By Richard McCann Originally posted as an article on One Degree ( http://www.onedegree.ca ) and later posted on SlideShare as an experiment 10 BtoB Online Marketing Recommendations

Intro We have all experienced it. You visit a BtoB website hoping that they can solve your organization’s pain, but instead find a convoluted, outdated digital mess. To ensure your site is not guilty of this offence, here are 10 recommendations to consider.

We have all experienced it. You visit a BtoB website hoping that they can solve your organization’s pain, but instead find a convoluted, outdated digital mess. To ensure your site is not guilty of this offence, here are 10 recommendations to consider.

10 Recommendations Assume Nothing Aim for the Pain Try the Kirk/Spock Model Educate Them Create the Checklist Personalize Continue the Conversation Offer Sound Bytes Visuals, Visuals, Visuals Pull the Email Links

Assume Nothing

Aim for the Pain

Try the Kirk/Spock Model

Educate Them

Create the Checklist

Personalize

Continue the Conversation

Offer Sound Bytes

Visuals, Visuals, Visuals

Pull the Email Links

Assume nothing Call me crazy, but lets just assume the person visiting your site has no idea what a”SEO-PPC Optimizer” does. Presume your audience is starting at square one, and knows nothing.

Call me crazy, but lets just assume the person visiting your site has no idea what a”SEO-PPC Optimizer” does.

Presume your audience is starting at square one, and knows nothing.

Aim for the Pain: Stop shoving your new ‘X4001’ model in their face. Change your messaging to first focus on their pain. There is a reason people are coming to your site; they are looking for a solution to overcome a challenge they are facing. Start there. Define what pain your organization is trying to alieve (Drive Sales Results?)

Stop shoving your new ‘X4001’ model in their face.

Change your messaging to first focus on their pain. There is a reason people are coming to your site; they are looking for a solution to overcome a challenge they are facing. Start there.

Define what pain your organization is trying to alieve (Drive Sales Results?)

Kirk/Spock Model: BtoB Solutions are typically purchased and considered by more than one individual. Ensure your marketing works for different personalities. For the emotional (Kirk) side, pitch how your solution will revolutionize their business, for the intellectual folks (Spock) show off your facts and ROI calculations.

BtoB Solutions are typically purchased and considered by more than one individual.

Ensure your marketing works for different personalities.

For the emotional (Kirk) side, pitch how your solution will revolutionize their business, for the intellectual folks (Spock) show off your facts and ROI calculations.

Educate them: You have defined their pain, and grabbed their attention, so now explain how your solution solves that pain. Keep the message simple, with links to more indepth info. Show them that you are the industry expert. Use blogs, webinars, white papers to build this respect and your lead generation. Never assume they understand your industry or tools.

You have defined their pain, and grabbed their attention, so now explain how your solution solves that pain.

Keep the message simple, with links to more indepth info. Show them that you are the industry expert.

Use blogs, webinars, white papers to build this respect and your lead generation.

Never assume they understand your industry or tools.

Create the checklist: If the site is designed correctly, you should have an interested and newly educated person browsing your site. Now, you need to focus that energy and convince them that your solution is the best. Create a checklist on what features are needed in the ideal solution. Match your product features with your education. For example – “poor channel education can be improved by personalized messaging which is delivered by our X4000”.

If the site is designed correctly, you should have an interested and newly educated person browsing your site. Now, you need to focus that energy and convince them that your solution is the best.

Create a checklist on what features are needed in the ideal solution.

Match your product features with your education. For example – “poor channel education can be improved by personalized messaging which is delivered by our X4000”.

Personalize Have the user’s online actions such as white paper downloads, or webinar enrollment, personalize the site for them in real-time. Have the site promote items (events, documents) that the client appears to be leaning towards.

Have the user’s online actions such as white paper downloads, or webinar enrollment, personalize the site for them in real-time.

Have the site promote items (events, documents) that the client appears to be leaning towards.

Continue the conversation Take the time to develop a strategy on how you want to build your relationship. Where do you want to ask for key contact information? When in the lead cycle do you want to the person to be contacted by your sales team? How do you want to handle this conversion? Many sites lose leads, as they are never followed up on, or they fail to ask the right questions at the right time.

Take the time to develop a strategy on how you want to build your relationship.

Where do you want to ask for key contact information?

When in the lead cycle do you want to the person to be contacted by your sales team?

How do you want to handle this conversion?

Many sites lose leads, as they are never followed up on, or they fail to ask the right questions at the right time.

Sound Bytes Show customer testimonials and reduce the number of case studies. Case studies are typically so whitewashed that they have lost all value. Short blurbs from clients can be extremely valuable in helping build trust.

Show customer testimonials and reduce the number of case studies.

Case studies are typically so whitewashed that they have lost all value.

Short blurbs from clients can be extremely valuable in helping build trust.

Visuals Show them exactly what it is you are selling. Don’t make them book a demo just to see a couple of screenshots. Offer visuals to help vet out your solution from the 500 other sites that came back when they googled “CRM”. Think of them as teasers; just make sure its dead simple to get to them

Show them exactly what it is you are selling. Don’t make them book a demo just to see a couple of screenshots.

Offer visuals to help vet out your solution from the 500 other sites that came back when they googled “CRM”.

Think of them as teasers; just make sure its dead simple to get to them

Pull the Email links. Pull every single Mailto link off your site and replace them with online forms. Ensure the information posted by a client is A) sent to a distribution list and B) stored in an accessible database. Build an admin tool to view the postings or export it into your CRM, but absolutely do not rely on email to manage these leads. Check the postings frequently.

Pull every single Mailto link off your site and replace them with online forms.

Ensure the information posted by a client is A) sent to a distribution list and B) stored in an accessible database.

Build an admin tool to view the postings or export it into your CRM, but absolutely do not rely on email to manage these leads.

Check the postings frequently.