B2B Marketing: Expectations vs Reality

Marketing can be challenging, even for those of us who live and breathe it.

After all, there is a lot to consider, and avenues of opportunity are constantly evolving across a variety of spaces for every sector.

It’s not surprising that many business owners, established and new, who are exploring their B2B marketing options often find that reality doesn’t quite match up with their expectations.

To prepare you for the real deal when it comes to B2B marketing, let’s unpack a few of the realities you can expect in comparison to commonly held expectations.

Expection: I just need to build a website, and voila

Reality: If you don’t spread the word about your business / website / service, it could be like it doesn’t exist at all.

It’s a great start, but the simple act of having a website sadly means very little for any business owner.

As of March 2022 there were well over 1 billion websites floating about the world wide web, so even if you have the most amazing, user-friendly, informative website, without a B2B marketing strategy behind it, it’s not going to do much for you.

Using powerful Search Engine Marketing (SEM) campaigns, social media and email marketing, and keeping Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) best practices at front of mind are all key to having a website that attracts relevant traffic and leads.

Expectation: The more content I have, the better

Reality: Quality over quantity when it comes to content.

Have you ever been to one of those restaurants where the menu just seems to keep on going? Pages and pages of options that overwhelm the diner can make confidently committing to a meal near impossible.

Same goes for websites.

Sharing valuable information about your brand and your product or service is obviously pretty important. But it’s all about rolling it out with some thought and strategy behind it.

Rather than overwhelming your audience with pages and pages of web content, start sorting it from most important to least important and go from there. And don’t forget to save some content for blogs and updates over time too.

Expectation: Once others engage with my business they are leads

Reality: Generation of genuine leads takes many touchpoints.

Did you know that on average it takes 8 touchpoints for a prospect to become a customer or client?

And we’re not just talking any touchpoints. For example, a social media like or follow is not usually considered a touchpoint. A touchpoint is generally considered an email or phone call or voicemail.

A visit to your website, a like on social media — positive actions for your audience to take? Definitely. However, this is just part of the journey to familiarise your prospects with your brand so that hopefully when you do make contact with one another, they are well-informed on what your business can offer theirs.

Expectation: Social media marketing isn’t relevant for my B2B business

Reality: Actually, it probably is.

In a recent study on B2B marketing, stats indicate that 80% of social media leads came from LinkedIn. Just shy of 50% of B2B marketers incorporate Facebook into their strategies too — noting that Facebook ads have offered an excellent ability to target their audience and a high conversion rate.

A great reminder to take the time to position your brand with care across relevant social media platforms, and to craft your social media content to communicate your brand effectively.

Over to you

B2B marketing can have a lot of moving parts, so if you need a helping hand to make everything work for you, we can help.