By Sweta Patel

Marketing ideas are endless and with new tools and technology it feels like deciding which toothpaste to buy at the supermarket. Doesn’t it? Most business owners and CEOs don’t have the slightest clue as to how they can receive the biggest bang for their buck when it comes to marketing dollars. I decided to put this list together so they can decide which tactics they want to use for the most successful business-to-business, or B2B, marketing campaign. The goal here is to increase the ROI by 100%!

This approach is the alternative for the business owner who isn’t buying thousands of dollars worth of traffic or isn’t receiving much traffic to their website.

San Diego-based marketing entrepreneur Sweta Patel.
San Diego-based marketing entrepreneur Sweta Patel.

The Twist On Technology

This tactic worked wonders for a business law office client. Start off by creating a list of the top 100 small business owners  you want to approach. Include contact information for two high-influence people working with each small business. These two people were usually the decision makers at that company. Next to their information write what VALUE you can deliver to them and WHY they would want to use your service.

The next item on the to-do list is to write them a short letter and include a $5 gift card to Starbucks. This should be a personal letter and you don’t need to include your business’ contact information.

Then, after a week, write them a follow-up letter. Don’t say who you are or what you do, but explain the value you could deliver to them. For example: “Wouldn’t life be better as a small business owner if you could be generating 10x more money than you are right now? Let’s schedule a time to talk. What time works best for you? Circle below.”

Finally, send one more letter that includes your business information. Let the business owner know how you will help them and what you can do, then invite them for coffee. This is the key to get in the door with every one of your top leads. Do not forget to include a call-to-action on the back of the card as well as the business card of who they need to contact.

Best Practice: Handwrite these letters to make them more personable. Make sure it looks like a greeting card or a gift; otherwise, it will go to the bottom of their stack of things to open.

The Power Of The Opt-In

The opt-in approach can work for any business. This tactic calls for business owners to create a landing page for lead capture using Unbounce or a similar service. Since we are talking about the B2B market, we can drive traffic to a landing page using LinkedIn ads.

The more targeted these ads are the more successful the campaign will be. I’ve had some terrible experiences with LinkedIn ads because my audience was not hyper-targeted. Here is what you need to keep in mind:

  • Advertise to businesses in a specific geographic area or region
  • Advertise to a certain C-level executive or high-influence person (i.e. CEO, CMO)
  • Advertise to a specific industry

The idea is to capture contact information and follow-up with more content. Soon enough your best bet is to gain a meeting with the executive.

Best Practice: Make sure the landing page is time sensitive so you can create urgency to read your “how-to guide” or “tricks to generate more money report.”

Videos Work For B2B Sales

I’ve had many business owners come up to me and say videos just don’t work. The problem was that they only tried video marketing once. Earth to business owners! Video marketing is not a fad diet; you can’t just use it once and hope the video will go “viral.” There needs to be a 12-month program in place along with milestones and initiatives for each month.

There should be a plan that sets forth the time, money and content required. The content is especially important. Ask what the business is fundamentally using these videos for.

  • Are they for a potential customer or lead?
  • Are they for someone who has never heard about your business?
  • Is it for someone who is in the “deciding” phase of buying your product or service?
  • Are they already your customer and you need to up-sell them?

This requires clear thinking about the target audience.

Best Practice: Make sure there is a clear message, call-to-action, and core story in every video. The video should reflect the brand and what your business stands for. Other perks to add to video include: data references (pain-causing facts and stats), benefits, and value to your specific target audience.

Social Selling: Does It Really Work?

When you know the target audience for your business then it is feasible to identify and monitor social media platforms that are relative to those topics and conversations.

Best Practice: Hire interns to nurture the online relationships and drive prospects to your website. They can start out with a simple chat message on any social media platform.

What method are you currently using for B2B sales? Please comment below!

Sweta Patel is a San Diego-based marketing entrepreneur whose company is Global Marketing Tactics.