What is B2B Digital Marketing? Strategies, Trends, and Best Practices

What is B2B digital marketing? How does it differ from B2C marketing? And how can it benefit my business? If you’re searching for answers to these questions and so much more, we have you covered.

Let’s start by addressing the elephant in the room…

B2B products or services are often seen as being boring. 

Those B2C marketers are having all the fun selling their dazzling devices or enthralling experiences while B2B marketers are stuck in Dullville.

Why put in all that effort to sell something that’s not interesting? 

Firstly, this is a misconception. More importantly, it’s a dangerous myth for B2B businesses to buy into.

The fact is that B2B digital marketing is an immensely powerful tool for driving growth for organisations across the globe.

After all, your business offering is far from boring to those who matter most – your prospective customers. 

In this ultimate guide, we delve deep into the world of B2B digital marketing, exploring strategies, trends, and best practices that drive success – so you have the knowledge and tools necessary to propel your business forward. 

From creating engaging content that hits the eyeballs of your target audience to leveraging the latest technologies for maximum impact, we explore every facet of B2B digital marketing.

We also reveal some clever examples from businesses that demonstrate that B2B digital marketing is anything but boring.

 

So, What Is B2B Digital Marketing?

If you’ve landed on this page needing to start at the absolute beginning, then let’s answer that question for you. 

Quite simply, B2B (business-to-business) digital marketing is the promotion of a business’ products and services to other businesses and organisations via online channels and digital technologies. The goal is to increase brand awareness and improve brand positioning.

That’s the simple definition. But in this article, we’ll explore those channels and technologies in detail, so you can leverage the power of B2B digital marketing for your business. 

Let’s get stuck in…

 

Understanding the B2B Digital Marketing Landscape

The B2B digital marketing landscape is a complex and dynamic beast, but a great starting point is to know your target audience.

Unlike B2C marketing, which focuses on reaching individual consumers, B2B marketing is all about grabbing the attention of businesses and decision-makers.

In the B2B space, the buying process is often longer and more involved than B2C, with multiple stakeholders and a higher value of transactions. 

This means that B2B digital marketing strategies need to be tailored to address the unique requirements and pain points of businesses.

This involves conducting thorough market research to gain insights into their demographics, preferences, and challenges. 

By knowing who your prospective customers are, you can create targeted content and campaigns that resonate with them and drive engagement.

While we’re focusing on B2B digital marketing, we recognise the importance of conducting a multi-channel approach. 

Traditional channels like trade shows and sponsorships still play a significant role in business-to-business marketing strategies. 

It’s by leveraging the right mix of channels that B2B businesses can reach their key audience at different stages of the buyer journey and build strong relationships.

 

Key Differences Between B2B and B2C Marketing

Expanding on the section above, while B2B and B2C marketing share some similarities, there are key differences that marketers must understand to effectively engage with their target audience.

One of the main distinctions is the complexity of the buying process. In B2B marketing, multiple decision-makers are usually involved – each with their own set of priorities and concerns. 

This means that B2B marketers must create content that addresses the needs of different stakeholders and provides them with the information they require to make informed decisions.

Another critical difference is the value of transactions. B2B purchases often involve higher stakes and longer-term commitments, making the decision-making process more involved.

It also means it’s imperative to build trust and showcase the value of your products or services to justify the investment.

Additionally, B2B marketing often requires a more personalised and targeted approach, as B2B buyers are looking for solutions that meet their specific needs and challenges. 

By understanding buyer pain points and tailoring your messaging to address them, you can position your brand as a trusted partner and increase your chances of conversion.

 

B2B Digital Marketing Strategies and Tactics

With a better understanding of the B2B digital marketing landscape and the key differences between B2B and B2C marketing, it’s time to explore effective strategies and tactics that can drive success. Here are a handful:

1. Content Marketing

Content is the backbone of any successful B2B digital marketing strategy, as it is with B2C. 

By creating valuable, informative, and engaging content, you can establish your brand as a thought leader and build trust with your audience. This can be done through blog posts, whitepapers, case studies, webinars, videos, and more.

2. Account-Based Marketing (ABM)

ABM is a highly targeted approach that focuses on individual accounts or companies rather than a broad audience. 

By identifying key accounts and creating personalised marketing campaigns for each one, you can heighten your chances of conversion and drive higher ROI. 

ABM requires close collaboration between marketing and sales teams to align efforts and effectively engage with target accounts.

