An effective B2B digital strategy requires problem-solving from every angle. You want your marketing plan to check multiple boxes, while staying true to your brand and standing out from the competition.
With a little luck (and loads of planning), your target audience will be enthralled by your B2B digital strategy! You just have to know where to start.
What Is a B2B Digital Strategy?
A B2B digital strategy comes from careful consideration of your target clients, including where they spend their time searching for business solutions, their priorities, and what they need from you. If you fail to match their voice, capture their attention, or show up in the right places, you’re sure to miss out on some valuable business opportunities.
For example, a stellar B2B digital strategy for a content management business specializing in imagery would include visually-loaded posts on Instagram (and anywhere else photos are appreciated by business owners). It wouldn’t make as much sense to ditch visual ads in favor of text-heavy marketing!
But B2B digital strategies do more than bring awareness to your brand. They also educate your buyers and convince them to stick around and spend money on your services. And they do it all in neat yet urgent fashion, before your ideal clients become bored and click away.
Why Is it Important to Have a B2B Digital Strategy?
If you’re winging it and doing “okay,” just imagine how much better your business would be with a thoughtful B2B digital strategy. Not only are you sure to build a bigger client pool, you’re sure to simplify your marketing approach long-term. See for yourself…
It Helps You Easily Reach Your Target Audience
A B2B digital strategy is a means to hone in on the perfect audience—saving you and lesser-fit potential clients the time and energy it takes to correct a poor business match. People who happen upon your content will understand from the get-go if they’re a good fit for your brand or not at all.
Designing a refined plan ensures all of your best resources are aimed in the right place at the right time to draw out the greatest potential. Think of it like a concentrated jet stream on a garden hose versus a scattered sprinkle.
Your Digital Content Generates New Leads
Failing to edit or update your B2B digital strategy means losing steady traffic: what works in August may not work in January or February in an ever-evolving market. No matter your niche, the most effective business plans consider the need for regular and relevant content.
One key advantage to nailing your B2B digital strategy is eliminating the concern for new client opportunities. As long as your strategy includes a steady flow of information, your KPI data should reflect ongoing lead generation.
A B2B Digital Strategy Can Be Tracked, Analyzed, and Refined
Trying to run your business without a B2B digital strategy means there’s nothing to tweak when things go wrong. You really need that map in-hand to get back on track whenever you’re caught in a jam.
For instance, you may notice a decrease in traffic on your website. A strong strategy can help you get to the root of the problem faster—no wasted time bouncing around, looking in the wrong places.
5 Key Elements of a B2B Digital Strategy
There are five specific things every small to mid-size business needs to include in their B2B digital strategy to get the full effect. Check it out!
Strong and Easily-Identified Online Branding
An easy-to-identify brand is crucial to any B2B digital strategy. Branding is what makes you stand out from your competition, therefore memorable to your ideal clients!
Your brand is composed of your unique and consistent voice, tone, font, logo, and colors. Anything that helps your clients remember you (and feel at ease working with you) is likely part of your brand.
Be sure to do away with non-branded business content across all of your social media and website pages. Branding only works if it’s apparent across the board.
Defined Ideal Buyer Personas
Have you taken the time to address every detail about your ideal client? Many small business owners skip this step when first starting out (but most learn relatively quickly… it’s a serious mistake).
Face it: you don’t want to work with just anyone. The businesses you’re hoping to serve are in need of your exact gifts. But if your B2B digital strategy doesn’t factor in your ideal buyers, you’ll likely need to compromise your business goals (or throw back a few fish).
Where does your ideal client come from? What do they value? How large is their business? And what do they need from you? If you’re able to answer all of these questions, you’ll be better able to find your ideal candidates with your B2B digital strategy.
An SEO Strategy Within Your B2B Digital Strategy
SEO (search engine optimization) can be an unfortunate obstacle for your business, or a tremendous opportunity for growth! It can be tiring having to think of new keywords and constantly generate new content for your business’s website and social media accounts. But doing so comes with major rewards.
Keeping up with SEO:
- Ensures your ideal business matches can find you
- Improves your searchability on Google
- Helps you get ahead of constantly changing algorithms that can make your business seem obsolete
Luckily, learning how to manage SEO is completely within reach. Once you get the hang of it, generating new content becomes second nature.
Competitive Analysis
Many small to midsize business owners miss out on the opportunity to take a close look at their competition. I don’t just mean a regular walk-through of their website and business offerings. You need to closely analyze their social media posts (and client interactions) and think carefully about their digital marketing strategies.
Have they just dropped their prices 20%? Think about why! Sticking your nose into other people’s business is actually a really smart (often lucrative) move. The more in-tune you are with your competition, the more likely you are to outperform them.
Related: 5 Powerful Tips on How To Do Content Analysis On Your Competition
Clear Short- and Long-Term Goals
Simply saying, “I want to make more money this year than last year,” isn’t enough. Your business goals should come from your KPIs and be as specific as possible.
Set up clear start and end dates for your goals. Have clear visuals and communicate your intentions with your team! For example, say you want to build your client base by 30% over the next three months. Your specific number helps motivate your teammates to keep reaching.
Stick with it and you’re sure to get better results than those business owners who are more relaxed and forgiving in their approach.
The fewer missing pieces in your B2B digital strategy, the better it will work. A complete, effective marketing plan is within your reach if you follow these valuable tips.
Creating a strong B2B digital strategy doesn’t have to be overwhelming — our team is here to help!
