Creative Strategies in Pixels & Print
Since 1985 EdOutWest has been a full service marketing firm that helps businesses and
organizations market themselves online and in print. We turn your marketing goals into
real-world, cost-effective solutions that increase your leads and grow your business.
Contact Lisa at 303.847.1533 or [email protected]
Frustrated with finding marketing suggestions that
don’t relate to your business? Ones that expect you to
have a huge marketing budget and an even bigger
staff to get it all done?
Marketing Tips for your B2B BusinessFree marketing tips that are both
relevant and achievable!
FindOutWhoVisitedYourWebsite.Wouldn'titbenicetoknowwhatcompanieshavevisitedyourwebsiteandwhatpaththeytookwhilethere?
VisitorsAlwaysLeaveaTrail.Yoursalesteamcanreallybenefitfromtrackingprospectsearlierinthesalescycle,andthenreactquicklytovisitorinterest.Let’ssayaprospectisresearchingyourwebsiteforinformationonyourproductsorservices.Youwillseetheirinterestbeforetheyevendecidetocontactyouformoreinformation!Withthisvaluableinformationyoucan:• Informyourinsidesalesteam,whocancontacttheinterestedpartyrightaway,ratherthanwaitingforalead
conversionevent.• Notreadytomakethefirstmove?Whenthatleadcontactsyou,youwillalreadyhaveawealthofinformationabout
theirneedsandlevelofinterestbecauseyoualreadyknowwhotheyareandthepagestheyvisitedonyourwebsite.• Youcanalsousethisinformationtosegmentyourleadsandprovideinboundmarketingcontenttomovethemthrough
yoursalesfunnel.
WhoVisitedYourWebsitereportsprovideyouwith:• CompanyName• CityandState• WebsiteAddress• ContactNameandTitle(Thesereportsdonottellyoutheexactpersonwhovisitedyourwebsite)
Understandingwhichofyourmarketingchannelsaredrivingthegreatestnumberofcompaniestoyourwebsitecanincreaseyourconversions.Interested?Getintouch!
Creative Strategies in Pixels & Print
ContentMarketingforyourB2BCompanyContentmarketingisapowerfultooltotargetpotentialcustomersateachstageofthesalesfunnel-fromawarenesstoclose.Therightcontentwillshowyouasanindustryexpert.
Createcontentthattargetspotentialcustomersateachstageofyoursalesfunnel.• Stage1– Makeyourprospectaware.Theyknowtheyhaveaproblemandtheyneedasolution.Knowwhattriggersa
needforyourproductandwhattypeofcompanytheyare- writethisinformationdown.Forexample,adoctor’sofficemayask:“Willanewphonesystemincreaseproductivity?”Createcontentthatanswersthosequestions,inhopesofengagingthemandmovingthemthroughthefunnel.Thismayincludecreatingeducationalcontentonyourblog,beingactiveonLinkedInandinrelevantLinkedIngroupswhereyourprospectsare,eBooksorvideos.
• Stage2– Nowthecustomerisawareofyourproductandunderstandsitmighthelpthem.Theynowneedtofigureoutifyourproductisthebestfitfortheirneeds.Yourprospectwantstoknow:DoesthisproductdoeverythingIneeditto?Howdoesitcomparetothecompetition?DoesthisserviceofferthevalueIexpect?CanItrustthiscompany?Blogposts,socialmediaposts,customertestimonialsandvideoscanbeveryeffective.Youneedtoeducateprospectsonthemeritsandtrustworthinessofyourcompanyandservices,andwhatsetsyouapartfromyourcompetition.
• Stage3– Prospectsareprettysuretheywanttobuyfromyou,theyjustneedthatfinalpush.Yougoalhereistoclosethedeal!Includeacustomerreviewwhensendingthemanemail(withalinktomoreonyourwebsite.)Providecasestudies- eachofyourcustomershasastorytotell.Utilizingthesestoriesinyourcontentisveryeffective,asmostofuslookforsocialproofineveryareaofourlives.Wewanttobereassuredthatwe’remakingtherightdecision.
TIP:Analyzewhat’sworkingandwhatisn’t.Thisprovidesvaluableinformationonwhattocontinueandwhattochange.
Creative Strategies in Pixels & Print
UsingSocialMediaforYourB2BBusinessSocialmediahasbecomeamainstayinthewaywecommunicate,consumenews,andsharecontent.
Whattodoonsocialmedia:• Yoursocialmediacontentstrategyshouldincludeabalanceofyourbest
blogarticles,offers,andindustry-relatednews.Followthe80/20Rule:80%contentofinterestand20%businessoffers/saleinfo.
