Is Your B2B Missing Out on Online Sales?

As the business environment continues to evolve, more transactions will occur online, and this means B2B brands that aren’t utilizing Internet marketing methods may be left behind others in their industries. While many companies have avoided online advertising because they do not sell any products on the Internet, this may be changing.

According to a recent report from Intershop, 57 percent of vendors believe B2B commerce is making a significant shift from offline to digital channels. Of the 400 senior IT and business decision-makers in B2B organizations, an additional 51 percent reported they were adjusting their strategies to accommodate this shift.

Many B2B brands have relied on their sales teams to do the heavy lifting, and they leverage personal relationships to close deals. However, as more sales take place online, there has never been a bad time for companies to adopt modern solutions, such as marketing automation, to stay as efficient as possible. In addition to a larger amount of transactions moving to the Internet, there will be a greater emphasis on self-service, and sales professionals will not be able to rely on cold-calling to generate new leads.

The shifting nature of business buying calls for new marketing

Because more commerce is happening online, it follows that decision-makers will be searching for information about products and services through digital platforms. Social media has a major influence on brand awareness, recommendations from colleagues in the industry, and reputation. Because buyers are consulting more sources of information online before making a decision, it’s more important for marketers to stay consistent across multiple channels.

While the sales side of internal operations will have different concerns for preparing to close deals online, the marketing team can start performing more efficiently with an online marketing solution. Marketing automation can allow B2B brands to establish a reputable Web presence and deliver consistent content across each channel. These platforms can automate tasks like sending emails to prospects at certain times, allowing the sales team to focus on closing deals.

Prospects can determine whether a B2B website is effective in a matter of seconds, and with the growing influence of the Internet, it’s more important for businesses to maintain a digital presence, Business 2 Community said. Even if marketers are sending out the right messages to appropriate leads, without an updated website, their techniques can lose effectiveness.