Traffic is not the problem — conversion is
The biggest problem for B2B marketers is that while they succeed in getting traffic, they fail at converting it into leads. Even when they attract a crowd, most visitors turn out to be tyre-kickers who interact with the site but never buy. Unlike B2C, the best thing B2B marketers can do is focus on fewer eyeballs and more leads.
Ignore the surveys, choose your own channels
Survey results are frequently skewed by the organisations that publish them to promote their own services. Ignore them and choose the option that fits your business. Four online strategies work for most B2B companies: email, search, content and social.
Email marketing
The simplest but most useful form of marketing — used with caution. In B2C, volume helps; in B2B, spamming business mailboxes gets you blocked. The idea is to reach the right kind of mailboxes.
Search marketing
Page one of Google is the holy grail. But instead of inviting a tyre-kicking crowd, focus on organic results for revenue-generating keywords used by relevant buyers. Instead of going wide, go deep.
Content marketing
This deserves a much bigger focus. Useful business content brings the badge of expertise and reputation, and generates very relevant leads and ultimately revenue. Xerox famously created $1.3 billion from its microsites.
Social marketing and the mix
Social has been the stepchild of B2B marketing, but one channel stands out: LinkedIn, where businesses take pride in being visible. An investment there can pay rich dividends.
The optimum mix varies from business to business. Build your own strategy using two or more of these — and simply go where your customers are.
