Interesting presentation by Brett Schklar, founder and CEO of The Market Creation Group, entitled “How To Figure Out What’s Working In Your B2B Marketing Plan.”
Brett identifies the five elements of effective B2B marketing with the “tools to use” for each element:
- Awareness — white papers, webinars, educational videos. In marketing B2B services, I’ve had a lot of success with webinars attracting c-level executives, owners and presidents who don’t have time to travel to a trade show but will take an hour out of their day to become informed about a product or service of interest.
- Familiarity — white papers with a product focus, webinars, case studies, website. In my current position, I’ve had a lot of success with case studies being picked up by the media which, in turn, has generated immediate leads from people who’ve read the case study in a trade publication.
- Consideration — web content, data sheets, references, sales presentations, online (live) demos, free trials, sales meetings/calls, ROI calculator. ROI calculators that consider life-cycle costs are a great tool when presenting to CEO’s, CFO’s or purchasing executives.
- Purchase — proposals, ROI calculators, case studies, peer advisory groups. Proposals need to be clear and follow the request or guidelines provided by the prospect.
- Experience — customer showcase, LinkedIn endorsements, LinkedIn groups, Twitter, best practice recommendations to enhance the customer experience with your product or service. In the age of social media, having your clients provide a good review of you, your product or service is a key element of your future marketing efforts. These positive reviews will build credibility with prospects over time.
According to Brett, LinkedIn has become the most effective B2B marketing tool. Having a company page with endorsements will differentiate you from your competition.
What are the essential elements of your B2B marketing efforts?
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