B2B Marketing

B2B Internet Marketing Strategies Part 3: Be Heard

September 19, 2017 by K-Kom

The last step in this series of B2B internet marketing strategies is all about being heard. Even if you’re reaching a good audience, are they reaching you and then leaving right away?

Create Commitment

Make it very easy for people to get in touch and stay in touch through the website, social media, or any way your audience prefers.

If you are frequently sharing great content on your site, make sure social links are easy to see so people can like, follow, and share it.
Create an email subscription form so you can reach out to people on a regular basis with a newsletter or coupons.
Make more robust content like white papers or eBooks “gated” – that is, require a trade of an email address, survey answer, or other info for the download. This gives you a quality list of leads (just don’t do too much of this).

Engage with People Online

It’s important to talk to your customers, listen to them – both compliments and complaints. Resolve their issues, talk to them about fun things related to your business. The purpose of digital marketing is not only to create more sales for yourself, but to revive customer retention rates, give each person a unique, personal experience, and cause an increase in referral customers.

If you really have a quality business, make this known to other people in a way that they’ll want to share it with all their friends. That model will give you long term growth and success.

Competing in the digital economy in some industries has become an overwhelming and sometimes difficult task. Focusing on these three essential B2B internet marketing strategies consistently will give you a great competitive edge and a strong, committed customer base.

If you’re like most business owners and know you don’t have time to keep track of these extra things, utilize the B2B marketing services offered by K-Kom, and we’ll work together with you to grow your business to the next level and beyond!

B2B Internet Marketing Strategies Part 2: Be Seen

September 12, 2017 by K-Kom

The first step in a successful B2B internet marketing strategy we talked about was to be found using techniques like having a good website, using the most up-to-date SEO practices, listening to competitors and customers on social media, etc.

The second step for great digital B2B marketing is to be seen. With brand loyalty being more rare today, having your brand name seen on a regular basis by the right people is increasingly important. While this loyalty is going away using old strategies, consumers still want to be able to trust their product/service, and in the end, a brand. It’s a different game than in the past.

Using Social Media

We’ve all heard about how important social media can be for businesses especially in the eyes of Google. This can also be a very powerful tool in offering customers added value, for free, proving that your business cares about what it does more than the profit it makes.

Occasional CTA On Social

Your social channels should be a strategic blend of great value for customers, discussions, problem-solving/customer support, and customer-created content. It’s good to throw in a few call-to-actions here and there to remind people to buy or be a repeat customer. BUT do NOT spam, and do not do this every day. Everyone is already bombarded by so many ads, and they will probably unfollow your page if that’s what you become.

Using Paid Media

Paid ads are the traditional marketing method known to every business out there. These are still very important, but with Google Adwords and social media paid ads, especially Facebook, tracking effectiveness and how much your budget is working and how much isn’t, is not a secret. Putting together a strategic landing page and creating a few ads based around a particular phrase you know your ideal customer uses to search for your product or service, can be very cost-effective and worthwhile.

For social media ads, this is where knowing your audience comes in handy. With the detailed targeting options Facebook and other social platforms have developed, these can be some of your best investments in online advertising.

“Upcycling” Content

Content is important, so many people have taken to creating lots and lots of it every day, and often some great pieces are quickly forgotten or missed altogether. If you have a content source from a business that is not a competitor but is still relevant to your audience, share or reshare the most valuable items, or take some of your best older posts and reshare them to boost visibility. Reformat it, expand it into a whitepaper, make a video out of it, create an infographic out of it, a slideshow, or even interview an industry expert about it.

If you’re a busy business owner and simply don’t have time for all of these things, contact K-Kom, and we’ll partner with you to build on your B2B internet marketing strategies and set your brand up for long-term success.

B2B Internet Marketing Strategies Part 1: Be Found

September 5, 2017 by K-Kom

The first step in achieving business success online is by first being found, and not only that, but being found by the right people (the ones that will do business with you of course).

A Great Website

The first place people will look online, or the first thing people will likely find especially while searching on Google, is your website. The first impression someone gets should be as positive, clear, and simple as you can make it. You want your best side to show through, what sets you apart from your competition, and why they should choose to do business with you, rather than the search result below or above you.

Is the information all up to date? Is the purpose of the site clear (the user knows right away to call, send a request for quote, buy from your physical or online store, or whatever you want them to do first)?

Great Content

This ties right into the website. Again is all the info accurate and clear? Is there too much to look at? How many things are you asking the person to do at once (ideally only one or two simple things to begin with).

