Written by: Vickie Sullivan | October 01, 2020
The Best Way to Reach Out to Buyers
When it comes to reaching out to buyers, a lot of us use tactics that we think work and, frankly, what we like to do. They aren’t necessarily what buyers like. (Yep, I’m looking in the mirror here.)
The State of Multichannel Marketing 2020 study from printing company PFL (free registration required) will bust some of those assumptions. Yes, a printing company could be biased. What I love about this report, though, is how it delineates buyers by audience.
Marketing Strategies for B2B Businesses
Here are some findings B2B business owners need to pay attention to:
• An old tactic has a new role: Tied for first place at 82%, direct mail and events (such as webinars, virtual, tradeshows) are effective in reaching the buyers. The latter is obvious to many of us; the former not so much. Page 7 drills down on why direct mail is so effective: The tactic bumps up response rates and ROI for other efforts (50% report that direct mail improves performance, with 11% noting major improvement). Buyers favorite direct mail format: postcards (57%) and letters (51%). Even small business owners like us can do that inexpensively.
Listen: Reaching the C-suite
• Frequency matters: All audiences except for the C-suite need frequent messages on a regular basis. This is where discernment comes in. For high-end advisors and coaches, bombarding the C-suite is a surefire way to get ignored (or worse). If you have online programs and courses, buyers need many more messages. Your job is to know what works where.
What I learned from this report: My dislike for certain tactics (I’m looking at you, direct mail) can cause me to not use them even though they perform better—and leave results on the table. We need to create content and messaging based on what buyers like, then use the formats that work best for them, not us.
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