10 Steps To Becoming a Better B2B Marketer
So you’re a marketer. But are you a great marketer?
When I first started in the B2B marketing industry, I thought that it was enough to know the basics. But now that I’ve been doing the job for a few years, I can honestly say that there’s so much I didn’t know. Below are ten of the ways that the author of this post (who wishes to remain anonymous) transformed his marketing game and helped drive more revenue to his business. Hopefully, they’ll help you transform yours.
1. Be Willing to Put Your Face Out There
The truth about B2B marketing is that it requires an extremely personal touch. Customers expect to see real humans behind every marketing effort. If they don’t, they might question the legitimacy of your company.
An easy way to show your face in the digital world is through video marketing. Start a YouTube channel, run webinars, and generally create an online presence that includes a real version of yourself. You should also try real-world activities; attend networking meetings, hold product demos, and visit trade shows.
2. Always Be Testing
How will you know that your efforts are working if you don’t test them? I always have some sort of test running. Usually, it’s for lead capturing, cold emailing, or CTR optimization.
No matter what kind of campaign you’re running, try out multiple versions to see what works. Take a look at the data, and think about why one version worked instead of the other. With enough tests, you’ll start to really understand what makes your market tick.
Not related but I must say this: the same principle holds true in other areas of life as well. Keep testing different things to see what works for you. Tim Ferris is a great example of this.
3. Master the Top 4 Channels
When it comes to driving revenue, there are four marketing channels that work the best are SEO, Email, PPC, and Social. These channels should be your default tools. Learn them, know them, and love them.
The beautiful thing about these marketing channels is that they complement each other. Great copy is required to write compelling emails, and it’s also an important part of SEO. The keyword research needed to optimize a website will naturally lend itself to your upcoming Social Media and PPC campaign. Keyword research forms the basis of any SEO campaign so make sure you master that before anything else. And once they’ve clicked on that ad and filled out the form on your landing page, what do you do next? Send them an email.
If you master these channels, they’ll support everything else that you do.
You may also want to read: How to Write Great SEO-Friendly Content in 2020
4. Be Patient
Patience is the only way to succeed in this business. You’re never going to get results overnight.
One of the biggest reasons to be patient is that you can’t make decisions without data, and data takes time to gather. When you run your first marketing campaign, you’ll get a ton of data about what worked and what didn’t – but you actually have to give the campaign time to get off the ground.
Remember, data isn’t useful unless you do something with it. Run your campaign. Analyze the data. Then, optimize your next campaign with what you learned.
5. Learn from Growth Hackers
The term “growth hacking” refers to surprising alternative marketing strategies that help companies skyrocket to success. Obviously, growth hacking is a little too good to be true; nothing happens overnight. But if you pay attention to the way that growth hackers work, you can learn a lot about marketing.
Growth hackers are amazing at getting their message to the right people. They’re also good at thinking outside of the box and even better at implementing their creative ideas. The magic of growth hacking doesn’t last, but businesses that are able to take advantage of those marketing efforts can make great strides in short amounts of time.
Growth hackers focus on generating revenue through an early push. As a B2B marketer, you should also be thinking about sustainability. Take the best of growth hacking, and mix it with your own playbook of success.
One of my favorite B2B growth hackers is Josh Fechter. If you do B2B, You must follow him.
6. Learn to Code
There are so many things that you can automate in the modern-day. You can collect data, generate PPC ads, and even send out emails to fresh leads. However, most of these strategies require at least a little knowledge of Python or Javascript.
Honestly, everyone working in the digital age should be able to read a bit of code. Look for free online sources that will run you through the basics. If you’re smart, you’ll figure out what you want to automate first and then learn the code that lets you do it.
7. Learn to Copywrite
As a marketer, communication is everything. And in the digital age, we communicate by writing.
Being a great copywriter is about more than just avoiding grammar errors or sticking to a few rules. It’s about crafting content that engages interest and convinces the reader to take action.
If you’re looking for a place to start, check out the six principles of persuasion as put forward by Dr. Robert Caldini. You can also check out David Ogilvy’s principles of management to gain similar ideas.
Learn what concepts people respond to, and work to include those concepts in your own writing. Eventually, you’ll develop a natural knack for communication. Just give yourself time.
You may also want to read: B2B Content Marketing Tips to Reach Out to a Wider Audience
8. Be Consistent
I don’t know about you, but I have a bad habit of forgetting to follow through. I’ll hear about a new marketing channel and start posting with enthusiasm. But after I don’t see immediate results, I’ll turn my attention to something else.
It turns out that the only way to see marketing success is through consistency. You can’t post for a week or even a month and expect to get real results. Clients won’t respond to a half-hearted attempt. If you want your campaign to work, you’ll need to become a regular voice on that channel.
To keep yourself from getting overwhelmed, make a list of which channels you’re trying to us. Spend a few minutes on each channel every workday. Before you know it, results will start flooding in.
Gary Vee is a great example of this. He has been posting videos around entrepreneurship since 2010. That is almost one decade! And he has started getting mainstream attention only recently!
9. Make Friends with Your Sales Department
Your sales team interacts directly with your customers. They know the wants and needs of your audience better than anyone else does. If you really want to make an impact, you should see what they’ve been up to.
I really recommend jumping into a sales call or listening to a recording. Find out what your real customers are looking for. Pay attention to the language they use and the pain points that they bring up. Then, use that information in your campaigns.
You can also try running campaign ideas past your sales team. They’ll be able to see things from angles that you wouldn’t even think of.
10. Find a Mentor
A mentor is someone who had already accomplished the thing you want to do. By learning from a mentor, you can skip a lot of your industry’s growing pains and jump straight into doing what works.
Getting a mentor isn’t easy, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. Remember, no one offers their services for free. Some mentors are looking for exposure. Others are looking for help with a large project. Find a mentor who you respect, and see what you can do for them.
Mentor relationships last for years, or they can be as short as a few conversations. If you have the chance to talk to an industry leader, make sure that you don’t waste their time. Have your relevant questions ready to go, and see if the relationship grows into something more.
Wrap Up
These steps represent the lessons I’ve learned after years of B2B marketing. I can’t guarantee that you’ll be an immediate success. But if you display patience, consistency, and a willingness to learn, your campaigns will start improving – one lead at a time.
The above is actually a guest post. The author wished to remain anonymous.
Featured image: Copyright: ‘https://www.123rf.com/profile_liliiakliliiakyrylenko‘ / 123RF Stock Photo
Jan Gordon
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