B2B Digital Marketing tactics for 2018 should work holistically with other areas of marketing to be effective. Inexperienced marketers that treat B2B digital marketing as a standalone channel or different segments of digital marketing as the same, are not effective, because all areas of marketing should strive for the same goal, to tell the same consistent story of what the product or brand is, but specifically executed to that channel. Return-on-Investment (ROI) will historically will be lower, if digital marketing is not integrated well with overall marketing campaigns. Follow these 3 simple rules for digital marketing tactics below, to work with the company's overall marketing strategy, as well as, to have success in building a consistent message and effective campaign.
#1 Digital Marketing Tactic - Know Brand Principles to Apply to Digital Marketing Campaigns
Start with brand messaging. Is the company brand messaging principles being executed in the digital marketing campaigns, such as on LinkedIn, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter, along with the promotion or product marketing messaging? If it's not, then immediately alter the messaging to have consistency with the brand principles.
For example, is the same type of first-person voice being messaged on all of the social media platforms, email campaigns, and content, as it is in the brand messaging?
#2 Digital Marketing Tactic - Personalization
B2B Digital Marketing Executives should make sure to market their events and tradeshows by segmenting their buyer personas in digital marketing campaigns. I have seen consistently from inexperienced marketers, that they don't segment their target audiences and send mass emails, rather than personalizing their messaging into thoughtful email drip campaigns. There is a 25% - 35% higher conversion rate, when customers feel that the information that they are receiving from a business, is customized to their needs, rather than being mass marketed to.
#3 Digital Marketing Tactic - Not All Social Media Channels are the Same
Social Media platforms, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter are great ways to communicate your company's new events and products to current customers and prospects, but don't execute the communication in the same way. Learn the behavior or how users interact on each platform, to truly maximize marketing messaging effectively.
For example, some people receive notifications from the social media platforms that they use and others don't, then login to learn of new information. This is two different types of behavior, passive vs. active, and these two types of behaviors need to be messaged differently. Rule of thumb, if you can't effectively market to each social media channel with enough resources, then don't launch into each platform. Online users have become accustomed to having immediate service and information from companies that are effective, utilizing those channels, and if your marketing team can't meet the same high expectations, it will be detrimental and hurt the brand, rather than help in pushing more sales or building customer loyalty.