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B2B Digital Marketing: Using the Web to Market Directly to Businesses
- By Michael Miller
- Published Mar 6, 2012 by Que. Part of the Que Biz-Tech series.
- Copyright 2012
- Dimensions: 6" x 9"
- Pages: 368
- Edition: 1st
- Book
- ISBN-10: 0-7897-4887-8
- ISBN-13: 978-0-7897-4887-4
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Product Author Bios
Michael Miller has written 100+ non-fiction books that have collectively sold more than one million units worldwide. His many business books include The Ultimate Web Marketing Guide and Using Google AdWords and AdSense. John Coe is President and Founder of The Sales and Marketing Institute, a B2B consulting, training and publishing firm specializing in integrating direct and database marketing with field sales. He founded Integrated Target Marketing, one of the nation's top 50 direct marketing agencies; spent three years as National Campaign Manager for IBM; and authored The Fundamentals of B2B Sales and Marketing.
The only 100% B2B-focused guide to high-profit, low-cost digital marketing!
Finally, there’s a comprehensive guide to digital marketing specifically for B2B companies. In B2B Digital Marketing, Michael Miller thoroughly explains how to use each leading digital marketing vehicle to successfully market any product or service to your target companies. You’ll start with planning, discovering how to choose your best platforms and strategies for customer acquisition, sales conversion, and retention. Next, master crucial execution skills for web, search, social, and mobile marketing, online advertising, email, blogs, YouTube, online PR, and more. Finally, discover exactly how to measure your effectiveness, refocus based on what you learn, and prepare for the newest developments in B2B digital marketing. Whether you’re a B2B marketer, product manager, sales professional, PR specialist, manager, or entrepreneur, this book will help you use new low-cost techniques to build stronger relationships, close more sales, and earn higher profits—starting today!
You’ll Learn How To:
• Define realistic, measurable goals for your B2B digital marketing initiative
• Segment your audience and identify the best digital platforms and vehicles for connecting with them
• Systematically address the entire B2B buying continuum: reach, acquisition, conversion, retention, and loyalty
• Create a flexible, actionable B2B digital marketing plan
• Design a website that helps B2B buyers quickly find exactly what they need
• Optimize your site for today’s search engines and today’s customers
• Use tailored, targeted email to reach more customers and prospects at lower cost
• Craft online advertising to reinforce organic search, support promotions, and attract web seminar participants
• Drive real value from Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, and Twitter
• Effectively utilize blogs, podcasts, and streaming media
MICHAEL MILLER has written more than 100 nonfiction books, including The Ultimate Web Marketing Guide; Using Google® AdWords and AdSense; Using Google® Search; The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Search Engine Optimization; Sams Teach Yourself Google Analytics in 10 Minutes; and Facebook for Grown-Ups. Miller’s books have sold more than one million copies worldwide. He has established a reputation for clearly explaining technical subjects to non-technical readers, and offering exceptionally useful real-world advice on complex topics. More information can be found at his website, www.molehillgroup.com.
