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The Smarter Way to Scale B2B Omnichannel Demand Generation

Marketers need to reach and engage their customers on an ever-growing range of platforms and channels. In the B2B context, the omnichannel approach has proven itself to be an effective demand generation strategy to build a high-quality pipeline, because it’s more engaging and relevant to various members of the buying collective. 

Not only does this approach build a significant degree of brand awareness and credibility, it also helps B2B buying collectives come to a consensus on the buying decision faster and more easily. 

The challenge, however, is to execute omnichannel demand generation at scale–generating enough legitimate prospects to nurture through the funnel–without losing the essence of a consistent, cohesive brand experience over a relatively long buying cycle.

While leveraging first-party data on owned channels is important, demand generation outcomes can be amplified by partnering with vendors who have their own trusted first and third-party data for the complete picture.  This brings the needed scale, but it also requires marketers to work with a number of specialist vendors to create an optimal experience on each channel.

No doubt working with multiple vendors helps populate the pipeline, but each vendor has different data protocols, workflows, and systems. This makes data integration, orchestration, and attribution difficult, and potentially causes a loss of messaging context and relevance over the buying journey. For B2B marketers, that would be a cause for concern. A recent survey of 1,000+ IT decision makers found that members of the buying collective are overloaded with communications from multiple channels – making messaging, timing, relevance, and channel important aspects to consider. 

How can B2B marketers better balance their need for scale with their customers’ need for relevant and cohesive brand experiences across an optimal mix of preferred channels? 

Driving scale, reach, and consistent experiences

B2B marketers realize that omnichannel is about being on the channels most relevant to their audiences, rather than all of the channels all of the time. That’s why they often prefer demand generation partners who can offer access to legitimate and engaged audiences with consistent messaging across an optimal mix of owned and operated channels.

1. Email marketing

Whether internal or external, email marketing today demands 100% audience opt-in. But not all opt-ins are the same. For truly elevated outcomes, you want to work with a partner focused on building the most engaged opted-in audience. This is only possible when audiences trust the publications and opt-in to email with the expectations of getting first access to important developments in their niche or category. In addition, as newer channels compete with evergreen email, the ability to use intent data more effectively to target the right prospects when they’re actively in-market, no matter the channel, can be a huge advantage. 

For example, when it comes to technology, IT decision makers (ITDMs) expect trusted and credible sources of information such as Spiceworks to deliver the latest news on in-depth research, information around products and services, new tech breakthroughs, best events and deals, and performance improvement insights that help them in their day to day work. Thanks to this engagement, Spiceworks delivers the most effective email marketing audiences based on real audience insights. This full-funnel approach ensures a smooth flow of the data across channels and enables a seamless brand experience through the buying cycle for prospects.

2. Social media marketing

Brands can complement their own social media marketing efforts by engaging with specialist communities where target buyers spend time interacting with trusted peers and experts. Specialist communities are emerging as a great option for brands seeking high-quality engagement with specific groups of professionals. They offer all the benefits and convenience of professional networking sites – without the noise; as well as the laser-focus of owned communities, without the effort or investments they entail. 

For example, Spiceworks offers tech marketers the opportunity to engage with a huge community of ITDMs. Audiences get the latest insights and answers to their questions in a brand-neutral and value-driven community space; while brands get to take their relationships with audiences from purely transactional to a more engaged next-level, without needing to invest in community building. 

3. Content marketing

Behind any tech investment is a nurture stream of content that informs and persuades the B2B buying collective to make their ultimate selection in favor of the brand. Marketers can complement their own top and mid-funnel content marketing and distribution efforts with access to best-in-class editorial solutions with publications trusted and read by their audience.  This is where the real scale is generated at the earlier stages of the funnel, leading to better prospect-to-MQL ratios.

Ziff Davis owns and operates multiple trusted digital media properties where customers come to learn, be better prepared to make more informed decisions, and ensure they can drive optimal business outcomes from their tech investments. B2B marketers can support their full-funnel content plan by engaging across a variety of editorial formats on these trusted digital properties, and complement that with thought-leadership content backed by third-party research. Ultimately, the real advantage is the quality of leads generated, which is not based on single isolated actions, but the entire context of the engagement through the buying cycle. 

4. Events, webinars, and in-person interactions

The pandemic changed the way brands and buyers interact, and now, we have permanently evolved to a more hybrid event model. B2B marketers can complement their events and meet-up efforts, irrespective of the event size or whether it’s online or offline; with a partner who can offer a diverse range of events and webinar formats. 

For example, SWZD offers the entire spectrum of events – from intimate webinars and panel discussion sessions with virtual events, to a global-scale hybrid event with SpiceWorld. In-between, brand and community interactions like On The Air offer a more human, conversational way to learn and engage. Events across the spectrum appeal to different members of the buying collective at different stages of their journey; and can help build new relations and equations with potential customers in a brand-neutral space of learning and progress. 

5. Display advertising

The B2B marketer’s goal is to reach the right audience with the right message at the right time — anywhere on the internet. And a good display advertising solution helps them do exactly that. However, what makes the outcomes great is access to best-in-class intent data to inform targeting decisions and a diverse display inventory to execute the messaging depending on your objectives. 

SWZD offers best-in-class display advertising solutions for brands that want to target, retarget, and engage across one of the largest and safest ad networks in the B2B arena. 

Tying omnichannel demand generation together with authentic intent data

Demand generation doesn’t happen on an isolated channel. It’s the combined effect of interactions across a range of channels and touchpoints. It’s also a blend of brand awareness, inbound and outbound marketing, and effective sales enablement. 

However, this may become a more complicated affair when working with multiple vendors across email, social media, events, content marketing, and more. A better option may be working with one partner who can offer all of these services and help deliver tailored messaging for a more cohesive buying experience at scale. 

SWZD’s Authentic Intent™ data informs your sales and marketing strategies, and drives optimal performance outcomes with its coverage, quality, and diversity.