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: Social Media Content Should Be All-Business
by MGB2B
Myth: Social Media Content for B2B Brands Needs to be All-Business
Fact: Social Media is the Perfect Channel to Show Brand Personality
Social media content for B2B brands must revolve around statistics, numbers, and charts. Right? Wrong. While buyers do need practical information, it’s also necessary to humanize your brand. To do so, make sure some of your content resonates with your buyer’s emotions. After all, at the end of the day, it’s a human making purchase decisions. Need help getting started? Here’s three jumping off points to get your creative content up and running:
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Tell Stories
Storytelling is a simple way for buyers to relate to the brand. This, in turn, strengthens the relationship between brands and buyers. By sharing stories on social media, your company has a chance to develop a personality that strikes a chord with your audience. According to a study at Stanford University, information shared through stories is remembered 22 times more than facts alone. So what kind of stories can you tell? Try a testimonial from a satisfied client. Polish up your brand creation story. Or consider a story that demonstrates how your product or service can solve a problem.
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Use Humor.
People often assume that social media content for B2B brands is limited to stiff and serious posts. Including humorous content is a great way to get people interested in what your brand is doing. Let’s face it, most people don’t expect B2B brands to be funny. Use that to your advantage. Incorporating humor can be an extremely successful way of getting attention from potential buyers. There are plenty of ways to mix a little humor into your content calendar. Get creative with photos and videos that your brand is sharing. Is there something people find confusing about your brand? Poke fun at yourself (like MailChimp does). Or maybe there’s a common challenge in your industry you can make light of. A little levity can go a long way in ingratiating your brand to your audience.
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Show the Brand’s Personality.
Developing a personality that is associated with your brand has way more impact than just facts and numbers. Audiences remember personalities over stats. This one’s tricky – it’s easy for B2Bs to fall into the same-old personality traits: committed, quality-oriented, eco-friendly, etc. But who is your brand really? And how does that resonate with your audience? Make yourself memorable. Think about what ultimately motivates your brand, and develop your character from there. Is your brand personality wise? An explorer? A trusted advisor? Do you aim to challenge or inspire? Whatever you feel your brand is, infuse those characteristics into your content (not to mention your ad copy and visuals) and stand out from the pack.
Even though it seems like social media content for B2B brands is limited, it’s just the opposite. It’s an opportunity to showcase just what makes your brand tick. While facts and stats provide the proof, your brand personality will resonate far longer.
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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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