Online Sample Chapter
Creating a B2B Digital Marketing Plan
Table of Contents
Introduction 1
I PLANNING
1 Understanding Digital Marketing 5
What Is Digital Marketing? .............................................................................6
Why Digital Marketing Matters for B2B ................................................6
Digital Marketing Keeps You Competitive ...................................7
Digital Marketing Is Becoming More Prevalent.........................8
Digital Marketing Improves Customer Relationships .....................................9
Digital Marketing: A 21st Century Imperative ...........................9
Getting to Know the Components of Digital Marketing ............................10
Website Marketing .....................................................................................10
Search Engine Marketing .......................................................................11
Online Advertising .....................................................................................12
Email Marketing ..........................................................................................13
Blog Marketing .............................................................................................14
Social Media Marketing ..........................................................................15
Audio, Video, and Interactive Marketing....................................16
Public Relations............................................................................................17
Mobile Marketing .......................................................................................18
Migrating from Traditional Channels to Digital Channels .............................19
Migrating from Cold Calling to Search Engine Marketing ...................................19
Migrating from Literature to Websites .........................................20
Migrating from Trade Advertising to Web Advertising ..........................20
Migrating from Direct Mail to Email .............................................20
Migrating from Newsletters and Phone Calls to Social Media ................21
Migrating from Trade Magazine PR to Blog PR .....................21
Migrating from Live Events to Webinars ....................................21
How B2B Companies Can Use Digital Marketing ........................22
Precision, Scale, and Marketability ..................................................22
Understanding the Digital Marketing Process Flow .....................................22
Choosing the Right Digital Marketing Tools ............................23
2 Segmenting Your Audience 27
Why Audience Segmentation Is Important .......................................28
How to Segment Your Audience ..............................................................30
Breakdown and Build-Up Segmentation .....................................30
A Priori and Post Hoc Segmentation .............................................31
Common B2B Market Segments ..............................................................32
Hierarchy of Characteristics ................................................................32
Organizational Characteristics ...........................................................33
Purchasing Characteristics ....................................................................34
How Different Segments Use Digital Media .....................................35
Digital Media by Organizational Characteristics ..........................35
Digital Media by Purchasing Characteristics ............................36
3 Planning for Reach 39
Understanding the B2B Buying Continuum .....................................40
Reaching Out to New Customers .............................................................41
How Do You Reach New Customers? ...........................................41
Marketing for Reach .................................................................................43
Using Digital Media to Reach New Customers ...............................43
Search Engine Marketing .......................................................................44
PPC Advertising ..........................................................................................45
Display Advertising ...................................................................................46
Blog Marketing .............................................................................................46
Online PR.........................................................................................................47
Mobile Marketing .......................................................................................47
Which Digital Media Are Less Suited for Reach? .........................48
Email Marketing ..........................................................................................48
Multimedia Marketing.............................................................................49
Social Media Marketing ..........................................................................50
Website Marketing .....................................................................................51
4 Planning for Customer Acquisition 53
Understanding the Customer Acquisition Process .......................54
Traditional Marketing for Customer Acquisition .........................55
Using Digital Media to Acquire New Customers ..........................55
Website Marketing .....................................................................................56
Blog Marketing .............................................................................................59
Multimedia Marketing.............................................................................59
Email Marketing ..........................................................................................60
Mobile Marketing .......................................................................................61
Which Digital Media Are Less Suited for Acquisition? .........................................61
Search Engine Marketing .......................................................................62
PPC and Display Advertising ..............................................................62
Online PR.........................................................................................................62
Social Media Marketing ..........................................................................62
5 Planning for Sales Conversion 63
Understanding Conversion ..................................64
Converting Customers, the Traditional Way ...................................66
Using Digital Media to Convert Customers ......................................66
Converting from Your Website .........................................................67
Converting via Email ................................................................................69
Which Digital Media Are Less Suited for Conversion? ............................70
6 Planning for Customer Retention 73
Understanding Customer Retention ......................................................74
Retaining Customers, the Old-Fashioned Way ...............................75
Using Digital Media to Retain Your Customers .............................76
Providing Ongoing Customer Service and Support .........................76
Encouraging Repeat Orders .................................................................77
Announcing New Products and Services .....................................77
Reinforcing the Customer Relationship .......................................78
Choosing the Right Digital Media for Customer Retention ...................................79
