What do you think is more difficult - to come up with a product or find a business area? Not true. The hardest part is b2b marketing.

Because you yourself, the owners, do not believe in it, and as a result, do not understand how it works. But in vain.

Let it not bring quick results in business, but over time it will give you such an acceleration in sales that you will be thankful for the day you started doing it.

And right away, this material could become ideal, but it won’t work like that, since even in B2B all sales are different from each other.

Therefore, I will try to give you the basics, of course, not bypassing specific advice, and you can easily form your own approach on this basis.

I don't overplay

I understand your ambiguous attitude towards offline and online B2B marketing. As already said, all fears begin to be built on long-term investments.

And other difficulties follow from this, such as the complexity of evaluating results and the problems of controlling actions over such a long distance.

And before we start, so that you do not consider me a layman in b2b, I will voice the features of the whole approach.

This will bring us closer, and most importantly, based on these features, I will continue to tell you how you need to act in this difficult time. I highlight the main points, the rest you can easily build from them:

  1. Long transaction cycle;
  2. Multi-stage sales schemes;
  3. Miscellaneous;
  4. Different decision makers in one company;
  5. Kickbacks and other personal arrangements;
  6. Much depends on the sales department.

To be more specific, we ourselves, as a marketing agency, make b2b sales. Therefore, who, if not us, should know about all the features.

In addition, the competition in our field is bloody, which means that if we did nonsense, we would not achieve such results as we are now. But it's okay, we're not talking about our loved ones.

BRAKE

Before you start picking up sabers, swords and axes (I'm talking about marketing tools), you need to decide on the fundamental things of marketing for the company.

I won't bore you with university theory, I'll just give you two main topics for preliminary reflection. Do not skip these stages, even though they are boring.

1. Marketing goals

Why is it for you? I'm serious. The goal of increasing sales is clear enough. You need to be more specific, much more specific. We talked about this in more detail in the article.

And until you resolve this issue, you can not move on. Absolutely forbidden.

I am sure that for many, the goal of marketing, after being worked out, will go in an unobvious direction.

For example, the manufacturer will understand that he needs to promote the product not in the eyes of his customers - retail stores.

And immediately into the minds of end customers. After all, if the end consumer does not buy his product, then the stores will refuse to put it on the shelves.

2. Audience segmentation

I remember voicing features in B2B marketing. One of them is different. And I don't go back on my words.

Here I'm talking about something else. You need to know who your client is. Not ephemeral, but specifically by characteristics: industry, number of employees, seasonality, work experience, and so on. Otherwise, if you do not know for whom, then you do not know what, when and where.

In this case, I have a favorite life hack. It is not the solution to all problems, but headache dull for the first time.

To do this, you just need to highlight the ideal client among all. This is the one that buys most of all, for a large amount and without problems. And when you define it, direct all your efforts to it.

https://youtu.be/tKhP5geLfmY

We are accelerating

I thought for a long time how to present this topic so that it would be universal for different businesses in b2b, and also bring practical benefits.

And two approaches came to my mind, within the framework of which you will be able to fully select a marketing strategy and tools for implementation. We use them sequentially, as I wrote them in this material.

Up to 100 km

Consider the stages of making a buying decision in b2b. And on the basis of them we will form a base of actions, how marketing can help the sales department in the implementation of the product.

Moreover, each stage can still be decomposed into smaller ones, but even the actions around the ones mentioned below will be enough for you for several years of work.

Important. The client can be at any stage during the first contact with you.

1. Awareness of the need

We can roughly divide all business products into those that solve an existing problem (for example, printer ink), and those that eliminate an unrecognized problem (for example,).

Of course, each product, depending on the customer's situation, will be in both states. But it is important for us to understand what the client has now.

And if your product relates to an existing problem, or better yet, you get a positive answer to the question: “Does it hurt?”, then you are in luck.

And if the problem is not conscious, then first of all the client needs to be transferred to the state “I realize that there is an acute problem and it needs to be solved.” And just marketing in this matter should help.

Client's thoughts:

  1. Do we have a problem?
  2. How much does it hurt?
  3. Need to act?
  • Exhibitions;
  • dating style.

2. Solution options

When a person has realized the decision, you need to show the client that your option is the best. At this step, it will be determined - to take your option or another.

Moreover, the conversation is not about choosing a company, but about a solution. For example, how to improve personnel sales?! Training, a script, or even a new head of the department?!

You may be lucky again if your product is the only solution. And this is often noted in unconscious problems.

But from experience, such a marathon of joy will not last long. In any area where there is money, sooner or later competitors appear who come up with their own products and try to distinguish them from yours.

