A number or proven digital marketing techniques are available for a B2B organization to integrate into their portfolios. However, the B2B industry has been behind the rest of the marketplaces in adopting these strategies. Why? In part, due to misperceptions about the online world as well as a general apprehension about modifying their current marketing plan. You don’t have to increase your annual marketing budget to integrate digital techniques into your overall plan.

1.      Understand your Customer

While this statement may seem obvious to many, far too many organizations develop and launch marketing initiatives without giving proper consideration to how they will engage or not engage with their target customers. Who are your target prospects? How do currently they locate products and services? Where are they currently looking for products and services? What digital techniques are your competitors currently using to successfully attract your target prospects? Once you understand your customer, you can develop a digital campaign that works.

2.      Attract Your Target Customers

Now that you have developed a digital marketing campaign, you need to place it into action so that results can be generated. Implementation of outbound marketing tools such as online public relations, search engine marketing, and PPC ads should be employed to attract prospects to your company’s website. Ultimately, your goal is to gain their contact information via offering freebies once your target prospect lands on any of your company’s website pages.

3.      Engage Your Target Audience

One of the keys to generating success using these techniques is engaging with your prospects. Ongoing communication, similarly to traditional drip marketing campaigns, is the key to lead conversion. While your company’s website should be considered as your primary communication tool, you can also utilize social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin, interactive media (audio, video, podcasts, and webinars) and email to keep your target audience engaged with your organization.

4.      Convert Those Leads!

Once you generate new qualified leads, you need to convert them. After all, acquiring new customers is the name of the prospecting game. Digital leads can be followed up with in traditional fashion by your current sales force. Or, depending upon your business type and website capabilities, sales may be generated online once a lead lands on your site. Either way, new prospects need to be added to your current sales pipeline for further follow up.

Traditional techniques and digital techniques need to be integrated successfully in order to generate the level of sales results you seek annually. Through trial and error, tracking results and modifications, your organization can develop an overall strategy that yields results specifically sought after for your business niche.