B2B Genie – B2B Marketing Blog

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO for short) is consistently one of the top tools used by B2B marketers today to generate leads. It’s a long game approach, with results taking 3-6 months to appear, but ROI is higher than with almost any other tool. Overall, the techniques are the same for seo for B2B as it is for B2C – after all you’re targeting the same search engines in the same way. To achieve the best results, however, your priorities should be a little different. Here are 5 important points to consider when optimising your B2B site:

1. Think about the funnel

One of the challenges with seo for B2B is that the number of relevant keywords and phrases is often far more limited than for a B2C site. Well it is if you focus merely on product and industry-related keywords but search is part of the buying process and as such all stages of the funnel should be taken into account. If you’re selling financial training, for instance, don’t start with the qualifications, and DO go broader. Think business training, business qualifications, career improvement for instance.

2. Produce quality content. Regularly

With seo for B2B, content is in some ways even more powerful than incoming links. It gets a page indexed for the right keywords, it draws in traffic, and then it converts it, sending visitors on in search of further information or directly to a lead form. Whilst many a B2C sites can get away with lightweight content as their products involve an on-the-spot decision and often sell themselves, B2B content needs to engage from the off and a single page of information very rarely leads to an immediate purchase decision, acting instead as a stepping stone to further information and the next stage of the funnel. This content mustn’t be written once and left to rot, however. Google’s recent ‘freshness’ update has highlighted the importance of keeping your content up to date, and regular refreshes will help keep a page in a strong position, if not improving its ranking further.

3. Be social

Social Media is having more and more influence over our purchase decisions as we look to our peers for their opinions on products and services before buying them. The world of search, and in particular Google, has taken note of this, and social signals are now firmly embedded as factors that influence search rankings. Blogs have for a long while attracted strong rankings, but Google’s latest ‘search+’ update has emphasised the importance of Google+. For B2B marketers it’s crucial to set up and maintain a G+ company page, and to keep it updated, but don’t stop there. Blog regularly, tweet about your blogs, start discussions on LinkedIn, and above all take part in discussions relevant to your products and services.

4. P2P not B2B

This ties in nicely with number 3′s social media message but also relates to link building.’Who,’ you may ask, ‘could possibly be interested in linking to my site?’ Well if you give them the kind of content that interests them, then they may well want to link to it! Remember that fun isn’t banned in B2B, and also that your target market have a life outside their business, one that you may be able to tap into whilst still finding relevance to your products. Think out of the box, but above all think people not businesses.

5. Every keyword counts

In the big wide world of search the normal advice is to find the most relevant keywords that deliver the greatest volume of traffic and concentrate on getting them to the top of the rankings. With seo for B2B however, there’s a bigger picture – and also a smaller one!

From a big picture point of view it’s important to focus on the broader funnel as well as your core list of keywords. At the top of the funnel it’s all about traffic, and relevance. Test top of the funnel keywords and pick the ones with the lowest bounce rate and the highest number of pages per visit – these are the ones that are helping source visitors interested in learning more.

For the ‘little picture’, it’s not about traffic at all. These are your most relevant keywords, but it doesn’t matter whether they generate thousands of visits or only single figures, if they generate ongoing actions – ideally an information request of some form. Every B2B lead is valuable, and low traffic terms are likely to be easier to rank for. Scour analytics, look for the long tail, target all of it, and go where the money is.

Gifford Morley-Fletcher is currently in charge of the marketing for www.financialtraining.co.uk

A question that is all to often asked on forums, social platforms & Q&A sites. Just what is B2B Marketing?

Well we felt that we should offer up an explanation…

There are currently three main types of business transaction

Business to Business (B2B) – This is a transaction between two businesses, whether it’s manufacturer to wholesaler or wholesaler to to retailer. Other transactions might be services such as consulting where a company offers it’s expertise to another company. In basic terms B2B Marketing is where one company sells it’s products to another company.

Business to Consumer (B2C) – This is where a company sells directly to a consumer. So in the case of a retailer selling a product to a customer or service provider selling those services to consumers.

