Online customer acquisition is a common sales model. But very often, business leaders in B2B companies believe that their goods or services will not be bought on the Internet. Such doubts are understandable, because people assume that they have well-established business connections and do not have enough time for online searches. In addition, there is a certain stereotype – that on the Internet, young people are just having fun, watching videos, chatting. This idea is used to build a business promotion strategy, which underestimates the role of the site, the importance of Internet promotion of the company’s b2b sites and presence in social networks.

We will change stereotypes, but based on an assessment of the real advantages and features of b2b promotion. In fact, construction cranes, dump trucks, swimming pools, and equipment for processing plants are sold online. Internet search allows you to expand your business contacts and increase the profit of your business. In a few minutes, you can get a price list to compare prices of existing suppliers and other companies. Distances and boundaries are no longer critical for online businesses, so you need to make the most of modern opportunities.

What is the role of a website in B2B business

Let’s evaluate the opportunities that a corporate website provides for business:

it is your online presence available to millions of users.
good design and corporate identity will emphasize the status of your company.
correct organization of the site structure and user-friendly interface will increase sales.
professionally written sales texts will convey the value of your products / services.
Convenient forms of feedback and ordering a call will allow you to receive applications outside of working hours in order to reduce customer losses.

And the most important thing is that you pay for the development of the site once, and the site works for you then without days off and vacations for several years. At the same time, the site plays the role of your advertiser and sales department at the same time, since the right approaches to presenting information help you sell.

The desire of many entrepreneurs to reduce costs for all types of activities is understandable. Some people think that it is possible to make a website using a cheap website builder or by the hands of a student son. Theoretically, you can. But in practice – the impression of a homemade unpretentious site will fully correspond to the number of orders and profits that it will bring to you. You don’t wear slippers to business meetings, do you? So why do you want to organize sales of expensive equipment or services in B2B without the help of professionals?

Investments in the development and promotion of the site pay off, and professional developers will be able to make a stylish design and convenient functionality. Here you need to save within reasonable limits so as not to spoil the results. At the first online contact, you need to build customer confidence, but there are thousands of nuances here. For example, the psychology of color is a whole area in design that helps to engage a specific target audience. Site content is the most important part, after usability. It is the texts that make it possible to attract attention, highlight the most important characteristics, detach from competitors and remove objections. Of course, if you want to order content for your site at a cheaper price on a copywriting exchange, then do not expect high-quality texts to be made to you. With such a conveyor belt of cheap orders, no one will delve into your business to convey its benefits. Before you find contractors, instruct your marketers to analyze the price quotes in the market. It is also important to see the developer portfolio, not just compare by price. Many well-known companies raise their check only on the basis of their experience and the promoted brand name.

Features of b2b promotion

Marketing strategies for promoting B2B companies differ not only in technical or psychological criteria. In the field of decision-making in B2B, not only company owners are involved, but also other employees. The main features are:

  • Making decisions. Usually this is a TOP manager of a company or an expert (marketer, manager, sales representative).
  • Accordingly, the decision-making algorithm will be different, as well as the evaluation criteria.
  • Long transaction cycle. If in the B2C sphere, sales are made instantly, since the price of a product / service is not high, but there is a need, then in B2B everything looks different. An employee of a company can find information, collect data and then submit it to managers for approval. The process of completing the transaction will not take place immediately, but may take months.
  • Given the time taken to make decisions, it is difficult to assess the effectiveness of marketing activities. For example, a promotion for the purchase of construction equipment cannot last 3 hours or 1 day, since the client is exploring options and analyzing your company. In order for a marketer to evaluate the effectiveness of his actions, all these factors must be taken into account.
  • Clients evaluate not only your goods or services, but also additional conditions: methods of payment, delivery, legal security of the transaction.
  • Among similar products, a site that reflects the expertise of specialists, provides useful content and forms trust will have a competitive advantage.
  • Website promotion in B2B most often does not give an instant result, that is, the transaction does not occur immediately.
  • The purpose of the site is to show that your company can be trusted and help make a choice in your favor among competing offers. After the first online touch, the first place will be given to the communication skills of the staff, the ability to work with objections, ensuring the security and transparency of the transaction.

