This is where it all begins – the first interactions with your customer. B2B customer acquisition isn’t just about getting that first sale; it’s where you start building a relationship. That means a solid, consistent brand presence has to shine through.
Consumers are doing more research prior to purchase, so your content has to be better than the competition’s. And, your sales teams must be armed with information to do more consultative selling and anticipate customer needs.
Don’t ignore the specific consumer in the initial stages of awareness and consideration
It isn’t just tempting; it’s flat-out easier to think of your target audience – those who aren’t customers yet – in terms of only a few large audience types. For B2B lead generation, don’t create generic content and ads or you will end up spending time and money delivering irrelevant content to the wrong audience.
Don’t blast emails and hope they’re going to convert
Understanding your specific user and creating focused segmentation takes a ton of work. But creating one or two emails and thinking they will get you anywhere with your audience is a big no-no. Don’t try to save time by creating a one-size-fits-all approach to B2B customer segmentation.
Do create customer personas and journey maps
Creating personas and understanding each customer journey is key. But even more important is identifying the specific touchpoints for each customer. Knowing where and how customers are engaging with your brand and content allows you to not only be present at the right time with the right content, but also to begin creating new touchpoints for ideal engagement. This is particularly vital early in the buying process. Recent studies indicate that 67% of purchases involve the brand’s presence at the very beginning of the consideration phase. Do make sure you are engaging early in the consideration phase. Otherwise, you significantly reduce the likelihood of winning the business.
Do identify which channels work best (right time, right place, right message)
Once you’ve identified the “who,” “where,” and “what” (persona, touchpoint, content), you need to calculate the “how.” Certain marketing efforts are better suited for various stages of the buyer journey, and not all channels are equally effective from one organization or industry to the next. Do have a clear understanding of which channels work best in which scenarios, a clear measurement plan in place to gauge success, and a cross-channel strategy to seamlessly engage the customer during their journey.
For more do’s and don’ts of B2B customer acquisition, download our free guide, The Do’s and Don’ts of B2B Customer Engagement.
