The Future of B2B Marketing in a Post-Covid Era

Did you know that more than 75% of buyers and sellers prefer digital self-serve and remote human engagement over person-to-person interactions even after lockdowns have ended?

More than safety purposes, we believe that they like self-serve and remote interactions better because they have made it easier, faster, and more convenient for both buyers and sellers to place orders, arrange services, and get information online.

Industry experts say that the world is never going back to how it was before the COVID-19 outbreak, and we could see why.

In the business-to-business world, the changes in consumer behavior brought about by the pandemic mean that B2B organizations will have to modify the way they do things, from marketing to selling to keeping consumers engaged and more.

But, how exactly can B2B companies change their marketing strategies in the post-COVID world?

Aside from using SEO services to have a more robust online presence, here are other B2B marketing tactics that businesses need to adapt to succeed in a post-pandemic era.

1. Build a Stronger Inbound Marketing Strategy

A lot of B2B companies rely heavily on conferences, roadshows, trade shows, seminars, and other events to generate leads.

However, now that large gatherings are highly discouraged, you want to shift your focus to building a stronger inbound marketing strategy instead.

Inbound marketing focuses on drawing customers in using various techniques, such as content marketing, social media, blogs, search engine optimization, and more.

This is a great way for B2B companies to keep their business on top of their ideal client’s minds because shoving a product or service in a customer’s face no longer works.

Nobody really likes to get sales emails or commercials popping up in the middle of their favorite show. Consumers have long outgrown those times.  

What works today is creating highly valuable content that resonates with your target audience. Examples are actionable blog posts, how-to videos, and a post-purchase checklist.

When you provide your audience highly relevant and valuable information that they can use to go through the B2B customer journey with ease, you’re making it extremely convenient and fast for them to arrive at a final purchase decision. And, because of this, they’ll for sure buy from you.

Here are the five must-have inbound marketing tactics to generate leads post-COVID:‍

• ‍Content marketing is an excellent strategy to show your expertise and build trust among your B2B buyers. The more you feed them valuable information and quality solutions to solve their pain points and improve their businesses, the more you can build rapport and win over them.‍
• SEO services in Florida are the best way to generate leads online. With the right SEO plan, you can draw potential customers towards your site every time they search for the products or services you offer by appearing first on the search results. It’s also a long-term strategy, which means that as long as you’re following SEO best practices, you will continue to rank for relevant searches and generate leads. ‍
• Pay-per-click advertising is a paid tactic that targets specific searchers who are actively looking for solutions you can offer. It places your ads in front of quality leads and uses specific keywords and compelling ad copy to drive clicks. PPC is best combined with SEO. ‍
• Social media marketing is the secret behind your content marketing’s success. Promoting your blog posts and video content on whatever social platform your ideal audience is on is the key to getting more clicks and generating leads. Being active on social media makes it easier to keep your audience engaged, as they’ll see you on their feeds regularly.‍
• Email marketing is an essential inbound marketing strategy because it’s not always that your potential customers will see your content on their social media feed or end up on your website. Email marketing helps you reach and engage your existing customers and prospects. It also allows you to better communicate with your audience, retain customers, nurture leads, and make more sales. Plus, email marketing delivers the best ROI at 3800%.

2. Focus on Being Authentic and Fostering Connections

One of the most significant changes in consumer behavior post-COVID is that audiences want to connect with brands they truly believe in and love on a deeper level.

This means that consumers prefer to do business with companies they share values and relate with.

This is why authentic marketing is an essential strategy B2B companies need to adapt to right now.

By being human, showing compassion, building meaningful relationships, showing behind-the-scenes, you can gain loyal customers who are proud to align themselves with you and win more sales.

Focus on earning the empathy of your target audience by making your business more relatable and by crafting messages that highlight your beliefs and values as a company.

Here are some tips on how to convey brand authenticity and earn consumer trust:

• Define what your values are and use them to guide your marketing efforts.
• Be transparent and show people how you run your business and what happens behind the scenes.
• Be open about your products and services by showing them how they’re made, the processes involved in producing them, and the people behind making your products or services possible.
• Create a page on your website and social media accounts dedicated to answering frequently asked questions. Take it up a notch by using a video format and other effects to make your content more engaging.

A great example of a B2B company that uses authenticity as one of its marketing strategies is Everlane, a retailer with “radical transparency” as a company core belief.

To show consumers that they’re dedicated to being transparent, the company publicly displays the true cost of their products on their website.

If you visit their site, you will see a “Transparent Pricing” page where you can see a breakdown of the cost that goes into producing each item. This way, consumers know exactly where their money goes.

3. Be a Giver

You might think that now is not the best time to give out anything for free because this is your chance to try and recover any lost sales during the pandemic, but trust us, you need to give in order to receive.  

You see, as a B2B company, you need to understand that your customers are businesses too. If they aren’t getting any customers and their business is not thriving, chances are, they won’t be able to continue buying your products or services.

So, if you want to protect your business during these challenging times, you should extend a helping hand to your B2B buyers. Get a grasp of the changing market dynamics at the grassroots level.

How exactly can you do this? Through research!

Find out how you can help your B2B customers save their businesses, as well as what products or services are in demand during this time. Make it a personal concern to find out how you can get them back on their feet, whether it’s by offering an alternative business or using your connections to help your customers get customers.

4. Use Omnichannel Marketing

B2B buyers are just like B2C customers - they enjoy the ease of shopping on eCommerce sites and are able to engage with the brands they support on social and interact with them on messaging apps and email.

Using an omnichannel marketing approach allows you to interact with your audience through your website, serve customers at your physical store, engage with them on social media, and make sure that you provide the same kind of buying transaction experience every time.

This explains why using an omnichannel approach to marketing makes so much sense. It does not only allow you to properly manage every aspect of your customer relationships so you can deliver the ultimate customer experience, but it also enables you to collect the information you can use to boost sales.

Omnichannel marketing can help you keep track of customer history, previous negotiations, payments, terms, credits, and many more.

5. Use Data to Address Your Customer’s Needs

Being customer-centric is now more important than ever. Besides optimizing the omnichannel experiences of your B2B customers, it also lets you ensure that every interaction you have with them is meaningful.

But, how do you know what your ideal customers want or need?

Data is the solution. Leverage data to better understand your audience and craft highly relevant content that aims to address their pain points and provide solutions to their problems.

There are many ways you can gather data today, such as social listening or using CRM.

Looking for SEO Services in Florida?

Use this blog to build a digital marketing strategy that will work best for your B2B company post-COVID.

The right internet marketing strategy will enable you to extend your reach, effectively send your message across, and significantly improve sales - while building a strong relationship with your audience and delighting them at every touchpoint.

Digital Resource is your go-to SEO service provider in Florida. We offer everything from blogging and social media marketing to reputation management and paid ads!

If your B2B business needs help promoting your business online effectively, you can count on us! Contact us today to know how we can add value to your business.