The Most Effective Digital Marketing Channels?
With more companies having at least a social media presence, even if they don’t have a website (and in 2016, 46 percent of small businesses did not have a website, surprisingly enough), digital marketing is on every marketer’s mind. However, there are a lot of options for digital marketing. Read on to learn about the different channels for B2B marketers and see which ones you should implement in your own marketing plans.
Lead Generation
First, let’s talk about money. As B2B marketers, we’re tasked with creating marketing plans that educate the market about our product and brand, act as thought leadership, and generate leads. Pure and simple. So, which digital marketing channels are the most effective in developing potential new sales for your company? Ascend surveyed B2B marketers and found that the most effective digital marketing channels for lead generation are:
· Email marketing – 45%
· Social media – 39%
· Search engine optimization – 38%
· Paid search – 30%
Email Marketing
Promotional emails will always be an important digital marketing technique, as evidenced above, so you need to ensure that you have email marketing as part of your digital marketing plan. To make your email marketing stand out in an in-box (be it a desktop, notebook, tablet, or on a smartphone):
· Personalize the subject line with the receiver’s first name
· Use numbers a la “5 tips …”
· Put thought into your subject lines and add creativity where you can
· If you’re promoting a webinar, list the date in the subject line
Plus, you need to continually perform A/B split tests on your emails to see what is working best for your audience. However, just test one element (subject line, headline, image, etc.) each time for a true test.
Social Media
No, you can’t just set up a Facebook page or Instagram account and think that customers will come flocking. Unless you’re a celebrity, they won’t find you. Yes, you can purchase social media ads to expand your reach (and you should, because you can target those specifically to the people who would be your ideal customers), but overall, it takes time and effort to cultivate a social media following. During that time, you need to:
· Create a social media calendar and plan to post at least a few times each day
· Select the content you’re going to promote, and create the content that you don’t already have
· Use a social media management tool to schedule posts in advance
· Use images, as social media posts with images generate the most engagement
Search Engine Optimization
How important is SEO? Consider this: When you’re searching online for something, do you typically look on just the first two to three pages at most or do you keep going forward until you hit page 30 (as an example) and then choose a website from there? Yes, there’s search engine marketing (SEM, otherwise known as paid search), but to get to the first page or two of search results, you need to have the words that people type into a search bar in your website copy. This doesn’t mean that your website and all of your landing pages should just be a regurgitation of keywords over and over again. Not at all. Instead, you just need to be smart when you’re creating content for your website by researching the keywords your customers search for—be it on your site or in general about your industry—and use those terms in your search engine optimization writing.
Paid Search
Have you ever implemented a paid search campaign, but the results just weren’t what you were looking for in conversions? Paid search can work when you define your target audience (first you need to know your audience, and if you don’t, it’s time to create some buyer personas); select the right keywords that your prospective customers actually use when they’re searching; and have a clear call to action. Don’t create an ad that says “View this white paper” when you’re instead sending people who click straight to a product listing to buy. Instead, it should go to a landing page for that specific white paper with a registration form to download the asset.
Still need help with your digital marketing efforts, or the content to use in your digital marketing plans? PartnerDemand Services can help! Contact us to get started today.
