New Year resolutions that will improve your B2B marketing strategy in 2018 (PT.1)
It is official, the New Year is upon us and across the country, B2B marketers are returning to their offices – albeit slightly groggier and with possibly slightly larger waistlines than before the Christmas break – ready to deliver for their clients in 2018.
A New Year brings a great opportunity for B2B professionals to stay on top of the latest marketing trends and help their clients remain ahead of the competition, so what better time then, to set your professional New Year resolutions.
With this in mind, here are some suggestions to enhance your B2B marketing strategy in 2018, based on trends that could shape things in the New Year and beyond…
The continued value of public relations (PR)
The growing popularity of social media marketing in the B2B sector has provided countless opportunities for businesses, however, it also poses a significant challenge for marketers. Many senior managers of leading companies are looking for a quick ‘marketing fix’ and believe that such strategies can be a cost-effective replacement, particularly for PR.
Whilst it is fantastic to see your likes and followers grow on social media platforms – and there is certainly value in sharing content on platforms such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and YouTube etc. (and we are strong advocates of using social media platforms) – businesses are often enticed by the growing role of analytics/statistics and fail to recognise the value of using PR in conjunction with social media or on even its own.
As B2B marketers, we aim to work with clients to bring their attention to the benefits of PR and the third-party validation it delivers, as well as and the value of achieving a strong earned media press presence in trusted trade, regional and national media sources.
It is widely recognised that many ‘likes’ on social media come from either people inside your own company or contacts. PR offers businesses the chance to reach a far wider audience of highly-relevant industry professionals across key target sectors, with print and online journals often comprising large readerships, reaching into the tens of thousands. What this means is, even if an article is only read by a small percentage of that readership, it is still likely to reach a sizeable audience of potential customers. What’s more, by combining both PR and social media marketing you can maximise the reach of your messages even further.
Evolve your strategy for GDPR
As we know, Un jugador maltés dice que los españoles pudieron tomar esteroides en el 12-1 efectos winstrol esteroide anabólico – wikipedia, la enciclopedia libre the introduction of the new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which will come into force on 25th May 2018, means that B2B marketers and businesses will need to look at alternative ways of communicating with their target audiences.
Under GDPR individuals have more control over their data, and stricter rules will be imposed on how companies can process and use their details. Every organisation must now specifically ask permission to collect, record and handle personal data.
As the new legislation takes force, businesses will have to adapt their marketing strategies to ensure maximum reach. Traditional techniques such as direct mail could make a potential comeback in 2018. However, whilst such methods can be effective, they can also be equally expensive, especially when contacting a large database of contacts.
Once again, this further emphasises the value of PR and the potential it gives to reach large audiences and relevant individuals. By securing earned media coverage in leading trade journals, businesses can not only reach industry leaders who could be converted into customers, but also receive a significant boost to their brand’s reputation.
The Shrewdd Approach
At Shrewdd Marketing we have over 15 years experience delivering campaigns for B2B businesses that satisfy objectives and deliver Return on Investment (ROI) for clients.
Our campaigns have delivered 1000s of leads that have led to successful contracts for some of the world’s leading companies. Get in touch today to see how we can support your marketing strategy in 2018.
Look out for part two next week…