Building an effective B2B digital engagement strategy beyond demand generation

Creating a digital engagement strategy

In the ever-evolving world of B2B marketing, the pursuit of generating demand and driving inbound traffic has always taken centre stage. Marketers invest significant budgets and resources in capturing the attention of potential customers, creating awareness, and engaging with their brands. However, as the landscape becomes more competitive, organisations are beginning to realise that demand generation alone is not enough to achieve long-term success and sustainable growth.

In this article, we will look at the challenges faced in B2B marketing, the significance of creating a comprehensive digital engagement strategy, and how businesses can go beyond demand generation to build lasting relationships with their customers. In addition, we will discuss a recent programme where we supported our client Capco, a global financial services consultancy, to deliver hyper-targeted engagement with their customers.

Understanding the challenges in B2B targeting

The B2B environment presents unique challenges when it comes to targeting the right customers and segments that truly matter. Organisations strive to identify individual prospects for one-to-one conversations both offline and digitally. The difficulty lies in designing personalised experiences based on the specific needs and preferences of each individual, rather than treating them as part of a larger market segment.

The key to overcoming these challenges is to optimise content journeys and ensure they align with the individual customer’s requirements. Additionally, providing business intelligence to the offline sales teams becomes crucial in driving effective engagement.

The dominance of demand generation

Demand generation and lead generation have long been at the forefront of B2B marketing strategies. Most marketers dedicate significant resources to driving top-of-funnel marketing activities, aiming to generate demand and awareness for their products and services. While these efforts are essential for attracting prospects, focusing solely on demand generation may not be enough to achieve the desired business objectives.

The importance of digital engagement in B2B

While demand generation is crucial, B2B organisations must realise that true success lies in fostering ongoing relationships with customers and prospects. This is where digital engagement comes into play.

Digital engagement is the art of designing experiences that keep prospects and existing customers actively engaged with the brand.

The goal is to remain top-of-mind for customers so that when they are ready to make a purchasing decision, they naturally turn to your brand. This level of engagement requires a deeper understanding of customers’ needs, as well as a continuous effort to provide valuable content and experiences that resonate with them.

Reimagining the nurturing funnel

The traditional marketing funnel doesn’t always align with the nonlinear journey that customers take in their interactions with a brand. Rather than focusing solely on attracting leads at the top of the funnel, businesses need to reimagine the nurturing process.

By creating content journeys that align with various moments of digital impact, organisations can deliver value at every touchpoint. This could include interactions through emails, events, website visits, and social media. The idea is to keep prospects engaged and nurture them throughout their journey with the brand.

Building foundational blocks for effective digital engagement

To implement a successful digital engagement strategy, businesses need to establish foundational building blocks. Understanding the audience is crucial, and this goes beyond simple demographic data. Marketers must delve into the day-to-day challenges and pain points faced by their target audience to create content that resonates on a deeper level.

Creating a digital record of truth for marketing, similar to a CRM for sales, is essential for capturing and organising relevant data on prospects and customers. This data will enable marketers to recognise prospect intent, track their interactions, and deliver personalised experiences based on their interests and preferences.

Aligning key performance indicators (KPIs) with business goals is vital to ensuring that marketing efforts drive meaningful results. The focus should be on generating pipeline, closing deals, and building long-term relationships with customers.

The value of data and sales alignment

Understanding the challenges faced by the sales team is essential for designing an effective digital engagement strategy. By providing sales teams with valuable business intelligence, marketers can support their efforts effectively. The alignment between marketing and sales is critical for driving efficiency and delivering a seamless customer experience.

One effective way to align marketing and sales is by implementing lead scoring models. This prioritises prospects based on their level of engagement and readiness to make a purchasing decision. By providing sales teams with a clear view of each prospect’s interests and actions, marketing can help sales teams tailor their approach and close deals more effectively.

Case study: Capco’s journey to hyper-targeted engagement

Capco, a leading global financial services consultancy, faced the challenge of engaging a diverse and sophisticated audience, including various types of accounts and decision-makers. They understood the importance of personalisation and delivering relevant content to their prospects and clients. To address these challenges, Capco embarked on a comprehensive digital engagement strategy, which involved leveraging their existing technologies and reimagining their customer nurture process.

Step 1: Analysing existing technologies.

Capco had already invested in sophisticated marketing technologies, including Sitecore as their content management system (CMS) and HubSpot as their digital marketing and CRM platform. These platforms provided the necessary tools for personalisation, data collection, and lead management.

Step 2: Aligning lead scoring models with personalisation.

Capco recognised the importance of capturing and utilising customer data effectively. They developed comprehensive lead scoring models that considered various data points, such as prospect interactions, content engagement, and website behaviour. These models helped prioritise prospects based on their level of engagement and interest, enabling the marketing and sales teams to focus their efforts more efficiently. 

Step 3: Building personalised experiences.

Armed with rich customer data and insights, Capco began to create personalised experiences for their prospects and clients. They implemented personalisation strategies across their website, email campaigns, and other digital touchpoints. The content presented to each individual was tailored to their specific interests, pain points, and needs.

Step 4: Integrating HubSpot and Sitecore as a CRM and CMS.

One of the crucial steps in Capco’s digital engagement journey was integrating HubSpot and Sitecore seamlessly. This integration allowed for a unified view of customer data, ensuring that the marketing and sales teams were working with the same information. It also enabled Capco to track prospects’ interactions and preferences across different digital channels.

Step 5: Delivering targeted content based on offline conversations.

Capco recognised the value of offline interactions with prospects and clients. To bridge the gap between offline conversations and online engagement, they developed a strategy to deliver targeted content based on these discussions.

For example, if a prospect had a conversation with a sales representative about a particular service offering, Capco would personalise the content on the website to reflect that specific service, ensuring a seamless and relevant customer experience.

Step 6: Nurturing prospects throughout the funnel.

Capco’s digital engagement strategy focused on nurturing prospects throughout their journey with the brand. Rather than simply attracting leads at the top of the funnel, they aimed to maintain engagement and provide value at every touchpoint. By understanding the prospects’ needs and preferences, Capco delivered a consistent and personalised experience that kept them engaged and interested.

Step 7: Measuring success and continuously improving.

Throughout their digital engagement journey, Capco closely monitored the performance of their campaigns and experiences. They analysed key metrics and KPIs to measure the success of their efforts and identify areas for improvement. The integration of HubSpot and Sitecore allowed for real-time tracking of prospect interactions, enabling agile adjustments to their strategies as needed.

Capco’s journey to hyper-targeted engagement exemplifies the power of personalisation and data-driven marketing in the B2B space. By aligning their lead scoring models with personalised experiences and integrating their CRM and CMS platforms, Capco successfully nurtured prospects throughout their journey. The result was an enhanced customer experience, improved marketing and sales alignment, and ultimately, a more effective and efficient approach to driving business growth.

The case of Capco serves as an excellent example for other B2B organisations seeking to maximise the impact of their digital engagement strategies. By leveraging data, technology, and personalised content, businesses can create lasting relationships with their customers and gain a competitive edge in today’s dynamic marketplace.

If you would like to discuss how Ratio can support you with your digital micro transformation efforts, get in touch with us at hello@ratiopartners.co.uk.