Need some inspiration for your B2B marketing in 2014? B2B International have compiled 10 Top Tips for B2B marketing success. Everything from building long-lasting customer loyalty to dealing with shorter attention spans is included. So, if you want to get 2014 off to the best possible start, these tips are the perfect solution.

1. 10 Top Tips For B2B
Marketers To Make
2014 A Success
B2B International

2. 1. Keep a close eye on your markets
needs through market research
It’s a well-known fact that b2b buyers are demanding. Therefore, it’s vital
that you can both meet and exceed the needs and expectations of the
target audience. This means every component of your product and service
offering needs to be tailored to your customer’s specific requirements.
However, the job of b2b marketers is made easier by the fact that b2b
buyers are typically more predictable than consumer buyers. Good quality
market intelligence and keeping a close eye on the needs of the target
market can ensure you’re always in the position to meet the needs of your
market.
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3. 2. Ensure your b2b market sample
represents the entire market
B2b research is concerned with populations of organisations, not of
individuals. When looking at b2b markets, the distribution of companies
typically fits the 80:20 (Pareto) rule, where 20% of organisations account
for 80% of the market.
Therefore, it’s vital that your b2b market sample includes these large
companies in order to get a true representation of the market. A potential
strategy might be to carry out a census of the largest companies, and a
sample of the rest.
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4. 3. Ensure your research surveys are as
effective as possible
Start with the crucial information first, and make sure the research survey
is set out logically. If you wait till the end of a survey to ask the crucial
questions that can make or break a research study, there’s a good chance
the respondent has lost interest already (especially if the survey is long)
and will not provide an accurate or reliable response.
Likewise, don’t rush headlong into the important and sometimes sensitive
questions straight away as you might scare respondents off! It’s important
to make sure the survey flows naturally, with questions leading naturally
into the next.
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5. 4. Ensure your market research
findings deliver insight
Focus on the needs of the client, and communicate your findings in a way
they can understand. It’s an all-too common question at the end of a
research study – “So what does this mean for us and how can we use it?”
It’s important to remember it’s not the data that solves the client’s
problem; it’s the insights from the market research that emerge from the
data to provide clear, actionable steps that the client can move forward
with.
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6. 5. Get the most from your market
intelligence
Focus on the fundamentals and the finer details. The fundamentals of
market intelligence can help with what to do, and the finer details can
help with how to do it.
For example, the decision whether or not to enter a market is determined
by higher level findings such as market size and growth, and barriers and
incentives to entry. How to enter a new market will be based on more
specific details such as transport channels and human resource availability.
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7. 6. Use your insight to build longlasting customer loyalty
Make sure the basics are right. To build customer loyalty, you have to start
from the bottom; there is no point asking the NPS question (likelihood to
recommend) and then sitting back hoping customers will automatically
become promoters (it takes hard work!).
First of all, making sure the quality of your product or service is as high as
possible and in tandem offering the very best customer service are crucial
building blocks of customer loyalty. Only when the basics are covered can
you start looking upwards and at the rest of your operations to create true
advocacy.
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8. 7. Maximise engagement from your
staff
Customer loyalty starts from within and starts from the top of any
company. Listen, inform and show commitment to your staff and they will
express this outwardly.
Firstly, always make sure employees have the opportunity to feed their
views upwards and be heard. Secondly, keep employees informed and inthe-loop about what is going on in the organisation. Lastly, always show
your passion and commitment to moving the organisation forward and
achieving goals.
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9. 8. Keep your stakeholders on-side
Make stakeholder consultation a priority. Developing constructive and
productive relationships with your stakeholders over the long term requires
a focus on stakeholder consultation.
Listening to concerns and acting on feedback can result in a mutually
beneficial relationship that can also form the basis of successful
collaborations and partnerships in the future. Keeping your stakeholders
on-side can lead to more informed decision making, greater stakeholder
satisfaction and a greater chance of project/initiative success.
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10. 9. Make your b2b content relevant,
compelling and shareable
When using your market intelligence in any marketing communications,
make sure it’s relatable and solves their problems. In b2b marketing, it’s
important to ensure the content you produce isn’t just a sales pitch. The
best way to engage your audience is to show you understand their problems
and can offer real solutions.
So, stop trying to sell your products and services, and start solving your
audience’s problems. If you do that you will be the first port of call that
people turn to for information and advice. Stronger, deeper relationships in
b2b markets are built on trust and mutual benefits. If you can become the
resource of choice for all their needs – you’ll build trust and keep them
coming back for more.
B2B Blog
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11. 10. Make your content reflect shorter
attention spans
In b2b markets especially, attention spans are getting shorter. Therefore,
your content advertising and customer research need to reflect this. The
best way to grab attention is using visuals, and the best way to use visuals
in b2b is infographics.
Turning your blog posts, articles and research papers into visually
compelling infographics will ensure your readers take in your message
before attention spans run out. The same also applies with your surveys –
ditch your large annual survey in favour of smaller, focused surveys
throughout the year to keep respondents engaged.
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