Spontaneity isn’t my thing. A spur-of-the-moment date with my husband? A surprise party? Let’s play it by ear and see what happens? Horrors. I need a plan. Sure, that makes me really boring socially. But for promoting your products and services, a B2B marketing plan is super exciting because it provides the roadmap for success.
Without one, you run the risk of stringing together random actions that don’t work in concert to attain a specific result. Marketing tactics are just that—merely tactics—when developed and executed individually. Your advertising, emails, SEO efforts, graphic design, content writing, web development, public relations and social media work best when they work together.
Where to Begin
Before you pull together all of your marketing efforts, identify the goals of your integrated marketing plan. For example, you might want your plan to help you establish a more competitive brand in the markets your company serves, create and maintain a highly effective website, and develop a digital program that delivers and nurtures more qualified leads. Once you determine your marketing goals, then it’s time to create an integrated B2B marketing plan to achieve them.
5 Things to Include in Your Plan
- Discover and Define
- Research your competitors and your clientele to determine your customer personas and customer journey maps.
- Strategy and Messaging
- Define your branding position and messaging platform.
- Inbound Marketing Program for Lead Nurturing
- Research, select and install a marketing automation platform.
- Create workflows and develop content targeting your key industries.
- SEO, Conversion Design and Website Maintenance
- Develop an integrated digital marketing strategy.
- Monitor user activity and upgrade your website as needed.
- Public Relations and Social Media
- Create PR and social media strategies that complement each other, coordinate with your inbound workflows and support your overall marketing plan.
Pulling It All Together
Of course, this is just a sample of things to include in your B2B marketing plan. If all of this sounds intimidating and time-consuming, partner with a B2B marketing agency. They can help you develop an integrated program that will utilize the best and most efficient ways to reach your market.
All marketing tactics should be thought of as part of a larger whole, rather than separate pieces. By strategically integrating all marketing tactics, the marketing programs become more effective and cost efficient. As a B2B agency, we developed B2B 360 Integrated Digital Marketing to meet this improved performance need. To learn more about B2B 360 and how it will benefit your business, download our free eBook: B2B Top-Tier Tech Marketing.