The emphasis in online promotion of a B2B website should be placed on trust, content, analytics and work with conversions.

The difference between B2B promotion and B2C

What is the difference between clients in B2C and B2B yet? Analysts give an answer to the question: customers in B2B trust PPC advertising less and prefer to deal with sites that have high positions in organic search results. This approach makes sense, since reputable companies usually invest in their site, have a history of their activities, which is reflected in trust. One-day firms that are just trying to enter the market, or even provide dubious products, do not invest in SEO promotion, but want to get quick money. How can you attract customers to a site that was created yesterday? Of course, this is advertising.

This logic of reasoning often works for advanced internet users, marketers, advertisers, and salespeople.

For a successful business, it is important to use various channels of b2b promotion in Internet marketing: media presence, blogging, mailing lists, personal and business pages on social networks. Do not forget that we work with a business and people make decisions. Therefore, be sure to pay attention to your pages on social networks – what they broadcast. Now it is easy to assess the activity and status of a company by indirect indications, and not only by what is written on the site. With a large amount of the transaction, your company, its decision maker and other personalities will be studied from different sides using open sources.

What to look for on the company’s website for B2B

Trust is the first thing that matters in making a deal. Please note that the site must contain:

  • Portfolio – Usually the clients’ logos are placed. If there are industry leaders among them, then trust increases.
  • Sometimes in this section they try to manipulate information by posting data about status clients who have never worked with you. This method can lead to backlash as you can always check the data and refine your portfolio. Keep in mind that in big business, many market participants know personally and have connections with divisional leaders.
  • Create a page with your certificates, licenses, awards, diplomas, diplomas. The name of the company and all the data should be clearly visible there. Such documents will emphasize your professionalism and status, and will also help clients make a decision on cooperation.
  • Reviews should be on the site, but real reviews. In B2B marketing, a simple text of gratitude will not carry as much weight as an official letter on letterhead. Motivate your clients to give feedback, thus confirming your professionalism.
  • The section of guarantees should be competently drawn up on the basis of legal requirements and taking into account the risks that are present in your business. Usually, transactions on the B2B market are concluded for large amounts, so the client always assesses the risks of cooperation. Can I get my money back? Is there a service? Is replacement, repair, installation, adjustment possible? Complex equipment may require special training for employees of the client company – and this will be a big plus if you help master the complex technique.
  • Include the address of your office or business. Add production photos or other work images. It is important to confirm the reality of your business and the scale of the company. Video clips also work well: it can be a video message from a manager, a video review of a technique or service. On the site, such content will help form a live connection with your employees, which will influence the decision to cooperate.

B2b promotion channels in internet marketing

When promoting B2B sites, focus on:

Content is marketing. Create descriptions of not only products, but also product categories – this will help to attract traffic for specific terms and keywords. Proper preparation of the semantic core will help you reach the top positions in organic search.
Newsletter for subscribers. Now not only traditional mailing of letters is used, but also popular instant messengers. Be sure to draw up a content plan according to which the marketer will work. You need to accurately formulate the offer that you send to customers.
Working with the client base. From time to time you need to get in touch with customers who do not place orders. This is not just a formal phone call to the base, but an effective tool for obtaining feedback. You will be able to find out the reasons for refusal to continue cooperation and remove these factors, or you will understand at what stage of the transaction clients merge.
Social networks and crowd marketing. Don’t think that only teenagers and young people are on social media. Business pages can be perfectly indexed in the search and give you targeted traffic. Also, popular ways of working with clients allow in the form of selling stories (storytelling) to better influence the target audience than traditional advertising.
Remarketing. A reminder of your company will help customers make a decision, especially since the transaction cycle can take several months. This tool will play a role in closing the deal.

Is it possible to promote B2B business on the Internet?

Definitely yes. Customers may not come to you on the same day as you created a website or designed a page on social networks. But the result of an online presence will be a must if you make the most of b2b promotion channels in Internet marketing. Find professional contractors and specialists and estimate the costs realistically. The efficiency of your work depends on many factors, but a good site is your sales team, which works on a 24/7/365 schedule.