{"id":1400,"date":"2015-12-16T23:53:35","date_gmt":"2015-12-16T15:53:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ptf2go.serveravatartmp.com\/?p=1400"},"modified":"2022-05-29T12:26:05","modified_gmt":"2022-05-29T04:26:05","slug":"technology-has-changed-b2b-sales","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.impactbc.com.sg\/technology-has-changed-b2b-sales\/","title":{"rendered":"Technology Has Changed B2B Sales (Here’s How To Adapt)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Technology has made a tremendous\u00a0impact on the way we live our lives – from how we communicate (email, Skype, WhatsApp), how we connect (Facebook, LinkedIn), how we find information\u00a0(Google) to how we make purchases (Amazon, PayPal, Taobao). It has changed B2B sales too.<\/p>\n

When it comes to B2B buying, there has been a profound change in recent years too. In the past, sales reps would meet with prospects, diagnose their needs and sell solutions. Nowadays, customers are doing more of their own research online and formulating early ideas of what solutions they\u2019re looking for. Research by business consultancy CEB says that an average B2B buyer is 57 per cent through the purchase decision before reaching out to a sales reps<\/a>!<\/p>\n

So how can B2B sales and marketing teams wrest control of the conversation back from customers again?<\/p>\n

1) Influence Decisions With Content Marketing <\/b><\/h4>\n

Potential customers are researching about your company and its products and services right at this moment. But how do you influence their decisions before you even know who they are? Content marketing.<\/p>\n

Through a strong B2B content marketing programme, businesses can engage potential customers who are currently in the market for their products and services. More importantly, they can also leverage on content distribution to find more qualified leads, educate them about your solutions and nurture them through the sales funnel.<\/p>\n

Research is showing that content marketing is growing in importance to B2B firms too. According to the Content Marketing Institute\u2019s 2015 Survey, 86 per cent of B2B marketers are using content marketing.<\/a> Furthermore, 70 per cent of B2B marketers are creating more content in 2015 than they did one year ago.<\/p>\n

The best type of content B2B sales and marketing teams can create to attract potential customers is content that answers the burning questions their target audience are asking. Where do you find these questions? Good places include industry forums, LinkedIn and Facebook groups and Quora<\/a>. Content marketers can also leverage SEO tools such as Frase.io<\/a> to uncover relevant questions to fuel their content pieces.<\/p>\n

2) Retarget Customers Who Are Still Looking Around <\/b><\/h4>\n

<\/b>For most websites, only 2 per cent of traffic convert on the first visit. So how do you continue engaging these potential customers after they\u2019ve left your website? Retargeting<\/a> gives you a way to do so.<\/p>\n

Retargeting uses a cookie-based technology, which works by placing a small piece of code in your visitor\u2019s browser, allowing ad servers to to show them your ads all around the web.<\/p>\n

Based on which pages of your website they\u2019ve visited, B2B marketers can set specific ads to target these anonymous visitors. Let\u2019s say a visitor to your company\u2019s website, checks out solutions for manufacturers and testimonials from clients, and then leaves. We can retarget this visitor with online banner ads showcasing our success stories with manufacturer clients.<\/p>\n

3)\u00a0<\/b>Increase Conversion With Marketing Automation<\/b><\/h4>\n

<\/b>Marketing automation solutions such as HubSpot and Marketo provide sales and marketing teams with the digital tools to drive more qualified leads and convert more leads to sales. Here at IMPACT, we\u2019re using SharpSpring<\/a>, which is a marketing automation solution targeted at small and medium businesses.<\/p>\n