Client's thoughts:

  1. What are the solutions?
  2. What criteria should be based on?
  3. What is the best solution according to our criteria?

Counter marketing activities:

  • Video review;
  • Comparison table;
  • Test Drive;
  • Awards;
  • Ratings;

3. Choosing a company

You can't be lucky for the third time that you gave me a positive answer to the question: “Is your product unique?”.

Most likely you have competitors, and even if they have a slightly different product from yours, customers still compare you as well.

And here we are not talking about comparison at the product level, but about choosing between companies (suppliers).

I can buy the same table from your company, or I can buy from Sweet Pirozhenki LLC. And this is exactly where you need to convince that your company is the right option.

You do this, starting from the number of how many years you have been on the market, ending with which of the employees supports which football club. Platforms and ways of conveying information any.

Client's thoughts:

  1. What are the risks at work?
  2. Can the company be trusted?

Counter marketing activities:

  • Meeting at the office;
  • History of formation.

4. Bidding and execution

When a client has decided to work with your company, consider that he is in your pocket.

It remains only to agree on the cost. Moreover, it would be more correct to say that the client must accept it.

And while he agrees with her, you will hear hackneyed expressions in the style of “Give a discount” and “Others are cheaper”.

After agreeing to the purchase, you will still have the stage of fulfilling the contract. I deliberately did not take it out separately, since it will be discussed in more detail in the next chapter.

But already now you know that even during the execution the client may jump off, or, most importantly, not return to you after the first time.

Client's thoughts:

  1. Satisfied with the price?
  2. Why such a price?
  3. Will we get values ​​for the announced price?

Working out questions with marketing actions:

Up to 300 km

You could say you just learned how to build a very fast bike. Now we are developing a car or even an airplane.

Let's dive into the details, which I will show on the reverse sales funnel. This term is quite new to the market, but its concept opens all the gates in b2b marketing.

Conceptually, we consistently guide the client through 7 types of tools, each of which pursues its own task and maximizes returns at its stage.

You can buy everything online - from matches to an island in the ocean. But is it worth it to go into online sales to b2b companies? How realistic is it to sell metal products or CNC machines through the site?

The difference between b2b and b2c markets

How to sell a car? Watching who.

A human client needs to sit in the car. See what's under the hood. Consult with your wife. Hear about the favorable price and quality of service.

It is important for the buyer-organization to find out about the terms of leasing and the cost of depreciation. Understand the nuances of the contract and the conditions for further cooperation. They probably won't even look at the car.

The difference between b2b and b2c markets is enormous. And in the speed of decision-making, and in the amount of the transaction, and in the role of emotions. The decision to choose a tractor is made rationally and for a long time. About buying pizza - quickly and emotionally. If you arrange a battle between a marketer working with everyday goods and a marketer promoting financial consulting, it will stretch over several days. We have collected in a table some of the differences related to sales via the Internet.

The specifics of the markets are obvious, but when it comes to the Internet, questions arise. How to understand that this person wants to buy a milling machine? Can a pizza consumer be our target audience with the characteristics of “top manager, 30-50 years old, working in production”? How do business users behave online? Therefore, sometimes Internet promotion in the business market is used intuitively. And the tools that show results in the b2c market do not work.

The main mistakes in Internet marketing in the b2b market

Wrong goal setting

The success of trading in consumer goods is in reducing transaction costs. An online store pays off by saving on renting a trading floor and paying sellers. In the network, it is important to reduce the cost of attracting an application.

It would be a mistake to set such a goal when selling b2b goods or services through the site. The salesperson's role in dealing with business customers goes beyond invoicing. When selling complex goods and services, it is required to demonstrate competence in professional field. The client needs to be convinced that the product solves precisely his professional tasks. Therefore, the goal on the b2b site may be to get a warm contact (after downloading the price list or demo version) and access to direct communication.

Why is it important to set the right goal? In b2b, there can be 3 applications per month, but each one is a million. Therefore, if you get carried away by reducing the costs of attracting an application, you can lose 3 million. Of course, you need to understand the maximum allowable cost of an action on your site.

Overlay offline segmentation on online users

The basis for offline segmentation can be the volume of consumption of goods, industry, frequency of calls, etc. The buyer of the machine can be a person of a certain age and position. You go to the top manager of the plant with one commercial offer, and send another one to the "IP manager".

It is not always possible to track socio-demographic characteristics online. The volume of consumption of goods on request is also not understandable - the manager of a construction corporation and the “IP” will enter the same request “milling machine” or “accounting program”. Therefore, it is better to segment online users based on additional criteria, at the intersection of online and offline characteristics.

