A successful business needs revenue, it therefore needs to maintain and expand its market share. In other words, to retain customers and to generate new sales. We can make a distinction in B2B communication between short term and long term communication goals. Short term communication goals are typically focused on gathering new leads; long term communication goals are harder to measure, they focus more on brand awareness and reputation.
Long- and short-term goals
When your communication strategy is solely focused on short term goals, your impact will gradually erode. That’s because when you stop nurturing your brand awareness, your target audience is no longer exposed to your business and your stakeholders don’t get introduced to you any longer. As a result, your business might no longer be top-of-mind.
If the success of marketing and communication is measured by the number of new leads, it is only natural to focus on short term goals. The consequence however is that little by little the name of your business will mean less and less to your audience. A weakened brand awareness results in SEO and SEA campaigns becoming more expensive and less effective.
Strong brand awareness (a known logo or brand) is what nudges in your direction a person looking for your solution. Look at your own experience: you are much more likely to go for something you recognise and have heard about, rather than to step into the unknown.
Outbound campaign
Nurturing brand awareness is a long-term effort that requires an outbound cross media approach. A communication & PR campaign (outbound) typically includes:
- Media exposure & influencers: Involving industry specialists, associations, bloggers, and key editors in your communication
- Events: Grasping the attention before, during, and after tradeshows
- Press conferences: Shining the spotlight on your innovation, product launch, or new market entry
- Social media: Attracting, informing and engaging with prospects, partners and stakeholders
TIP! A recent communication research by duomedia allowed us to uncover how B2B professionals prefer to get their information, which channels they find reliable when making buying decisions, and much more. Download it for free by clicking on the link below!
Targeting
One of the strongest aspects of outbound communication is its targetting. Are you only interested in reaching Swiss engineers active in a specific sector? Not a problem. Outbound communication in capable hands makes sure the right audience is reached without wasting resources. Filtering options such as demographics, specialised channels and communication sources, and localisation, allow outbound communication to be very effective.
ROI on outbound
The n°1 ROI measurement of your outbound communication is in your sales figures. An informed audience shortens sales cycles, increases demand and already filters irrelevant interest out of your target audiences. Leading to a more effective sales cycle and revenue growth.
duomedia is an international B2B communication agency that assists and supports bussinesses with professional communication services.
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