• CreateacompanypageonLinkedIn,Facebook,TwitterandGoogle+.Createagreatcompanypageimage.Thefirstthingvisitors to yourcompanypagewillseeisyourbannerimage.Investinahigh-qualityimagethatreflectsyourcompanyculture,campaigns,orannouncements.
• Makesurethecontentyoupostmatchesyourprospect’sinterests todriveengagement.Shareyourexpertise!
• Postonaregularbasis.Socialmediaistheperfectavenueforsharingcontentaboutyourindustryandaboutyourbusinessinparticular.Pushingoutvaluablecontentsuchasblogposts,videos,andindustryfactsprovideyoutheopportunitytoestablishyourselfandyourcompanyasexpertsinyourindustry.
• Linkbacktopagesonyourwebsitethatprovidesusefulcontent.Ifyou’vewrittenablogpost,shareit.
• CompletealltheAboutUscompanyinformationonyoursocialmediapages.Includepertinentkeywordsandphrases.
TIP:JoinLinkedInGroupswhereyourpotentialcustomersare.Thenshareyourexpertise,projects,casestudies,etc.Alwayslinkbacktopertinentpagesonyourwebsite.(ToomanytimesIseepeoplehaveonlyjoinedindustrygroups,whicharefilledwithcompetitors.)
TIP:ConnectwithhappyclientsonLinkedIn,askthemtowriteatestimonial(itwillappearonyourprofilepage.)Notsurehow?Askme!
TIP:OwnThe1stPageofBrandedSearchResults.Mostpotentialcustomersconductanonlineresearchbeforepurchasingaproductorservice.Besidesyourcompanywebsite,whatelseshowsupintheirsearchresultswhensomeonesearchesyourcompanyname?YourCompetitors?Reallyoldcontent?Thisisaquestionyouwanttohaveasmuchcontroloveraspossible.Havingmultiplesocialmediaaccountsthathaveaccumulatedfollowersandareupdatedregularlyisoneofthebestwaystoensureyourorganicsearchresultsaredominatedbyyourbrand.
Creative Strategies in Pixels & Print
YourB2BBusinessNeedsaProfessionalWebsiteAwebsiteisoneofthemostimportantonlinetoolsyoucaninvestintopromoteandmarketyourbusiness.Itisyouronlinestorefront,your27/7salesperson,andinmanycases,itwillbesomeone'sfirstimpressionofyourbusinesscomparedtoyourcompetition!
Therearemanypartsthatmakeupagreatbusinessserviceswebsite:• Yoursiteshouldbedesignedwithacleanmodernlook,invitingphotos,strategicmessagingandeasynavigation.
• Makesureit’smobileresponsive.Amobileresponsivewebsiteisonethatdisplaysproperlyonanymobiledevice,likeacellphoneortablet.Don’tgetpenalizedbyGoogle!GoogleSearchhasexpandeditsuseofmobile-friendlinessasarankingsignal.ThischangewillaffectmobilesearchesandwillhaveasignificantimpactinwhetheryourwebsitecomesupinGoogleSearchresults.
DoesyourwebsitepassGoogle'smobilefriendlytest?Findouthere:https://search.google.com/search-console/mobile-friendly
• AddCTAs.A“CallToAction”isapowerfultoolonanywebsitetodriveengagementandtogetvisitorstotakethenextstepinthesalesfunnel.Makesureyouincludeatleastone.Hereareafewexamples:“SignUpForOurMonthlyEmails”“OurNewXYZIsSavingOurClientsMoney!SeeHow.”MakesureeachoftheseCTAsgoestoaspecificlandingpageonyourwebsitethatprovidesmoreinformationandengagement.
TIP:Aspartofyouron-siteSEOstrategy,publisheducationalcontentonaconsistentbasis(oncemonthly,minimum).Theeasiestwaytodothisistoupdateyourwebsiteblogwithinfoaboutyourservices,industrytrendsortopicalnewsyourclientswillfindinteresting,etc.
Creative Strategies in Pixels & Print
EmailMarketingforyourB2BBusinessThebenefitofemailmarketingistostaytop-of-mindwithyourcurrentclients,andtointroduceyourservicesandproductstopotentialcustomers.
Herearesomeideasonwhattoincludeinyouremails:• Yourlatestcasestudywithabriefdescription(includelinktomoredetailsonyourwebsite.)• Usefulinformationandinterestingfactsaboutyourindustry.• IncludeinallemailsthatCustomerServiceisimportanttoyou.Addabuttontheycanclicktoemailyourcustomer
serviceorsalesteamiftheyhaveaquestionorconcern.Alwaysrespondpromptly!• Featureanemployeeandtheirexpertise.• Sharethelatesttestimonialyourcompanyreceived.• Addsocialmedialinkstoincreaseyouraudienceonyoursocialmediapages.• Includealinktoyourwebsiteaswellascontactinformationlikephonenumbers,etc.• Shareyourblogpostcontent.
