Marketing to businesses online is a bit different from marketing to consumers. First of all, the target audience is narrower. Companies usually have more restrictions around what they can and can’t do when it comes to marketing online versus offline. For example, they may not be able to print billboards or put up huge outdoor advertising signs.
That being said, it’s still possible to market to businesses online. The key is to figure out what works best for your business, organization, or brand.
Traditional Versus Digital Marketing
Before we jump into the specific steps, let’s discuss the difference between traditional and digital marketing. People often get these two types of marketing confused. But, in reality, they are very different.
Traditionally, marketing has involved spending money on traditional media, such as radio ads, billboards, etc., to reach the largest audience possible.
These are all still relevant methods of reaching people, but they are often considered “low-tech.” To put it another way, your grandmother may still be doing most of the work here.
On the other hand, digital marketing is all about creating marketing content and engaging with potential customers through social media channels, like Facebook or Twitter.
This content may take the form of a web page, an online article, a podcast episode, or even a video.
Thanks to platforms like YouTube, which is owned by Google, everyone can have a platform and can engage with potential customers. Thus, digital marketing is often considered to be a “high-tech” approach.
Marketing To Small Businesses
The first step in marketing to businesses is to figure out who your intended audience is and what they want. It’s important to note that not all businesses are created equal. Some businesses may be more receptive to your offer, while others may feel threatened by your brand. Knowing this can help guide your marketing strategy.
For example, if you’re trying to sell beach wear to the Amazon FBA sellers, you may want to consider doing some market research online before you dive in.
Here’s where doing some research online can help. You can enter certain keywords into the search bar, and you’ll get back a list of articles and blogs that are relevant to your niche. These platforms, such as Google Trends, can help you see the popularity of certain topics or keywords. You can also use the search bar to look for particular brands or products that are relevant to your niche. For example, if you sell health and beauty products, you may enter “skin care” or “anti-wrinkle cream” into the search bar to find blogs and articles that are relevant to your niche.
After you’ve found some relevant content, take a look at the top-rated articles or blog posts. Chances are, the content is from a well-known blogger who has built up quite the audience. They may even have a sizable social media following. You can contact the blogger to see if they’ll give you the opportunity to pitch your product. Doing this also shows that you’ve done your research and found a relevant article or blog post that will resonate with potential customers.
Marketing To Large Businesses
If your product is suitable for larger businesses, such as CPG corporations or retail stores, then marketing to these audiences is fairly straightforward.
You can start by using your local Google search engine to search for keywords and phrases that are relevant to your product. For example, if you’re catering to retail stores, you may want to look for keywords, such as “retail stores,” “online retail stores,” “e-commerce retail stores,” and so on.
These platforms, like Google Trends, can help you see the popularity of certain topics or keywords. You can also use the search bar to look for particular brands or products that are relevant to your niche. For example, if you sell skin care products, you may enter “skin care” or “anti-wrinkle cream” into the search bar to find blogs and articles that are relevant to your niche.
After you’ve found some relevant content, take a look at the top-rated articles or blog posts. Chances are, the content is from a well-known blogger who has built up quite the audience. They may even have a sizable social media following. You can contact the blogger to see if they’ll give you the opportunity to pitch your product.
As you can see, there are many different ways to market to businesses. But no matter what, doing your research in advance will help you formulate an effective strategy. With a little bit of effort, you’ll find the right channels to reach your target audience. And once you’ve found them, it’s just a matter of engaging with potential customers through effective content marketing.