Getting Used to the New Normal for B2B Marketing

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically transformed the world we live in. From physical distancing and lockdown measures that have closed businesses and placed employees into work-from-home positions, to the very real concern about this health threat, every aspect of our daily lives has changed. Your B2B marketing strategy may not be the first thing on your mind, but it’s key to helping businesses survive and cope with the new normal. Here are some digital marketing tips from a leading marketing agency in Melbourne.

Reach Out to Your Clients

The client’s point of view is essential to your B2B marketing strategy and can be a key part in figuring out what content is most helpful and constructive during this time. Reach out to your client base and ask them what challenges they are facing during this time that are unique to their industry, and how you can help. This can give you insight into how your marketing agency can tailor your digital marketing content and showcase opportunities for doing business during the crisis. Be sensitive and honest and look for ways you can build your relationship and help support your clients through this challenge.

Be Human First

Digital marketing has always been its most successful when we focus on the human element — connecting with customers, sharing their journey and supporting common goals rather than pushing a sale. During a crisis like this one, it is even more critical to humanise your brand through your B2B marketing strategy. Try to reflect the everyday challenges your clients are facing. It’s not just their industry and business that is having to redefine how they do business, they are also individuals at home with their families, worried about keeping their kids occupied and trying to stay healthy. Work with your marketing agency to remove all corporate speak and cut through the chaos to provide a direct, human connection.

Don’t Sell — Help

It’s already been mentioned in this article that B2B marketing content in a crisis shouldn’t be about selling, but it’s worth giving this important point its own section. There are few things that can damage a brand more than the real or imagined impression that you are profiteering in a time of crisis. It’s essential that your digital marketing strategy is designed around this concept, even if it means completely reimagining it. This is especially important for businesses that can operate successfully through a health crisis — businesses in the pharmaceutical or healthcare manufacturing industry, food stores and so forth.

Instead, show how your business is helping. Maybe you are configuring your factory to produce masks or sanitiser, changing from a sit-in restaurant to a takeaway supplier who donates excess food to community organisation or frontline healthcare workers, or are simply doing whatever you can to ensure your staff stay paid and healthy. Whatever you do and however you design your B2B marketing strategy, focus on how you can help.

If you need assistance with reframing your digital marketing content, please contact the team at our marketing agency, who are currently working remotely from home. We specialise in B2B marketing for companies in Melbourne and across Australia and are able to help your business navigate this crisis successfully.