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Category Archives: B2B Monday Myth

B2B Monday Myth: Old-School B2B Marketing is Dead

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traditional b2b marketing strategiesThe Myth: Old-School B2B Marketing Is Dead.

The Truth: A Perfect Mix of Old and New Marketing Tactics Makes for the Most Effective Marketing Strategy.

Cold calls, trade shows, print media, and traditional sales methods – do they still work in this day and age? Many would have you think they don’t, and that is true in part. But much of what used to work still works today — just in different ways. So don’t swap out the old wholesale for shiny, new marketing approaches; just figure out the mix that works best for your business.

In order to achieve maximum results, your strategy must bridge the gap between both schools of thought.

Consider these points when creating that perfect mix of traditional B2B marketing strategies and new ways to promote your brand.

  1. Trade Publications Offer More Than Just Print Ads. You might think that putting your ad in a trade publication is a waste of time since the future of print magazines is not looking great. But B2B publications are more important than ever, and if you develop a good relationship with your rep, it could mean editorial preference, digital opportunities and access to leads you wouldn’t otherwise have, and enhanced trade show experiences (see #3).
  2. White Papers Are No Longer White Nor Paper. But they are certainly still effective in the B2B realm. White papers still serve the same purpose as they did back in the day and contain the same valuable information as before. Only now, you can make them a whole lot nicer looking and easier to navigate. Of course, your content still needs to be fresh, relevant, and engaging. Today, you have more ways to get your white paper seen – whether it’s distributed to your email list, offered in a Facebook ad, or geo-targeted at attendees of a trade show, which brings us to…
  3. Playing the Trade Show Game. Trade Shows are a lot different than they used to be. It’s not just about setting up a booth and putting out a print ad in the event program to tell people to come for a visit. Social media can be used to engage with visitors before, during, and after the show. Try using a contest to drive people online and capture new, engaged leads. Or advertise a white paper on mobile phones within a certain radius of the hotel or convention center. There are lots of possibilities – here are a few to get you started.
  4. The Evolution of Cold Calling. Cold calling in its traditional sense is fairly controversial in the marketing world. Some think it’s dead. Others think it is still effective in the hands of the right salesperson. A few even think it is borderline unethical. But the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle. The call has, in most cases, become an email. And the best part is that it’s not cold at all anymore; it’s warmed up a bit. Using content marketing, you can build a database of warm leads who have actually expressed some interest in what you have to offer. Maybe they’ve signed up for a webinar your hosting or downloaded one of your white papers. The key is to nurture these newly cultivated relationships so that they convert to sales.

Old School B2B is not dead. It’s just changed a bit. Get the right mix for your brand, and watch the leads come rolling in.

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B2B Monday Myth: We Don’t Need an SEO Specialist

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B2B SEO Help

The Myth: My Company Is All Set — We Don’t Need an SEO Specialist.

The Truth: SEO Is More Important Than Ever (And May Entail More Than You Realize).

SEO has long been an important strategy for the success of B2B websites, but it has evolved quite a bit over the past few years, and continues to do so at lightning speed. Which means working with an SEO Specialist or having one on your team is imperative.

Here’s How B2B SEO Help Can Get Your Website in Shape (and keep it that way):

  • They Know the Google Game. As of right now Google takes into account hundreds of different variables when determining how you rank in search. It goes way beyond keywords. An SEO Specialist knows the ins and outs of how Google evaluates content, credibility, site architecture – everything.
  • They Can Help You Stay Ahead of the Game. Google changes. A lot. The rules of SEO change more often than the weather in New England. Even if you’ve read every book on SEO and think you’re an expert, those resources will soon be old news. An SEO Specialist may not know Google’s exact algorithm changes, but they will know how they affect your search engine results and make the appropriate changes to keep your site completely up-to-date.
  • They Can Help You Avoid Costly Mistakes. Just because you thought to add SEO doesn’t guarantee effective results. In fact, your brand can get heavily penalized for using tactics like:
    • Artificial Backlinks
    • Stuffing Keywords
    • Unrelated Keywords
    • Cloaking
    • Duplicating Content
  • They Have the Right Weapons. There are many resources to help you develop an effective SEO campaign. But you may not be aware of all of them. Advanced analytics programs offer features that Google Analytics may not. Keyword research tools give greater context, as well as extra insight into relevance, competition, search volume, and other factors. An SEO expert invests in the most crucial software to build SEO and know how to use them effectively.

Since SEO reaches buyers when they are looking for the products and services you offer, it’s something B2B marketers cannot afford to get wrong. It can make the difference between you getting the sale and your competitor getting it. An SEO Specialist or the right marketing agency can deliver search results that will improve the success of your business down the road.

 

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B2B Monday Myth: Millennials Aren’t Making B2B Decisions

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do millennials make b2b decisions

The Myth: Millennials Aren’t Making B2B Decisions

The Truth: Millennials Are Changing the Face of B2B Marketing Altogether

Over the last few years, the demographic for B2B buyers has dramatically shifted. More than half of today’s B2B buyers — employees assigned to find product providers — are labeled as millennials. This is a huge increase from 2012, when millennial buyers made up only 27% of the B2B buyer job category.

The question isn’t: Do millennials make B2B decisions? It’s how has this giant shift affected B2B marketing?

This dramatic shift in such a small period of time means that successful B2B marketers must understand what makes millennials tick. As you’re probably already aware, millennials are less likely to respond to many of the marketing tactics that worked on Baby Boomers, or even Gen X. Millennials have never known a world without the Internet — they are digital natives. They complete the majority of their buying journey through their own research, rather than relying on sales reps. That means marketing content must always be relevant, easy to find, mobile-friendly, and engaging — but informative as well. The challenge with content marketing today is finding that perfect balance of engaging visual content, and informative decision-making content.

If you’re worried about sacrificing Gen X and Baby Boomer decision makers, don’t. They may respond a little differently from their younger counterparts, but they crave content just as much.

The Importance of Mobile for This Audience

Whatever content you create for this audience, one of the most important things to remember is to have mobile-friendly content. With 42% of B2B researchers using mobile as they make purchase decisions, you can’t afford to lose buyers during that process. That means your website, emails, white papers, blog posts — everything — need to be legible, well-designed, and easy to navigate on a mobile phone. This applies across generations of course, but is particularly true for millennials, who use their mobile phones for nearly every decision they make — whether at work or at home.

Not sure how to approach B2B marketing for this audience? Drop us a line.

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