B2B: The new normal is defined by your customers

The impact of the pandemic across categories is undeniable. It has changed the way we interact by turning in-person events into virtual experiences, such as the B2B Next 2020 event that took place in September. This year’s event was filled with questions and ideas from B2B marketing experts about how the industry will continue to evolve after such a transformative year.

The general consensus from global marketing leaders is that there is tremendous growth potential in B2B, the only limitations are the ones you set for yourself. Positioning your B2B brand to grow with the right audiences takes enormous attention to detail, a data-driven approach, and a commitment to solving your audience’s major pains with customized solutions and experiences.

Leveraging Relationships with a Conversion-Oriented Value Proposition

A good way to engage with your customers is by offering real value. Many brands’ competitive advantage is their product suite and sell it as such. But when the goal is to drive business growth, a human-first approach means engaging with your customers’ needs in mind and driving a solutions-based value proposition to the forefront. Pay attention to how you’re positioning yourself: you’re selling a solution, not just a product. This will also aid in the commoditization that many B2B brands are experiencing; you don’t need to lower prices to compete, you need to raise value.

Personalization and Data are Inextricably Linked

Having a clear understanding of what your users want and need is a vital piece of bridging customer experience (CX) with human experience (HX) , and further supports Rise’s approach to web development: data meets storytelling for a digital engagement that delivers greater insights into purchasing patterns, behaviors, interests, etc. Use your historic engagement data to find out where you’re making the most meaningful connections and lean into that (e.g. thought leadership content that drove particularly high traffic last quarter).

Here are some ways to balance business needs with a human experience approach in your new normal:

• Leverage data to continually understand what your audiences are doing online.
• Make sure your CRM data (essential relationship information) is integrated with your targeting and media in order to improve communication with your customers.
• Be mindful about the relevance of your campaigns through constant analysis of behavioral data.
• Make sure the CX/UX on your website are aligned to leverage the best human experience at every stage of the journey.
• Always have a means of engaging human to human.

As businesses move into a new normal, there is more interest in eCommerce platforms and their ability to coexist with the traditional customer path. The challenge is to find a balanced approach.

When talking about digital, one of the focal points has always been customer experience; however, it’s a new age of personalization, one-to-one journeys, and upselling. Enter: human experience (HX), the new wave of customer experience designed to anticipate user’s needs and leverage technology for building relationships. Your audience wants to feel understood in virtual environments. This means re-evaluating who that disruptive chat window is really serving, optimizing your site for the devices your audience primarily uses (hint: it’s probably mobile!), and developing new ways to engage with them as peers rather than prey.

As marketers keep facing change, Rise can help you identify innovative opportunities. Our B2B Digital Marketer's Checklist will lead you into building a new strategy for the times ahead. Reach out if you’d like to discover more tools like this.