Has your B2B tech company been stuck in the same place for a long time? If so, it’s a good idea to consider a new method to scale it to the next level.
If you haven’t heard the term “growth hacking” yet, it’s a new collection of techniques that can help small tech companies grow and gain an edge. One of these development hacks includes the recognition of an excellent prospect and production of content to help them through a journey to become a happy customer. Seem too good to be true? It’s not. This approach is called Inbound Marketing and Sales.
Inbound marketing and sales methods have been proven to be effective in scaling small tech companies. According to current research by Hubspot, 59% of marketing pros reported that Inbound marketing produced better leads compared to traditional marketing, and is 61% less expensive compared to outbound sales. This means that traditional marketing and sales approaches like paid ads, cold calls, trade shows, and purchased lists are becoming less effective for scaling sales.
Here are six great development scaling options for your B2B tech business to make use of Inbound Marketing.
One of the most effective methods to scale small tech companies is to identify the optimal customer you want to target. Determining who you want to sell to will help you customize content just for them. When developing the qualities of this perfect customer, called a “buyer persona,” think about their work obligations, objectives, struggles, and decision-making process. You can get this information by going to different online forums or doing research on your target market and talking to existing customers. Once you have collected this info, you can give them names like ‘Medical Director Doris’ or ‘Clinician Clement.’
Take time to consistently release content that solves a typical problem and concerns brought up by your buyer personas. Text-based content like blogs, case studies, whitepapers, and ebooks are great for giving information. Engaging headlines with the right keywords that enhance your content for internet search will help grab the attention of your target market. Make sure your content development group stays away from using excessive B2B tech jargon which can confuse your visitors. According to Hubspot, visual content is 40x more likely to be shared on social media compared to other types of content. Your content strategy should be a balance that includes aesthetic content, like infographics and video clips.
Getting leads isn’t enough to scale your B2B tech service. You need to nurture your leads with the four phases of the buyer’s journey: Attraction, Convert, Close, and Delight. When a prospect gives their contact information to get premium content, they become a lead. Build a lead nurturing project with your marketing and sales teams that will offer practical info through email. As soon as a lead makes a purchasing choice and the sale is closed, continue exciting new customers with more great content. Build solid connections with your consumers to help convert them into evangelists of your brand name. They will share your content with their followers, bringing in more leads to your site.
As your business grows, it will be harder to engage each of your customers on an individual basis. To save time, it’s a good idea to automate systems. You can use marketing automation software to collect contact information and send out targeted emails to your leads. These emails will be sent from the moment a person gives their contact information on your site. This email collection will help nurture potential customers until they convert into clients.
According to research by Search Engine Land, 72% of customers trust online reviews just as they do individual colleagues. Swarming the net with favorable testimonies can therefore be an extremely effective strategy for growing your business. These reviews can be shown through case studies demonstrating how your B2B Tech company helped your customers fix issues and overcome challenges. Reference real numbers that will show how much was accomplished. For example, you can say that your customer reduced their acquisition rates by 50% in three months. You can also produce a special testimonial page on your site with short reviews from clients. Make sure to include their name and company, along with a phone, to show your target market that they are a trustworthy source.
According to a study by Social Media Examiner, 89% of B2B online marketers use LinkedIn. You can use LinkedIn to develop brand name recognition, create leads, and find partnerships. The first step is to build your company page which should contain info about your company and your products. Enhance your page using keyword phrases to make it easier for customers to find you online. Remember to include links back to your site. Take time to post create content and keep followers engaged. Your content needs to show thought and leadership management. This will help build the trust of your followers and improve the chances of turning them into leads and then buyers. You can also consider using paid ads to make sure your content shows up on the feeds of the potential customers you are targeting. LinkedIn Company Page Analytics will help you keep an eye on the effectiveness of your content.
Scaling small tech companies will not happen overnight, but with the right strategies, you will start to see and increased return on investment and customer base. The Inbound Methodology is a great collection of sustainable strategies that will help you reach your company goals of growth and development.
It can be hard for even the best marketing and sales teams to do this alone. We’ve worked with many Management Directors and CEOs to grow their services using the Inbound Methodology. Don’t hesitate to book a free strategy session to help you evaluate your methods, gain insight, and find ways to scale your B2B tech services.