November 1, 2016

Integrating B2B Channels And Optimising Performance

Figaro Digital caught up with Simon Douglass of Curated Digital ahead of his session at this week’s B2B Digital Roundtable.
How can brands integrate their channels to optimise campaign performance?

It’s about sharing data and setting everything up so that everything can be measured or reported on. From something as simple as using vanity URLs in above the line activity (which can be tracked digitally) to utilising existing data (email lists, cookie data etc…) to build out remarketing lists and custom audiences. So few brands utilise their own data – I see so many missed opportunities.

What platforms will we see prevailing in the B2B marketing space in 2017?

LinkedIn are rolling out a lot of exciting new features towards the back end of this year going into 2017 including programmatic, conversion tracking to name but a few. Video is going to become more and more important for B2B advertisers to educate, inform and sell, and although YouTube has always been the platform of choice, we may start to see businesses switch platforms to the likes of Vimeo where there is less competition, and their brands are easier to find.

Is Social just as important for B2B marketers as B2C?

We favour a completely integrated approach at Curated, so for us social is absolutely crucial. We’ve run lots of B2B projects this year where the goal has been to utilise social channels such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter to drive brand awareness, engagement and influence sales. It can be a key driver of sales further along the purchase funnel, and as such shouldn’t be judged to harshly on last click. Ultimately, even the most niche B2B products or services have an audience online, so just like planning a B2C campaign the research needs to go into figuring out what the target audiences are, and understand what their digital habits are.

What can B2B marketers learn from FMCG Brands and vice versa?

Not being afraid to explore new/different techniques, new iterations, being brave and testing new channels or audiences. Don’t assume that just because a B2B product or service might not be fast moving like a consumer product might be – an audience for that product or service still exists and they still have digital habits just like a consumer audience has. There are techniques to digital marketing that are applicable to all businesses and brands regardless of whether they are B2B or B2C focused.
What advice do you find yourself giving other marketers?

Have a goal (or goals). Its the piece of advice that I have given the most over the years. There are too many business through no fault of their own who know they need to invest in digital, but approach it from a ‘we need to do PPC’ or ‘we need to do mobile’ point of view. Ultimately, the goal is either more sales, more leads, more traffic or all of these, but the goal is important in determining the channels that need to be used in order to achieve the goal. These days, it is invariably a combination of everything rather than just some PPC ads or some content – there needs to be a fully integrated digital marketing strategy.