Time to Declare Independence and Take Control!
When we review our B2B demand generation campaigns, it is common to have a ready list of factors to blame for non-performance or under-performance.
- Frequent changes in Google’s algorithms
- Pay to play models in social media channels such as Facebook
- All-encompassing policies like the one set by LinkedIn preventing good comments / discussions from being heard
- Legacy software that clings on, thus reducing efficiency and effectiveness of updated programs
- Sales teams that demand continuous generation of new content
- Marketing teams that simply cannot keep pace and end up regurgitating stale content
- And so on…
Finger-pointing is just human nature. We blame everyone and everything that we possibly can. But are we as a breed of B2B marketers becoming slaves to these factors? In my opinion, that certainly seems to be the case. So my question to all you marketers out there is—who is ultimately driving your demand generation campaigns? The social networks? The technology platforms? Google? Or YOU?
This is a call to arms to B2B demand generation experts. Let us, collectively, declare our independence from slavery and become true masters of our marketing initiatives, lead generation and customer experience management.
REMEMBER! 10 Tips to Maximize Your B2B Demand Generation Effectiveness
1. Diversify. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Integrate online and offline, inbound and outbound, branded and non-branded marketing activities to create impactful, results-driven lead generation.
2. Create your own platform. Why rely on existing platforms alone when you can build your own that is customized to your audience’s needs and delivers to your business goals?
3. Invest time and effort to engage your audience. Read 6 Ways to Simplify and Grow Customer Engagement.
4. Go multi-channel. Develop relationships with your target audience across a variety of platforms. Read 5 Ways to Optimize Social Media Channels and Get Results.
5. Use the email workhorse. It’s tried and true and still rakes up significant, measurable results in comparison with many other newer marketing tools.
6. Bank on REAL relationships. Draw referral traffic from existing relationships with real people and organizations. This way you won’t have to depend solely on the search engines to send you new leads. Read 5 Essential Ingredients of B2B Relationship Marketing.
7. Break free from the clutches of paid advertising. Free yourself from being dependent on paid forms of marketing and advertising such as PPC. Make sure you are driving people to your email list which you care for like a treasure; remember to nurture it constantly.
8. Listen! Your customers are talking. Make a concerted effort to listen to your customers 24/7. That is the only way to really understand their pains, their needs and their genuine concerns. They may not share feedback with your company directly but there are several ways that you can pick up both positive and negative signals and act upon them proactively.
9. Go above and beyond. You can never put a ceiling on the value you offer your audience with relevant, unique and useful content. Why stop at matching competitor activity levels or meeting audience expectations? Go beyond and it will pay off. Read 10 Ways to Simplify B2B Content Marketing.
10. Stand out and speak up. Don’t just follow what everyone else is doing, churning out content that is the same old, same old. Don’t be afraid to be authentic and different. Speak in your own distinct voice, show your personality, spread your message with confidence. Read 24 Essential Tools for the Thought Leader.
People look at me aghast when I say it really is simple to take control of your B2B demand generation. Simple does not mean easy. It just means following a proven process, having the right toolkit, equipping your team with appropriate technologies and using realistic, meaningful measurement metrics. I would love to hear your thoughts. Let’s discuss this on my blog. You can also email or call me, Louis Foong, at (905) 709-3827.
Image credit: Shutterstock
