Every business, including business-to-business (B2B) companies, need marketing. This allows the business to remain on top against other competitors. Marketing also helps obtain qualified leads and increases opportunities for sales.
Marketing can be done through various methods and strategies. Such strategies can be narrowed down to two categories—organic marketing and paid marketing. Though they have a similar aim, they differ in how they achieve visibility and recognition.
The Difference Between Organic And Paid Marketing
Organic marketing generally involves strategies that attract people to your business without spending on promotions and advertising placements. Traditional word-of-mouth is a great example of organic marketing. In digital marketing, guest blogging and search engine optimization (SEO) strategies are also part of organic marketing.
From the name itself, paid marketing refers to strategies where your business has to pay for prime advertising spots. Television and radio ads are the most classic examples of this. If you’re familiar with digital marketing services, this comes in the form of pay-per-click (PPC) ads and social media ads.
The discussion below can also serve as your short guide to paid marketing in 2023.
Advantages Of Paid Marketing
Both organic and paid marketing strategies are beneficial to your business. However, paid marketing is more advantageous for B2B businesses for the following reasons:
1. Nurtures Leads More Effectively
Paid marketing can act as a middle ground for nurturing potential leads and customers in the middle of the sales funnel. You can achieve this by encouraging advertising content downloads, app downloads, and newsletter signups. Following up on your leads is a great way to persuade prospective customers to finally make a purchase.
2. Allows You To Target The Right People
Another benefit of implementing paid marketing is that you can target your ideal audience. Targeting these people can help as they can potentially be your customers. There are different targeting factors to help you reach the right audience, such as:
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- Location
- Demographics
- Time of day
- Keyword usage
Running a B2B business requires a more targeted marketing strategy. Since B2B will only cater to business-oriented customers, advertising to the general public will only prove to be futile and expensive. Focusing your marketing efforts on the right group of people will increase sales and ensure you get your return on investment (ROI) from your marketing budget.
3. Gives Immediate Results
Generally, organic marketing strategies take more time to pick up. For example, if you’re implementing SEO strategies to gain more traffic, your website will not automatically climb up the search results page overnight. It could take weeks or months before search engines can rank your website prominently.
This isn’t the case with paid marketing. Immediately after you start paying for PPC ads or social media ads, for example, your page will be visible to hundreds or thousands of targeted users right away.
As paid marketing produces immediate results, B2B businesses that aim to drive revenue fast can benefit from it. It’s also ideal if a business wants a short-term marketing window, as in the case of product launches, special events, and seasonal sales.
Paid Marketing Strategies For 2023
If you’re looking for new ways to market your B2B business this year through paid marketing strategies, here are the top ones you should consider:
1. PPC Advertising Or Retargeting
As mentioned, PPC gives you fast results and wide mileage within a short amount of time. B2B businesses, especially those in a niche industry, will find this convenient since PPC ads can be targeted by location, keywords used, and other factors.
If your B2B business is already implementing a paid marketing campaign, it might be the best time to reassess and consider PPC retargeting. Retargeting your PPC ads gives you an opportunity to nurture leads—specifically people who have visited your website before. This lead nurturing strategy fills in the gaps in your marketing funnel.
2. Short-Form Video Marketing Trends
You might think TikTok is only intended for Gen Z, but their short-form videos have proven to be an effective tool for all ages. Even Instagram and Facebook have to come up with ‘Reels’ to keep up with TikTok’s popularity. Additionally, YouTube also launched ‘YouTube Shorts’ to stay relevant. If these Internet giants have to adapt to a burgeoning video content trend, then that is a huge sign for your B2B business to adapt as well.
3. Invest In Mobile Advertising
Mobile users worldwide are expected to reach 7.49 billion in 2025. Therefore, this year is the best time to invest in mobile advertising if you want your B2B business to keep up with ever-changing customer behavior and needs.
Final Thoughts
There are two distinct ways to market your B2B business. You can use organic search or implement paid marketing. Ultimately, paid marketing is an ideal way to gain more traffic. It also allows you to reach the right people. Lastly, it can help you to have more revenue and see immediate results.
