What will success look like in a post-Covid-19 world?
It’s a question in many marketers’ and entrepreneurs’ minds. Turning around the economic crises the pandemic dealt us will require innovation, cohesion, and strong leadership.
Besides moving with speed to recover lost revenue, businesses will need to adopt digital strategies that help them understand changing customer needs and expectations.
Here are the top success strategies you can implement to help you boost your post-Covid-19 sales.
- Data Analytics
A McKinsey research found that B2Bs that effectively harnessed and utilized analytics in their sales and marketing efforts were more likely to witness above-average growth. And by 1.5 times no less.
Companies capture tons of data daily, which is mostly kept in fragmented storage solutions that remain untouched unless it’s absolutely necessary.
While tackling unwieldy datasets often seems daunting, analyzing and interpreting them is central to gaining competitive edge over the competition.
Further, data analysis makes for accurate reporting ensuring you can measure your campaigns’ effectiveness across various channels. Here are practical ways to optimize your analytics efforts:
- Facilitate data hygiene. Invest in a solid business intelligence platform like Tableau or Qlik to eliminate duplications, errors, and anomalies and ensure your data is clean, usable, and integrable.
- Automate your data storage systems. This will allow the business intelligence platforms we mentioned above to extract data from these systems analyze and present real-time insights that users can understand.
- Go for refined visualizations. A dynamic dashboard interface allows you and your team to visualize analyzed data legibly. Through these visualizations, you’ll have overviews of business activities that allow you to discern trends, red flags, and process speed so you can streamline strategies.
- Chatbot Marketing
Chatbots are software apps whose ultimate goal is to engage site visitors in conversations that help them find what they are searching for—fast. Before they jump to a competitor page or give up their search in frustration.
Since chatbots are loaded with pre-recorded responses based on the usual questions site visitors ask, they can tackle simple support requests. This takes the load off your team who can then focus on complex tasks.
Top uses of B2B chatbots include:
- Lead qualification. By asking site visitors a series of correct questions, chatbots can narrow down to the solutions that meet their needs and interests. This reduces search time and creates seamless experiences, crucial for top-of-the-funnel visitors.
- Lead nurturing. The questions the chatbots ask don’t just make recommendations easier, they provide insights into other (unspoken) needs that you can address. This allows you to send your leads relevant content to earn their trust and hopefully convert their search into a purchase.
- Data mining. Bots can automate the data management process, facilitating a smoother and more accurate analysis of consumer needs. Teams can gather insights to help them improve customer journeys and the solutions they provide for greater success.
- Cold Calling
While many reps consider this strategy difficult, cold calling has remained a largely successful tactic for many companies.
Here’s why.
Up to 71 percent of buyers don’t mind hearing from sellers when actively seeking opportunities to drive stronger results. Better yet most high-ranking executives prefer phone calls over other outreach strategies.
It’s far easier to build rapport and communicate your value proposition over the phone than via text. The listener can quickly determine if your solutions are worth exploring while you can qualify the prospect for the next stage.
Best practices include:
- Researching prospects. Build a list of prospects containing foundational knowledge. Not only will it help you customize solutions, but also keep you from sharing offers the prospect isn’t eligible for. You won’t be wasting anyone’s time—yours or theirs.
- Keep a script handy. You’ll be speaking to different people nonstop over several hours. It helps to have a script containing pertinent information about your offerings, and how to tackle rude prospects, demanding ones, and those who raise objections.
- Leverage objections. Most times, objections are simply a lack of clarity on the offering or lack of funds. Study common objections to improve your pitch so it tackles these doubts up front, consider widening the range of your offerings or target a different consumer segment.
- Content Marketing
People are constantly jumping onto Google in search of information about products/services, pricing, and vendors.
Your role is to understand search intent and create content that answers their questions, strengthens brand affinity, and compels the reader to take positive action.
Through content marketing, you can initiate segment-specific granular-level conversations that demonstrate your familiarity with the complex issues they face.
The information you provide should be digestible and offer practical solutions that are both scalable and customizable.
Examples of content you can use include:
- Downloadable assets. White papers, ebooks, webinars, and podcasts that cover complex issues in-depth are great for empowering your audience with this very knowledge. They also showcase your mastery of the industry.
- Well-optimized landing pages. People arrive on these pages from organic searches or through paid ads. How you engage your visitors here determines whether they will take the next step or bounce. Make your content relevant and use irresistible CTAs.
- Case studies. This content describes the challenges a particular client experienced, their journey towards finding a solution, their interaction with your solutions, and the outcome. It’s proof that your company delivers on its promises.
- Video Marketing
Amid stiff competition, overly promotional content, and tough buyers, video marketing just might be the tactic that helps you overcome these hurdles.
Statistics show that over 80 percent of marketers who’ve incorporated video in their strategy enjoy increased sales.
This is because videos can help trigger awareness of your offerings and your brand.
Prospects get to see the ins and outs of your solutions, how their benefits stand to benefit, and testimonials from those who interacted with them.
To top it off, the medium used to communicate this information is quite entertaining too. Here are video formats that may help swing prospects your way:
- Explainer videos. These are typically short, to-the-point videos that tell viewers about your company, your solutions, and how the latter aims to resolve specific pain points. Many B2Bs encompass the art of storytelling with animation to both entertain and educate.
- Demo videos. ith demo videos, you’re looking to show viewers the practical functions of your product/service. They help viewers grasp the value and potential your solutions possess while allaying doubts or concerns.
- Testimonials and case studies. So people know who you are and your awesome solutions, but they have no way of confirming an actual user’s experience. The word of a customer who has tested and tried your solutions with success will help nudge them towards making a sale.
