Why Do You Need A B2B Digital Marketing Agency?
Top B2B digital marketing agencies have in-depth knowledge regarding the intricacies of various industries and can provide you with many B2B marketing strategy examples that work. Outsourcing your marketing needs is way cheaper and more time-effective than building an expert in-house team. Marketing experts know what messaging to craft, who to target, and how to recapture customers' initial interest.
B2B digital agencies, like eLearning Industry, adopt a holistic approach to marketing, investing in creating high-quality content with SEO optimization. Their content targets clients at all different touchpoints of the sales funnel to optimize their journey and close deals efficiently. But how do we know that their strategy and tactics are working? Through data and analytics, seasoned B2B specialists analyze their promotions' results and make changes. They keep track of important KPIs, including website traffic, engagement rates, and conversion data.
Are you still not sure whether you need a marketing agency or how you'll even pick one? Keep reading, and everything will become clear.
Services Different Agencies Provide
If you take a look at the market, you'll notice that some companies focus on one specific area of digital marketing while others offer a variety of services. For instance, agencies may focus only on crafting and curating your promotional campaigns online and ensuring they rank highly in SERPs. Others may be experts in SEO, researching strong and relevant keywords and phrases, acquiring links, and creating high-quality content, including educational eBooks and webinars. On top of that, the best advertising B2B agencies can create compelling social media marketing strategies and PR services, including crisis management and outreach campaigns.
Lastly, web and graphic design are two extra services successful agencies offer. Let's say you collaborate with an agency to craft an email marketing strategy and banner ads. Companies like eLearning Industry don't have to outsource their design-related tasks, as their in-house professionals can create engaging and powerful images that accompany your campaigns. So, if you need a collaborator who does a little bit of everything, search for digital marketing agencies.
Ways To Identify The Best Marketing Agencies
1. Google Search
Let's start with a burning question: how do you find a great B2B creative agency? You can start with a simple Google search and modify your query based on your location. For example, you may search for "B2B digital marketing agencies near me." You will first view paid, then organic results. The latter proves that these companies have implemented SEO tactics successfully and rank highly in SERPs, which is a promising indication of their expertise in this field. If they can help their own business rank highly, think of how much they can do for you.
2. Social Media Platforms
Social media is not only the present but also the future of digital marketing, meaning many agencies are active on various platforms. LinkedIn is a leader in professional networking and a great place to locate professionals from all over the globe. You can identify the best B2B advertising agencies, visit their websites, read their blog posts, and go through their reviews and testimonials. You may use LinkedIn the same way you'd use Google. Simply search for agencies using relevant keywords. You may also join groups that are industry-related and discover companies you had no idea existed. Facebook and Twitter are also great places to meet professionals in the marketing field and ask them questions.
3. Directories
Agency directories can make your research much easier and quicker. They are platforms that create lists with reputable B2B marketing agencies along with verified customer reviews. There you can find out their areas of expertise, industry focus, and services. You may filter your search queries to locate companies with specific services, locations, or industry expertise. Or, you can visit our directory to find experts in various areas, including LMSs, authoring tools, and project management software.
4. Recommendations And Referrals
Don't underestimate word of mouth. Your peers and trusted associates can share their honest opinions with you and help you choose the best B2B digital marketing agency. Simply ask people from your network, business partners, and suppliers which companies they've collaborated with in the past. Ask them to offer you tangible result examples and communication insights. Asking those who you trust for advice helps you build a sense of trust while saving valuable time and effort.
Steps To Choose The Best B2B Digital Marketing Agency
1. Check Industry Experience
Marketing to B2B can be hard and competitive, so the agency you choose must be able to showcase expertise and success in your industry. Check their websites to see who they've worked with and what results they've had. Ask them to provide you with detailed case studies and read online reviews and customer testimonials on social media. You should have clear proof that they understand your unique challenges and know how to tackle them. A B2B digital marketing agency may have experience in the marketing sector in general but not in your specific niche. For instance, SaaS B2B marketing requires different strategy management than eCommerce.
2. Check Their Capabilities
High-performing marketing teams offer a variety of B2B services, not just general digital marketing tips. For example, you should look for B2B specialists that can generate engaging content that increases traffic. Therefore, their SEO skills should be highly developed, and they must know how to add relevant links to boost website traffic. Remember that SEO is not finished once you add keywords and phrases and publish an article. Your chosen agency should keep optimizing and adding new keywords that climb the rankings. And what are their link-building capabilities? They should be able to bring traffic from reputable backlinks. Additionally, online B2B marketing requires the creation of effective PPC ads. Take a look at our PPC directory if you want to get started with this form of digital marketing.
3. Check Their Communication
B2B digital marketing agencies should not make decisions without consulting you. Sure, they are the experts, but you should be part of the decision-making process. Are they sharing their content marketing ideas with you before implementing them into their strategy? Look for an agency that is transparent with you and keeps you updated across all stages of the journey. This means that they provide you with marketing results and insights often and explain why certain tactics fail and need readjustment. The more you communicate your goals and wishes, the better they'll execute their marketing plan to achieve great outcomes.