Why is it important to segment? To show each audience the offer they need, increasing traffic conversion and thereby increasing the cost effectiveness of online marketing.

Measure the result with b2c market metrics

It is hardly enough to measure only the volume of traffic or conversion to applications. On the b2b market, the sale is long, multi-stage, which means that the result must be measured accordingly.

Set up deep analytics, build a long funnel and track results taking into account the characteristics of the purchase. Without losing a client after a phone call.

For example, in the b2c market, one of the performance indicators is ROI (the ratio of the amount of profit to the amount of investment). For b2b, this metric will not be indicative - it is difficult to take into account all the costs for six months that went into making the deal go through. Much more valuable for understanding the effectiveness will be the conversion rate from calls to deals.

Why is it important to choose the right metrics? To understand which channels, in which period, brought you more targeted visitors. And invest in effective ones.

How to "set up" the Internet marketing system in a b2b company

Surely you are working on promoting goods / services on the Internet. You know which channels are effective. But sometimes it's good to "clean up" and check how well everything works. And can the scores be improved? By the way, one of the first rules of a systematic approach to Internet marketing is to regularly revise indicators and adjust, based on the data received, not only tactics, but also a promotion strategy.

Let's go over the main points that are good to track regularly.

Adequacy of the goals of promotion on the Internet

the company's global business goals;

product features;

Selected tools.

The global goals for a b2b company on the Internet are likely to be focused in the area of ​​information, positioning and building trust. Online sales will be the second level goal.

At the level of product goals, the adequacy of the way your product is consumed is important. For example, when choosing rolled metal, a consumer monitors the Internet and sends requests to several companies for a mini-tender. This means that the target for rolled metal may be getting into the first selection list. What is needed for this? A simple and understandable application form with the ability to attach a tender request, a quick response to the request and getting contacts for further communication.

An example of an application that allows you to quickly get into a mini-tender:

Goals and metrics in the context of tools are determined depending on the life stage of the site development. For example, at the initial stage of the promotion, there is no data on the quality of traffic sources. It is difficult to predict which channel will bring quality visitors. Therefore, goals can be set in terms of traffic volumes. After the analytical period, it is advisable to review the goals.

If you already know the average cost of an application, you can move on to more complex metrics. For example, leasing company may set a goal "to provide the nth number of applications, not exceeding a certain percentage in total amount completed leasing agreements.

Segmentation by online criteria

There can be many types of segmentation in the network, for example:

  • by stage life cycle client (potential, current, departed);
  • by type of consumption (through tenders, wholesale, works with companies from the state register, etc.);
  • by type of requests (multi-component low-frequency, branded, general);
  • by behavior on the network or on the site (for example, those who viewed a certain set of pages and downloaded the price list);
  • by interests (pizza, economics, design);
  • by client CID (user attribute based on the browser used).

Segmentation, which takes into account your knowledge of offline customers with an attempt to model their behavior on the network, gives the greatest effect.

Unfortunately, the volume of applications from a site in the b2b market is usually small, so it takes time to accumulate statistics on the quality of segments (which segments generate applications more than High Quality). However, it is important to determine the value of each segment (what is the volume of customers and the average check) and estimate the volume of demand (for example, by the frequency of requests).

In the future, segmentation will not only allow you to effectively work with each segment. But to complete the most important task is to expand exactly the segment that brings the greatest profit, find an audience with similar characteristics on the network and show it your offer. It is the search for new customers and reaching new audiences that is the most difficult and demanded task for b2b.

All applications are "qualified"

Often a potential client is "lost" at the stage of a phone call. The goal of Internet promotion has been formally achieved - the client was taken to a personal conversation, an appointment was made. What happens to him afterwards is often unknown.

However, how to evaluate the effectiveness of working with the Internet if we do not know what quality of the audience we bring to the sales department? An order for rolled metal can be for 20,000 or 20,000,000 rubles. Who do we need more?

Traditionally, sales managers, support and customer service departments are responsible for relations with existing customers. What is the problem with this approach?

  1. For the specialists of these departments, the task is secondary and, as a rule, is given "as a load". As a result, initiatives to maintain and develop relationships with customers are not implemented or are implemented on a residual basis.
  2. If dozens of clients are assigned to a sales manager, it is impossible to fully work with each of the employees personally.
  3. In order to effectively manage customer relationships, a unified communication strategy and coordination of activities between the departments involved is necessary. Usually there is a problem with this - employees of various departments act autonomously and inconsistently.
  4. When working with large clients, the tasks of building relationships with client employees are the responsibility of key account managers. However, there are gaps in this approach as well. Firstly, there may be dozens of involved employees on the client side, each of which cannot be worked individually, and secondly, the account manager does not have the marketing competencies required to communicate with clients using various channels.

