Primer on digital marketing

Introduction to digital marketing

Digital marketing constitutes a very large portion of all marketing nowadays. Gone are the days when it was a distinct discipline- it is now integrated with everything you do. There are numerous specialisms within digital marketing (including some highly technical areas). In this primer, we will give a high-level overview and answer the questions of what digital marketing is, why digital marketing is important, what the main categories of digital marketing are, and how you can get started with digital marketing as a marketing leader in a B2B company.

What is digital marketing?

In a nutshell, digital marketing refers to any marketing efforts that use digital channels to reach and engage customers. This could include everything from social media and email marketing, to search engine optimization (SEO) and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. It includes marketing at all stages of the funnel from brand and awareness to conversion and renewal.

Why is digital marketing important?

Digital is where all of your customers are a large portion of the time. Everyone is online - whether they're using email for work, browsing social media on their phone, or searching for products and services on their desktop. By leveraging digital channels, you can reach your target market where they already are. By contrast, consider the amount of time your audience spends in front of trade publications, billboards, and at events. Digital is vital.

Successful digital marketing isn't just about being where your customers are - it's also about being able to track and measure your results. With digital marketing, there is a notable ability to track everything from clicks and conversions to engagement and ROI. This allows you to optimize your efforts and get the most bang for your marketing buck. The flip side of this is that because it is so measurable, it is too easy to slip into short-termism and become blinkered to your wider marketing mix. Digital is vital, but it is not the be-all and end-all of effective marketing in B2B.

What are the main categories of Digital marketing for B2B companies?

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

The aim of SEO is to increase the visibility of your company to search engine users and to increase the number of visitors to your page by ranking highly on search engine results pages (usually Google). SEO deals with both organic results – ranking highly based on the merit of your site and its contents, and paid results – ranking highly due to paid advertisements.

Pay-Per-Click (PPC)

The aim of PPC is to increase the number of users visiting your page. PPC is a branch of marketing that deals with paying for digital advertisements that charge each time someone clicks on your advert. It can refer to the adverts you see on results pages on a search engine, on sites such as YouTube, and surrounding content across the web.

Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing can have any number of different goals when used as a tool within your marketing mix. Social media marketing involves using social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to promote your services, engage with customers, and build brand awareness. This can include paid social advertising, influencer partnerships, and organic social media activity (such as posting content and interacting with your audience).

Content Marketing

Content marketing is one of the broadest areas of digital marketing. It involves creating and sharing content (such as blog posts, videos, and infographics) with the goal of engaging your audience. Depending on the type of content created and how it is shared, this can help establish a B2B brand as a thought leader in its industry and build trust with potential customers. It can be aimed at delivering results across the marketing funnel.

Email Marketing

Email Marketing is using email to communicate with customers and prospects, often to promote products or services, share news or events, or build relationships. This can include newsletters, promotional emails, and automated campaigns triggered by specific actions. It is often used as part of demand generation marketing.

Influencer Marketing

Influencer Marketing involves partnering with social media influencers (people with large followings and engaged audiences) to promote your products and services or to build your brand associations. This can help reach a wider audience and build credibility through the endorsement of trusted individuals.

Viral Marketing

Viral Marketing involves creating content that is designed to be shared widely and quickly, often through social media. This can include videos, memes, and other viral content that is entertaining or emotionally resonant. It is not commonly used in B2B and is challenging to predict, but when it works it can provide significantly outsized returns on marketing investment.

Mobile Marketing

Mobile Marketing is about targeting customers on their mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, through techniques like SMS marketing, mobile apps, and mobile-responsive websites. It crosses over with most of the other categories of digital marketing in this list.

Native Advertising

Native Advertising involves creating ads that are designed to blend in with the content of the website or platform where they appear. This can include sponsored content, branded articles, and product placement. In B2B it will often be used to refer to ads in industry publications, such as advertorials.

Online Public Relations (PR)

Online PR (Public Relations) involves using digital channels to manage a B2B brand's reputation and build relationships with the media and other stakeholders. This can include press releases, social media outreach, and reputation management strategies.

How do you get started with digital marketing in a B2B company?

There are a few key steps to get you started:

Step 1: Define your goals.

What do you want to achieve through your digital marketing efforts? This could be anything from generating leads to driving sales to building brand awareness.

Step 2: Identify your target market.

Who do you want to reach? What are your audiences’ needs and preferences? This will help you develop messaging and tactics that resonate with them.

Step 3: Choose your digital channels.

Based on your target market and goals, determine which digital channels will be most effective for reaching and engaging your audience. This could include everything from social media to email marketing to SEO.

Step 4: Develop your content.

Based on your understanding of your target market, develop content that speaks to their needs and preferences. This could include blog posts, thought leadership reports, social media updates, emails, and more.

Step 5: Track your results and optimise your approach.

Make sure you have systems in place to track your progress and measure your results. This will allow you to optimise your efforts and make data-driven decisions about your digital marketing strategy.

What are the common pitfalls to avoid with digital marketing as a B2B company?

Digital marketing is a big area and often relies on a range of specialists. There are many pitfalls to watch out for but a few of the most common ones are:

1: Lack of focus.

It's important to stay focused on your goals and target market. Don't try to be everything to everyone - instead, focus on the tactics and channels that will resonate with your audience and deliver the results you need. Don’t spread yourself too thin.

2: Overreliance on automation.

Automation can be a great tool for streamlining your digital marketing efforts but don't forget the importance of the human touch. Personalisation and human connection can go a long way in building relationships with your customers.

3: Over or under tracking.

It's important to regularly review your analytics and adjust your strategy accordingly. Don't ignore the data - it can be a valuable tool in helping you optimise your efforts and drive results. Likewise, it is too easy to become obsessed with tracking- give your tactics a fair time in market before adjusting them.

4: Short-termism

The biggest risk of digital marketing is that because the short-term results (visits and clicks etc.) are the easiest to measure, there is a risk of pursuing them at the detriment of longer-term and more difficult-to-measure metrics such as brand. You need to balance the short and long.

Conclusion

Digital marketing is essential to every B2B company of every size. It allows for detailed performance measurement and some approaches to digital marketing can be executed with a very limited budget. However, it is important to remember the very over-used, but still relevant maxim for B2B – people buy from people. It is easy to digitize and automate the human out of your interactions. When used correctly it will enhance your person-to-person connection, not hinder it.

If you need support or advice on any of the areas mentioned in this primer, please feel free to reach out using the form below.