Digital marketing is no longer the new kid on the block. For example, as of 2019, 80% of B2B businesses acquired their leads from LinkedIn. 65% of B2B companies who have used LinkedIn have gained a customer through the platform. Though LinkedIn is only one of the many platforms for digital marketing, the statistics indicate how essential the strategy is for today’s marketers.

The advantages that large B2B companies enjoy using this service are obvious. What about marketers for small businesses? Can they successfully implement digital marketing?

Digital marketing is a strategy for all businesses. In this article, we highlight its benefits to all business sizes and the key elements that you need to include for a successful campaign.

The Benefits of Digital Marketing for All B2B Business Sizes

The cost of implementing a digital marketing campaign is often cheaper than most first-timers anticipate. It is more affordable than the standard advertising options used in the pre-digital era, such as TV and radio. Besides, it is easier to tie the results to the effort, which was almost impossible in the television age.

1. Levels the playground

Digital marketing closes the gap in the advertising ability between small and large businesses. While large B2B firms have the financial muscle to invest in campaigns and software, small businesses have the time to focus on quality content. Both classes also have the same opportunity to build and maintain an audience and clients.

2. Easy A/B testing

It is the process of testing the behaviour of the market by offering two variants simultaneously. It makes it easy for you to analyse the needs of your target companies or accounts and then developing content that meets their need. Previously, this was too expensive for small businesses.

3. Mobile access

The increase in usage of smartphones and internet access has made personalised marketing to business owners and stakeholders through their phones possible. In 2018, Smart Insights reported that 80% of B2B buyers use their phones at work, and the usage affected the purchase decisions of over 60% of them.

4. Easy expansion

In the past, a business required to increase its office size, build a larger warehouse, and move to an urban area to grow. With digital marketing, this is rarely necessary. Due to convenience, most buyers prefer online engagement. Therefore, you do not need an exquisite office to impress a valuable client. An online presence, quality service or product, and timely delivery are all you need to expand.

5. Improves visibility

Gone are the days when your business had to meet a specific net worth requirement to appear on the golden Yellow Pages. With a digital marketing strategy, all you need is a proper search engine optimisation. It will improve your ranking on search engine queries making it easier for prospects to find you. If done correctly, a small business can rank higher than large businesses.

6. Personalised engagement

We are in the age of customer-based marketing. Every content must meet the known, as well as assumed, needs of the customer. Achieving this was impossible in the billboard era. Thanks to the digitisation of marketing, you can create an almost ideal customer experience. It makes it easy to earn trust and prove your credibility.

7. Availability of support platforms

In addition to the above benefits, several platforms help B2B marketers employ digital marketing no matter the business size. They include social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest, among others as well as built in chatbots. Even more, using these channels to market your business is often free, unless you need special services.

The Essential Elements of Digital Marketing for B2B

Any business can use digital marketing to improve its bottom line. However, it is worth pointing out that implementing the strategy is not simple. Below are some of the essential elements that you need to include in your plan for the best results.

1. A Responsive Website

Having a website should be the first priority when starting a digital campaign. We have seen businesses succeed with only a Facebook page, but the success is often short-lived. A website is your online receptionist. Remember that most B2B deals begin with online searches.

However, having a website is not enough by itself. Optimize your website by making it intuitive, easy to navigate, and with pages that load faster. In 2019, Google stated that 53% of visitors abandon a page if it takes more than three seconds to load. Even worse, most of them are less likely to revisit such a site even if it ranks high in future SERPs (search engine result pages).

2. Search Engine Optimisation

SEO is your help when you need to remain visible in this sea of eCommerce websites. It helps to keep your business ranking high on queries related to your product or services. Research on the different SEO improvement techniques and implement as many as possible.

3. Quality Content

Getting visitors to your site is worthless if there is nothing there to keep them. Creating content that is relevant and engaging will set you up as an expert in what you offer. Use different content formats, such as text articles, videos, image galleries, among others.

4. Social Media Pages

Social media marketing is the most successful branch of digital marketing. Platforms such as LinkedIn are leading sources of B2B leads. Therefore, once you have your website running, create social media pages. You can then use them to share the content from your website. Other helpful information that you can share include industry news, product updates, and testimonials from your satisfied clients.

5. Pay-Per-Click Campaigns

The primary advantage of content marketing is that it is inexpensive and even free if you have the skill and time to do it yourself. However, the result may take time to show. In such a case, you can invest in paid ads. With proper planning, you will get the returns for your money.

6. Account-Based Marketing

A growing technique in digital marketing is focusing your marketing campaign on a single target account. The account-based approach helps you to avoid spending resources on unworthy leads, which is the principle behind traditional marketing techniques. Read more about Account-Based Marketing in our comprehensive guide.

Conclusion

Digital marketing is the magic wand that closes the resource gap between small and large B2B businesses. However, unlike the wand, you need to make a lot of effort. Nonetheless, the benefits make the extra work worthwhile.