Make sure to have good quality, updated photos and videos as well. People are highly visual and photos can easily explain something more effectively and quicker than a paragraph of text. It doesn’t hurt to also include that paragraph of text near the photo or as a caption for Google’s purposes.

A good brand video is also very helpful on the homepage, showing you the owner talking about the goal of your business, why it’s important to you, and why your potential customers should trust you over your competitors.

SEO Search Engine Optimization

Google and other search engines have a method for sorting websites based on what a person searches for, and which website seems to be the best and most relevant choice to display at a particular time.

Social Listening – Who’s Your Audience

Assuming you know your audience, really dig into what these individuals are saying on social media, especially when it comes to daily struggles, problems they have regarding your industry service or product. It’s also very important to listen to your competitors to stay on top of industry trends, and social influencers that have an impact on your customers.

With this first step in your B2B internet marketing strategy, you’ll be starting down the path towards a strong brand and an increased bottom line!

If you’re like most businesses owners and have a thousand other things to think about and do with your time, contact K-Kom and ask about our specialized B2B marketing services. We’re ready to grow your business with you!

B2B Branding: What Not To Do

May 23, 2017 by K-Kom

I think it’s safe to say that having a great brand is the goal of every world-class business out there today. So what defines a strong brand, and how do you know if your business is on its way to worldwide success or will be eaten alive this year by the local competition?

No obvious unique factor

You may think you’re unique compared to your competitors, and even if you know you are, is this apparent to your potential buyers? Without making it obvious, customers have a good chance of buying elsewhere, especially if another business makes their own uniqueness more obvious than you do. Get creative with this differentiator – great customer service and reliable products don’t cut it if your competitors can easily say the same. On the other side, don’t copy-cat other players in your industry. Always try to be recognizable.

Misunderstanding what a brand is, and how important it can be

Some think of a brand as a logo or mission statement, when it really has more to do with how visible you are in the marketplace and what kind of reputation you have with the outside world. With a strong brand, you will attract not only more customers but better employees, the ability to branch into other industries or services and give the new parts of the business some initial strength using that positive reputation.

Assuming you know your target audience and competitors

We all know what happens when we assume. It’s a good practice to periodically conduct research on these so you can keep growing faster than the businesses who neglect to do this.

Aiming too low or making false promises

To have a truly successful, lasting business, you must be genuinely interested in it and aim to be the best because you want to offer the industry something truly unique and beneficial. This will ensure success every time. On the other side, don’t offer things you can’t deliver. This will hurt the trust clients will have for you which can completely destroy a business.

Do some of these points sound familiar? If they do, you’re certainly not alone, not every brand can hack national or worldwide success. But, does your business have what it takes? K-Kom, Inc. is happy to rework your brand strategy, or your B2C or B2B marketing strategies as a whole and help your business grow!

B2B Branding Checklist: Implementing Your Brand Strategy

May 12, 2017 by K-Kom

So far we’ve brainstormed your business goals, figured out what you want your brand to stand for, we’ve built your B2C or B2B brand strategy, and now it’s time to implement!

Let’s recap the other steps so you can check them off as you read:

⬜ Determine your business goals for:

⬜ This year

⬜ Next year

⬜ 5 year plan

Don’t be afraid to be specific. The more diligent you are with this step, the faster the business will grow and the more profitable you’ll be. Share the goals with everyone in the company. They’ll create drive, something specific to work towards.

⬜ Determine the areas your business already has some strength in. What service or product offers customers the most value?

⬜ Define your ideal target audience personas. Once again detail is key! Even if you discover later on that they’re not spot on, you can always adjust and improve as you go. Don’t forget to focus on increasing your visibility and positive reputation.

⬜ Target the industries that appear will provide the most promising long-term business. This may apply more to B2B business growth, but do some market research and see what the outlook is like.

⬜ Determine who will be in charge of doing the social media domination and who will execute your killer content strategy. Don’t forget about your industry expert development!

⬜ Put measurement tools in place to track all your progress (or non-progress). This can include your email list, social media progress, leads, keyword searches on targeted terms, etc.

⬜ Regularly review each of these steps, once per month and per quarter is ideal, to make sure you’re doing what you said you would, things are going according to plan, and that you’re on track to reach your goals.

⬜ Lastly, do a yearly review of the strategy as a whole and the results that were achieved because of it. Determine if something similar should be planned for the next year or if coming up with some new ideas is necessary.

To get your B2C or B2B branding underway, contact K-Kom, Inc. and we’ll be glad to answer all of your questions. We also offer digital printing services if you’ve thought about printing, for example, a restaurant menu or full-color brochure.

Thanks for your time and we look forward to working with you!

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