Do you know how to improve your presence in the online channel and some of the B2B Marketing tips that will enhance the distribution of your products? In this article, you will learn 10 tips to improve your B2B digital marketing strategy in footwear and fashion. Marketing serves much more than getting sales for the final consumer, it is a mistake to attribute it only to this type of sale.
In the footwear sector, companies whose purpose is to sell to B2B have many opportunities to improve their presence in the online channel. Follow these tips, be consistent and achieve better results:
1. Set S-M-A-R-T goals
What do we want to achieve? Where do we want to go? How many pairs do we want to sell? These are questions that we must ask ourselves and define before starting to take action. The objectives must answer what, how much and when. Once these questions are answered and the objectives are set, we must take into account that they comply with the SMART acronym, this means that they must be:
S · Specific. An objective has to be structured with a verb followed by its result and execution time. E.g. Increase the customer base from 150 to 200 in the next quarter. An objective in which results and time are not set is impossible to achieve.
M · Measurable. The objectives must be quantifiable, they must be assigned figures that allow their results and impact to be accurately measured once the execution has finished. Once we are carrying out the actions to meet the objectives, we must be able to follow their evolution and rectify if we are not reaching the proposed goals. Analyze possible factors that prevent its fulfillment, whether internal or external and redefine the objectives if necessary.
A · Achievable. It must be a goal that serves as a challenge and motivation for the company without causing it to become demotivated. If the objectives seem impossible, there are many who will give up fighting to achieve them while, if the opposite occurs, they will remain in the air because they are not presumptuous. We must find the balance that allows us to be ambitious without falling out of our possibilities.
R · Realistic. The objectives must be consistent with the resources of the company. Knowing the equipment and tools that I have is essential before setting the objectives and achieving them later.
T · Subject to Time. One of the most important and essential factors is to define the start and end date. In this way, we can prioritize and limit investment, resources and actions.
2. Define the strategy
It is important to work with a predefined strategy so as not to go blind. As happens when we talk about the B2C business model, if B2B marketing actions are started without being clear about when, why and how, the results will never be as expected.
Therefore, it is essential for any company to propose a marketing plan according to the specific needs of the B2B marketing you want to target.
When developing this strategic planning, it must be taken into account that the B2B market has a totally different target audience from B2C and much slower and more thoughtful decision cycles and processes.
In addition, you should always keep in mind that the strategy in the digital channel has to complement and help the commercial strategy and sales actions that you usually carry out in the offline channel.
3. Build trust
Transmitting trust to the customer is one of the most important factors when it comes to influencing the purchase decision in any sector. Well, if we talk about B2B, this factor is even more important if possible.
A B2B client has the need to know that he can trust the company to which he is going to place his order, be it for his experience in the sector, the production capacity, his seriousness when serving the orders, the quality of the product, etc. That is why it is very important to correctly communicate the values of the company, where responsibility and good work are reflected.
For this, it is advisable to make corporate videos showing the facilities, production or craft aspects of the footwear that are made, accredit this communication with opinions of current clients or work carried out and thus achieve that potential clients perceive that they are going to put themselves in good hands.
One of the biggest marketplaces out there is eWorldTrade. It helps businesses connect with each other and find quality supplies at affordable prices.
4. Work the database
One of the most valuable assets of a company is having a good database. For this to be possible, the data and information that we have must be reliable, of quality and correct.
Although it seems complicated, you have to review all the customer contacts you have to date, check that the information is updated and correct, avoid duplication and establish filters that help to segment, either by regions or areas of distribution, type of trade, etc.
Knowing our customer contacts in depth will allow us to segment communication in a more agile way depending on who we want to communicate according to what things, to find out in-depth our buyer profile and it will make it easier for us to identify potential customers.
5. Email Marketing
Once we have the databases segmented and ordered, we can start with sending emails, a practice associated with the B2C channel for sending newsletters or newsletters and there are even those who think that it is a very saturated channel.
However, many are unaware that email marketing is considered one of the most effective channels within all possible customer attraction and loyalty actions., also in the B2B marketing environment.
Sending emails can be used to publicize the launch of the new season, new products, presence at fairs, offers or promotions to reduce stock, exclusive discounts for customers who buy through b2b, and information related to the organization or to the sector among others.
