Growing B2B in rapid digital wave

The digital wave sweeping across the globe has changed how businesses communicate with their clients. Companies intending to pursue business-to-business (B2B) growth are exploring ways on how they can boost sales while striving to keep their costs at optimum levels.

To grow digital B2B sales while competing against tech conglomerates and other online leaders, companies therefore need to better understand the customers’ journey and engage them in helpful ways.

There are four broad ways which experts have spelt out on how a company could spur its B2B business in the fast evolving digital landscape.

Towards this end, mobile platforms need to be optimised, more product information are to be added on the website, social media needs to be tapped and carrying out advertising customers’ reviews and ratings are essential to boost B2B sales.

Experts and key speakers would be further unveiling some of the tips on how to spur B2B sales and reinvent the way B2B interactions are to be carried out at the upcoming B2B Digital Marketing Conference which will be held at the Eastin Hotel, Petaling Jaya on Aug 21.

The event is organised by Marketing Magazine.When it comes to mobile platforms, ad and communications industry veteran Harmandar Singh told StarBiz that by improving a company’s website functionality could lead to more sales as most B2B buyers enjoy the convenience of shopping and conducting research on their phone.

A recent report from Forbes mentioned that almost 70% of executives said that a mobile-friendly site makes people more likely to engage with or buy from a vendor.

But of course, the migration to a mobile first experience, according to experts, is also a delicate matter as buyers need to have the same features on mobile as they would on a desktop.“Buyers should have the ability to conduct searches, fill out order forms and make purchases, Harmandar, who is Marketing Magazine founder, said.

Providing clear, detailed product and service descriptions on a company’s website could help facilitate a buyer’s decision-making process, he noted.

It’s all about providing insights, and one just can’t only rely on explaining how a product or service works, he said, adding that there should also be an emphasis on the integration process and the benefits as well.

Data, videos and more granular observations to demonstrate how a product or service is could also be helpful. “Being transparent is what makes a company get more sales and inculcate a sense of trust with its clientele as well, ” Harmandar added.

He said social media could be seen as a boon or bane to grow the digital B2B business. But recent surveys have shown that social media remains a very important marketing tactic for B2B businesses.

He added: “The usual cavalcade of email newsletters, blogs and direct mail initiatives are always great avenues to reach out to consumers, and this often complements paid marketing methods behind search engine optimisation-led initiatives.

“Simple posts on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter are a great way to drive traffic to a website. As long as a company, product or service understands the pain points of B2B businesses, you are on to winning strategy.”

Even live chats on Twitter or Facebook Live led campaigns can be a huge draw in terms of driving people to the website to inquire about a company, product or service.

In this day and age, Harmandar said the customer journey is not a linear one. Making a purchase is not a one-time decision, he noted, adding that in most cases, it’s like the start of a relationship.

For the longest time since the advent of advertising, word of mouth marketing has always been at the forefront of how a company, product or service has been promoted.

A recent survey said that B2B buyers rely heavily on peer reviews when making a purchasing decision. “So publishing a company’s rating and reviews would go a long way to bring credibility and reassure buyers of the establishment’s value.

For example, a B2B ecommerce company could include links to their case studies on their homepage, and this can lead to more in-depth reviews as things progress. Perhaps even testimonials could also continue from then on, ” he noted.

On the upcoming B2B Digital Marketing Conference, Ensemble Worldwide and Universal McCann managing director Amit Sutha said: “It’s a wonderful time for marketers right now. Data drives personalisation, the social economy promotes agility and key moments in a purchase journey can be predicted, identified and targeted. The evergreen reality that we don’t market to businesses, we market to people, is even more true and powerful than ever before.

Maxis head of brands and partnership Tai Kam Leong is a firm believer in the inherent power of partnerships and harnessing curiosity for betterment of products and services.

“Change is simultaneously inevitable, scary and exciting. The key to unlocking the opportunities it brings begins with collective self-awareness, ” he explained.

Amit Sutha and Tai Kam Leong are the panelists at Marketing Magazine’s B2B conference.

Esteemed trainer Hando Sinisalu, who hails from Estonia, would also share his experience on how companies can build their B2B marketing strategies in the digital era.

In this hands-on workshop, Hando would analyse, deconstruct and construct a company’s digital presence as well as offer inspirational ideas from B2B brands, which have managed to produce content with real business results.

The conference would be featuring award-winning B2B marketing case study examples from worldwide. The case studies would be from IT service providers, software companies, financial services, manufacturing, telecommunications and business consultancy services.

Eminent and global brands like Samsung, Microsoft, Kone, SAS, Oracle, Mastercard and Dell would be featured in these case studies.

source: https://www.thestar.com.my