Website Marketing .....................................................................................80
Blog Marketing .............................................................................................81
Email Marketing ..........................................................................................81
Multimedia Marketing.............................................................................82
Social Media Marketing ..........................................................................82
Mobile Marketing .......................................................................................83
Which Digital Media Are Less Likely for Customer Retention? ...................83
7 Planning for Customer Loyalty 85
Understanding Customer Loyalty............................................................86
Encouraging Customer Loyalty, the Old School Way .....................................87
Using Digital Media to Encourage Customer Loyalty ...............................87
Social Media Marketing ..........................................................................88
Email Marketing ..........................................................................................89
What Digital Media Are Less Likely for Loyalty Referrals? ..........................90
8 Creating a B2B Digital Marketing Plan 91
Why You Need a Digital Marketing Plan ...........................................92
Understanding the Elements of a Digital Marketing Plan ..................................93
Executive Summary ...................................................................................93
Mission ..............................................................................................................94
Situational Analysis ...................................................................................94
Opportunities and Issues .......................................................................95
Goals and Objectives ................................................................................95
Marketing Strategy .....................................................................................96
Action Plan .....................................................................................................97
Budget ................................................................................................................98
Writing Your Marketing Plan ....................................................................98
Putting the Plan into Practice .....................................................................99
II EXECUTION
9 B2B Website Marketing 101
Why Your Website Is Important ........................................................... 102
Designing Your Website for B2B .......................................................... 103
Keeping It Simple..................................................................................... 103
Minimizing Technology—and Design ....................................... 104
Providing the Right Content ............................................................ 105
Keeping the Content Simple—and Accessible ...................... 106
Putting Content on the Page ............................................................ 106
Providing Content for Search Engines ....................................... 107
Providing Easy Navigation ................................................................. 108
Considering the Look and Feel of Your Site ........................... 110
Creating Unique Landing Pages ..................................................... 111
Choosing the Right Content and Features ............................... 112
Designing Your Website for Acquisition ......................................... 113
Organization and Navigation ........................................................... 113
Content and Collateral ......................................................................... 114
Access for Everyone? ............................................................................. 116
Asking for More ....................................................................................... 117
Designing Your Website for Conversion ......................................... 117
Is Online Conversion for You? ....................................................... 118
Designing for E-Commerce .............................................................. 118
Providing Customer Service ............................................................. 119
Designing Your Website for Retention ............................................. 119
Providing Support ................................................................................... 120
Providing Additional Information ................................................ 121
Providing Community .......................................................................... 121
10 B2B Search Engine Marketing 123
Why Search Engine Marketing Is Important ................................. 124
Understanding Search Engine Optimization ................................. 125
Understanding Web Search ...................................................................... 126
How a Typical Search Works ........................................................... 126
How a Search Site Builds Its Database—And Assembles Its Index ................... 127
Examining the Major Search Engines ................................................ 128
What Search Engines Look For .............................................................. 130
Keywords ....................................................................................................... 131
HTML Tags ................................................................................................. 132
Inbound Links ............................................................................................ 133
Optimizing Your Site’s Content ............................................................. 133
What Is Quality Content? ................................................................... 133
Why Does Quality Content Matter? ............................................ 134
Writing Engaging Copy ....................................................................... 134
Crafting SEO-Friendly Content ...................................................... 135
Optimizing Your Site’s Keywords ......................................................... 136
Performing Keyword Research ....................................................... 136
Fine-Tuning Keywords for B2B ...................................................... 137
Determining the Right Keyword Density ................................. 138
Writing Keyword-Oriented Copy ................................................. 138
Optimizing Your Site’s HTML Tags ................................................... 140
<TITLE> Tags ................................................................................................... 140
<META> Tags ........................................................................................... 141
Header Tags ................................................................................................. 143
Anchor Text ................................................................................................ 144
Optimizing Your Site’s Design and Organization .............................................. 144
Put the Most Important Stuff First on the Page ..................................... 145
Use Headings and Subheadings ...................................................... 145
Use Text, Not Pictures (or Videos or Flash...) ....................... 145
Optimizing Inbound Links ........................................................................ 146