Its use will help us to strengthen the brand image, the positioning in the mind of the consumer, know the content that most interest the recipients and increase the traffic wherever we want to redirect it.
6. B2B Marketing Platforms
Make the purchase easier for your distributors, clients, representatives and collaborators with their own b2b electronic commerce platform in which they have all the information related to catalogues, rates, placing and monitoring of orders, invoices, payments, etc. The advantages that a B2B marketing platform offers footwear companies are multiple:
Product catalogue: Design an online catalogue with all the product sheets, photos, availability, prices, colours, sizes, sizes, etc.
Orders: This allows you to check the order history, online and offline.
Sales statistics: Consult statistics based on order and invoice data, with graphs that allow easy reading. Know the evolutions of sales, ranking of customers and articles.
7. Marketplaces
The presence in footwear platforms that help us to market the product and contact potential customers is a means that provides visibility to the company and the option of creating contacts for future commercial agreements.
There are several marketplaces that exist in the digital environment, among them, Shoes from Spain B2B e-commerce that serves as an online meeting point between Spanish footwear brands and stores from around the world.
8. Work your presence on LinkedIn
LinkedIn is the social network par excellence for companies. Commercial and CEOs are present and active in it. If they want them to know your company, LinkedIn is the new business card. Keep a profile updated and with relevant content.
Communicate who you are, what jobs you do and share interesting content for your audiences, share product photos and the information that makes you unique. Why is your footwear better than others? What materials do you use? Etc.
9. Automation
Automation serves to save time and effort and thus increase performance and productivity. What processes can we automate in the distribution channel?
Knowing the life cycle of customers brings us closer to automating possible sales campaigns, that is, if a customer bought a number of products 4 months ago and the data tells us that by next month this replacement will be exhausted.
It can automate sending newsletters informing you of offers with that product or benefits for your future purchase in order to achieve a new sale.
10. Use metrics
There is a phrase from an economic newspaper that summarizes very well the phenomenon of Big Data and the current context in which we move: “Data, the oil of the 21st century.”
The data are the way to grow our business. In the online world, we have information that we can collect and use in a way that adds value to us in each of the channels.
Who visits your website? Which category has the most views? What is the most purchased product? It is basic information, which you can extra from both a B2C website and a B2B website and which we can access for free through Google Analytics.
But there are many companies that are unaware of these functions and that navigate blindly in the digital environment. Knowing these would help them to get to know their customers, to improve aspects of their website and to make more focused advertising campaigns. In B2B we are faced with the same dilemma.
Collecting data and statistics can help us better understand our customers. At what times do you visit our products? How often? Is there a relationship between the purchase of a specific shoe and a type of insole?
Gathering all the relevant information about our business will help us to know the profitability of our products, optimize distribution channels, segment our market, analyze customer opinions, etc.
In short, some of these points can be considered already known by companies, but it is necessary to consider which ones they are implementing and if it is being done in the appropriate way. The theory is not the same as practice.
Content marketing or even content marketing is a strategy to communicate your values, your skills and your story. For a B2B company, it is almost essential nowadays to have a blog in which you have to publish informative or entertaining content. To make your B2B content marketing strategies successful, we’ve prepared these four tips for you.
- Define a specific objective
Any B2B content marketing strategy is a marketing campaign. Therefore, it is necessary to clearly define a precise objective to be achieved during or at the end of the campaign.
Since the strategy depends on the target, you must necessarily collect as much information as possible and this legally on the latter. Whether it’s their tastes, language, needs, habits or any other information you can use, you must master them to create the right content for the target.
- Quality and consistency
As soon as you have your buyer personas, which means typical customers, it is important to regularly update them with quality content. However, do not go too fast either by scattering over all the available media.
Just remember the most important ones and focus on them to serve your customers and prospects with informative content that is the cream of the crop.
- Act for the long term
By having quality and regular content, your customers will always be waiting for your next content. You must therefore think about planning your publications in order to honour the implicit appointment that you have given to your customers. In the end, you will succeed in retaining your customers and some of your viewers unconsciously.
- Test and review
Before thinking about the outcome of the b2b marketing campaign, it is important to take into account the opinions of your personas. They are the ones who will make you a great company.
So, it is important to do tests in order to better understand their needs and to take into account their different points of view for probable improvements. Above all, don’t be afraid to present your ideas to them, it will be up to them to judge anyway!