A Guide for Small Businesses
Business-to-business (B2B) marketing involves selling products or services to other businesses. It often requires different strategies compared to business-to-consumer (B2C) marketing, due to the nature of the decision-making process and the types of relationships involved in B2B transactions. Learn more about B2B vs B2C marketing.
The foundations of marketing begin with (1) understanding your customer: demographic information, buying habits, interests, pain points, and what drives their purchasing decisions. And (2) developing a strong value proposition: or what makes your product or service unique and why should consumers choose you over competitors.
Beyond these principles, the impact of various strategies can differ greatly based on your business’s unique characteristics. For instance, a B2B SaaS startup may place more emphasis on content marketing, SEO, and targeted LinkedIn advertising to reach decision-makers in specific industries. On the other hand, a local office supplies wholesaler may find more success through direct email marketing, trade shows, and building strong relationships with local businesses. Ultimately, each B2B business will assess marketing strategies in light of its industry, target audience, and resources.
Based on the hundreds of small businesses we’ve worked with over the past decade, here’s a generalized ranking of 15 business-to-business marketing strategies in order of their broad applicability and their cost-effectiveness.
1. SEO
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) helps ensure your website is found by the right people online. For most businesses, especially small ones, visibility in search engine results is crucial.
Business buyers do research online, so it’s important for your website and content to rank high on search engines for relevant topics. Your services pages and blog posts provide opportunities to target keywords, answer user queries, and create a network of internal links. If your small business writes content for SEO, this should be seen as an ongoing process that evolves along with search engine algorithms and customer behavior.
Your website’s design and UX will impact your small business SEO strategy. Work with a professional web designer or learn about best practices for creating a business website. Become familiar with the SEO tools that every SMB should use.
2. Content Marketing
Content marketing is a high-impact way to build your brand’s credibility and educate potential customers. Hand in hand with SEO, content marketing helps attract your ideal audience.
By producing and sharing valuable content, you establish your business as an authority in your industry. The key is to provide informative and engaging content that resonates with your target audience and meets their needs. The end goal of content marketing isn’t just about creating content but creating the right content—you want to produce high-quality, useful content that your audience can learn from.
B2B customers typically look for in-depth, reliable information that aids their business decisions. You can provide valuable insights by leveraging industry-specific data, conducting original research, or providing thought leadership in the form of opinion pieces and predictions. The resulting reputation for expertise can greatly improve trust and credibility in the eyes of potential clients.
Content marketing will look different from business to business. Key tactics of a broader content marketing strategy can include blog content, videos, case studies, podcasts, social media content, email newsletters, etc. That said, each of these tactics can also be considered a standalone marketing strategy.
3. Email Marketing
Email marketing is a critical tool for nurturing leads in the business-to-business realm. Regular communication through informative newsletters or personalized emails keeps your business in the minds of potential clients.
In B2B marketing, email can be a platform for personalized content delivery and relationship-building. Utilizing data-driven insights, you can segment your audience and deliver personalized content, from product recommendations to exclusive industry insights. It allows you to nurture leads with drip campaigns, keeping your brand top-of-mind with thoughtful interactions.
4. Customer Experience (CX)
Customer experience (CX) is not only a B2C concern. As businesses move increasingly towards digital interactions, B2B clients expect real-time responsiveness and intuitive platforms. Enhancing customer experience involves refining digital touchpoints, from your website’s usability to customer support mechanisms. A positive customer journey boosts brand loyalty, reputation, and referrals. Utilizing tools like real-time chat and data analytics can optimize this experience, turning satisfied customers into valuable brand ambassadors.
CX does not operate in isolation. It’s intertwined with several other strategies listed here. For instance, Content Marketing, Email Marketing, AI and Automation, and Data Analytics all can play a role in your CX strategy.
5. Social Media (LinkedIn, specifically)
Social media platforms can be useful for small businesses, but LinkedIn is especially beneficial for B2B marketing due to its professional focus. It allows businesses to network, share content, establish thought leadership, and directly reach out to potential clients.
Leveraging LinkedIn’s robust targeting capabilities, companies can deliver content directly to decision-makers in relevant industries. Beyond simply sharing content, businesses can actively engage in conversations with their audience, solicit feedback, and foster a sense of community.
6. Customer Feedback and Case Studies
Testimonials and case studies from satisfied clients can be a powerful tool in convincing potential business customers of the value of your product or service.