Creating Linkworthy Content .......................................................... 146
Getting the Word Out........................................................................... 146
Making Link Requests........................................................................... 147
Engaging in Link Trading................................................................... 147
Purchasing Links ...................................................................................... 148
Optimizing Links Between Pages on Your Site ........................................... 148
Optimizing Images ......................................................................................... 149
Using the ALT Attribute ..................................................................... 149
Using the TITLE Attribute ................................................................ 150
11 B2B Online Advertising 151
How Effective Is B2B Online Advertising? ..................................... 152
How Online Advertising Differs from Traditional Advertising ........................... 153
Targeted Placement ................................................................................ 154
Improved Tracking ................................................................................. 155
Efficiency of Investment ...................................................................... 155
Different Payment Models......................................................................... 156
CPM—Cost-Per-Thousand ............................................................... 156
CPC—Cost-Per-Click ........................................................................... 157
Using PPC Ads.................................................................................................. 158
How PPC Advertising Works .......................................................... 158
Understanding Context-Sensitive Ad Placement ................ 159
Paying by the Click ................................................................................. 160
Bidding for Keywords ........................................................................... 161
Choosing a Bidding Strategy ............................................................ 162
Writing Effective Ad Copy ................................................................ 164
Creating PPC Image Ads .................................................................... 166
Using Display Ads ........................................................................... 167
Understanding Display Ads .............................................................. 167
Examining Rich Media Ads ............................................................... 168
Choosing a Display Ad Format ....................................................... 169
Creating Effective Display Ads ........................................................ 171
Getting to Know the Big Ad Networks .............................................. 172
Maximizing Effectiveness with a Custom Landing Page .................. 174
Why Landing Pages Are Important ............................................. 174
Why You Need a Separate Landing Page ................................. 174
Creating an Effective Landing Page ............................................. 175
Asking for the Lead ................................................................................ 176
12 B2B Email Marketing 179
Understanding B2B Email Marketing ................................................ 180
Email Marketing Is Direct Marketing ......................................... 180
Email Marketing Is Database Marketing .................................. 180
Email Marketing Is Targeted Marketing ................................... 181
Email Marketing Is Proactive Marketing .................................. 181
Email Marketing Is Inexpensive Marketing ............................ 182
Email Marketing Is Permission Marketing .............................. 183
Using Email to Reach New Prospects ................................................. 185
Sharing Names ........................................................................................... 186
Best Practices for Email Lead Solicitation ................................ 187
Using Email for Customer Acquisition ............................................. 187
Using Email for Conversion ..................................................................... 188
Using Email for Customer Retention ................................................. 189
Getting Permission ................................................................................. 189
Different Types of Mailings ............................................................... 189
Best Practices for Customer Retention Emails ...................... 191
Using Email to Encourage Customer Loyalty ............................... 192
Creating an Effective Email Preference Center ............................ 192
13 B2B Blog Marketing 197
Why Create a Company Blog? ................................................................ 198
Why Corporate Blogging Works ................................................... 198
Blogging for Reach .................................................................................. 201
Blogging for Acquisition ..................................................................... 202
Blogging for Retention ......................................................................... 202
Running Your Blog ........................................................................................ 203
Putting Together a Plan ....................................................................... 203
Determining Who Contributes to the Blog ............................. 204
Deciding What to Write About ...................................................... 205
Creating Powerful Titles ...................................................................... 206
Writing Blog Posts .................................................................................. 207
Determining the Right Frequency ................................................. 207
Marketing to Other Blogs........................................................................... 209
Why Other Blogs Are Important ................................................... 209
How to Get Bloggers to Notice—and Mention—You ........................ 210
Giving Bloggers Everything They Need ..................................... 212
14 B2B Social Media Marketing 213
Understanding Social Media .................................................................... 214
Social Networking with Facebook, Google+, and LinkedIn ........................ 214
Blogging as a Social Medium ............................................................ 215
Microblogging with Twitter .............................................................. 216
Social Bookmarking with Digg, Delicious, and StumbleUpon ................... 216
Social Sharing with YouTube and Flickr .................................. 217
Social Location Sharing with Foursquare, Gowalla, and MyTown ............... 218
How Important Is Social Media Marketing for B2B? ............... 218
Which Social Media Should You Target? ........................................ 221
Developing a Social Media Marketing Strategy............................ 222
Participating in Social Conversations ......................................... 223
Responding to Online Comments ................................................. 223
Using Social Media for Customer Reach and Acquisition .... 225
Using Social Media for Customer Retention and Loyalty .............................. 226
