Digital Marketing and inbound sales tactics are making it possible for startups to reach small business and beyond – should that be the primary marketing strategy?

 

 

 

Social networking site use by age group, over time

Based on the needs of the demographic change and how technology was evolving everything - we at MarkiTech, knew that  digital marketing and social media was the vedge to open doors with new B2C customers – I always get challenged whether digital marketing and social media would have the same impact on the B2B or SMB segment. Then I came across this from Dan Levy, Director of small business, Facebook “If you have a mobile phone and you have a Facebook Page, you have a mobile marketing strategy.” I thought to myself – the market is changing rapidly and for sure digital marketing and social media will be a huge differentiator in the B2B / SMB segment.

 

According to Dan Levy, Facebook’s director of small business, Facebook has 30 million small businesses with active Pages on the social network. As compared to last Novembers’ 25 million, this is a major jump and demonstrates the success which Small business are experiencing with social media and digital marketing coupled with inbound sales and marketing tactics.

*Note that in November Facebook first started using its current definition to counting SMBs using its current definition (previously, it didn’t count e-commerce businesses that don’t have a brick-and-mortar store, so we can’t make an apples-to-apples comparison).

 

Why attract B2B customers via Social Media and using Digital Marketing strategies

 

• REACH - According to a research conducted by LinkedIn, 94 per cent of small businesses who use social media or digital marketing use it for marketing, and three out of five small- to medium-sized businesses say they’ve gained new customers by using social media.

 

• ACTIVE B2B CLIENTS - With over 1.39-billion active users on Facebook alone, your SMB or B2B segment is bound to have prospective customers on one of the many social spaces.

 

• TIME SPEND - An average American spends about 37 minutes on social media that makes reaching out to these people very easy.

 

A example in mind is Morgan Miller Plumbing, a small business that has flourished through facebook. Pluming might appear like a business less likely to get attention on social media. However, the business was able to get attention and get new clients by sharing pictures and info about its employees -- the very plumbers that customers are typically reticent to invite into their homes, according to Levy said.

 

• SHOPPING BEHAVIOR - In 2014, consumer shopping behavior evolved rapidly. Shopping online and through mobile devices is the new norm, and the experience has become increasingly more social with platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. These platforms, in turn, have launched new commerce capabilities like the “buy” button.

 

• REVENUE GROWTH - According to Invesp, social commerce is expected to grow and will represent 5 percent of online retail revenue this year, resulting in an estimated $14 billion in sales by the end of 2015. Given those numbers, it’s no surprise that many large retailers are making significant investments in social media marketing, to offer millions of potential customers a seamless, flexible and more personalized shopping experience.

 

• ANALYTICS (WHAT GETS MEASURED GETS TRACKED) - By using Social media analytic tools can be useful in two ways: you identify more target customers by showing you who is posting content or hashtags that are relevant to your business. Secondly, good analytics are key in providing feedback about what content audiences respond well to, allowing you to refine your strategy to maximize your impact.

 

CONCLUSION - While using social media and digital marketing increases and improves the reach of businesses, it also gives customers an access to the open market. Customers find it easy to compare businesses and more importantly, to spread the word. Many businesses may sometimes be surprised by unpleasant reviews by angry customers.

 

We at MarkiTech are on the leading edge and passionate about using Digital Marketing and Social Media to generate leads and convert them into business sales and opportunities. If you find that there is interest we offer free initial consulting with no obligation to understand your goals, plans, challenges and timelines and offer various marketing strategies including digital marketing. Please connect with us at [email protected] or reach me (Anum Dhalwani - Research Analyst, MarkiTech) on how we can help your business grow by maximizing the ROI.

Anum Dhalwani, Research Analyst, MarkiTech

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