3. Social Media Marketing

Social media platforms provide a unique opportunity to engage with your target audience, build brand awareness, and divert traffic to your website.

Identify the social media channels that are most relevant to your audience – i.e. LinkedIn over TikTok – and create a consistent presence. 

Share valuable insights, engage with your followers, and leverage social media advertising to reach new prospects.

4. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

SEO is crucial for increasing your website’s visibility and attracting organic traffic. 

Conduct keyword research to identify the terms and phrases that your target market is searching for, and optimise your website and content accordingly. 

Focus on creating high-quality, informative content that provides genuine value to potential customers.

5. Email Marketing

Despite the rise of other digital marketing channels, email marketing remains one of the most effective ways to engage with your audience and nurture leads. 

Build a targeted email list and create personalised campaigns that provide value to your subscribers. 

Segment your list based on demographics, interests, and behaviours to deliver relevant content and increase engagement.

6. Influencer Marketing

B2B influencer marketing involves partnering with industry influencers to promote your brand and increase your reach. 

Identify influencers who have a strong following in your industry and collaborate with them to create content, host webinars, or participate in events. This can help you tap into their audience and build credibility for your brand.

By implementing these strategies and tactics, you can create a comprehensive B2B digital marketing plan that generates results and helps you achieve your business goals.

 

Developing a B2B Digital Marketing Plan

A well-defined B2B digital marketing plan is crucial for success in the modern landscape. 

It provides a roadmap that aligns your marketing efforts with your business goals and ensures that you are targeting the right audience with the right message at the right time.

When developing your B2B digital marketing plan, consider the following steps:

1. Set Clear Objectives

Define what you want to achieve with your digital marketing output. Whether it’s generating leads, increasing brand awareness, or driving conversions, clearly define your goals to guide your strategy.

2. Identify Your Target Audience

Conduct thorough market research to understand your target audience’s demographics, pain points, and buying behaviours. This will help you create relevant campaigns that resonate with your ideal customers.

3. Craft Your Value Proposition

Clearly articulate your brand’s unique value proposition and how it solves the challenges of your target audience. This will help you differentiate your brand from the competition and attract quality leads.

4. Choose the Right Digital Channels

Identify the digital marketing channels that are most relevant to your audience and align with your objectives. Whether it’s SEO, social media, content marketing, or email marketing, choose the channels that will help you reach and engage with your audience effectively.

5. Create a Content Strategy

Develop a content strategy that aligns with your objectives and resonates with your target group. Identify the types of content you will create, the topics you will cover, and the marketing channels you will use to distribute your content.

6. Implement and Measure

Once your B2B digital marketing plan is in place, implement your strategies and tactics. Monitor and measure the results regularly to identify what works and what needs improvement. Make data-driven decisions to optimise your campaigns and produce better results.

Remember, a B2B digital marketing plan is never concrete. It should evolve and adapt based on market trends, customer feedback, and performance metrics. Regularly review and refine your plan to keep in front of the competition and drive continuous improvement.

 

Trends and Innovations in B2B Digital Marketing

The world of B2B digital marketing is constantly changing, and staying up-to-date with the latest trends and innovations is crucial for success. 

Some of the key trends shaping the B2B digital marketing landscape are:

1. Personalisation

B2B buyers expect personalised experiences that address their specific needs and challenges. By leveraging data and marketing automation, you can deliver highly targeted and personalised content that speaks directly to audience members.

2. Video Marketing

Video has become a powerful tool for B2B marketers to engage their audience and communicate complex ideas. Whether it’s product demos, customer testimonials, or thought leadership pieces, incorporating video into your content strategy can increase engagement and conversions.

3. Chatbots and AI

Chatbots and artificial intelligence (AI) have revolutionised customer service and lead generation in the B2B space. By leveraging chatbots, you can provide instant support to your website visitors, qualify leads, and deliver personalised experiences at scale.

4. Voice Search Optimisation

With the rise of voice assistants like Siri and Alexa, optimising your content for voice search has become essential. Focus on long-tail keywords and natural language to improve your chances of appearing in voice search results.

5. Account-Based Marketing (ABM)

As outlined earlier, ABM continues to gain traction in the B2B space, allowing marketers to focus their efforts on high-value accounts and deliver personalised experiences. By leveraging technology and data, ABM enables marketers to zero in on key decision-makers and drive higher conversion rates.

