What Digital Brings to B2B Marketing

Today, B2B marketing strategies are seeing a steady increase in the use of digital, and with good reason. Digital content marketing for B2B companies has proven to be far more effective than traditional advertising. The three best digital paths for brand building and lead generation are SEO, email marketing and social media, followed by other methods such as blogging and content marketing. However, with the right understanding, strategy and approach, all digital platforms have the power to get your brand noticed.

Of the five main social media platforms, LinkedIn has proved to be the most effective in B2B lead generation, bringing in over 80% of all social leads. LinkedIn is followed by Facebook, Google+, Twitter and Pinterest, in that order. Currently, around 84% of B2B marketers make use of some form of social media or the other.

Digital B2B Case Studies
Here’s a look at how content marketing ROI is driven by knowing your audience and creating specific content solutions for every stage of the buying cycle.

1. CISCO – A recent engagement route used by CISCO, an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures and sells networking equipment involved only social channels and saved them a whopping $100,000.

2. Crowe Horwath – This public accounting firm used a clever mix of content like executive briefs, checklists, Q&A, case studies, infographics and videos, gaining a 70% open rate, as opposed to 10%, and engagements worth $250,000.

3. Maersk – The Danish shipping company, Maersk began using social in 2011, and carefully tailored their presence to suit each individual network. Today, they have over 1.5 million Facebook fans, out of which 15% are patrons. They are also active on LinkedIn, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, Youtube and Google+.

Amongst a sea of millions of digital campaigns, there are few companies that have taken B2B content marketing to the next level. Here are a couple of noteworthy marketing case studies to inspire and motivate you towards stronger strategies:

1. Fisher Tank
Founded in 1948, Fisher Tank is a leading welded above-ground tank fabricator in the US. They serve in a variety of sectors such as in bio diesel and paper manufacturing industries, and the waste management industry. The cost of their products can run into the millions and their sales cycle can last up to several years. They relied only on cold calling and word of mouth to attain customers for over 60 years, and needed a new marketing strategy.
They streamlined their website design, added social media links and a blog, used SEO, provided useful information for free download, and the results were staggering.
Just 12 weeks after launching their new strategy, they saw an increase of 70% in organic search traffic, 119% in overall web traffic, 500% in quote enquiries, 3900% in lead conversions and 4800% in social traffic, thereby increasing their sales opportunities by $3.4 million.

2. GE
General Electric or GE is an American multinational corporation that deals with appliances, oil, power, gas, healthcare and transportation, among other things. They believe in having the freedom to experiment and the ability to fail. And dealing widely with science and technology, this belief extends to their outlook on digital marketing as well. They’re always experimenting with new platforms and new technologies, and were among the first brands on Vine, Instagram, Medium, Poncho, Periscope and VR. One notable campaign was #DroneWeek, hosted on Periscope, where they broadcasted live drone footage of their machines being tested under gruelling conditions like giant hail and fire! They’ve gained a lot of recognition through their agnostic approach to digital platforms and their technology driven marketing, and they plan to keep at their search for new and improved ways to bring out quality content.

In conclusion, with the right insight and strategy, digital content marketing and social media can provide your B2B business with a welcome boost. It’s up to you to make the most of it!