What a year it’s been. The COVID-19 pandemic changed so many things in the last year, one of them being that it fast-tracked a world that was slowly becoming more digital, flexible, and simple into digital transformation mode in a matter of weeks.
For CMOs of enterprise companies, digital transformation continues to represent an enormous opportunity -- to move away from the inefficient, highly centralized, largely ineffective big funnel marketing strategies to a more sophisticated, personalized, B2C-inspired model. The reality is, B2B marketers can no longer rely on generic drip emails and marketing automation, hoping a corporate website that functions as the primary digital experience hub will suffice. Nor can they rely on in-person events and face-to-face sales meetings in a digital-first marketplace.
Today’s savvy B2B buyers are in control and very comfortable guiding their own discovery and self-guided journeys. In fact, most B2B decision makers are open to making new, fully self-serve or remote purchases. In this new world, it’s time for enterprise marketers to take a page from the book of their B2C counterparts: democratize, empower, micro-segment, and personalize marketing efforts so they resonate with these modern enterprise buyers.
So how do you change the game from using traditional B2B marketing tactics to chasing customers to harnessing the power of digital transformation?
Cultivate better buyer relationships
The pandemic put a mirror in front of us, and the message was clear: change or vanish. Now more than ever, a strictly transactional approach to interacting with buyers isn’t going to cut it. They want to feel supported and nurtured as part of an ongoing relationship. Customized digital marketing efforts are critical because they can provide you with the data needed to understand your customers. As a result, even traditional industries like medical devices, logistics, and manufacturing are embracing digital marketing. Without it, you can’t split customers into smaller and smaller cohorts and build that close relationship.