6. Social Media Advertising

This has become an integral part of B2B digital marketing strategies. Platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook offer powerful targeting options that allow you to reach your ideal audience and produce quality leads.

By staying up-to-date with these trends and incorporating them into your B2B digital marketing strategies, you can stay ahead of the competition and drive better results for your business.

 

Best Practices for B2B Digital Marketing

To maximise the effectiveness of your B2B digital marketing efforts, it’s important to follow best practices that have been proven to deliver results. 

Here are some to keep in mind:

1. Define Clear Goals and Metrics

Set clear objectives for your digital marketing campaigns and define the key performance indicators (KPIs) that you will use to measure success. This will help you stay focused and track the effectiveness of your efforts.

2. Create High-Quality, Valuable Content

We’ve already touched on this subject, but it can’t be stressed enough that content is king in B2B digital marketing – as it is elsewhere. Just remember to make sure that your content addresses the needs and challenges of your target audience.

3. Leverage Customer Testimonials and Case Studies

B2B buyers rely heavily on social proof when making purchasing decisions. Incorporate customer testimonials and case studies into your marketing materials to demonstrate the success stories of your customers and build credibility for your brand.

4. Optimise Your Website for Conversions

Your website is your digital shopfront. Ensure that it is optimised for conversions by providing a seamless user experience, clear calls to action, and easy navigation. Test different elements of your website to identify what works best for your audience.

5. Nurture Leads With Personalised Email Campaigns

As mentioned, email marketing is a powerful tool for nurturing leads and driving conversions. Create personalised email campaigns that provide value to your subscribers and guide them through the buyer journey. Use marketing automation to deliver the right message to the right person at the right time.

6. Continuously Monitor and Optimise

B2B digital marketing is an ongoing process. Continuously monitor the performance of your campaigns, test different strategies and tactics, and make data-driven decisions to optimise your efforts and deliver better results.

By following these best practices, you can maximise the effectiveness of your B2B digital marketing output and create tangible results for your business.

 

Measuring Success in B2B Digital Marketing

As we’ve touched on, measuring the success of your B2B digital marketing efforts is crucial to understanding the impact of your strategies and tactics and making informed decisions. Here are several key metrics to consider:

1. Conversion Rate

This measures the percentage of website visitors who take a desired action, such as filling out a form, downloading a whitepaper, or making a purchase. A high conversion rate indicates that your campaigns are effectively engaging your audience and driving them towards the desired action.

2. Lead Quality

The quality of your leads is as important as the quantity. Measure the number of qualified leads generated by your campaigns to ensure that you are attracting the right audience. This can be done by tracking lead sources, demographics, and behaviours.

3. Return on Investment (ROI)

ROI measures the profitability of your digital marketing efforts. Calculate the revenue generated from your campaigns and compare it to the cost of your marketing activities to determine the overall ROI. This will help you identify the most effective channels and optimise your budget allocation.

4. Website Traffic and Engagement

Monitor the number of website visitors, page views, and time spent on your website to gauge the effectiveness of your digital marketing executions. A steady increase in website traffic and engagement indicates that your campaigns are resonating with your audience and creating interest in your brand.

5. Social Media Metrics

Track the number of followers, likes, shares, and comments on your social media channels to measure the impact of your social media marketing efforts. Look for trends and patterns to identify what content most appeals to your audience and optimise your social media strategy accordingly.

6. Email Marketing Metrics

Measure the open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates of your email campaigns to gauge their effectiveness. A high open rate indicates that your subject lines are compelling, while a high click-through rate indicates that your content is engaging and generating interest.

By regularly measuring these metrics and analysing the data, you can gain valuable insights into the effectiveness of your B2B digital marketing output and make data-driven decisions to optimise your campaigns and drive better results.

 

Tools and Resources for B2B Digital Marketing

B2B digital marketing relies on a variety of tools and resources to effectively reach and engage with other businesses. Here’s a list of the many tools and resources that are available for B2B digital marketing:

Customer relationship management (CRM) software: Tools like Salesforce, HubSpot CRM, and Zoho CRM help you manage and nurture leads, track customer interactions, and maintain a database of business contacts.

Email marketing platforms: Consider platforms like Mailchimp, Constant Contact, or HubSpot email marketing for sending targeted email campaigns.

Marketing automation software: Tools like HubSpot, Marketo, and Pardot allow you to automate various marketing tasks, nurture leads, and create personalised customer journeys.