4. Assess Their Strategies
Content marketing for B2B is not a one-size-fits-all approach, and depending on your industry, you may need a personalized strategy. Find a B2B web marketing agency that invests time in understanding your requirements, challenges, and objectives. Can they come up with unique lead magnet ideas to attract leads and convert them? You may also ask your marketing team which tools and technologies they utilize to facilitate their plan. How are they using these tools, and what results do they get? Maybe their technical expertise isn't enough for your marketing needs.
5. Check Their Pricing
Small businesses and SaaS startups may not be able to set a big budget for their marketing needs. You may be tempted to collaborate with a B2B marketing partner that offers the lowest price just to lure you. However, don't make pricing your sole focus. Check their qualifications and their level of digital marketing skills. Successful content marketing agencies customize their pricing depending on your budget and unique needs. Some marketers offer retainer-based models, project-based pricing, or performance-based arrangements so they can fit your requirements. Take every aspect into serious consideration and choose a marketing team that will have the best ROI.
6. Check Their Reporting Abilities
Collecting detailed data and analyzing it to measure content marketing performance and other marketing initiatives is crucial. Pick a B2B digital agency that communicates its KPIs and insights timely and transparently. You can ask them to share their marketing plan outline with you so you know which metrics they're monitoring. Engagement rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates are all necessary to track to let you know whether you need to make alterations. Also, you may ask them to provide you with their findings in the structure that you prefer. For instance, they may only be willing to create chart flows, while you want variety with the addition of infographics and diagrams.
7. Evaluate Their Scalability
Maybe you are just starting to venture into small business content marketing, but your company may grow in the near future. Can your B2B internet marketing agency scale its content marketing services to meet the increased demands? You may need them to work more hours on your strategy and rearrange their SEO tactics to stay relevant. Therefore, their systems must be flexible to accommodate sudden increases in growth while their talented teams are burdened with added responsibilities. But what if they need to hire new team members? Ask your collaborators if they have a documented process. This means that every new hire will know exactly how to start their journey and become productive quickly.
8. Read Testimonials And Case Studies
No matter how great their website looks or how wonderful their claims are, don't assume a B2B digital marketing agency is the best fit for you. Seasoned professionals prepare case studies regarding successful client stories and can provide you with them upon request. Also, testimonials are one of the most powerful forms of social proof, as you can hear past client experiences. What problem did they encounter before the agency stepped in to help them? And what results did they reach after applying their B2B content marketing wizardry? Along with reviews, testimonials create a sense of trust and relatability. Nevertheless, if you are not sure about the credibility of these reviews, you may contact the buyers directly and ask them about their unique circumstances. If they had any bad experience with an agency, they'd surely mention it.
9. Create A Seed List
So, you've conducted a long seed list with every potential candidate. You're starting to explore your options, checking all the capabilities and characteristics mentioned above. During your search, you'll immediately remove some of these agencies doing online B2B marketing if they don't meet your demands. Try to reduce your list to about 5–10 companies that appear to have many successful clients and triumphant marketing results. Go back to their websites and double-check the reviews and testimonials. Make sure each agency states its pricing format clearly. One reason they may not mention it is because they do custom pricing. If so, contact them before removing them from your list. Lastly, you should view a few SaaS content writing examples so you know how expert their writing abilities are.
10. Contact Each Agency And Arrange Meetings
At this point, your seed list should be even shorter, with 2–5 agencies. Start arranging meetings with each one and ask if you can speak with their marketing leader. Most reputable B2B digital marketing agencies have a contact form on their website or allow you to book a meeting right away. Others may offer you a number to call, but it's best to arrange a video call. During your meetings, ask as many questions as you can. How many clients do they have, and how long have they been working with them? Have they ever lost clients, and if so, why did that happen? If their pricing isn't stated clearly on their website, you should ask them about it, as well.
11. Invest In Long-Term Collaboration
Now it's time to pick your collaborator who will accompany you in your B2B marketing efforts. Try to pick an agency that forms loyal relationships and maintains their clients over long periods of time. It's important to invest in a long-term partnership and not change agencies all the time. If a B2B marketing agency loses the majority of its clients after a short amount of time, maybe you should stay away. And remember that the more they understand your needs and suggest compelling strategies and tactics, the more successful your efforts will be.
The Use Of AI In Marketing
While this should not be a priority when choosing B2B internet marketing services, we can't help but notice the benefits of AI in marketing. First, it can combine online and offline customer data to form comprehensive and detailed client behavior patterns. Also, it can automatically upsell, resell, and show the next best offers to buyers. As a result, your revenue can increase without having to do all the manual work yourself. One of the top applications of Artificial Intelligence in marketing is customer segmentation. Instead of marketers spending endless time and effort building their personas, AI can step in. By analyzing the data, you can segment your audience and promote relevant content to them. Lastly, the algorithm can personalize each customer's journey, giving the personal experience a whole new, elevated meaning.
Wrapping Up
Have you ever thought about how you can craft buyer personas and attract the right type of customers? This is another area your chosen B2B digital marketing agency can help you with, as they can conduct detailed customer profiling and group buyers with similar purchasing needs. You may also utilize gated content to provide meaningful material and receive people's email addresses in exchange. This content could be anything from webinars to podcasts to case studies. eLearning Industry can offer you all these services and even more. Are you interested in press releases, job listings, or event listings? Our team of expert marketers can help you craft the perfect bulletin.
