Marketing automation strategies for the B2B market: although, until recently, personalization of the customer experience and activities oriented to the creation and enhancement of the relationship between company and customer were mostly the prerogative of realities operating in the B2C world, today they are proving to be crucial and fundamental in the B2B sphere as well.
Data and statistics prove it: while on average 50 percent of leads, no matter how interested in a proposed product or service, do not show readiness to purchase it at the time they release contact data and information, according to a study released by Forrester Research, an effective lead nurturing strategy can convert 50 percent of contacts into customers, at one-third of their acquisition cost.
Here then, an effective marketing automation strategy turns out to be a trump card not only in the phase of acquiring new contacts, but especially in the subsequent phases, namely those that deal with the enhancement and qualification of the contact, which are essential to turn each lead into a customer.
User profiling and segmentation: the secret weapon for a successful B2B marketing automation strategy
If the objectives of an effective marketing automation strategy for the B2B market are mostly geared toward building a real relationship between company and potential customer, aimed at transforming the latter more easily from a simple contact into a real buyer of the product/service, it goes without saying that in-depth knowledge of it is a fundamental aspect. Thus, the secret of an effective strategy lies behind acareful analysis and profiling of users: biographical data, information on browsing paths, data on interests and needs are fundamental to clustering users and showing them “tailored” content that can accompany them along the different stages of the sales funnel.
In this context, the contribution of a Customer Data Platform such as Blendee, becomes crucial: much more than a CRM, such technology solutions are able to collect, unify and normalize data from multiple sources at a single customer view.
The result? You offer the user, both online and offline, the right content at the right time, engaging them with personalized messages and communications, while fully respecting their privacy.
Marketing automation strategies for the B2B market: the effectiveness of on-site personalization
From enhancing the user browsing experience, to retaining existing customers, not to mention optimizing website performance and campaign investments: most of the benefits of an effective marketing automation strategy for the B2B market, especially in the lead generation phase, involve activities that can be directly implemented on-site.
- Content personalization: i.e., customization activities of images, micro text content blocks such as CTAs, form fields…
- Behavioural messages: viz. behavioral messages such as box messages, warning messages, pop-ups, to be customized in order to stimulate the user to perform certain actions that can, for example, range from signing up for a newsletter to filling out a profiling form.
- Dynamic smart forms: i.e., profiling forms to be customized based on the user’s browsing path or segment in order to collect information and data for further personalization activities.
Email marketing and follow-up activities: the power of off-site personalization
Personalization of the on-site browsing experience but not only that: in the most delicate phase of lead nurturing, the one whose main objective is to create a trusting relationship with the potential customer after he/she has left an initial contact, a good marketing automation strategy for the B2B market cannot disregard activities of email marketing.
During this stage, as in a real relationship, company and potential customer get to know each other: this is where the contact, imagine a single email address, is further qualified in a continuous exchange of data and content with the company.
If, at this stage, precisely the content, engaging, useful, valuable become the real wealth to be transferred to the potential customer, personalized emails and newsletters become the main tool to convey them, grafting with the user a personalized and timely communication.
Here, then, is a brief email workflow to start with for an initial strategy of lead nurturing:
- welcome email: this is the communication that the user receives once he/she fills out a form, a real business card for the company, an opportunity to make its values as well as its product/service offerings known;
- emotional email: it is aimed at surprising the user, to introduce him/her to successful case histories in order to make him/her empathize with those who, starting from similar needs, managed to find solutions thanks to the company;
- email with resource: now that expectation has been created toward the services offered, it is useful to engage the user by providing him or her with an in-depth resource, a free trial of the service, in order to generate a surprise effect on the potential customer and stimulate him or her to reciprocate;
- email with rational reasons: it is important to provide the customer with rational support to help them choose the product/service. A testimonial from a satisfied customer could be an interesting cue;
- sales-oriented email: now is the time to stimulate the user to purchase, it might be interesting to provide a time-limited offer at this stage;
- email recall sales: stimulate the potential customer to purchase by deploying the main persuasion techniques, from the scarcity principle to the urgency principle.
Marketing Automation for B2B companies: design your strategy with Blendee
Too often, marketers and strategists focus their attention at the stage of acquiring new traffic and new visitors, forgetting the importance of enhancing and qualifying already acquired contacts, the real asset on which to build the success of one’s marketing automation strategy for the B2B market.
The use of data orchestration platforms and marketing automation, such as Blendee, thus represent real added value.
From profiling and segmenting one’s audience to implementing the many that features we have seen above, they enable marketers and strategists to take an effective and efficient approach, best optimizing the performance of each initiative and activity.
But while technology, in this context, can provide significant added value, let’s not forget the importance of defining goals and strategy upstream: only then will it be possible to get your online business off the ground!
Create an effective marekting automation strategy in B2B as well. Discover Blendee!
