2. B2B Marketing Overview
Tactics and Strategies
By Anthony E. Byrne
Anthony is CEO and co-founder of Product2Market,
a leading European Technology Marketing Agency.
A graduate of UCD Michael Smurfit School of
Business in Dublin, he has been involved in a
number of successful Start-ups and is a career
marketeer.
Anthony’s background is in both Advertising and
Software and he has been on the forefront of how
both have intersected to to be come modern
Marketing.
@Anthony_Byrne
3. INTRO
Business to Business marketing differs greatly from Business to Consumer marketing. This
applies to factors such as potential target market size, value proposition and consequently,
decisions and approaches used by marketing managers. In the past, Business to Business
marketers had a (more) straight forward approach to winning new business.
This was because of less competition in the marketplace, a more simplistic approach due to less
tactic options and fundamentally a focus on relationship marketing (ensuring loyalty and repeat
business). Essentially, having so many marketing resources in 2015 has meant Business to
Business marketers have a less clear path in terms of what is right, wrong and whats going to
bring the best results. So, out with the old and in with the new? No. Mix it up a bit understand
what the options are then start building a strategy.
What is Business2Business Marketing
4. The First Option Typically On The Table
“Advertisingsays to people,here is what Ihave. Here iswhat it will doand here is
where to get it
”
Leo Burrnett, quoted in LEO’s -1995
It’s clear, advertising is typically the most
traditional form of marketing available. In our
consumer driven society it’s very hard to
undertake any activity that isn’t impacted by
some type of Advertising. Through the mediums
of television, radio, press, magazines and the
Internet there is almost limitless possible
avenues your Business could use
to advertise.
1. Be Specific.
Dedicated telephone
numbers or advertised
offers with redemption
codes all for the purpose
of tracking the return of
investment.
2 Location,
location, location.
The location of your
advert is crucial – will it
it really been seen?
Is there an industry
readership?
Advertising’s returns can sometimes be hard to quantify so
its important to have a quantification process in place:
5. Get inside their
Mailbox
Catch them for
a meeting
Direct mail, mail shots,
mailers. We’ve all heard,
seen, read these as
they’ve landed on our
desk.
Butin today’s Marketing world,
the Internet has affected the
medium used to deliver
marketing messages, which
would have traditionally been
delivered through the Mail
(Postal) system. This has become
a positive for direct mail as a
marketing method, as decision
makers aren’t being bombarded
by endless mail-shots.
Less is more.
What we mean by Direct
Sales is a company’s Sales
resources, which contact the
target market directly.
Whether following up on
enquiries or making “cold calls”
your company’s sales people
should be responsible and
accountable for growing their
pipeline and deals closed. Direct
sales people give your company
focused growth by hunting for
leads and opportunities.
There is no such
thing as ‘soft-sell’
and ‘hard-sell. ’
There is only
‘smart sell’
and ‘stupid sell’.
“
”
Charles Browder (1958), president of
BBDO, quoted in James B. Simpson,
Contemporary Quotations – 1964
6. It’s always worth considering that
the most effective use of a Sales
Person’s time is closing deals with
the right type of prospect at exactly
at the right time
This means that marketing
generating leads for Sales people to
close is key, if you want to optimise a
sales & marketing relationship and
the only way to build a scalable
revenue engine for your company.
In 2015 using the internet at our
disposal for marketing, we now have
the opportunity to have an active
conversation with our target market.
Through social media channels,
company blogs and the opportunity
to distribute content electronically.
Empowering Sales Teams Through Marketing
Now if you were waiting
for it, here is the part
where we talk about
Google!
So irrespective of first contact being
by direct mail, email or sales call –
you should anticipate that your
potential clients are going to take to
the web to research your company,
your product and most likely YOU!
It’s incredibly important that the
online content found about your
proposition is strong and will
completely back up all you claim in
your marketing message.
Of course you can always get Google
to work for you as a marketing
channel. Buying keywords is one way
to get a return by being found when
search engine users are doing
research online. But this can be
expensive and gives no guarantee
that keyword “clickers” will end
up in your pipeline or will ever
buy your product or service.
94% of B2B Buyers
use Google for
research at some
stage in the sales
process.
Source: 2014 Sate of B2B Procurment
Report – Acquity Group
7. Getting your marketing
strategy right on target
So you know the main options
available to you, how do you
decide which to start with and
how to execute them? Look at
the past, present and future -
analyse and quantify.
Market
Research
Knowing what’s happening in
the marketplace especially
with your competitors is
imperative. Figure out where
they advertise and from where
their name seems to be
known. Once you know
what appears to be working
for them (and not working),
this can help you figure out
what will work for you.
Resources
Are you a one-man band or part of a
multi-national organisation? Do you
have a $50 or $500,000 budget?
Always try to leverage your team,
contacts or even family to get things
done. Marketing ideas come from
everywhere. If you are not strong
with copy or creative – try and find
someone who can help.
Know-how
Do you have the expertise in-house
to execute campaigns? There’s no
point in making a plan to design a
state of the art billboard if you don’t
have designers in house to do it!
Put it on ice until you are ready or if
you have funds, talk to experts who
are experienced in this field!
Know what to
expect/set your
targets realistically
Having clear targets in place will
mean that you are working towards
something very specific and always
keeping the end in mind. A short,
medium and long-term strategy will
allow you to identify trends weekly,
monthly and annually if carried out
correctly.
Using Analytics systems will mean
that you can clearly understand
your targets and objectives in
terms of your marketing activity.
This will also mean you can make
amendments to your plan based on
trends identified
8. We Can Help Empower Your Sales Teams
With Our Lead Generation Service
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Product2Market
Get In Touch !
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South County Business Park
Dublin 18, Ireland.
P: + 353 1 544 5775
E: info@product2market.ie
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