Reviews and testimonials offer social proof, a powerful tool in influencing B2B decision-makers. Where possible, companies should create detailed case studies that illustrate the value they’ve delivered to clients.
7. Networking Events and Conferences
Networking events, trade shows, and conferences provide opportunities for B2B companies to connect directly with potential clients and demonstrate their offerings.
While digital platforms are increasingly significant, in-person events are still a major channel for relationship-building. However, your strategy should shift from a traditional “sales pitch” to demonstrating thought leadership and providing tangible value. Participation in panel discussions, workshops, or live demos can leave a lasting impression and encourage meaningful connections.
8. Partnerships and Collaborations
Partnerships with businesses that offer complementary services can be an effective way to gain exposure to new clients and enhance your service offering. This strategy might require more resources and negotiation, but it can open up new audiences.
The right partnership can amplify reach and credibility. This could involve cross-promotion, collaborative content creation, or even offering a combined service package. Partnering with respected industry figures can provide a significant boost in visibility and credibility.
9. PR and Media Outreach
PR and media outreach can lead to earned media coverage which helps to increase brand awareness. Being featured in industry publications or getting mentioned by reputable sources can greatly improve a B2B company’s credibility and visibility.
A well-executed PR strategy can greatly enhance your business’s reputation. Your strategy might include activities such as building relationships with journalists, writing compelling press releases, pitching story ideas, contributing thought leadership to reputable industry publications. Remember, successful PR focuses on story-telling and not self-promotion.
Reputable outsourced PR is expensive, but SMBs—especially local and regional businesses—can get creative in finding ways to generate genuine mentions. Note, a pay-to-play link in a publication such as Forbes does not count as high-quality PR, we address this issues in our article on bad SEO practices.
10. Speaking Engagements and Webinars
Speaking engagements and webinars offer an opportunity to demonstrate expertise and provide tangible value to attendees. Moreover, they offer a direct line of communication with potential clients. Focus on providing value, whether in the form of actionable insights, original research findings, or detailed how-to guides. This strategy can require significant effort and resources to do well, but can position the company as an industry expert.
11. Account-Based Marketing (ABM)
ABM is a strategic approach to marketing where your organization considers and communicates with individual prospect or customer accounts as markets of one. This strategy is relevant for small businesses targeting high-value accounts. It involves deep understanding of individual client’s needs and wants, and crafting personalized marketing campaigns to engage them effectively.
We ourselves do not use ABM, but we help clients who do. For example, a startup engaged our services to supervise the execution of a single critical email to executives at large corporations. Our role was to ensure seamless delivery and mitigate any potential issues. We tracked the engagement (open and click rates) to identify interested parties. The client then followed up with personalized direct outreach to convert the most engaged prospects into customers and won two large national accounts.
12. AI and Automation
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation are playing a more significant role in B2B marketing. They allow for enhanced personalization, predictive analytics, chatbots for customer service, and much more. AI and automation can help small businesses scale their marketing efforts and personalize their outreach. And businesses can automate repetitive tasks, improving efficiency and freeing up time to focus on strategy and content creation. See our AI primer for small business owners.
13. Data Analytics
Data analytics helps B2B companies gain deep insights about their customers, market trends, and campaign effectiveness. This allows for more informed decision-making and improved targeting. Understanding your audience and marketing effectiveness is crucial to optimizing your strategy.
14. Video Marketing
Video content can be more engaging and shareable than text-based content. Video content can be a powerful tool in business-to-business marketing. Whether it’s product demos, customer testimonials, or thought leadership content, videos can provide an engaging way to deliver your message.
15. Podcasting
Podcasts offer another avenue to establish thought leadership, share insights, and engage potential B2B clients. Podcasts are often consumed during commute times, making them a good way to reach busy professionals. Creating or sponsoring podcasts can be a unique way to reach potential clients, but can require substantial time and resources. Alternatively, you can offer to be a guest on a relevant program.
Conclusion
Your small business has unique needs and should choose strategies based on your specific audience, budget, KPIs, and industry. The B2B marketing strategies above can be tailored to fit the specific circumstances of your business—and not all will apply. Choose an integrated approach that aligns your marketing efforts with your business goals.
It’s not about adopting the latest trends, but about choosing the right strategies that make the most sense for your business and target audience. Success hinges not just on execution, but on a commitment to providing genuine, long-term value.
Want to brainstorm the best ways to reach your B2B audience? Schedule a short consultation with us today.
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