B2B marketing for virtual events
Here’s what you need to know about B2B marketing for virtual events in 2021!
B2B marketing – what is it?
Business-to-business marketing (B2B) is when a business offers products or services intended for another company. For example, InEvent offers hybrid and virtual events software. Potential clients of InEvent are predominantly other businesses that may need the advanced software services that InEvent has to offer. This means that our primary customers are businesses, and essentially, we provide a B2B product.
What is the difference between B2B and B2C marketing?
Business-to-consumer or B2C marketing means that the product or service targets the individual’s specific needs, challenges, or wants. Streaming services like Spotify or Youtube are good examples of services that would require B2C marketing.
B2B marketing, on the other hand, means that the product or service that addresses the needs, challenges, or wants of an individual making decisions on behalf of a business or organization.
How do B2B and B2C marketing strategies differ?
B2C marketing tends to be more general than B2B. Using our previous examples of Spotify and Youtube, these services can be marketed to the general public.
While we may have different preferences and our interests may differ, this will only influence how we use the product, not if we use the product at all. Companies like Spotify and Youtube can target general groups and be successful in their marketing ventures.
B2B marketing, on the other hand, is much more specific. For example, Hubspot is a company that sells marketing software. This software also addresses challenges in social media management, lead generation, and content marketing, making it a product with a specific business niche. HubSpot is a popular choice for businesses that want an all-in-one marketing solution, but it is not the only choice. There are several HubSpot alternatives that offer similar or even better features, so it’s important to choose the one that best fits your business’s needs.
Communication in any marketing strategy is key. B2B marketing requires to-the-point, informative content, while B2C content can be more fun and playful.
Now that you have a better understanding of some of the differences between B2B and B2C, here’s how you can leverage B2B marketing strategies to promote your virtual events.
Develop a B2B marketing strategy for your virtual event
As with all successful marketing campaigns, the groundwork begins at the level of planning. Identify measurable goals and objectives first. This will help you to navigate the direction of your campaign, allowing you to make well-informed decisions throughout the process, and it will help you measure whether your marketing efforts are successful or not.
Ask yourself: what will a successful campaign look like?
In terms of virtual events, is the number of sign-ups important? Registered attendees? Invites? Engagement at the event? Post-event shares? What is most important for your event?
Identify your target audience
Once you know what is vital for you and your business’s virtual event, it’s time to find the most suitable audience. Who is your ideal attendee? Where do they spend their time? Don’t be fooled by the term “B2B”. You may market your product for businesses, but remember, you are dealing with people, so don’t forget to include the human element of connection.
Target and personalize your approach
Get to know your intended event attendee follow additional hints to improve your event website’s UX, and create marketing content that will resonate with them, their needs, wants, and challenges. B2B content tends to be more straightforward, but the better your understanding of them, the better you will connect with them.
How to market your B2B virtual event
Email marketing
Email marketing is a great way to engage current and potential attendees. There are many great tools available that will automate the entire process for you. Some virtual event platforms like InEvent, integrate email marketing features that offer triggers actions and analytics into whether people have received your email, whether it went to their spam folder, whether they opened and chose not to engage, etc. Marketers can use this valuable insight to personalize the rest of the sales funnel further.
Social media
Social media is a great way to share an upcoming virtual event. You can give your followers insight into featured speakers or panelists. If you ensure that your content is shareable, your followers and featured guests will easily share your content with their followers. Hashtags could also help to align you with just the right audience.
LinkedIn’s Sponsored InMail
Although LinkedIn may be categorized as social media, it is a professional platform that speaks directly to B2B efforts. Here you can connect with other professionals, and if you have a budget, InMail might be a great route to take. You can tailor your message, and it will be delivered directly to the recipient’s inbox, even in the case where you may not be connected.
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About the Author / Akeem Okunola
