Embrace Our New Reality The changing world of B-to-B ...
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Association of National Advertisers ana.net 3 Embrace Our New Reality The changing world of B-to-B marketing requires different thinking to stay relevant BY LINDA McGOVERN S o much has changed across the B-to-B marketing landscape in recent years. But the opportunities these changes provide make this one of the most exciting times to be a B-to-B marketer. Technol- ogy and tools that didn’t exist five years ago are now key components of our marketing strategies, enabling us to be more impactful and effective than ever before. Marketers can leverage this technology, and the data and analytics it provides, to create highly targeted and highly personal interactions with customers. It’s almost hard to believe that by the time you finish reading this article, 78,000,000 Facebook messages will have been posted, 1,427 new websites launched, 750 hours of video uploaded to YouTube, 2,604,165 Vine video loops viewed, and 117,500 mobile apps downloaded. Our customers are demanding access to information wherever and whenever they want — and on whatever device they choose. As marketers, it’s our job to make that a reality. Today’s B-to-B customers are also consumers, and the last best brand experience they had becomes their new expectation. While the lines between B-to-C and B-to-B are blurring, this provides big opportunities for business marketers to think differently and to provide engaging customer experiences, both online and offline. HOW DO WE CREATE ENGAGING CUSTOMER EXPERIENCES? Customer personas and decision journeys are powerful tools that can help us get there. Ongoing research helps us better under- stand the decision-making process of customers across channels and touchpoints. With this understanding, we can tailor our marketing activities to reach potential customers at the moment they are looking for information. We’re getting better at this. By shifting from a product-centric approach to a customer-centric one, leveraging data, harnessing the power of content, and piloting new approaches, we can develop more personal relationships with customers and improve our engagement with them every day. Also, by understanding what matters most to our decision-makers, we can give them precisely the information they need right when they need it. Ultimately, these engagements allow us to more effectively nurture leads, focus efforts, and improve ROI. WHERE DO WE GO NEXT? Marketing is a marathon, not a sprint, but our approach has to be agile and nimble. The days of relaunching websites every three years are in the past. As we leverage data and analytics alongside new technologies, we can continue to optimize the customer experience every day. Marketing today is a continuous work in progress, and B-to-B marketers have made huge strides. So, where do we go from here? Mobile. Mobile environments will continue to grow in significance in the B-to-B marketing space. Mobile devices will play an even greater role in product research, sales enablement, and buying. Mobile- optimized elements, dynamic content, and unique mobile activities will be critical. We need to meet our customers where they are — on their mobile devices. Marketing automation. Market- ing automation will continue to grow as companies look to efficiently automate their digital marketing practices, including social media, direct email, and lead nurturing. With a solid contact plan behind it, and a strong integration with sales, marketing automation can help scale sales activities, nurture leads, and provide consistent customer interactions. Predictive analytics. I often wonder how long it will be before we know what customers want before they do. How can we make the most of the abundance of data at our fingertips, along with technolo- gies like beacons, to deliver on customer needs before they even ask? Online and offline integration. The next frontier is cross-channel, frictionless experiences. Brands like Uber, Amazon, and Starbucks are setting customer expectations in this space. B-to-B companies that create a seamless link between offline and online experiences for their users will be better able to command a premium for their offering in the very near future. As the final months of 2015 tick away, I wonder what new technologies will launch in the next five years and how they will impact us. The B-to-B marketing landscape is changing. I’m looking forward to what’s next, aren’t you? Linda McGovern is the senior vice president of global marketing at USG and vice chair of the BMA Board of Advisors. “TODAY’S B-TO-B CUSTOMERS ARE ALSO CONSUMERS, AND THE LAST BEST BRAND EXPERIENCE THEY HAD BECOMES THEIR NEW EXPECTATION.” Top of Mind
Transcript of Embrace Our New Reality The changing world of B-to-B ...
Association of National Advertisers ana.net 3
Embrace Our New RealityThe changing world of B-to-B marketing requires different thinking to stay relevant
BY LINDA McGOVERN
So much has changed across the B-to-B marketing landscape in recent years. But the opportunities these changes provide make this one of the most exciting times to be a B-to-B marketer. Technol-ogy and tools that didn’t exist five years ago are now key components of our marketing strategies, enabling us to be more impactful and effective
than ever before. Marketers can leverage this technology, and the data and analytics it provides, to create highly targeted and highly personal interactions with customers.
It’s almost hard to believe that by the time you finish reading this article, 78,000,000 Facebook messages will have been posted, 1,427 new websites launched, 750 hours of video uploaded to YouTube, 2,604,165 Vine video loops viewed, and 117,500 mobile apps downloaded. Our customers are demanding access to information wherever and whenever they want — and on whatever device they choose. As marketers, it’s our job to make that a reality.
Today’s B-to-B customers are also consumers, and the last best brand experience they had becomes their new expectation. While the lines between B-to-C and B-to-B are blurring, this provides big opportunities for business marketers to think differently and to provide engaging customer experiences, both online and offline.
HOW DO WE CREATE ENGAGING CUSTOMER EXPERIENCES?Customer personas and decision journeys are powerful tools that can help us get there. Ongoing research helps us better under-stand the decision-making process of customers across channels and touchpoints. With this understanding, we can tailor our marketing activities to reach potential customers at the moment they are looking for information.
We’re getting better at this. By shifting from a product-centric approach to a customer-centric one, leveraging data, harnessing the power of content, and piloting new approaches, we can develop more personal relationships with customers and improve our engagement with them every day. Also, by understanding what matters most to our decision-makers, we can give them precisely the information they need right when they need it. Ultimately, these engagements allow us to more effectively nurture leads, focus efforts, and improve ROI.
WHERE DO WE GO NEXT?Marketing is a marathon, not a sprint, but our approach has to be agile and nimble. The days of relaunching websites every three
years are in the past. As we leverage data and analytics alongside new technologies, we can continue to optimize the customer experience every day. Marketing today is a continuous work in progress, and B-to-B marketers have made huge strides. So, where do we go from here? Mobile. Mobile environments will
continue to grow in significance in the B-to-B marketing space. Mobile devices will play an even greater role in product research, sales enablement, and buying. Mobile-optimized elements, dynamic content, and unique mobile activities will be critical. We need to meet our customers where they are — on their mobile devices. Marketing automation. Market-
ing automation will continue to grow as companies look to efficiently automate their digital marketing practices, including social media, direct email, and lead nurturing. With a solid contact plan behind it, and a strong integration with sales, marketing automation can help scale sales activities, nurture leads, and provide consistent customer interactions. Predictive analytics. I often wonder how long it will be before we
know what customers want before they do. How can we make the most of the abundance of data at our fingertips, along with technolo-gies like beacons, to deliver on customer needs before they even ask? Online and offline integration. The next frontier is cross-channel,
frictionless experiences. Brands like Uber, Amazon, and Starbucks are setting customer expectations in this space. B-to-B companies that create a seamless link between offline and online experiences for their users will be better able to command a premium for their offering in the very near future.
As the final months of 2015 tick away, I wonder what new technologies will launch in the next five years and how they will impact us. The B-to-B marketing landscape is changing. I’m looking forward to what’s next, aren’t you?
Linda McGovern is the senior vice president of global marketing at USG and vice chair of the BMA Board of Advisors.
“ TODAY’S B-TO-B CUSTOMERS ARE ALSO CONSUMERS, AND THE LAST BEST BRAND EXPERIENCE THEY HAD BECOMES THEIR NEW EXPECTATION.”
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