The Digital Marketing Struggle for B2B Companies
Many B2B (business-to-business) companies and marketers still struggle with digital marketing and their online presence. With mobile marketing being the fastest growing medium over the last three years and already the online device of choice, now is the time to address the issue (if it hasn’t been covered already). Here are some interesting facts from a recent report by Accenture…
- Only half of B2B companies receive at least 35-50% of sales online.
- In-person sales representatives are still the most effective selling tools, with 90% of companies reporting that as the top method.
- Online sales through a website is the 2nd highest digital marketing tool with 86% of companies reporting it as the most effective, but only 58% of companies report receiving sales from a mobile device.
- The most effective marketing B2B e-commerce tool is email marketing at 92%, but consistently updated e-commerce websites are only utilized 66% of the time.
This leads us to the main report of why B2B companies still see barriers to online sales. The report shows that the top answer is that they feel long-term customers are resistant to change (64%), customers don’t consistently use online buying options (54%), and the sales department is unprepared or resistant to driving customers online (42%). It’s important to note these answers were based on company perceptions, not actual data. Which means they are false assumptions by companies that are either uneducated about digital marketing & sales methods or resisting change because they fear change.
As customers get younger and more technology savvy, B2B companies must adapt their internal sales structure and marketing strategy to be more mobile- and online-friendly. There will always be relationship building and in-person marketing, but digital marketing tools are going to continue to evolve and increase. B2B companies that refuse to implement new sales techniques will lose sales and market share to competitors that excel at it.
