B2B Myth of the Week: All Mobile-Friendly Sites Are Created Equal
by MGB2B
The Myth: All Mobile-Friendly Sites Are Created Equal
The Truth: Unless Your Site’s Responsive, It’s Not Really Mobile-Friendly
Gone are the days of browsing the Internet on a desktop alone. Today’s B2B buyers are constantly on the move. Meetings. Traveling. Multitasking. You name it. Today’s websites need to adapt to cater to these on-the-go decision makers. How? By being responsive. Responsive web design focus on maintaining readability across all devices. Viewing is compatible despite window or screen size. This seemingly small factor is of utmost importance for all businesses, especially B2B brands. Here’s why:
- Buyers Are Using Mobile More Than Ever. According to Hubspot, 49% of B2B researchers who use mobile for research are doing so while at work. Therefore, mobile devices are crucial to buying decisions. B2B users expect their experience on mobile to be just as seamless as on a desktop. But just because a website can be accessed on a mobile device doesn’t mean the experience is seamless. If your website isn’t responsive, the page most likely does not fit on a mobile screen. This means your audience has to zoom in and out, scroll left and right, and finagle their screen before they can get the information they want. In contrast, responsive sites ensure your information is accessible across all platforms – smartphone, tablets, laptops, and desktops. A responsive web design ensures your website leaves buyers with a great experience. Remember, the more your buyer has to hunt and peck, the more likely they’ll leave (and go to your competitor).
- Having a Responsive Website Lowers Maintenance Time and Cost. When the shift from desktop to mobile first took off, many companies developed a separate mobile website. If your company is still using this method, you have two sites to update and manage. Needless to say, maintaining two websites is much less efficient than one responsive site. It doubles your workload when changes are made, and it’s not cost-effective in the long term.
- Google Prioritizes Mobile-Friendly Sites. Google constantly evolves its algorithm to ensure the best search results. In 2015, Google changed its algorithm to prioritize mobile-friendly sites. This means that websites that are not compatible with mobile tech get displayed much lower in search results. In addition, Google recently rolled out a mobile-first index – which means it sees your mobile site as your primary website. These updates alone should be encouragement enough to add responsive web design to your marketing to-do list.
The digital world is moving pretty fast, and it doesn’t look like it’s slowing down anytime soon. As the shift from desktop to mobile grows more significant, it’s imperative you create a seamless user experience for your buyer. Reducing the time spent on site maintenance and upping your search rankings doesn’t hurt either. Don’t lose potential leads – incorporate responsive web design into your marketing plan. Have questions about where to begin? Drop us a line.
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4 Ways to Feed Your B2B Sales Funnel in 2018
by MGB2B
Few things are worse for B2B business growth than a stalled out sales funnel. Even though your company may be using the same funnel-feeding tactics as before, what once worked may not be as successful now. To keep it going strong, we’ve compiled four ways to feed your B2B sales funnel in 2018.
1. Align Sales and Marketing Teams
Sometimes sales and marketing teams clash, despite having the same end goal. And this misalignment can lead to staggering losses. To get everyone on the same page, start facilitating communication between the two groups. Ask marketing to sit in on sales calls. Encourage sales to share their customer details with marketing. And encourage uniformity with constant updates between both departments. (Get more tips on sales and marketing collaboration here).
2. Consider Predictive Lead Scoring
Predictive lead scoring is a scoring methodology that leverages historical data and predictive analytics. It takes the data from successful leads (ones that you have won) and adds digital footprints from third-party sources to pool as much data as possible. By crunching the numbers, predictive lead scoring can identify patterns or relationships you’ve never seen before. It also aids in aligning your sales and marketing teams (see above) by providing data-backed reasoning behind lead qualifications. And last but not least, it reduces the margin of error in traditional lead scoring.
3. Don’t Forget the Mid-Funnel
Most marketing and sales teams focus on the top (lead quantity) and the bottom (the percentage of leads closed) of the sales funnel. However, when the middle is unattended to, the information and goals get murky. You could be losing leads without knowing why. To clear this up, ask: how many touches does the average lead need before they move to the next stage? Where do your leads seem to leak out? What is the difference between the ones that leave and the ones that move on? Diagnosing and addressing the issues mid-funnel will have a big impact on your results.
4. Use Video
We’ve made it clear in past blogs how important video has become. You can use it throughout your funnel to keep moving prospects to the bottom. To attract leads at the top, consider how-to’s, thought leadership videos, and any content that showcases your brand’s personality or authenticity. As your leads move to decision mode, product demos, client testimonials, and video case studies can be very compelling. Close the deal with nurture videos, FAQ’s, and instructional videos – and be sure each has a strong CTA (like signing up for a demo or webinar).
No matter what, it’s essential to keep the customer at the center of each stage. Every small fix you can make will help produce better results, and help grow your leads as well as your revenue.
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B2B Myth of the Week: Social Media Content Should Be All-Business
by MGB2B
Myth: Social Media Content for B2B Brands Needs to be All-Business
Fact: Social Media is the Perfect Channel to Show Brand Personality
Social media content for B2B brands must revolve around statistics, numbers, and charts. Right? Wrong. While buyers do need practical information, it’s also necessary to humanize your brand. To do so, make sure some of your content resonates with your buyer’s emotions. After all, at the end of the day, it’s a human making purchase decisions. Need help getting started? Here’s three jumping off points to get your creative content up and running:
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Tell Stories
Storytelling is a simple way for buyers to relate to the brand. This, in turn, strengthens the relationship between brands and buyers. By sharing stories on social media, your company has a chance to develop a personality that strikes a chord with your audience. According to a study at Stanford University, information shared through stories is remembered 22 times more than facts alone. So what kind of stories can you tell? Try a testimonial from a satisfied client. Polish up your brand creation story. Or consider a story that demonstrates how your product or service can solve a problem.
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Use Humor.
People often assume that social media content for B2B brands is limited to stiff and serious posts. Including humorous content is a great way to get people interested in what your brand is doing. Let’s face it, most people don’t expect B2B brands to be funny. Use that to your advantage. Incorporating humor can be an extremely successful way of getting attention from potential buyers. There are plenty of ways to mix a little humor into your content calendar. Get creative with photos and videos that your brand is sharing. Is there something people find confusing about your brand? Poke fun at yourself (like MailChimp does). Or maybe there’s a common challenge in your industry you can make light of. A little levity can go a long way in ingratiating your brand to your audience.
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Show the Brand’s Personality.
Developing a personality that is associated with your brand has way more impact than just facts and numbers. Audiences remember personalities over stats. This one’s tricky – it’s easy for B2Bs to fall into the same-old personality traits: committed, quality-oriented, eco-friendly, etc. But who is your brand really? And how does that resonate with your audience? Make yourself memorable. Think about what ultimately motivates your brand, and develop your character from there. Is your brand personality wise? An explorer? A trusted advisor? Do you aim to challenge or inspire? Whatever you feel your brand is, infuse those characteristics into your content (not to mention your ad copy and visuals) and stand out from the pack.
Even though it seems like social media content for B2B brands is limited, it’s just the opposite. It’s an opportunity to showcase just what makes your brand tick. While facts and stats provide the proof, your brand personality will resonate far longer.
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