When it comes to marketing a B2B company, what is the most important thing to you?
A couple of years ago, having a mobile-friendly site was considered extremely important. At the end of 2016, 87% of B2B marketers in the United States said that their sites were mobile-friendly.
By 2018, having a mobile-friendly site has become the norm. The question now becomes, “Is that what these businesses thought mobile marketing consisted of?”
If we look at the state of B2B mobile marketing in 2017, and the kind of content that B2B marketers are most likely to use, then the answer seems to be, “Yes.”
What Most B2B Marketers Rely on
According to the above-mentioned report, a whopping 82% of respondents were using blogs and videos as part of their content strategy.
This is content that can be consumed via mobile device or laptop, so it might count towards mobile marketing.
If, however, we look a little deeper, only 15% of those surveyed actually made use of mobile apps in their marketing efforts. To me, this seems to indicate that B2B marketers are lagging behind the B2C marketers in this critical area.
Now, I am not saying that every business should have a mobile app, but it does seem at odds with modern marketing practice not to have one.
Are B2B marketers missing out because they are not using the full range of marketing tools at their disposal?
They could very well be. While blogs and video content definitely drive brand awareness and increase client engagement, they are only one very tiny aspect of a marketing plan.
Take a look at the case studies presented by AppGeeks in the infographic below. Here, you will see that there are much cleverer ways of using mobile marketing.
The companies listed there are not specifically B2B firms. However, the ideas that they have come up with could quite easily be adapted for most businesses.
Mobile Marketing: Where do I Start?
Let’s start off simply. First of all, you have to make sure you offer top-notch content. Then, you can start perfecting and implementing your marketing strategy.
For the rest of this post, we will look at ways to create your winning mobile marketing strategy. The steps are quite a bit simpler than you think:
Is Your Site Mobile-Friendly?
If you didn’t check this during Mobilegeddon, get on top of it now. Sites that are not mobile-friendly feature lower in search engine results.
But, even more importantly, consider how many people now use their phones for just about everything – except making calls.
It is something of a standing joke. Phones these days have become so advanced, that the ability to make calls is merely another feature. It isn’t even the main feature for users.
As a business person, you will no doubt agree that your phone is a lot important to you for a variety of reasons. Perhaps you use it to check emails and things online while you are on the move, etc.
The point is that having a site that looks as good on a mobile device as it does on a laptop has become a critical business need. Make sure that your site displays well on all devices.
Automated Customer Service Options
We are all used to getting answers fast. With the advances in technology, it is possible for companies to have chatbots installed to handle the basic questions that customers might ask.
This process is becoming a lot more common, especially as it is a lot less expensive than hiring humans for this task.
It is becoming so common, in fact, that companies who don’t offer these instant chat answers are being looked upon as outdated.
People tend to forget that the business hours don’t extend all day – they want an answer when they request it.
Don’t fall short in this key area. Ensure that you have some form of support on offer. If you don’t want to go the chatbot route, at least create a detailed list of commonly asked questions.
Personalize Your Offerings
Can you remember the last time you got a piece of mail addressed to “The Occupant,”? Or the last time your name wasn’t used when someone was emailing you?
Personalization is not something that is new. But how we as B2B marketers look at it, is.
If you want better and repeated sales, you need to take your efforts at personalization up a notch.
Forget sending out the same old generic offer to all your clients. Why not offer a small discount on something that they regularly order instead?
You need to get to know your clients and start making offers that they are more likely to want to take you up on. It’s going to mean more hard work initially. But the benefits can be tremendous.
For starters, you won’t be wasting your time sending out a marketing message that is completely at odds with what your client is interested in.
Your company will look more clued in because they aren’t receiving a ton of irrelevant marketing.
In addition, because you have done your homework, you are more likely to get the sale.
So, sure, you are reducing the overall number of clients that you contact. But you are also increasing the number that may say yes to you.
Use Emails and SMS Judiciously for Outreach
Now, the big advantage of personalizing your marketing campaign is that your clients will quickly cotton on to the fact that the offers you send out are likely to appeal to them.
They know you aren’t going to send a whole bunch of junk offers, so they will look out for your email or SMS.
Email marketing is not as dead as you might think. There is one serious rub, though – the email must display as well on a mobile as it does on a laptop or desktop.
Texts are even better. When was the last time you ignored a text message that you received? No one likes to ignore that ding when the message comes through or having a red dot telling them it is unread.
That said, people can easily block your number or email address if you misbehave. Don’t spam them via email or SMS. Send offers occasionally.
Use Apps to Enhance the Client Experience
A mobile app can benefit your business in a number of ways. Moreover, you can get a mobile app developed at a very reasonable rate these days. Or even take a shot at making an app yourself.
Which is why it is such a surprise that 85% of B2B marketers don’t use them. You might be missing out on a golden opportunity.
By creating an app, you can:
Have a good place to share updates that are important and build hype for events.
Encourage client interaction.
Ensure that clients can easily place orders or check the status of orders.
Relieve the load on your admin department – clients can log into the app to download invoices, statements, etc.
Send some advertising to drum up more business.
Conclusion
If you are a B2B marketer and have not given serious thought to mobile marketing, you could be hampering the progress of your business substantially.
The key to getting mobile marketing right is to create personalized offers and to refrain from sending irrelevant, generic marketing through.
Make sure that any communication you send out looks as good on a mobile screen as it would on a desktop. And consider having a handy app developed to enhance the customer experience.
Mobile marketing, if approached correctly, will take the client relationship to the next level.