B2B marketing - attract or retain

It would seem that B2B marketers should pay serious attention to working with existing customers and work closely with sales and customer service departments. However, the reality is that in most companies, the marketing department has little to no involvement in the customer experience. This situation is the result of a number of systemic causes and subjective circumstances. Let's take a closer look at them.

  • Unbalanced motivation system. Often, the KPI system for marketers is built in such a way that priority is given to attracting new customers, and repeat sales are considered as something taken for granted or as the responsibility of sellers. According to surveys, the effectiveness of the marketing department is primarily measured by the number of new leads and potential deals, bypassing the effectiveness of working with existing customers. As a result, most of the marketing budget is spent on attracting new customers and strengthening the brand - advertising, PR, exhibitions, corporate sponsorship. The marketing costs of working with existing customers are not comparable to the costs of attracting new customers.
  • Lack of mature processes and integration between departments. Dealing with existing customers is challenging and requires customer relationship management processes to coordinate sales, marketing, and customer service. For many companies, this is becoming one of the key obstacles to building effective CRM processes.

All over the world, B2B marketing is undergoing a phase of active transformation. Its role is greatly enhanced. The emergence of concepts such as account-based management (ABM) is seriously influencing approaches to attracting and retaining B2B customers, providing active management of customer relationships - from the lead generation stage to after-sales service.

Such a breakthrough is largely associated with the emergence of new tools and concepts. Let's consider the most important of them.

CRM system

Marketing Automation

Marketing automation is a new paradigm for managing marketing activities using all available channels of communication with customers. Marketers can implement automated scenarios for working with each employee of a client organization based on dynamic segmentation and analysis of its activity. This allows you to significantly reduce the burden on sales managers, "warm up" interest in the company's solutions, increase the loyalty of customer employees and stimulate sales.

Depending on the software automation tools can be very different. In the context of working with existing clients, first of all, opportunities for managing client base. We single out three main functions that are most in demand in the context of CRM processes.

Segmentation bases based on predefined criteria and interaction history for maximum personalization of interaction with customers.

Scoring(Scoring) - a quantitative assessment of the client in terms of his interests. Depends on the profile, activity on the company's website and many other parameters. Scoring allows you to identify the needs and areas of interest of customers, their willingness to make a deal, their tendency to churn, etc.

Formation of interest(Nurturing) - the process of forming and developing the interest of a company representative through content marketing, mailing lists, SMM, marketing campaigns.

Basics of B2P Marketing

The Federal Law of the Russian Federation “On Advertising” states: “Advertising is information distributed in any way, in any area and using any means, addressed to an indefinite circle of people and aimed at drawing attention to the object of advertising, generating or maintaining interest in it and promoting it on the market."

Unfortunately, most Russian advertisers and advertising agencies interpret the highlighted part of this definition too literally and really address their marketing messages to an indefinite circle of people who are potentially interested in purchasing their product or service.

And here is how a marketer will define effective advertising: “Effective advertising is information addressed to a strictly defined circle of people with similar characteristics and needs, distributed by familiar this circle persons by means of communication, aimed at the commission by the advertiser of a certain kind of action in the direction specified by the advertiser.

In the definition effective advertising the object of advertising is an action that can be performed immediately and free of charge. And, most importantly, the effectiveness of such advertising can be easily calculated, which cannot be said about traditional advertising.

Marketing challenges in the B2B market

  1. Studying your target client.
  2. Identifying a target customer's problem and finding a way to solve it with your products and services.
  3. Writing a free training mini-guide that describes the solution to the client's problem and helps him make a decision in favor of your product or service.
  4. Creation of a “landing” page that will “give out” your mini-benefit in exchange for certain user data. The more valuable material you provide to a potential client, the more data you have the right to ask.
  5. Organization advertising campaign in order to attract visitors to the landing page. Mainly through contextual advertising systems (Yandex.Direct, Google Adwords) by buying cheap requests.
  6. Testing the landing page to increase downloads of the mini-guide. Test everything from the title to the call text on the form button. Sometimes replacing one word can increase page conversion by up to 20%.
  7. Request for offer. Invite a potential client who has studied your training materials to learn more about your products and services.
  8. Development of customer development programs for those who are not ready to make a purchase right now. Depending on how the client motivated the refusal to purchase, include him in the appropriate program.
  9. Repeat offers. At the end of the next cycle of the client development program, make proposals again. Sometimes it makes sense to offer better deals for a limited period of time.

