Business-to-business (B2B) marketing is still an essential component of your company’s marketing strategies but with all of the upheavals and developments of the last few years online and digital strategies have to be the focus. Account-based experience, or ABX, is one of the more modern and up-to-date approaches for your marketing strategies (to learn more about ABX check out our What is ABX blog). While lead generation has traditionally been a wide and rather generalised approach to gaining customers, ABX gives you a more targeted and individual strategy to not only gain leads but also to close deals and create solid, long-term relationships. Here, we will look at ABX and some of the best strategies for your business.
How to put the buyer first to meet your lead generation goals
Today, customers want to feel like individuals, specifically and authentically targeted as a suitable match for your company. By focusing on the buyer first, you can generate leads and achieve your targets instead of casting a wider net and hoping that something sticks. Here are a few tips for this personal touch with an ABX approach.
Gain insight
There is a vast amount of data out there now to give you valuable information about your potential customers and what they want. Utilising the powerful tools available to find out as much as you can and correctly interpreting it will give you everything you need to put the buyer first. Instead of making them want what you have, find out what they want and how you can give it to them.
Create a personalised approach
Now you know what prospects want, it is time to give it to them in a way that ideally feels authentic and personal. Providing a meaningful client experience with the content and type of offer they want will lead to more business and a good impression, which in turn can mean repeat customers. Direct communication is often the best way to contact these accounts with email, direct mail or individual conversations likely to have a big impact. The more impersonal the approach the less special and respected your customers will feel and the less likely they will be to accept your deal. This will translate highly into your efforts to boost your content marketing reach on LinkedIn.
Remember it’s all about the long term
Traditional lead generation will hit a wider audience and can give you more contacts and short term leads. Where ABX really shines is in giving a unique customer experience that builds over time, with each positive interaction causing closer ties and increasing the likelihood of custom not just once but over and over again.
It can also be helpful to have a refresh on ABX’s older sibling, and to read about what account-based marketing (ABM)
How to personalise outreach for top results
Outreach again can be a useful tool for reaching a larger and new audience and getting more traffic, but coldly emailing or contacting people isn’t always the best approach to success. Again, you should utilise all of the data out there, as well as your own knowledge and experience, to specifically target the right people the right way. It is important to know when and how to engage, and what works for one might not work for all, so focus on your own targets and goals to work out what is right for them and you.
People are more likely to respond and go with you if they think you are talking to them directly, so don’t mass email or group people together too much. It’s all about the personal touch and a superior experience for your customers. You could mention something specific to them like an article or post, and even pose a question to show that you are not only familiar but also interested in the same things as them. Think about what could help them – such as a testimonial. People are more likely to respond and engage when there is something in it for them too.
There are many ways to personalise your outreach on a one-to-one basis and really give an individual offer and contact. You should put a premium on building trust, learning all you can and putting together an offer and experience that fits with what you know and what they want.
How to nurture ongoing relationships and create brand affinity
One of the big benefits of using an ABX approach is its long-term effects. Instead of trying to appeal to many people and ideally generate a fair amount of one-time business, using an accounts-based strategy with a focus on experience guarantees a happy customer, and a happy customer is far more likely to remember you, advocate for you and come back time and time again.
Once again the key is really information. Find out what your customer likes and wants and target these areas, while also giving an authentic and personal offer. Instead of sporadic contact, ABX connects each point of contact together to give a seamless flow to your interactions and build on the relationship. It is a never-ending approach with messages focused on the customer’s experience to ensure maximum satisfaction and brand affinity. If you nurture the relationship over time this will create a real feeling of loyalty, and make it less likely for them to go to a competitor and more likely to choose your brand.
Remember, it’s all about knowing as much as you can about your potential customers and what will make them happy. Whether it is having someone around to answer their questions 24/7, enquiries for feedback and discussions about their interests and cares as long as your customer feels looked after and nurtured the relationship will progress and grow.
A final word on the top ABX strategies for B2B marketers
It isn’t enough anymore to have a great general marketing approach to generate leads and connect with customers. Using an accounts-based strategy with a focus on customer experience is the best way to raise customer satisfaction and create long term relationships with loyalty and brand affinity as your rewards. For all this and more, check out the rest of the BlueMelon Design blog and put together the best strategy for your business today.
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