Business to Government (B2G) – This is where a company will provide products or services to the various levels of government. Generally speaking where the company is providing a service, this is facilitated by a government contract, where the company will be contracted by local or national government to perform a specific role. An example of this might be companies that are contracted to maintain roads by the local highways agency.

In this mix, B2B Marketing is a major part of supply chains between companies and also between manufacturer and consumer. Each particular form of marketing is different to the other. Winning a government contract is vastly different to selling a product to a customer and B2B Marketing is just as different again.

B2B Marketing deals with smaller audiences and smaller prospective range of clients than B2C, which, generally speaking, makes careful planning and strict targeting a requirement to be successful and provide a good return on investment (ROI)

So now we’ve thrown as many acronyms as we can at you, we hope that the question – What is B2B Marketing? has been answered.

If you own a small business you know that marketing is necessary, but getting started my seem intimidating. You might not know where to start, or if you have a marketing plan in place, you may not be getting the desired results. So if this is the case, and you’re interested in jump starting your small business marketing, there are a few steps to use to get the most out of your marketing plan.

Many small businesses already have a marketing plan in place, and may very well be using online media to engage a wider audience. This is specifically true for small business selling online. But with so many terms, plans and services, someone may not know where or how to begin. The world of online marketing is an industry unto itself filled with hundreds of companies and services guaranteeing to get you more business. And without proper understanding, you could easily become flustered and give up, missing out on the real benefits of an online image. It may seem difficult at first, but with some general information, it’s actually quite easy to comprehend. And before you know it your business could be reaping the rewards of a good small business marketing.

Online marketing doesn’t have to break the bank, and it also doesn’t have to be convoluted with complex strategies and methods. One of the first things a small business should put into action is their website. A business website is the epicenter of all brand activity and should be made a priority. Many elements create a strong website that goes beyond a pretty home page. Content, keyword optimization and web design are only to name a few, but they all play an important role.

Website Design

Websites should be optimized for a wide range of connection speeds and browsers. Heavy graphics and animations are nice and do work in some instances, but if they are too abundant, users who may have a slower connection may not experience the website to its full potential, or worse, they may not be able to view it at all because it won’t load. Navigation should be simplified, resulting in fewer clicks to reach key destinations. Also, navigation should be easy and uncomplicated. Therefore, users can find content without difficulty. An added plus for businesses is the use of click tracking. There are some analytics services that monitor web pages, and track where users go, this gives businesses a good idea of which content works and what doesn’t.

Website Content

A tried and true method of increasing traffic is through the use of Search Engine Marketing (SEM). SEM cannot only bring traffic onto a website, but it can also improve the content as well. SEM and SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, shouldn’t be looked at as two distinct methodologies, instead they should be used in tandem with one another to create a better plan. The analytics and tools used with SEM can greatly improve your SEO knowledge base.

Having SEO content placed into a website is necessary in today’s online media. The first step in improving content overall is to use keywords to gauge how customer’s search for the particular services or products being sold by the company. Using a keyword search tool can help you get into the mindset of your customer, and see exactly how they search for your products. Once that is done, adding SEO is crucial. Taking the knowledge learned from keyword searches and incorporating them into the content displayed on the website is a method. This method entails simply, using popular keyword phrases and integrating them into online content. Another method is cross linking pages on the website. This would involve adding links to key articles or blog posts on other articles or blog posts. There are other methods that can also be used, but the outcome remains the same, improved visibility on search engines.

Regardless of the methods used for SEO, content must always remain relevant, dependable and timely to your customers. This comes back to the age-old adage of knowing your target customers and their expectations and needs.

General Small Business Marketing

Through the use of small business SEM, a website’s popularity can increase overtime, leading to more potential customers. In order to do this efficiently, a business has to have a solid grasp on the fundamentals, and create a small business marketing plan that is both goal oriented and realistic. Goals should be set and target audiences should already be well noted and researched. The home website should already be outfitted with SEO content, and attempts should be made to circulate the website around using social networking sites, partners or blogs. Analytics and tracking tools should be installed in order to gauge your performance against set goal markers, and if targets aren’t met content should be researched, and the marketing plan should be amended.

