By Tom Jacobs
Nov. 17, 2011
B-to-B decision-makers conduct more investigative research, and are more selective than ever before. Purchase decisions are generally reached by a committee of buyers. Buyers are interested in content relevant to the purchase decision at hand. With the influx of online resources and peer communities, now buyers can avoid contact with a company until later in the buying cycle. If, as a marketer, you’re not providing relevant information, you won’t be among the consideration set. Fortunately, there are a few key steps to get your product or service under consideration and move prospects through the buying cycle.
1) Know Your Audience, Know Yourself
Prior to embarking on any initiative, marketers should understand their audience. It’s impossible to deliver relevant content without fully grasping the issues that plague your buyer. Because most b-to-b purchases are investments that affect many, decisions occur over a long period of time as a committee of buyers determines budgets, conducts research and weighs opportunities. To understand the prospect, developing buyer personas for those who influence the purchase decisions is helpful. This process involves determining each buyer’s role, in addition to the types of questions they need answered at each stage of the buying cycle. When you understand how purchase selections are made, and how buyers arrive at a purchase decision, you can identify where to focus efforts.
In addition to familiarizing yourself with the target audience, it is imperative that marketers audit the product or service to be sold.
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What niche does it fill?
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What unique value does it bring to your target audience?
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How is this product or service a solution to your identified target audience?
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How does it stack up against competitive offerings?