How to Promote Your B2B Business Online

Online promotion is consistently becoming more important for all types of businesses. From Facebook ads to search engines to YouTube videos, there are all sorts of channels that can effectively be used to promote a business or product.

Online promotion isn’t just for B2C businesses, though. It’s also highly beneficial and highly possible for B2B companies to get in on the action, too.

Here are seven powerful ways to use the Internet to promote your B2B business:
 

1. Website

A high-quality website is a must for any business in today’s world. If you have to follow just one tip in this post, pick this one. Your business needs a home on the Internet that customers can come to and learn about what you do. Oftentimes, if a potential customer can’t find a website for a business, they’ll just move on to a competitor.

Your website should grab visitors’ attention, make it easy to find information and look appealing. Lately, minimalist design has become popular because it helps a website avoid looking cluttered.

FDM4, a software solutions company, says:

Keep your website up to date with stock and/or pricing information. It should all be tied into an ERP system feeding to your site to enhance optimal service for both your business and the user.

Images can also improve the looks and organization of your site. Videos can accomplish those goals, too, as well as provide a compact way of explaining what your company does.

Menus that use icons and are easy to navigate will help site visitors get to where they want to go within your website — and of course, having quality content is essential.

Customer relationship software company, Zendesk, does a great job of utilizing video to explain their business on their website. They also make use of a beautiful minimalist design, helpful icons and well-organized menus.
 

2. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

The first place many people visit when they open their web browser is a search engine, and 75 percent of users don’t look past the first page of their results. Considering that, it’s easy to see how important your search engine rankings can be for your business.

Research what keywords people might search that are related to your business by talking to your customers and evaluating your competitors’ search engine rankings. Then, take care to integrate those keyword phrases into your content, as well as create page titles and meta tags. Also, develop sitemaps that make it easier for search engines to index your website.

It’s also important to optimize for mobile search, as B2B company Evernote has done so well. Evernote uses responsive web design, incorporates meta tags and integrates social media. The file sizes of their webpages are also small, which helps them to load faster on mobile devices.
 

3. Social Media

B2C companies use social media very effectively, but a lot of B2B businesses make the mistake of thinking it can’t work for them. Not using social media, however, means missing out on a potential goldmine.

In terms of the numbers, 63 percent of marketers ranked LinkedIn as the best social platform for B2Bs, but it’s important to use others, like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, too.

A lot of the same strategies apply to B2B social media as to B2C. Developing a voice, engaging with followers and using images to grab attention will all help you build a community around your brand.

B2B sales often occur because of recommendations. Social media can help promote positive reviews of your services, case studies about your work and connect people who love your company with potential customers.

Check out IBM on Twitter for an example of eye-catching content and a well-developed voice.
 

4. Paid Online Advertising

Paid online advertising allows you to target precisely the right people at the right times. If your B2B operates in a niche space, as many do, that could be especially useful.

Although online paid ads have been shown to be successful for B2Bs, they often use them less than B2C businesses do. Online banner ads are some of the most common ads used by B2B companies, but while they have their place, they’re not usually as useful as paid social media ads and promoted posts.

Inbound marketing company, Hubspot, used promoted tweets to increase their sales through Twitter by 150 percent and saw a reduction in cost per lead of 46 percent. If Hubspot uses it, it’s got to be good — and the results show that it really can be quite useful.
 

5. Blogging

Blogging is a fantastic way to promote your B2B business for a number of reasons. Blogging gives you a place to further develop your voice. People will visit your blog if you provide great content. You can promote your blog posts on social media. Blogging will improve your search engine ranking. It may also lead people to your website.

Intel runs a blog about technology that provides readers with interesting information that will make them want to revisit later to read more. This helps Intel to build a relationship with users and improves their reputation. Your company could even run multiple blogs to cater to difference audience’s interests.

A blog also provides the opportunity to offer different types of content, like e-books, which can further interest potential customers in your products and provide them with more detailed information.
 

6. Email Marketing

B2B businesses often have long buying cycles, so it’s important for them to take time to build strong relationships with potential customers.

Email is a direct and more personal way to do that online. Email marketing gives you the ability to give customers more information about your product, update them about your company or just communicate generally with them. It also helps customers engage with your brand because they sign up for the list and receive consistent communication.

Some marketers make the mistake of targeting emails only to the final decision maker, the CEO or other top business leader. However, there’s most often a team of people making a decision, so it’s important to target them as well.

Buzzfeed makes good use of email marketing by crafting emails that are short. They also grab your attention and use images.
 

7. Videos

Have you ever considered using video to promote your B2B business online? It might be time to give it a shot.

Videos are easily shareable on social media and look great on a website. The use of audio and imagery also lets you say a lot in a little bit of time and without taking up too much space.

Video can be used to explain your services or products, to give how-to information or to entertain potential customers.

You can also hold webinars and stream events live on social media, which provides an opportunity for users to engage with you and your brand.
 

More Useful Tools

Once you’ve started using all of these online promotion channels, don’t forget to track your progress using analytics. Then, adjust your goals according to what you find out. You might also consider using customer relationship management (CRM) software to organize all of your customer information.
 
There’s a ton of potential in online promotion for B2B companies. Don’t miss out on those opportunities — because your competitors probably won’t.
uns