Pay-Per Click (PPC) marketing is a way to advertise the company website, and to help draw potential customers. There are many services to use, and time should be spent researching proper strategies in order to maximize its effect. PPC is an option that should not be over looked by any business, and if time constraints are too tight to dedicate the time to understand the process, companies could be hired to ensure the best outcome.

Effective marketing can determine whether or not a business is successful. When starting a new company, it can be difficult to build clientele without an established reputation. There are a number of things that can be done to increase your business’ visibility and gain the respect of the people in your area. These tips can help whether or not your business is brand new.

Get a reference list together, especially if your company is new. You can do this by offering promotional prices, or even free services, to family, friends, and neighbors. Let them know that in exchange for the low-cost or free service, you will be using them as a reference for your business. Make sure they don’t mind getting phone calls from potential customers.

Make professional business cards, flyers, and brochures. Make sure to note what services you are offering and include your name and contact information.

Develop a website. Your website doesn’t have to be an expensive venture. Many Internet service providers offer hosting and website editors. Make sure your website looks professional by not using too many fancy colors. A light background and black text is best. You may invest in a better website and/or personalized logo once your business starts doing well.

Hand out personalized products such as pens, keychains, and fridge magnets. The goal is to choose items that can be personalized with your company’s name and phone number. Make it a priority to choose items a person is likely to use often. This will determine whether or not they will remember your company when the need arises.

Make sure that you provide quality service. If this is your goal, the clients that hire you will come back to you time and time again because they feel they can trust you. Word of mouth marketing will play a key role in the success of your business. Tell all your friends and family about the services that you provide so that they can recommend you when appropriate.

Place your flyers and business cards in local restaurants, stores and free-standing bulletin boards. Some companies allow local businesses to advertise on their bulletin board. If you are not sure about the policy, ask a manager. Get plastic business card holders and ask store managers for their approval to leave one on their counter. Stock it with plenty of your business cards and be sure to check back every now and then to see if the holders need to be restocked.

There are a few other things you can do to maximize exposure. Purchase a listing or display ad in The Yellow Pages and community newspapers. Advertise on Craigslist and renew your ad weekly. Take the time to get licensed and insured. This will boost reputation and provide your clients with peace of mind. Don’t miss an opportunity to pass out your business card!

Gone are the days of the mass email marketing “scattergun” approach. B2B email activities have had to evolve at an alarming rate, to stay ahead of anti-email technology and large scale opt-outs as a result of poor targeting or excessive contact levels.

As customer view of email marketing continues its downward spiral a different approach is required to regain respectability. Engaging the right customers in the correct way has become an art form and when mastered can turn a basic customer engagement activity into a powerful customer retention and lead development solution.

Below we have compiled some tips to help you improve your email marketing activity.

Data Usage:

The effectiveness and information provided by modern CRM systems allows for highly accurate data segmentation, providing email marketers an opportunity to cater for a very specific audience.

Tip: Use industry knowledge and the information at your disposal to segment your data into highly targeted groups, and then cater your emails to each audience individually.

Lead Generation:

The social theatre is ever expanding, and many companies have successfully harnessed social media to build a community and audience. It is from these communities that data and lead generation activities can be effectively deployed. Offering valuable content and insight to your audience goes a long way to proving a company’s expertise and setting them apart from the competition. Get social media right and the volume and quality of leads will grow.

Tip: Create a social presence online and engage with your audience, provide valuable content and insight in return for valuable leads and data to use in your email campaigns.

The Personal Touch:

Going the extra mile to understand your clients and potential clients need not be as time-consuming as you’d think. There are many good marketing automation tools and exploration of these solutions could help your efficiency. Tying this automation in with monitoring of customer activity could allow your various technologies to talk with each other and build a clearer picture of every single client. With this improved understanding, manual or automated marketing efforts will work more efficiently and drive higher conversion rates.

Tip: Don’t leave your various business tools isolated; tie them together to enrich the quality of your data. Then use what tools are available to you to email clients in a personal way.

This post was supplied by Mark Barrett, on behalf of B2B Marketing’s Email Marketing Knowledgebank.