Using Specific Social Media ...................................................................... 227
Using Facebook ......................................................................................... 227
Using Google+ ........................................................................................... 229
Using LinkedIn .......................................................................................... 231
Using Twitter .............................................................................................. 233
15 B2B Audio, Video, and Interactive Marketing 237
Using Podcasts for B2B Marketing ...................................................... 238
Understanding Podcasts ...................................................................... 238
Creating a Podcast: The Technical Details .............................. 239
Developing a Podcast Strategy ......................................................... 240
Distributing Your Podcast ................................................................. 241
Using Video for B2B Marketing ............................................................ 242
What Kinds of Videos Are Most Effective? ............................. 242
Producing an Online Video .............................................................. 245
Tips for More Effective Online Videos ...................................... 246
Using Interactive Media for B2B Marketing .................................. 251
Understanding Interactive Media.................................................. 251
Do Webinars Make Sense for You? .............................................. 252
Tips for More Effective Interactive Marketing ...................... 253
16 B2B Public Relations 257
What Is Online PR—and How Does It Differ from Traditional PR? ..................... 258
Who You Influence ................................................................................ 258
How You Influence Them .................................................................. 259
Using the New Technology ....................................................................... 260
Online PR Databases ............................................................................. 260
Social Media Search ................................................................................ 261
Press Release Distribution .................................................................. 262
The Benefits of Online PR ......................................................................... 263
Developing New Online Sources ........................................................... 264
Targeting Websites and Online Publications ......................... 265
Targeting Online Writers and Reviewers ................................. 265
Targeting Bloggers .................................................................................. 266
Targeting Online Message Forums ............................................... 267
Targeting Social Media ......................................................................... 267
Creating an Online Press Room ............................................................. 268
Why Do You Need a Press Room on Your Website? ....... 268
Stocking Your Online Press Room ............................................... 269
17 B2B Mobile Marketing 275
Why Mobile Is Important .......................................................................... 276
Mobile Marketing in the B2B World........................................... 276
Mobile Marketing: Big and Getting Bigger ............................. 277
How Mobile B2B Marketing Differs from Traditional B2B Marketing .............. 278
Marketing for a Smaller Screen ....................................................... 278
Targeted Marketing ................................................................................ 279
Adapting Your Website for Mobile ..................................................... 280
Adapting Email Marketing for Mobile .............................................. 285
Adapting Other Digital Media for Mobile ....................................... 287
Mobile Search Engine Marketing .................................................. 287
Mobile Advertising ................................................................................. 288
Mobile Social Marketing ..................................................................... 288
Mobile Audio/Video Marketing ..................................................... 289
Mobile Interactive Marketing .......................................................... 289
Using SMS Marketing .................................................................................. 289
III MEASUREMENT AND REFOCUS
18 Quantifying Results 291
Analyzing Digital Media Performance .............................................. 292
Analyzing Website Performance .................................................... 292
Analyzing Search Engine Marketing Performance ............. 295
Analyzing Advertising Performance ............................................ 297
Analyzing Email Performance ......................................................... 300
Analyzing Blog Performance ............................................................ 301
Analyzing Social Media Performance ......................................... 304
Analyzing Podcast Performance..................................................... 304
Analyzing Online Video Performance ....................................... 305
Analyzing Interactive Marketing Performance ..................... 306
Analyzing Online PR Performance .............................................. 306
Analyzing Mobile Marketing Performance ............................. 307
Analyzing Performance by Buying Stage ......................................... 308
Analyzing Reach ....................................................................................... 308
Analyzing Acquisition .......................................................................... 309
Analyzing Conversion .......................................................................... 309
Analyzing Retention............................................................................... 310
Analyzing Loyalty .................................................................................... 311
19 Qualifying Results 313
Analyzing Social Media ............................................................................... 314
Analyzing Engagement ................................................................................ 315
Analyzing Comments ................................................................................... 317
Analyzing Sentiment ..................................................................................... 319
20 Looking Forward 321
Evaluating—and Modifying—Your B2B Digital Marketing Strategy .................. 322
Evaluating Results .................................................................................... 322
Adjusting Your Budget ......................................................................... 323
Adjusting Your Plan .............................................................................. 324
Looking to the Future ................................................................................... 325
Email Is Fading .......................................................................................... 325
Blogs Are Fading ...................................................................................... 327
Social Networking Is Taking Over ................................................ 327
Mobility Matters ....................................................................................... 328
Index
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