Derek Mehraban is a marketing influencer. He leads a highly popular MSU class on digital marketing, is one of the organizers ofTEDx Detroit and is the CEO of Ingenex Digital Marketing. Many of his key clients are mid-level corporations who focus heavily on B2B commerce.
“B2B marketing is the act of one business interacting with another business. It’s the people on the other end who will make the decision. They want you to solve their problem. Your number one product is the ability to do their jobs better,” delineated Mehraban at LA2M on February 19, 2014.
When considering business cultivation, Mehraban recommends focusing on individuals within an industry and discipline. “An individual could stay loyal to your product throughout their career. B2B influencers are influential within their industry. Through Brand Watch and Linkedin we can discover influencers,” he explained. Proactively seeking valuable contacts is part of the early business development process.
Through his research Mehraban discovered some valuable data. “Ninety percent of business buyers say that when they’re ready to buy, they’ll find you. You need to be found, have a compelling story and a great offer,” emphasized Mehraban. “Inbound marketing draws people in with great relevant content, lead nurturing and tracking,” he explained.
Product and prospect segmentation is a successful inbound strategy. Mehraban recommended using 4 or more channels for greater impact and better success.
Potential clients are attracted with keywords, relevant blog content and social media. Conversion occurs through using landing pages, call to action on selected platforms and customer forms. Conversion leads to response, buying signals and track-able progress. Inbound success can be measured through traffic, views and sales opportunities.
Consumers trust friends on social media more than ads. There is a very high close rate from social media recommendations, Mehraban noted. Overall, there is a very specific buying process that consumers and B2B customers following before making a purchase.
Buying Stages
-Problem awareness
-Need recognition
-Purchase decision
-Vender consideration
-Vendor evaluation
-Vendor and solution discovery
-Vendor selection
-Requirement definition
Mehraban emphasized that having relevant, quality content isn’t enough. Having a strategy that segments potential customers and a backend system to nurture and track leads is essential. One segmenting tool is multiple landing pages. A specific landing page has one purpose, one message based on identifiable problems or information interests. Inbound can be segmented by vertical, buyer persona or pain point. Segmenting can also occur through content seeding in relevant communities.
Mehraban spelled out the many moving parts of B2B marketing. Proactively seeking influencers begins with research and is sustained through cultivation. Relevant content is based on solving problems that will help potential clients do their jobs better. Connections and content are only part of the picture. Blogs, social media and landing pages must be searchable, on the right platforms and compelling. Inbound attracts traffic, views and conversions. Having a great back end system offers tracking, nurturing, lead development and customers.
To view the entire presentation, visit the LA2M event archive. You can follow Derek Mehraban on Twitter at @mehraban.