Today, more than half of those making business-to-business purchasing decisions are using their smartphones to gather the information they need to understand which products and services they should choose. As time passes, that number is only growing, which means B2B mobile marketing is increasingly becoming an essential part of any B2B marketing campaign.
As we all know, business professionals today are constantly on the go, and so they rely on mobile devices to get things done whenever they're able, whether that means between meetings or while on the road. What’s more, mobile technology today is incredibly flexible, making it an ideal and efficient way to deliver short, engaging marketing videos, for instance – or even to allow for big data and CRM integration. Furthermore, because research today is often performed across multiple devices, mobile presentation that includes front-and-center contact forms – as well as easy access to email and other basics – is incredibly convenient and effective for the kind of communication that B2B relationship-building requires.
In addition, mobile web design also lends itself to the quick-loading, up-to-date simplicity that gets the job done. In fact, a growing body of B2B employers now says that mobile apps (which can be used for everything from providing session schedules at events to making compliance guidelines easily accessible) are incredibly helpful as tools – and that mobile apps help to increase sales.
Mobile strategies have been incredibly successful as a tool in marketing to the consumer for many years now. The same can be true in a business-to-business context, too, so long as one is cognizant of some of the key differences between the two spheres and how to meet the unique needs of the B2B market.
First, one just needs to keep in mind that the buying process for B2B is a longer cycle that requires persuasive personal contact and relationship-building (rather than a focus on simply building individual consumers' relationships with products). The audience for B2B is smaller and more informed than the B2C audience, requiring the target audience to receive more in-depth knowledge in order to make a well-researched sales decision. Therefore, B2B marketing must be less focused on the types of entertaining content that visually (or emotionally) appeals to a consumer's impulsivity or sense of brand loyalty – and instead focus on information and an openness to an unhurried, in-depth person-to-person line of communication until prospects feel convinced they are making the best business decision.
Mobile technology has incredibly broad reach today, so it is no wonder that it has already become such a powerful tool in marketing to consumers. As on-the-go business professionals continue to do much of their work on mobile devices, marketing strategies that capitalize on such technology will become more important than ever for B2B companies worldwide as well.
