B2B Marketing Solutions for 2012

(February 15, 2012) – Recently, the website marketingprofs.com posted an article about the five trends in B2B marketing that will be essential to success in the upcoming fiscal year.

B2B, or business-to-business marketing, is an essential component for many companies, and although Marketing Profs stresses this element, many of the strategies included can be applied to your online business marketing even if you deal directly with consumers.

The article includes some interesting statistics on what types of information businesses are looking for online. For example, 85% of engineers go online when searching for components or suppliers, but what’s interesting is that 78% also go online when looking for instructional manuals. 

Even if your business is not in the industrial sector, this statistic shows how people are using the internet to gather information and just how beneficial a how-to video can be to your company.

As we’ve mentioned before, a how-to video can be a great way to introduce potential customers to your products or services, and with these new statistics, the time has never been better.

After reading the Marketing Profs article, I think the most useful tips are the emphasis on content and the use of social media.

Here on the blog, I talk a lot about how social media is a fantastic way to engage potential clients and customers. However, with the number of social media sites online, trying to optimize for all of them is a waste of valuable resources. Marketing Profs’ article emphasizes finding the best channels for your business, and not using social media as the be-all and end-all in your b2b marketing.

The article also stresses the importance of content and making sure that what you post is “the information your customers and prospects need to make informed buying decisions is available to them”.

It’s a simple strategy, but incredibly effective.