It can be a very difficult time of the year for businesses who do business with businesses (B2B). As the current year’s budgets begin to run out and new year’s allocations remain to be approved and distributed, B2B marketers can find it difficult to set a final course for action for the remainder of the calendar year. Add to the mix all the holidays, and finding a customer or prospective lead to motivate can be a daunting task.
But it can be a good time to reach out and connect with customers even though they may be preoccupied with holiday schedules, season-ending events and preparing the inevitable year-end reports. Despite all the distractions, there will be new challenges and opportunities after all the fireworks have fizzed-out and personal cheer has worn off. Letting customers know that you will be prepared and ready to tackle all those new year challenges can be a very important message to impart to prospective customers during the holidays. Marketing through this period can be discouraging at times but with a bit of thought and creativity, it can be a very productive effort. So, what are some of the best approaches to B2B marketing at this time of year?
As always, the best marketing practice will prevail. Plan ahead early and start early. Be certain to understand who your best customer is and focus the messaging on providing immediate solutions. Prioritize the best prospects, create consistent and personalized content that adds value to the brand, focus on delivering the best customer experience and embrace the spirit of the season. It is the time to be unique and creative in designing a campaign. Make every effort to stand out and be heard. It’s noisy and crowded out there and getting attention may require repetition of messaging over multiple channels in order to be heard over all the competition.
Implement interactive content and be aware that a normally mobile audience is even more mobile during this period. Be festive and playful with emails, blog posts, and videos that feature a holiday theme. Some of your best competitors may be napping when it comes to promoting lead generation so show your prospects that you mean business and are eager to do business. Show your appreciation and support community projects that demonstrate generosity. Create a sense of urgency with branded, holiday hashtags and seek multiple ad placements across numerous channels and marketing collateral. Track the performance of all campaigns and focus on those that produce the best conversion rates. Keep the topics of conversations relative and timely. Discuss coming industry and economic trends and how your product and services will yield the best cost-to-benefit results.
Maintain a fresh appearance and efficient usability of the company website. Some surveys indicate that 70 percent of website visits end without consummating a sale. Retool those features that offer the best opportunity to end in conversion or result in laying a foundation for attracting a future visit.
B2B marketing is all about leveraging digital, brand, and content effectively to reach clients. Want to learn more about how you can leverage the holiday season to increase brand awareness? Junction Creative Solutions (Junction) has a results-driven approach that can help your company market in a B2B setting by reaching customers with the power to act, driving engagement with those audiences, and building trust between you and your customers along the way. Call 678-932-0242 today!