Trappe Digital LLC may earn commission from product clicks and purchases. Rest assured, opinions are mine or of the article’s author.
Modern B2B marketing is one way to stay up to date on reaching prospects in the best possible way. But what does modern B2B marketing entail and how can you make it a long-term success?
On this episode of “The Business Storytelling Show,” I’m joined by David Sweenor, author of “Modern B2B Marketing: A Practitioner’s Guide to Marketing Excellence.”
Among other things, we discuss:
- What’s the definition of modern B2B marketing?
- How is it different from traditional?
- What steps should companies take to be up to date on their strategies?
- And more…
What is modern B2B marketing to me?
To me, it’s about finding ways to connect with buyers long-term and in a relevant way. That doesn’t mean we can’t email people or talk to them, but it has to go beyond the constant sales pitch. Communications for all stages of the funnel need to be appropriate for those channels and stages of the customer journey.
That can be easier said than done. With constant pressures to win the current quarter, it’s essential that marketing implementation and strategy also focus on next quarter and the one after that and so forth. Business buyers – just like all people – buy from brands and other people that they trust. So to accomplish that, that long-term relationship needs to be build.
And that means that at the top of the funnel, those prospects get one kind of experience, an evolved one in the middle of the funnel and once they are ready to buy the marketing strategies will reflect that too.
Additional content
We previously discussed B2B marketing strategies on this webinar as well.
Here are 4 key takeaways from the expert panel discussion on how to make B2B marketing truly customer-centric:
- Listen to your customers. Conduct customer interviews, surveys, and focus groups. Create advisory boards and unanswered questions sessions to understand pain points. Listen to sales calls. This helps create an empathetic marketing strategy.
- Map the full customer journey. Look beyond just how your sales and marketing teams engage. Understand how prospects research, evaluate and buy your type of product from start to finish. Identify key questions and pain points throughout
- Create engaging experiences. Given people crave human connection, bring customers together in innovative ways like forums, Facebook groups and virtual events. Share stories that spark imagination and fun.
- Democratize customer insights. Make insights available across the organization, not just customer-facing roles. Develop a customer-centric culture beyond marketing.
The key is blending short-term marketing with long-term brand building based on deep understanding of your customers. Maintain this mindset through continuous listening, testing and innovating.