Small business marketing is ridiculously challenging.
For the big guys, Superbowl ads and bustling Twitter pages do the trick. But, for hardworking small business owners, it can be hard to find effective ways to advertise.
Especially if you’re trying to attract other businesses.
Marketing to customers is one thing, finding an “in” with a vendor or supplier is another.
Not only do you have to sell your product, you’ll need to establish why a partnership makes sense, how your business affects and complements another, and how you both will benefit from working together.
Lead generation is basically getting someone interested enough in your product or service to use it. Leads can be used in many ways, from direct sales to nurturing networking opportunities
Obviously, we can’t know the specifics of your supplier-relationship, so we’re not much help there. That stuff you’ll have to come up with on your own.
But, we can give you the tools and avenues to market your small business effectively, and therefore generate B2B leads.
Lead generation is basically getting someone interested enough in your product or service to use it. Leads can be used in many ways, from direct sales to nurturing networking opportunities.
Whatever way they’re used, leads are essential to small business success.
But, you need to get them first.
Here are four marketing tips to optimize B2B lead generation for your small business.
This probably sounds like a broken record by now, but social media is still a major marketing force for B2C and B2B businesses.
But, you need to know what to focus on.
There are a lot of social media sites out there and depending on how your business operates and what areas you work in, some will be more beneficial to you than others.
Some are obvious flops, while others are more subtle. Let’s be honest, you probably can’t sell supplies on Etsy. But, the value of social media sites can be deceiving.
Some small business leaders have reported low ROI (return on investment) for time spent creating and organizing Facebook and Twitter pages. But, if used properly, both can generate leads.
Especially for small businesses, the ease of interaction that comes with a Facebook or Twitter profile gives your social media interactions a personal touch that the big guys can’t offer.
If you’re looking to expand though, LinkedIn is much more effective. An active LinkedIn page allows small businesses to interact easily with other business leaders while creating a network of leads. One connection leads to another, and soon your inbox is full of potential partners.
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Arguably the biggest advantage small businesses have over large companies is the personal touch. Transparency, and the ability to connect with another person or business owner on a personal level can make all the difference in establishing a long-lasting relationship.
A great way to reproduce this effect without calling everyone individually is with emails.
No, email isn’t dead. In fact, it’s still one of the most popular B2B lead generation strategies for many businesses. It works because it makes customers and partners feel targeted and valued. Who doesn’t want to work with someone that knows their kids’ names? Or maybe that’s a bit creepy.
Anyway, a personalized message can often mean more than a good deal or great product.
There are a ton of programs and tools that automate marketing efforts and don’t sound computer-generated
But, especially for small business owners, finding the time to create a hand-typed message to each customer or partner is difficult. Even Santa’s are mass-produced.
Thankfully, there are a ton of programs and tools that automate marketing efforts and don’t sound computer-generated. Small businesses can employ hybrid email marketing tools that allow you to automatically send highly-targeted emails to potential leads.
Though these tools can be expensive, the return on generated leads will more than cover it. To learn more, check out our Top 5 Online Marketing Tools for Small Businesses.
Search engines are the best long-term, organic lead-generation strategy for B2B businesses.
SEO is the process of optimizing a website to show up in searches on Google. With some experts estimating that only 10% of searchers actually make it to the second page of Google, it’s critical that websites become as “findable” as possible on major search engines.
Showing up in search engines isn’t as easy as it sounds, and entire companies are dedicated full time to helping others do just that
The beautiful thing about SEO for lead generation is that it’s organic. You don’t have to send out emails or approach another business on social media to make a connection or draw someone in. Your business showing up in a search is step one in generating organic leads.
Showing up in search engines isn’t as easy as it sounds, and entire companies are dedicated full time to helping others do just that. It’s takes a combination of other marketing strategies like content creation, the design of your website, and even social media.
But, with the right strategy and just a few keywords, your site can go from page three to page one, and send your lead generation through the roof.
If your business is easy to work with, you’re bound to generate more leads.
Especially in B2B operations with recurring customers and suppliers, if you’re hard to do business with, what’s the point of doing it?
This is especially true of payments.
Money is arguably the most stressful part of any business deal. When you’ll get it, where it’s going, and everything else associated with domestic and international payments can stress a business relationship to the point of disaster.
Small businesses can generate and retain leads by making the process simple, safe, and cost-effective for both sides.
With fintech companies like Veem, small businesses can make easy payments a reality.
Veem is the next-generation payments platform helping small businesses go global.
Using multi-rail technology, Veem finds the best path for your business payments to make the process as fast and secure as possible.
As a result, we offer favorable exchange rates, and charge no hidden fees.
By working with Veem, your business can market the ease of your payments process.
What’s not to love?
Try Veem today and bring your business to the next level.
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