We all know how important a solid marketing strategy is for B2B and B2C companies alike. However, only 45% of B2B companies have a formal marketing plan in place! Promoting your business and servicing your clientele doesn’t have to be daunting, and thanks to some quality tools, it can be made much simpler. By harnessing the power of helpful, B2B-minded software, you can improve conversions, increase sales, and grow your business into the empire it can be.
These ten tools have a particularly special place in our hearts.
1. HubSpot
Think of HubSpot as your one-stop shop for marketing automation. Marketing automation makes marketing your company easier and more efficient, and with Hubspot, you’ll have everything you need to, “organize, track, and nurture your leads and customers.” With more than 67% of marketing leaders using a marketing automation platform, and 80% of those marketers enjoying more leads because of it—it’s due time for you to take full advantage of the numerous benefits they offer. More specifically, HubSpot offers marketers total visibility of their pipeline, automatic activity logging, comprehensive contact records, real-time chat and notifications, targeted email campaigns, productivity assistance, and so much more.
2. BuzzSumo
BuzzSumo is a must-have for all B2B marketers that are serious about their content. And in today’s age— you can’t really afford not to be. In fact, content marketing captures three times as many leads as paid search advertising and boosts conversion rates that are six times higher than other methods.
Use BuzzSumo to help you generate the most relevant, compelling blog posts and find the best keywords for your audience. B2B companies that blog over 11 times/month gain around three times as many visitors than B2B companies posting only one blog/month. With BuzzSumo, you’ll get instant access to the hottest topics in your industry so that you can ensure you’re producing timely, buzz-worthy content for your clients. Remember that “B2B content has to be useful above all else. If the reader cannot apply the actionable elements of your content to their own work or business, it’s missed the mark.”
3. Design Wizard
Whether for digital, social, or print— the graphics for B2B businesses must be exceptionally professional, always. Low-quality graphics will reflect poorly on your business, especially when you’re dealing with other businesses that will be keenly aware of these things. Design Wizard has you covered by making it simple for you to make customized graphics for anything from your email campaigns and Facebook posts through your brochures and presentations. With features such as custom color palettes, an easy-to-use interface, and editor, and a large library of premium images and videos to choose from, Design Wizard will ensure your marketing collateral is always on point.
4. Ahrefs
Ahrefs is the ideal SEO tool for B2B, helping marketers grow their web traffic and outrank their competitors. According to the B2B Marketing organization, B2B SEO should accomplish two goals, “to drive organic traffic” and to “support other sales channels by incorporating meaningful content and thought the leadership that can be found in the prospect’s due diligence phase.” With helpful keyword suggestions, backlink checkers, in-depth competitor analysis, ranking reports, keyword alerts, and much more— Ahrefs is a must-have for those businesses that are serious about reaching the top of the SERPS.
5. MailChimp
Effective email campaigns should be paramount to every successful B2B marketer’s schedule, especially since email is 40 times more successful at obtaining new customers than both Facebook and Twitter. Regular emails will help keep your business front-of-mind in the minds of other businesses and lead to greater exposure and more sales. But in order for these campaigns to be successful, they must be executed strategically. With MailChimp, you can create professional and unique emails that will resonate with your target audience and help foster stronger relationships with the businesses you want to focus on.
6. Sprout Social
In today’s digitally-driven world, B2B companies shouldn’t underestimate the power of social media. As B2B marketing expert, Tom Pick writes, “Millennials and Gen Z-ers make up an increasing share of the professional workforce, and are hungry for education about products—but they have different preferences for how they consume content than Gen X or Boomer workers before them.” Enter social media.
From lead generation through after sales support, your social media channels offer direct access to those businesses that may be most in need of your products or services. Yet a recent report revealed that an alarming number of B2B marketers—58%–believe that their ability to measure their social media impact is between ‘average’ and ‘poor’. Luckily, Sprout Social offers marketers in-depth data on the performance of all their social media accounts (in addition to reports on the hottest content, hashtags, and influencer touch points) so that it’s easy to stay ahead in the game.
7. Sumo
Before you can send out your gorgeous email campaigns to your B2B customers, you need an email database. This is where Sumo comes in. Sumo helps grow your email list by capturing data from those that visit your website. Email remains one of the best ways to engage with B2B clients, so a healthy email database is essential. Sumo offers customizable pop-up windows for your website that ask visitors for their email and/or other vital information. Obtaining a direct line to your potential B2B clients will make it easier to turn those leads into tangible sales and expand your business.
8. Google Analytics
Google Analytics is an essential tool for any business with a web presence—B2B or otherwise. Analytics helps you to better understand your website’s visitors and their behavior so that you can always make the most informed decisions when it comes to your website content and design. With features such as content marketing reports, SEO reports, and buyer persona reports, you’ll gain actionable insights into your online presence that can prove invaluable as they work to make their websites as effective as they can be.
9. EverWebinar
Webinar marketing is an essential tool for B2B businesses because it allows you to connect with your audience on a more personal level, address audience concerns, discuss important topics in real-time, and help establish your business as a thought leader in the field. With EverWebinar, you can send webinar reminders to your email lists, host engaging webinars, automate your webinars so that they can be replayed throughout the day, and receive helpful analytics details about the performance of your webinars. If your B2B business isn’t taken full advantage of the opportunities webinars present— now is the time, and EverWebinar is a great place to start!
10. LivePerson
By 2020, it’s expected that B2B ecommerce sales will outgrow B2C ecommerce sales, meaning it’s essential for your company to equip itself with the right tools so that it can flourish during this exciting time. Live chat is frequently used by B2C companies to efficiently service clients, but it has recently increased in popularity with B2B businesses, as a means to do the same. Live chat is often more accessible for busy business people on-the-go and is a great way to interact with clientele and promote products and services in a timely fashion. If your B2B company wants to improve their service reputation and make it easier for clients to get in touch with any queries or concerns, LivePerson is a stellar platform to invest in. LivePerson gives power to the client so that they can choose the most convenient mode of contact, whether directly through your website or on WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, SMS, Apple Business Chat, Google RCS, or others.
Like all marketing, B2B marketing comes with its own difficulties. However, through the efficient use of the intelligent tools at your disposal, B2B businesses can excel. For more assistance with your digital marketing efforts, talk to one of the friendly professionals at 7Digits today!
