Tackling the challenges that come with running lead-gen campaigns for B2B Brands. Setting you up for success with these tried and true strategies and tactics.
In the fast-paced world of digital marketing, B2B brands face a unique set of challenges and opportunities. Dave Roth, a seasoned expert from Emergent Digital, took the stage at Engage 2023 to share his proven strategies in the session “Digital Marketing Playbook for B2B Brands.” With a focus on boosting B2B lead generation efficiency and maximizing monetization potential, Dave’s insights provided attendees with a roadmap to success.
Dave outlined defensive and offensive plays B2B marketers should have on deck: robust content, harnessing 1st party data, marketing automation, intelligent lead scoring, multichannel paid media, CRM integration, offline conversion tracking, and down-funnel optimization. This toolkit ensures that brands are well-equipped to tackle the complex landscape of B2B marketing.
The Holistic Journey
In today’s multichannel reality, connecting with customers requires a holistic approach. Both in-person and online interactions throughout the customer journey play a significant role on the conversion path. From initial engagement to final conversion, B2B marketers must consider every touchpoint. This is especially true for products with extended sales cycles. Identifying milestones, key points in the customer conversion journey that directly lead to revenue. Track these, then setting up optimization opportunities. Nurturing prospects is just as crucial as landing them; hence understanding the complete customer journey is pivotal.
By crafting high-volume, multi-channel programs, brands can tap into advanced segments, dynamic tracking, and traffic source analysis to optimize their campaigns. The focus shifts beyond just generating leads but to a comprehensive strategy that considers down-funnel optimization for maximum conversions.
Content Strategy: The Heart of Engagement
A compelling content strategy is the cornerstone of B2B success. Align your brand’s value with your audience’s interests and needs. The result is high-value content that resonates. Dave encourages marketers to provide substantial value to their audiences, creating a content-rich ecosystem that drives engagement and conversions. Create content that offers substantial value, exceeding what’s extracted.
Harnessing First-Party Data
Use your own data. In an evolving privacy landscape, it’s a goldmine that enables precise target prospecting, lookalike audience creation, and potent remarketing strategies. With the reduced reliance on third-party cookies, first-party data becomes the foundation for successful campaigns and meaningful customer relationships.
By harnessing your own data, you can elevate your B2B marketing game to new heights more efficiently. This data, sourced directly from your audience, offers invaluable insights into their preferences, behaviors, and needs. From customer lists enriched with various fields to comprehensive data sets, first-party data empowers you to understand your audience on a deeper level.
Ad platforms have evolved to seamlessly integrate first-party data, bridging the gaps left by the changing digital landscape. As Dave put it, “Marketing in a cookie-less world is like driving at night; you have to rely on something else.” In a time where third-party cookies are less reliable, first-party data becomes the guiding light, enabling marketers to navigate the terrain confidently.
Mastering Automation and CRM Integration
When traffic lands on your site, marketing automation and CRM systems take the lead in nurturing and converting potential customers. When set up correctly, CRM platforms like HubSpot, Salesforce, Pardot, and Zoho are the backbone to this nurturing process, turning prospects into devoted customers.
Multichannel Paid Media
The paid media landscape holds opportunities for B2B lead generation and conversion. A multi-channel approach—paid social, paid content, and lead generation at the upper funnel, while paid search, comparison sites and strategic network partnerships dominate the lower funnel. These are further magnified with loading first-party audiences into ad performance and leveraging automation and dynamic creative for optimal results.
A Data-Driven Valuation Approach
Dave’s session didn’t stop at lead generation; he brought attention to the ultimate goal: valuation. Understanding how customers generate value and tracking their journey from acquisition to conversion and beyond is key. Assess models of valuation and make iterative improvements. Perfection isn’t the goal—actionable insights are. The importance of a strategy is that it evolves, adapts, and delivers results.
Long Term Success Through Signals
Signals—those invaluable indicators that help platforms optimize your campaigns. Fine-tune optimization strategies, direct on what’s good in order to optimize. Dave also highlighted the potential of trade publications as hidden gems in B2B marketing, urging marketers to tap into unconventional sources for growth.
B2B Success and Beyond
In an age where B2B marketing demands precision and relevance, Dave’s insights offer a guide you can apply to your B2B brands today. As digital continues to evolve, it’s clear that leveraging first party data is the backbone to success. By embracing a strategic blend of efficient lead generation, comprehensive content, data-driven decision-making, and innovative marketing technology, brands can unlock potential and transform their digital presence.
Miriam Bellows is a passionate digital marketing strategist with a proven track record in driving impactful campaigns. With a background in analytics and a keen understanding of consumer behavior, Miriam crafts data-driven strategies that connect brands with their target audiences. A dedicated leader, Miriam contributes her expertise consulting with local brands and international enterprises, where she collaborates with fellow professionals to shape the future of business. Her commitment to innovation and results has made her a trusted voice in the industry.