10 Top Tips For B2B Marketers To Make 2014 A SuccessB2B International

1. Keep a close eye on your markets needs through market researchIt’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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2. Ensure your b2b market sample represents the entire marketB2b 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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3. Ensure your research surveys are as effective as possibleStart 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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4. Ensure your market research findings deliver insightFocus 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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5. Get the most from your market intelligenceFocus 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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6. Use your insight to build long-lasting customer loyaltyMake 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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7. Maximise engagement from your staffCustomer 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 in-the-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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8. Keep your stakeholders on-sideMake 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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9. Make your b2b content relevant, compelling and shareableWhen 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.

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10. Make your content reflect shorter attention spansIn 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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