We were joined by experts at Liberty Marketing, Red Technology, Code Computerlove, Brightcove and Stream Comms at the Figaro Digital B2B Marketing Seminar. Read the round-up and watch the videos
How To Use Video Effectively For B2B Marketing
Nick Greasley, Field Marketing Manager EMEA at Brighcove
Video is an effective marketing tool in any sector and its strengths – engagement and reach – apply to B2B brands as much as B2C. Nick Greasley at Brightcove highlights video’s potential as a discovery tool and explains how, once the connection between business and customer is made, it can be used to drive users along the path to conversion. But it’s not just about the moving image. To boost SEO, JP Morgan have used interactive transcripts of their video content. Search the transcript for the relevant term and users can jump directly to that point in the video. Capgemini, meanwhile, have made effective use of calls-to-action within video. And simply including the word ‘video’ in an email subject line can boost open rates by up to 85 per cent. Wiley, publishers of the ‘For Dummies’ reference books, also undertook an effective strategy. To assess the level of engagement among users, they sent an email with a simple call to action: watch a video on a landing page. This enabled Wiley to see who’d clicked through from the email and thereby gauge the quality of their contacts.
Brand Loyalty: How B2B Can Learn From B2C
Mark Maclure, Managing Director at Stream
The average customer, says Mark Maclure at Stream, is enrolled in no less than 13 loyalty schemes, from local coffee shop to air-miles account. These mutually beneficial schemes have an important role to play in maintaining the relationship between B2C brands and consumers, and the same applies in a B2B context. In fact, says Mark, in certain markets 49 per cent of B2B buyers prefer to use consumer-related sites to make their purchases. Although B2B and B2C are often treated differently, the distinctions are less significant than we may imagine. B2B brands require schemes that reward sales spend, engagement, lead referrals and advocacy, as evidenced by Stream’s work with dental supplier Dentsply. “In the B2B world we think the people we talk to operate in a certain way. But at five o’clock, when the B2B customer walks out the door, they’re still a B2C consumer. So why treat them so differently?”
James Candy, Business Development Director at Red Technology
Inspiring Creativity Online: Painting A Rosy Picture For Fine Art Manufacturer Winsor & Newton
James Candy at Red Technology demonstrates B2B engagement in action with a case study drawn from Winsor & Newton, manufacturers of art materials. Because the brand’s products had traditionally been sold through shops on the high street, Winsor & Newton had a limited relationship with consumers. The solution: to create an engaging digital experience that would prompt users to engage directly with brand and help establish a Winsor & Newton community. This involved content discovery for artists, a full product catalogue and an extensive range of other resources, from tips to interviews. “Community was fundamental for bringing stickiness,” says James. “We almost built a mini-Facebook within the site. This allows artists to engage with each other, upload profiles and their own work. The brand is effectively allowing artists to showcase their work and engage with other artists.” The value for Winsor & Newton, of course, is that their consumers are encouraged to return to the site as they build their own world under the brand’s banner. The takeaways, applicable to any sector: build direct relationships with users. Gather and act on customer insight. Open new sales channels and strengthen the links with retailers.
Advanced B2B AdWords
Gareth Morgan, Managing Director at Liberty Marketing
Pay-per-click, says Gareth Morgan at Liberty Marketing, has become more expensive and competitive in most sectors, particularly B2B. Helpfully, there exist a number of AdWords tools and tactics that marketers can tap into. One recent enhancement in AdWords is Local Inventory Ads. These allow advertisers to decide whether they want their ads to drive users to an online store or to the high street – a decision that has implications for upselling, cross-selling and more. Gmail Native ads (formerly Native Sponsored Promotions) are recently out of beta and include some neat targeting options, including keywords, personas and domains. Gareth also highlights RLSA (remarketing lists for search ads.) “You can now remarket to people when they’re searching on Google. The next time someone searches, if they’re on your remarketing lists, you can choose to show them a different ad. You can put in a different bid for them and you can send them to a different landing page.” That means that someone who’s already bought from a retailer is served an ad acknowledging the existing relationship – ideal in the case of insurance renewal, for example. “If people have been on your site before you can now show them an ad that talks about repeat customers getting a specific offer.”
Compiled by Figaro Digital staff