, not hard, to achieve your desired results.
Captivating Content Tactics
Knowing where to meet your ideal customers is half the battle won. The next step is to execute excellent content tactically. Yes, high-calibre content is essential to maintain attention—but first, it’s form must reinforce your desired positioning.
Thought Leadership
If you want to position a company as the authority on a particular subject, thought leadership is a powerful tool. 51% of C-suite executives consume more thought leadership post-pandemic, according to an Edelman-LinkedIn study. Meanwhile 54% of decision-makers spend roughly one hour per week consuming such.
Whitepapers are particularly effective in cementing authority, provided they are well-researched, presenting unique insights and an original analysis. Once again, the value of data cannot be overlooked. Using your propriety information is the bedrock of a successful whitepaper.
Thought leadership works particularly well in sectors where sellers need to demonstrate expertise on complex subjects.
IT & Telecommunications
- Complex solutions require detailed explanations.
- Building trust is critical to a risk-averse audience.
- Educating the market on rapid industry advances and the advantages thereof.
Supply chain management, manufacturing, and construction companies also stand to benefit by showcasing problem-solving and success stories.
Beware. This is not your silver bullet. Many study respondents have noted an influx of thought leadership material, citing that there is too much to manage. Therefore, we recommend only going this route where you have something fresh and valuable to offer.
To make thought leadership work for your brand, leverage multiple channels. It is best to use a PR approach with this long-form content. Distribute it to news publishers in your industry. For example, an industry report in Engineering Weekly builds clout and exposes your brand to a broader audience.
Blog Posts
Blogs are a valuable part of owned media. You have more leeway on a blog than typical thought leadership pieces. This is where you can inject a little more personality, embed other forms of media and weave in the occasional plug.
Regular blogging enables you to build trust with your following as it demonstrates reliability. You can also position your brand as a go-to source of information and establish top-of-mind status.
Let’s not forget how continually updating your website with fresh content helps your Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) strategy. Each blog is a keyword opportunity to tell search engines what your site is about and increase visibility. Each blog dedicated to a niche subject improves your targeting.
Infographics
Infographics combine visuals and data, creating compelling stories that are easy to comprehend and share.
- This is a fantastic engagement tool, especially where your audience may be extremely busy and unable to read lengthy content.
- We love infographics because they encourage brand interaction as viewers “reach in” and explore the content.
- The high pass-along rate on infographics makes it the ideal tool to boost brand awareness.
- As visuals are processed faster than text, infographics lead to better information retention.
Sectors that stand to benefit most by using infographics include:
Manufacturing, supply chain and professional services, which involve complex processes that are best communicated visually.
Professional services and technology that rely on the visual presentation of frameworks and methodologies.
Software, SaaS, and telecommunication, which benefit from a visual aid to break down technical explanations or data-intensive information.
Video Marketing
Eye-catching, engaging, informative — and part of the second-largest search engine in the world. If you’re not leveraging video marketing, you’re falling behind.
This is one content tactic that lends itself to every industry but is sadly severely underutilised by the sectors that stand to gain the most!
Video combines the perks of infographics and long -form content like blogs and whitepapers—precisely what the most challenging B2B marketing sectors need.
Add YouTube’s extensive reach, and you can supercharge your marketing efforts.
Did you know that YouTube clocks over 1 billion hours of watched content per day?
We’ve saved the best news for last.
Don’t break out into a cold sweat worrying about how to produce video content. You can easily repurpose heaps of material into video format.
Blogs, infographics, whitepapers, speaking engagements, and customer testimonials are just the tip of the iceberg. You can also leverage user-generated content and influencer marketing through video.
Videos:
- Create an inviting break from dense text on websites.
- Perform exceptionally well on social media.
- More than double your search engine marketing opportunities.
- Increase reach exponentially.
Elicit Expert Help For Maximum Impact
While these marketing strategy examples offer powerful ways to reach your B2B audience, effectively implementing them requires expertise, resources, and dedicated effort.
Modern digital marketing isn’t just about creating content but optimising for search, engaging audiences across platforms, and measuring results. Then, carefully analysing data to refine your approach and improve results continually.
Managing such multifaceted marketing strategies in-house can be overwhelming for many B2B companies in challenging sectors like engineering, construction, ICT, or logistics. This is where partnering with an expert digital marketing agency will truly set you apart.
By entrusting your B2B digital marketing to experienced professionals, you can focus on what you do best: running your business. You can rest assured that your marketing efforts are strategic, effective, and driving meaningful results.