TIP:IncludeawayforsomeonetoOpt-Intoreceiveyouremails.Includethisonyourwebsite,socialmedia,emailsignatures,blogposts,etc.
TIP:Ifyouhavesegmentedcontactlists,thisisagreatwaytosendspecificinformationtoeachlistthatisrelevanttothemandtheirinterests.Diveevendeeperintowheretheyareinyoursalesfunnelandcreatesegmentedlists,custom-craftyouremailcontentforeach.ReadmoreaboutthesalesfunnelsontheContentMarketingpage.
TIP:Don’toversaturateyourcontactlistwithtoomanyemailcampaigns.Sendjust1or2amonthusingthe80/20rule.80%relevant/usefulinformationand20%sales.
Creative Strategies in Pixels & Print
LocalSearchOptimizationforYourB2BBusinessTogetdiscoveredbylocalcustomersonlineit’simportanttobevisibleinsearchengineresultswhenyourpotentialcustomerssearchforrelatedkeywordsassociatedwithyourproductsandservices.
WhatyoucandotomakesureyoucomeupinLocalSearchresults:• PayattentiontoyourNAP(Name,Address,Phone).Torankinlocalsearch,it’simportantthatallofthelistingsfor
yourbusinesshavetheexactname,physicaladdressandlocalphonenumberacrossalldigitalchannels.
• SetupyourGoogleMyBusinesspage.Addyourhoursandothervaluableinformationtohelpsearcherschooseyourbusinessfromthelistofresults.Addingpicturestoyourprofileisalsoabigconversionbooster.
• BeActiveonGoogle+.SinceGoogle+istieddirectlyintoGoogleMyBusiness,beingactiveonyourprofilewillworktowardsrankingyourlistingevenmore.(Moreaboutthisonthenextpage)
• Includelocalkeywordsonyourwebsiteforexample:“OurDenver***(includename/industry)offers…”
• Askforonlinereviews.Whetherit’sviaemail,onyourwebsite,onsocialmedia,orinperson,therearemultiplechannelstoaskforreviews.Themorecustomerreviewsyourlistinghas,thebetteritwillrank.
• Claimandmanageyourlistingson:SuperPages,Localeze,Yelp,CitySearch,Google,Bing,YPandmore.
TIP:Acrosstheboard,optimizethecontentaboutyourbusinessbyreferencinglocalandindustrykeywords.
Creative Strategies in Pixels & Print
OtherOpportunitiesForB2BCompaniesThemostsuccessfulcompanieshavemultiple“client-obtaining”channels.Thekeyistohaveseveralofthesechannelsworkingforyourbusinessatthesametime.
Hereisalistofsomeopportunitiestopursue:• FindReferralPartnersorPowerPartners.Theycanplayabigroleinreferringbusinessyourway,andvisaversa.
• AskPreviousClients.Ifyoudon’task,theanswerisalwaysNo.Soaskhappyclientsforareferraloranintroduction.
• AttendNetworkingEvents.Carefullychoosetheonesyou’llattendsoyourtimeiswellspent.
• Speaking/Seminars.Searchoutspeakingopportunities.
• HARO.HelpAReporterOutisagreatresourceforopportunitiestoshareyourinformation/insightwithreporterswhoneedtowritearticles.
• JoinIndustryAssociations.Broadindustryassociationsofferawaytomeetreferralandpowerpartners.Theycanprovidespeakingopps.too.
• JoinaMunicipalorCommunityBoard.TheseopportunitiesopenupavastresourceofbeingIn-The-Know.
• ParticipateinTradeshows.Dependingontheevent,thiscanbeagreatwaytogetinfrontofpotentialbusiness.
• WriteanArticleforaLocal/IndustryPublication.Reviewrelevantpublicationsandreachouttothemtoshareyourexpertise.
• SponsoraLocalEvent.Thisisanotherwaytogetinfrontofprospects,butconsidertheROI(returnoninvestment)beforecommitting.
TIP:Haveyourelevatorspeechreadytogoatalltimes!Also,whentheopportunityarises,includeareallifesituationaboutyourbusiness.Thismakesyouandyourcompanymorememorable.
Creative Strategies in Pixels & Print
We hope you found our marketing tips both relevant and achievable!
Not sure how to start?Just contact Lisa, she’s happy to suggest the right steps to take towards your success.No cost, no obligation, just free marketing advise. Really!
Since 1985 EdOutWest has been a full service marketing firm that helps businesses and organizations market themselves online and in print. We turn your marketing goals into real-world, cost-effective solutions that increase your leads and grow your business.
Contact Lisa at 303.847.1533 or [email protected]
Creative Strategies in Pixels & Print