The marketing industry is constantly changing as new technologies emerge and old ones become obsolete. Twenty years ago, marketing was considered phone call or visit a sales agent. B2B marketers are now increasingly using technology to save time and energy when maximum return on investment. It is both difficult and simple at the same time.

As marketing has evolved, marketers have had to adapt to the changes that have followed. Certain skills that were needed 20 years ago are no longer in high demand, while others remain relevant. Over the past 10 years, marketers have been forced to constantly adapt to keep up with the progress of the digital age.

The success of B2B marketing depends on these skills. So what are they? The list below shows nine important rules that B2B marketers must follow to be successful:

1. Know your industry.

As a B2B marketer, you need to know what's going on in your industry. Identify, follow influencers and thought leaders in your industry, and track new information to stay up to date with the latest industry news. To stay informed while sitting at your computer, attend webinars offered by others in your industry. Conferences, exhibitions, professional organizations and seminars are a great way to get out of the office and online. The best way to get to know your industry is to attend its events.

2. Stay up to date with new IT tools.

The key to selling your product or service is that you know its pros and cons, and how well it meets the needs of the buyer. This will help you create and refine your messages, but being business-savvy is only half the battle. It is also important that you understand the technologies in your area of ​​responsibility. Think about your key challenges as a marketer and how you can make your job more productive and easier through the use of specific software. These can be free tools like Google Analytics or Twitter, or paid tools like marketing automation systems and CRM systems. Make sure you understand the full range of technologies available for marketing and the benefits they bring to you.

3. Learn how to develop a flexible plan.

The best way to know where you are going is to know where you have been before. An experienced marketer always has a plan. The most experienced marketer has a flexible plan. In marketing, conditions change all the time. B2B marketers need to know how to quickly adapt to the volatility and fluidity of situations. Develop plans for your marketing initiatives, but always be sure that the plan can be adjusted along the way. Make sure you always have room in your budget for new features and ideas when they come up.

4. Become a Math Expert.

Gone are the good old days of fuzzy goals like branding. Today, marketers have measurable metrics in their work, which means it's time to dive into the world of mathematics and analysis. With the increasing penetration of online campaigns, it has become much easier to keep track of the number of qualified "leads" (hot leads) and deals generated by smart marketing efforts. The good news is that when you can clearly demonstrate how your actions bring a specific income to the company, you are more likely to receive a larger budget for future endeavors.

5. Focus on content marketing.

Content is a key component of today's marketing mix. Start by learning features of your customers. Learn about their needs, concerns and concerns, limitations, motivations, and frustrations. This will help you decide what content is most relevant to them and what means you should use to communicate with your audience. Then figure out how your potential customers find you so you can use all relevant channels to grow your business. A strong content marketing strategy can give you a chance to significantly differentiate yourself from the competition (and there will be very few along the way).

6. Use Search Marketing.

A good content marketing strategy will be completely useless if no one can find your content. Optimize your site to increase its visibility on search engine results pages by focusing on building inbound links, keywords and optimization of your own website code. Never underestimate the power of inbound links when it comes to search. A successful B2B marketer understands the nuances of search marketing - its impact on the company's website and content promotion.

7. Use social networks.

This may seem irrelevant to this moment, but it is important to understand how you use different social platforms in your work. Start using them personally. Once you understand the intricacies of each platform, start using them like a pro. If you already have a content strategy defined, you need to understand at what stage your customers become interested. Make it a rule to be in all the places where your customers, followers and opinion leaders "live". Remember not to use social media just because you feel it's a must. Always have a (flexible) plan with you.

8. Practice your writing skills.

Marketing still relies on the power of the printed word. With the increasing power and influence of content marketing, it becomes critical for marketers to write well and persuasively. Press releases are still widely used as a marketing tool (which is also useful for SEO), while blogs are fast becoming a must for building brand strength. With the advent of social media, writing styles will change, but the craft of writing will not die. Just ask anyone how easy it is to put an important thought into 140 characters! :)

9. Understand the value of feedback.

Inquiry feedback from customers provides you with concrete ideas to improve your business. Reviews can also point you to what you are doing right. Determine the best way communicate with clients and start conducting surveys to get a quantitative analysis of your work. Without being aware of your current position, it is very difficult to move forward.

Who can say what skills a marketer will need in 5 or 10 years? If a marketer decides to develop only one skill today, then it should be ability to quickly adapt to change. If you cannot adapt to the changing world around you, then all the other skills mentioned above will be of no value.