B2B brands are more inclined to investigate digital marketing techniques as these channels become more B2B friendly, and of course, as the economy improves. CIT Group, a small business lender, is one example. The company just launched a global integrated campaign that includes spots in digital publications most likely to be read by its customer base. There is also a mobile element to the campaign as well, along with print and radio exposure.
The campaign was created by DeSantis Breindel, a B2B branding and marketing firm based in New York City. Media in which the campaign will appear include more than 40 industry trade publications and digital newsletters, business Web sites including The New York Times, Fortune, Forbes, Barron’s and Bloomberg BusinessWeek, iPad apps, such as The Wall Street Journal, CNN Money and CNBC, and The Economist and Bloomberg Radio.
Beyond Mobile, Online
B2C marketing technology is making rapid inroads into the B2B space. Other examples include B2B's use of location-based services, QR codes and Twitter and Facebook platforms. Despite the availability of the former two, many B2B companies tend to overlook mobile, except for mobile ads and the occasional iPad app.
The most ubiquitous and basic of mobile outreach, however, is the text message, and this is a channel that B2B marketers should definitely consider, Amy Africa, CEO of Eightbyeight, a digital marketing and mobile marketing consultancy, says. "A killer solution for B2B is a terminated text message, where the user takes action and you reaffirm it, such as sending a picture of a product and how to order," she told B2BOnline.
Text and video chat for orders also work well, she added.
The LinkedIn Powerhouse
LinkedIn, as well, is an important digital channel. Eric Wittlake, a B2B marketer and author of the B2B Digital Marketing blog, gives a number of reasons why LinkedIn should be considered over other social media outlets such as Facebook, in this post.
Perhaps the most compelling is that LinkedIn’s advertising rates are very competitive. "I see more ads on LinkedIn that are clearly targeted to me, professionally, than on any other site I visit. Keeping prices competitive in order to sell targeted ad space appears to be a strategic decision LinkedIn has made, to the benefit of all advertisers."