Content management systems (CMS): Platforms like WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla are popular choices for publishing and managing content.

Social media management tools: Consider Hootsuite, Buffer, or Sprout Social to help you schedule posts, engage with your audience, and track social media performance.

SEO tools: The likes of SEMrush, Moz, and Ahrefs can assist with keyword research, on-page SEO, and competitive analysis.

 

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising platforms: Platforms such as Google Ads and LinkedIn Ads allow you to create targeted PPC campaigns for B2B audiences.

Analytics tools: Google Analytics, Google Data Studio, Adobe Analytics, and other options help you track website traffic, user behavior, and measure the effectiveness of your marketing efforts.

Video marketing tools: Platforms like YouTube and Vimeo can be used to host and share B2B video content.

Webinar platforms: Tools headed by Zoom, GoToWebinar, and Webex enable you to host webinars and virtual events to engage with your B2B audience.

Design tools: Software that includes Adobe Creative Cloud and tools like Canva and Snappa help create compelling visual content.

LinkedIn: The social media platform is a powerful site for B2B networking, lead generation, and content sharing. Utilise both organic posts and paid advertising.

B2B marketplaces: Platforms that include Alibaba, Thomasnet, and Global Sources can be useful for listing products or services in B2B markets.

Influencer marketing platforms: Consider using the likes of AspireIQ or Traackr to identify and collaborate with B2B influencers in your niche.

B2B directories and listings: Ensure your business is listed in relevant B2B directories like Yellow Pages and BBB.

Email verification tools: Try NeverBounce or BriteVerify to help maintain a clean and accurate email list by verifying email addresses.

Content marketing platforms: Products like CoSchedule and ContentCal assist in planning, scheduling, and organising your content marketing efforts.

Customer feedback and survey tools: SurveyMonkey and Typeform are two leading tools that help gather valuable insights and feedback from your B2B customers.

Competitor analysis tools: Consider the likes of SpyFu and SimilarWeb to provide data on your competitors’ online activities, helping you make informed decisions.

Naturally, the choice of tools and resources will depend on your specific B2B digital marketing strategy, goals, and budget. 

It’s important to regularly evaluate and adjust your toolkit to stay competitive and meet the evolving needs of your B2B audience.

 

Some of the Best B2B Marketing Campaigns

Now that you’re armed with a ton of tips to get started with your B2B digital marketing plans, here is some inspiration for creating campaigns and content that gets cut through.

Slack

The instant messaging service opted for a mockumentary style client testimonial to stand out from the crowd, and it worked wonders. The ‘So Yeah, We Tried Slack’ video has generated a mammoth 1.3 million views on YouTube and demonstrates that B2B marketing can indeed be fun!

 

General Electric Company (GE)

Emotion rather than humour was the approach adopted by the time-honoured US-based multinational with its ‘What Matters’ promo. GE used powerful personal stories to demonstrate the importance of a product that, at surface level, is rather bland. 

 

Volvo Trucks

To showcase the ‘stability and precision of Volvo Dynamic Steering’ as part of its new big rig, the Swedish vehicle manufacturer executed a creative and clever ad campaign featuring actor Jean Claude Van Damme.

 

B2B Digital Marketing Experts

Need help with your B2B digital marketing strategy? 

At Hunt & Hawk, we’re experts at executing marketing campaigns that get noticed and deliver results.

Discover what we can do for your brand. Contact us at hello@huntandhawk.com or book a meeting to chat.

For more marketing, branding, and sales tips and insights and plenty else, check out more of our blog.

 

FAQs

What Is B2B Digital Marketing? 

B2B digital marketing is the promotion of a business’ products and/or services to other businesses or companies – as opposed to selling to consumers. 

What Does B2B Mean in Digital Marketing?

B2B simply means ‘business-to-business’, whereas B2C refers to ‘business-to-consumer’.

Which Is an Example of B2B Marketing?

An example of B2B marketing is an email marketing platform promoting its product to businesses that need or could benefit from such a service.

What Are the 4 Types of B2B Marketing?

Broadly speaking, there are four categories of B2B marketing. They are: producers, resellers, governments, and institutions.

What Is B2B Business With Example?

Generally speaking, a B2B business creates either a product, service, or software that they sell to other businesses. An example is an energy provider selling its product to a business rather than to individual consumers.