Dry spells are a thing in the digital marketing space.
Times, when it feels like all the strategies you have in place, have lost their oomph. When campaigns no longer generate interest, they used to.
Times of frustration and panic looking at unmet KPIs, a reducing pipeline, and dwindling sales numbers.
If this is you, or you want to keep from getting there, read on. We have laid down tactics that may shake up your campaigns.
1.Create Content That Targets The Right People
What comes to mind when you think about content marketing?
It needs to attract the right audiences, right?
But, who are these right audiences?
Many of us don’t stop to consider that.
We assume that so long as the content addresses brands that need our solutions, someone will come across it, engage the content and reach out.
Well, maybe or maybe not, considering your content isn’t targeting anyone at the organization but the brand itself.
And we all know that brands are made up of people—people who are involved in the decision-making process.
Here are the stakeholders your content should attract:
- Researchers. These are typically junior staff authorized by bosses to research specific solutions. They don’t possess buying power but have plenty of influence. They will be the ones visiting your website for information like white papers and product/service overviews, so make it easy for them to access it.
- End-users. These are the people who interact daily with your solutions and are looking for something that will make their working lives easier. Case studies and unbiased customer reviews allow them to see how your solutions can help them.
- Finance decision-makers. This group looks at the financial implication of your offerings. Your content needs to demonstrate tangible value to help them decide. ROI calculators, datasheets, and case studies are fine examples you can use.
- Executives. Executives, look at how your solutions will help them achieve business goals while maximizing ROI. The content you create should discuss the business challenges you tackle and expected results. ROI calculators, white papers, and cases studies are useful assets here.
2.Incorporate Interactive Quizzes
You’ve probably taken a personality test at least once in your life.
Why did you do it?
Curiosity, perhaps? Or maybe you wanted to know something about your life.
B2B interactive quizzes are similar, but they focus on a company’s health. They are a fun way for brands to engage with your business.
You can target just about any topic that has to do with your target market and the solutions you offer. Through a series of questions, your interactive quiz can calculate the results and share them with the user.
Users can expand their knowledge or pinpoint problems/areas they need to focus on. They can learn more about their company’s current standing and receive tips on making things better.
The viral nature of interactive quizzes helps improve brand awareness, differentiates you from the competition, and educates prospects. All these create a perception of expertise and leadership, generating interest in your brand.
Adding interactive quizzes to your strategy may help improve lead generation, and generate useful behavioral data. The kind that may help you reorganize your campaigns and offerings to improve communication with potential customers.
Examples of interactive tools that you can use include Qzzr, Outgrow, Interact, Typeform, and SurveyMonkey.
3.Run Podcasts
A LinkedIn research on 2700 LinkedIn members revealed that at least 44 percent of business owners, C-suite, VPS, and departmental heads tune into podcasts.
Modern-day businesses are moving away from traditional, faceless, and toneless public relations strategies and now speak (literally) to their customers.
Podcasting is an emerging marketing discipline where marketers create audio episodes on topics that interest their target audience.
From industry challenges and events to client stories (why they chose you), your brand story, and useful tips there’s plenty to talk about.
So, if you want to reach new audiences, re-generate interest in existing ones, and boost thought leadership, podcasting is the way to go.
You can host solo podcasts, panel discussions, interviews, Q&As, or co-hosted podcasts.
Benefits of B2B podcasting include:
- Humanizing brands. An interview with the CEO, sharing your brand’s story, future plans, and sharing their expertise, evokes emotional connections among listeners and generates trust.
- Expanding your network of target audiences. Inviting guests whose industry interests are like your own opens you up to new audiences that you can market to. You can build genuine relationships with their followers and convert them.
- Great for on-the-go audiences. Most decision-makers live a life on the go. They may not have the time to sit and read through articles. Podcasts allow you to leverage their downtime like during a commute, on a plane ride, or at the gym to build connections.
4.Make Cold Calls
There is more to cold calling than simply picking up the phone and calling a stranger.
It’s the first of many touchpoints that allow brands to foster relationships with potential customers.
As salespeople understand the needs of those they are selling to, they can make real connections with them. These touchpoints guide potential customers towards the purchase—but it all starts with a phone call.
Best practices include:
- Set your goal before picking up the phone. How do you want the conversation to end? Work backward and create scenarios that will lead you to the goal.
- Put together a targeted list. The problem with calling random numbers on a purchased list is you don’t know if they need your solutions. You’ll be wasting yours and their time as well. Create a prospect list with brands that can find your message relevant.
- Leverage sales triggers. Is there an event (new funding, expansion, appointment of new C-suite executives, etc) that may create an opportunity for a sale? Look out for these triggers and approach the prospect at an optimal time to improve your cold calling success.
- Timing is everything. There are hours when prospects will gladly take your call and other times not so much. Determine the best times to reach decision-makers and spend the rest of your time researching prospects and crafting emails.
5.Host Virtual Events
Even though we are seeing some sense of normalcy return to business, we haven’t completely shaken off the effects of the pandemic.
Virtual events remain an excellent way to connect with audiences who can join the meetings from wherever they are. From webinars to conferences, online workouts, and cocktail parties, the ever-evolving virtual event technology is making all kinds of gatherings possible.
Here are examples of events you can host:
- Webinars. You’ve probably seen one advertised or attended several. Webinars are a preferable choice for panel discussions, training, and interviews. You can live-stream or pre-record the event depending on audience needs. Webinars that incorporate polling functions and chats help boost engagement from attendees.
- Online conferences. These events are extremely useful to businesses whose audiences are spread across the nation or the globe. Your conference can run over several days with scheduled keynote speakers addressing the attendees daily. Participants can join discussion forums, chat, network, and attend live sessions.
- Virtual trade shows. By replicating the benefits of real-life events, virtual trade shows accord businesses ample opportunities to engage and convert visitors. Depending on the software you use, you can conduct demos, offer documents for download, chat with visitors, and access data on consumer behavior and demographics.
