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Mobile is continually growing, playing an integral part in the Business to Business (B2B) customer journey. So much, in fact, that today, 50% of B2B search queries are initiated on smartphones. By the year 2020, this figure is expected to increase to 70%. In addition, mobile drives, or at least, influences, an average of more than 40% of revenue throughout the top B2B companies.
The consumers of today are not making a comparison of your business to other businesses; they’re comparing your services to the best experiences in digital marketing they have ever had. This is especially true with B2B buyers, who are getting more and more savvy with this technology. They are beginning to realize that they must keep abreast of the latest technology and the most effective methods to disseminate their message to their targeted audience. In addition, studies show that positive mobile experiences boost loyalty and repurchasing. Over 90% of B2B customers state that they would continue to purchase from the company with whom they’ve had a positive and seamless transaction.
B2B buyers are also using mobile for work as they multitask, using multiple screens and devices. Another big change, as of late, is the fact that buyers are no longer chained to their desks, and have begun to effectively work remotely from their homes, or while traveling.
If one were to take a close look at how B2B mobile leaders incorporate mobile, one would see that they take a very different customer-centric approach to it. They are careful to:
- Convert over to a mobile-first strategy
- Understand the role played by mobile at key engagement points
- Recognize the different individual roles on the purchasing team
- Develop a strategy for each role
- Develop simple mobile-first experiences (minimal text with vertical creative)
- Utilize unique smartphone capabilities, like location data and click-to-call links
Mobile leaders have grasped the concept of mixing their own data from mobile apps, website, etc. with relevant data from third-party sources such as partners in business, social media, etc. This results in a better understanding and insight into the customers, which is an effective tool to help you help them improve their experience, thus creating loyal repeat customers. The whole business to business process can be lengthy and complicated, so if you can facilitate things with high-quality, personalized content that’s delivered throughout the purchasing journey, it will make you stand out as a winner in the B2B customer journey.
A good example of this concept was demonstrated by Take 4imprint (a company whose specialty is customized branded products and clothing). They came to the realization that the customers were using their mobile devices as they shopped in order to gain a better understanding of their selection of goods, and the benefits of purchasing them. Take 4imprint then began to track the shift in their consumers’ behavior by studying the mobile queries and the visits to their site from mobile users. They realized that an upgrade was a must, so they did just that. With the improvement of the mobile consumer experience, along with an increase in mobile marketing, they realized a 43% increase in mobile sessions, as well as a 38% increase in mobile sales.
It has been shown over and over that the B2B principles of having firm, one-on-one relationships, stay true and effective—even in a mobile-first universe. It’s the leaders in the industry that grasp each round of new technology, and most always rise above those marketers that stick to their old, traditional ways. Their revenue growth and share gain is evidence of their success.
Sources:
Google Internal Data, March 2017
“Mobile Marketing and the New B2B Buyer,” The Boston Consulting Group in partnership with Google, Oct. 2017
