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May 3, 2021 Content Chat Recap: Lessons Learned in Multichannel B2B Marketing

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To be successful in marketing, you must understand your brand’s ideal buyers and the multitude of channels that they engage on and seek resources to help with their work. In this #ContentChat, we’re joined by Shruti Deshpande (@Shruti12D), a marketer with 10+ years of experience executing multichannel B2B marketing campaigns, to discuss lessons learned in multichannel B2B marketing. Check out the full chat recap below, where we discuss how to identify your ideal buyer persona, ways to optimize your multichannel B2B marketing campaigns, and pitfalls to avoid along the way.

Q1: What is a buyer persona, and how is it useful for content marketing?

A buyer persona is a mold of your ideal customer. This persona should describe the person’s role, challenges they face, how they define success, where they fit in the buying process, and much more (which we’ll discuss in Q2).

Marketers use buyer personas to create more personalized content that will actually resonate with their ideal customer. A brand will have multiple buyer personas, but each piece of content should focus on just one. It is easier to spark an emotional connection with your reader if you understand and address their unique needs.

Q2: How can brands build the most relevant buyer persona for their business? What information should they include?

Start with basic details about your buyer, including age, gender, demographics, and income.

Use your existing customer base to inform your initial personas. Set up 1:1 conversations or short surveys to further understand their spending habits and how they prefer to find and consume information.

Add details like lifestyle, hobbies, interests, ideals and values, and more to further build out and differentiate your buyer personas.

Create a “negative persona,” one that is similar to the buyer persona but never converts, to fine-tune your list.

And remember that your audience needs are constantly evolving. Be sure to review and update your buyer personas at least once a year or after significant cultural events (like a pandemic).

Q3: Although there is often a clear buyer persona, there could also be key ‘influencer personas’ that shift the decision-making process. How do you identify these personas?

An influencer persona is someone who has the power to influence decisions and opinions.

Many people first think of celebrities or individuals with a significant number of followers on social media channels as the best influencers. However, micro- and nano-influencers can be even more effective at encouraging action from their followers.

It’s rare that there is just one decision-maker in any buying process. Influencer personas can include industry experts, analysts, bloggers, and journalists.

Find influencers by using social listening tools, asking your customers about who they turn to for recommendations, and monitoring for active voices and thought leaders in your space.

Q4: How should marketers get started with planning a multichannel marketing campaign? How can brands optimize the efficiency of their planning?

As with any marketing campaign, align on these key elements when planning a multichannel marketing campaign:

Your audience persona(s) for the campaign should guide which channels you prioritize and when you reach out to your target buyers.

Speak with people actively involved in the communities you’re targeting. Ensure you have a full grasp of your ideal buyer’s needs before approaching them. Otherwise, you can come across as inauthentic or simply never reach them.

Q5: What are some common multichannel marketing pitfalls that B2B marketers often face and how can they avoid them?

Set a clear goal and identify a key target audience for each campaign. You must have a definition of success to understand if your approach is effective. Additionally, remember to focus on customer retention, not just customer acquisition.

Target a select list of channels that matter to your buyers and existing customers. Customize your content for each community. Simply copying and pasting the same message in every channel is not multichannel marketing.

Stay consistent in your voice and message. There is often a disconnect for the buyer if your teams are siloed with competing owners and goals.

Most issues occur when you do not understand your customers. Take the time to build accurate customer personas that can drive a successful campaign strategy.

Q6: What are your top tips for multichannel marketing over the next six months, as some communities begin to ease COVID-19 related restrictions, and companies implement hybrid work strategies?

Looking forward to the next six months, focus on customer retention and redefine your ideal buyer personas. Use these new personas to inform your content strategy, and assess if there are new channels you should prioritize.

Your audiences need more hand holding. Treat them as individuals, and be ready to pause campaigns or content on social media if needed.

About Alek Irvin

Alek Irvin is a content marketing professional with a rich history in social media management, executive thought leadership development, and media relations. As a consultant at Erika Heald Marketing Consulting, he creates human-focused content and thought leadership platforms that help brand leaders connect and engage with their communities. Alek has worked with a range of startups and Fortune 500 companies across the B2B technology and consumer spaces, including IBM, Dell Technologies, Hitch Works, Emtrain, Integrate, and Frameable. Connect with him on Twitter @AlekIrvin.

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