It’s the 30th Anniversary of Discovery Channel’s Shark Week! We’re using it as a chance to have some fun and talk about the wilder side of B2B marketing.
It’s said that we know more about the surface of the moon than we do the bottom of the ocean. When it comes to surviving the open ocean of B2B marketing, brands have to be smart.
B2B marketers should aim for more than just keeping their heads above water, though. If you sometimes feel like you know more about the bottom of the ocean than you do your own customers, here are some expert tips to help you survive and thrive in the world of B2B marketing.
Survival Tip #1: Create B2C-inspired experiences.
Not everyone can be Amazon, but everyone can learn a lesson from the brand’s investment in creating personalized experiences for every one of its more than 310 million customers. Brands that offer personalized experiences through product recommendations, tailored offers, and simple buying processes have a significant edge over brands that don’t. Amazon relies on Pardot to help it create the same kind of personalized experiences for Marketplace users.
Sixty-eight percent of marketing leaders say their company is increasingly competing on the basis of customer experience (fourth annual State of Marketing Report). But these experiences shouldn’t be confined to the B2C space. According to the same report, 65% of B2B buyers are likely to switch brands if a vendor doesn’t personalize communications to them.
B2B brands can use the power of marketing automation to create personalized and B2C-inspired experiences for their own customers and inspire the kind of love we feel for our favorite B2C brands.
Survival Tip #2: Use analytics to maximize marketing ROI.
The opportunity that marketers enjoy today is nearly limitless, but with that opportunity comes challenges, including which channels make the most sense for your brand, audience, and budget. In addition to multiple channels, marketers must juggle an overload of customer data that can seem overwhelming. This means marketers must be smart about where and how they invest their time and marketing dollars.
B2B marketing analytics and reporting help B2B buyers make sense of data overload. By carefully tracking your marketing efforts, analytics show what’s working, reveal what’s not working, and guide how marketers can most effectively allocate their marketing budgets to maximize ROI.
Survival Tip #3: Opt for a smarter ABM strategy.
Account-based marketing is a popular approach for many B2B marketers these days, and with good reason. Done well, ABM empowers brands to streamline their marketing efforts and resources to the most desirable prospects.
Like everything in the current world of marketing, ABM is getting smarter. By injecting artificial intelligence into their ABM strategies, brands are revolutionizing the way they target and nurture new accounts.
At its core, ABM is about creating personalized, one-to-one experiences at scale. Applied to your ABM strategy, AI helps you:
- Identify the right accounts to target at the right time.
- Deliver personalized, dynamic experiences that grab the attention of your top prospects.
- Align your sales and marketing teams, and empower them with real-time data and insight.
- Track your performance so you can constantly evolve your ABM strategy.
Einstein ABM elevates your approach to account-based marketing and lets AI power your pipeline, all on the world’s #1 CRM.
Surviving and thriving in the world of B2B marketing is possible for any smart brand. All it takes is a little know-how and a splash of creativity. Learn how to take your marketing to the next level with our eBook, “7 Inspiring B2B Marketing Campaigns.“