B2B sales channels: what they are and how to choose
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According to our recent survey, B2B marketers are planning significant investments across social media advertising (60%), Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools (60%), video content (53%), and podcast advertising (50%). This focus on data-driven improvement makes CRO a valuable tool in the toolbox of any agile marketing expert. “Community building involves investing in the connections among your customers, fostering those relationships and helping them bring more people together.
If the team is hesitant about a platform because it feels “too consumer-focused,” ask if the target buyers are using the platform. When prospects see actual results from real people, the value proposition becomes obvious without feeling like a sales pitch. Both consumers and businesses can see a clear connection between using Adobe’s products and success on TikTok, making this a great example of B2B marketing. Take the following example, which has over 370K views and highlights how user @emilesam used Adobe After Effects to create a fight sequence against himself.
AI-native PLG companies show particularly strong performance, with conversion rates of 56% from trial to paid among $100M+ ARR companies, compared to just 32% for others—a 1.75x advantage. Top-performing PLG companies now achieve activation rates of 65% or higher (top 10%), compared to the 33% average, representing a massive 32-percentage-point improvement opportunity. The data reveals that 36% of GTM leaders cite “scaling GTM motions and pipeline” as their top challenge, followed by increasing conversions (19%) and GTM efficiency (11%).
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Step 1: Capture attention
In comparison, B2B marketing has been more transactional than empathetic, but B2B businesses are working to catch up. By tailoring content to popular search terms, a business’ web pages can rank higher on search engines, which helps them get found more easily by the audiences who would most benefit from that content. By building up the business’ reputation and expertise and showcasing its products and services through how-to content, customer case studies, and more, content marketing can increase buyer demand and generate new leads. The value of content marketing lies in demand generation and lead generation. A great way to start is for marketing and sales to align and collaborate on the account selection process.
- Activating them as brand advocates extends brand reach without increasing ad spend.
- This channel suits businesses targeting specific geographic markets or demographics consuming traditional media.
- These tools allow you to set up automated email sequences, segment your audience, and track the performance of your campaigns.
- But this doesn’t mean that you should leave out long-form videos entirely!
- This tool evolution points to the rise of the technical GTM hire—marketers and sales professionals who combine traditional GTM expertise with technical skills to build custom data workflows, automate manual processes, and create AI-powered lead scoring and routing.
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One formula provided by webinar platform Contrast is (Value Gained – Cost) / Cost x 100%. Webinars offer an interactive platform to engage potential clients and showcase your expertise. Email marketing remains one of the most direct and cost-effective channels for B2B businesses. Maintaining an active presence also requires consistent content creation and engagement. It’s particularly effective for B2B businesses, as buyers often seek in-depth information to inform their purchasing decisions. SEO generates an average ROI of 200% – 275% for ecommerce businesses.
B2B marketers focus significantly on these channel types since most customers often rely on websites before making purchasing decisions and you’ll need to make sure your website is optimized for this. So if you’re marketing to other businesses, you definitely want to put LinkedIn at the top of your marketing channels list. While social media isn’t traditionally considered great for B2B, LinkedIn has emerged as one of the most effective channels for such businesses, as most business leaders are very active here. As soon as you try hard sells, people will understand this as a marketing channel and treat it accordingly. Your focus needs to be on building connections – not selling your products. They’ve managed to foster this culture really well by organizing rides and groups of people to take their Harleys out together.
A successful SEM strategy hinges on precise targeting and continuous optimization. A successful webinar strategy goes beyond just the live presentation; it involves strategic promotion, engagement, and follow-up. Unlike static content, the live, interactive nature of a webinar creates a sense of urgency and community.
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PR works best as consistent long-term investment rather than campaign-based tactics expecting guaranteed short-term results. Securing coverage requires relationships, newsworthy stories, and timing luck. Prospects who encounter your company through respected media coverage enter sales conversations with elevated trust compared to ad-driven discovery. CUFinder’s Company Revenue Finder API provides firmographic data enriching market research and surveys. Industry benchmark reports, survey findings, or trend analyses provide journalists with valuable content for their audiences.
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One of the benefits of podcasting is that it allows your company to become the subject matter expert to an entirely new audience. One of the first things you need to do to start a webinar marketing campaign is come up with a suitable topic. As a live visual medium, you enjoy your audience’s undivided attention and are able to better connect with them and directly address their needs.
These tools allow you to set up automated email sequences, segment your audience, and track the performance of your campaigns. To maximize the effectiveness of your email campaigns, use marketing automation tools to streamline the process. The key to successful email marketing is to segment your audience based on relevant criteria, such as industry, job title, or previous interactions with your brand. Define your goals for the event, identify the most relevant conferences or trade shows for your industry, and create engaging materials such as brochures, business cards, and branded merchandise. By setting up a booth or participating in speaking engagements, you can showcase your products, demonstrate your expertise, and generate leads.
Virtual and augmented reality are starting to become valuable tools for B2B marketing, especially for product demonstrations. As far as I can tell, it is arguably the oldest form of lead generation, especially for qualified leads, and while it’s not specifically digital, it can be targeted through marketing channels in b2b digital efforts. Historically, search engines have provided the dominant form of online traffic through organic search results. Omni-channel marketing provides lead generation, traffic, and conversion metrics at every level of the sales funnel.
The audience for B2C marketing is people who are buying products or services for themselves, their friends, and their families directly from a company. B2B marketing is the way businesses generate demand from other businesses for their products and services. And if the team needs a structured starting point, grab HubSpot’s free Social Media Strategy Template. By putting customers at the center of content creation, every purchase creates a potential new piece of marketing content. The strategy succeeds because it genuinely helps people — every post teaches something, solves a problem, or offers a tool. HubSpot’s social media strategy focuses on distributing educational marketing content across LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.