B2B Myth of the Week: All Mobile-Friendly Sites Are Created Equal
by MGB2B
The Myth: All Mobile-Friendly Sites Are Created Equal
The Truth: Unless Your Site’s Responsive, It’s Not Really Mobile-Friendly
Gone are the days of browsing the Internet on a desktop alone. Today’s B2B buyers are constantly on the move. Meetings. Traveling. Multitasking. You name it. Today’s websites need to adapt to cater to these on-the-go decision makers. How? By being responsive. Responsive web design focus on maintaining readability across all devices. Viewing is compatible despite window or screen size. This seemingly small factor is of utmost importance for all businesses, especially B2B brands. Here’s why:
- Buyers Are Using Mobile More Than Ever. According to Hubspot, 49% of B2B researchers who use mobile for research are doing so while at work. Therefore, mobile devices are crucial to buying decisions. B2B users expect their experience on mobile to be just as seamless as on a desktop. But just because a website can be accessed on a mobile device doesn’t mean the experience is seamless. If your website isn’t responsive, the page most likely does not fit on a mobile screen. This means your audience has to zoom in and out, scroll left and right, and finagle their screen before they can get the information they want. In contrast, responsive sites ensure your information is accessible across all platforms – smartphone, tablets, laptops, and desktops. A responsive web design ensures your website leaves buyers with a great experience. Remember, the more your buyer has to hunt and peck, the more likely they’ll leave (and go to your competitor).
- Having a Responsive Website Lowers Maintenance Time and Cost. When the shift from desktop to mobile first took off, many companies developed a separate mobile website. If your company is still using this method, you have two sites to update and manage. Needless to say, maintaining two websites is much less efficient than one responsive site. It doubles your workload when changes are made, and it’s not cost-effective in the long term.
- Google Prioritizes Mobile-Friendly Sites. Google constantly evolves its algorithm to ensure the best search results. In 2015, Google changed its algorithm to prioritize mobile-friendly sites. This means that websites that are not compatible with mobile tech get displayed much lower in search results. In addition, Google recently rolled out a mobile-first index – which means it sees your mobile site as your primary website. These updates alone should be encouragement enough to add responsive web design to your marketing to-do list.
The digital world is moving pretty fast, and it doesn’t look like it’s slowing down anytime soon. As the shift from desktop to mobile grows more significant, it’s imperative you create a seamless user experience for your buyer. Reducing the time spent on site maintenance and upping your search rankings doesn’t hurt either. Don’t lose potential leads – incorporate responsive web design into your marketing plan. Have questions about where to begin? Drop us a line.
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4 Ways to Feed Your B2B Sales Funnel in 2018
by Emily Swet
Few things are worse for B2B business growth than a stalled out sales funnel. Even though your company may be using the same funnel-feeding tactics as before, what once worked may not be as successful now. To keep it going strong, we’ve compiled four ways to feed your B2B sales funnel in 2018.
1. Align Sales and Marketing Teams
Sometimes sales and marketing teams clash, despite having the same end goal. And this misalignment can lead to staggering losses. To get everyone on the same page, start facilitating communication between the two groups. Ask marketing to sit in on sales calls. Encourage sales to share their customer details with marketing. And encourage uniformity with constant updates between both departments. (Get more tips on sales and marketing collaboration here).
2. Consider Predictive Lead Scoring
Predictive lead scoring is a scoring methodology that leverages historical data and predictive analytics. It takes the data from successful leads (ones that you have won) and adds digital footprints from third-party sources to pool as much data as possible. By crunching the numbers, predictive lead scoring can identify patterns or relationships you’ve never seen before. It also aids in aligning your sales and marketing teams (see above) by providing data-backed reasoning behind lead qualifications. And last but not least, it reduces the margin of error in traditional lead scoring.
3. Don’t Forget the Mid-Funnel
Most marketing and sales teams focus on the top (lead quantity) and the bottom (the percentage of leads closed) of the sales funnel. However, when the middle is unattended to, the information and goals get murky. You could be losing leads without knowing why. To clear this up, ask: how many touches does the average lead need before they move to the next stage? Where do your leads seem to leak out? What is the difference between the ones that leave and the ones that move on? Diagnosing and addressing the issues mid-funnel will have a big impact on your results.
4. Use Video
We’ve made it clear in past blogs how important video has become. You can use it throughout your funnel to keep moving prospects to the bottom. To attract leads at the top, consider how-to’s, thought leadership videos, and any content that showcases your brand’s personality or authenticity. As your leads move to decision mode, product demos, client testimonials, and video case studies can be very compelling. Close the deal with nurture videos, FAQ’s, and instructional videos – and be sure each has a strong CTA (like signing up for a demo or webinar).
No matter what, it’s essential to keep the customer at the center of each stage. Every small fix you can make will help produce better results, and help grow your leads as well as your revenue.
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B2B Myth of the Week: Video Content Is Too Expensive
by MGB2B
“We can’t afford to do video.”
“A video guy is going to be too expensive.”
“Who’s going to write it? Who’s going to edit it?”
Lots of questions start to swirl around when you talk about B2B video content. But video is actually not as complicated as it used to be. And if you partner with the right vendors or agency, you can get a high-quality piece of content that suits your budget.
So What’s the Best Way to Get Started on Video Content for B2B Brands?
If you have no idea where to begin or don’t have the resources to commit to exploring your options, a B2B marketing agency can help evaluate and negotiate with illustrators, video producers, editors, and online video resources that do it all. Whether or not you use an agency, here’s what you’ll need to do first.
- Know Your Purpose. What is the goal of your video? Lots of B2B brands know that they “must have a video” and create one just to put an X in a box. But you need to take a step back and think about why you need a video. Perhaps you need an educational video series to build credibility in your industry. Or a simple explainer video to educate about the use or installation of a specific product. Maybe you want a polished brand video to put on your homepage. Knowing your purpose and the story you want to tell will help you with the very important next step…
- Set a Definitive Budget. The simple way to avoid being overwhelmed by the cost of video is to include it in your marketing budget from the beginning. It seems like common sense. But a lot of companies skip this part. Can you only spend $2,000? Or can you spare $10,000? Different price points get you very different types of videos and levels of quality. Knowing your budget will allow you or your agency to select the right video partners.
- Evaluate Quality vs. Cost. When determining who to partner with, obviously cost is a consideration. If your budget is only a few thousand dollars, you’ll likely need to go with an online vendor instead of having a professional shoot. But quality can be questionable. Make sure you look at value instead of going with the cheapest option. Ask yourself: “What level of quality, speed, and service am I getting for the price?” It takes a lot of research to find the right fit. So if you choose not to hire a marketing agency, make sure you have someone in-house who can devote a significant amount of time to weighing quality vs. cost.
- Don’t Skip the Script. Know exactly what you want to say and show in your video. Don’t “wing it.” A script and/or storyboard will help guide you along right from the drawing board. While it’s not something that directly affects your budget, it will keep everyone involved on track to produce more quickly and efficiently. This will help you spend less time (and money) in the editing room.
Creating video content for B2B brands is almost a necessity in 2018. And there are certainly many affordable options out there. The most important thing is to do it right, building trust in your brand and ultimately boosting ROI. Follow the steps above, and you’ll be a few steps ahead of your competitors.
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