Recently updated on June 28th, 2023 at 09:17 am
In the traditional sales funnel the marketing team qualifies leads which are then handed over to the sales team to further nurture the leads toward conversion. However, as the technological environment evolves through the Fourth Industrial Revolution, so does the way in which buyers engage brands. The traditional sales mentality views this approach as primarily applicable to B2C markets, but it includes buyers of products and services in business-to-business transactions as well. B2B clients are humans too and all of us are changing the way we engage with media and messages, whether they are for personal consumption or business interests.
Research undertaken by Google shows that B2C and B2B customers exhibit similar buying preferences. This may seem counterintuitive because these buyers typically operate in very different markets, motivated by different incentives. Nevertheless, human preferences during the buying process have evolved. For B2B brands to meet the expectations of buyers in the 21st century a few challenges will need to be addressed.
Redefine buyers
Firstly, it’s time to redefine buyers as purchase ready rather than sales ready. Google’s research showed that most buyers are informed about the product or services they wish to purchase before they reach out to sales representatives, this is referred to as a zero moment of truth. A Zero Moment of Truth (ZMOT) refers to the online research and decision-making phase that occurs before a customer makes a purchase, highlighting the crucial role of the digital marketing ecosystem in shaping buying behaviour. Furthermore, the majority of buyers prefer to begin the conversation with sales rather than the other way around. This is particularly true during the awareness and consideration stages of the customer journey. Buyers in today’s world prefer to initiate contact with the sales team rather than having sales reps reach out to them.
Communication channels
A key facet of being able to inform your buyer without contacting them is to make use of a variety of communication channels. A website and social media pages are the basis of digital marketing. Each touchpoint for the brand represents an opportunity to engage your audience. However, these channels can often support two-way communication. By using a web chat feature and the instant messaging capabilities of social media platforms, businesses can make it seamless and easy for buyers to get in touch when they’re ready.
Marketing and sales phases
What Google found is that marketing efforts are best focused on influencing purchasing decisions, while sales efforts are most effective when they are targeted toward retention and upselling. A variety of different content, videos, articles and infographics provides a dynamic learning experience for buyers. Understanding how to design content for social media can be a great help to effectively engage your audience. Video is undoubtedly the best performing content type to date but production management can be costly. Regardless of the media mix your brand uses, the objective is to create content that is authentic, credible, relevant, accessible and easily consumable.
Non-linear customer journey
Not every customer will have the same journey. Having multiple touch points for your brand is important due to that very fact. There are multiple routes for buyers to take from becoming aware of your brand to learning more and finally converting. The value of marketing and sales teams are best utilised at different phases of the customer journey. Communication between the departments is vital to achieve this kind of cross-functional collaboration.
Breaking down communication silos, making your budgets more adaptable and applying an agile marketing method can be very effective in organising marketing and sales teams in the 21st century. It’s not always so simple to implement though. Having the guidance of an expert marketing consulting team can make a massive difference. At Digital Doorway we offer outsourced marketing requirements to suit your organisational needs. A bespoke team of experts can be assembled to address the specific marketing needs of your organisation. All you need to do is get in touch.
