B2B Needs to Get Mobile and Digital

Businesses that sell to other businesses (B2B) are having trouble keeping up in the digital and mobile age. That’s according to a couple of eMarketer articles. The reasons for it are varied, but it may be mostly because they’ve been slow to acknowledge a change in culture.
B2B purchases are not like consumer purchases. I can walk into a store and buy the printer I want because, well, I want it. But if a business needs a printer, someone needs to research the options, evaluate which is best for the company, then make the recommendation to the stakeholders, who then make a recommendation to be approved by management, and then finally the purchase goes to accounting for payment. That’s a generalisation of course. Each business will have its own internal processes, but the basic truth is the same: businesses buy via committee, and usually require multiple approvals (except perhaps very small businesses where the same person wears multiple hats).
But the B2B buyer has changed in the last decade. Where they were once at the mercy of vendors, they can now do their research before ever contacting a sales person. In fact, studies show upwards of 80% of B2B purchases are researched online before someone contacts a company for a quote, demonstration, or trial. And B2B buyers aren’t just searching from their laptop. They are using their mobile devices, checking the social media feeds of companies, getting on email lists, or discussing options in LinkedIn groups.
B2B companies just aren’t adjusting to this mobile, multiple digital channel world according to eMarketer.
Integrating digital communications
In a survey of UK and US B2B professionals, only 28% said they had a formal strategy in place for digital communications. That includes everything such as their social media, emails, websites, online advertising, blogs, SMS messaging, and even video. About 39% were using some kind of informal procedures, but over a third weren’t even trying to integrate. Yet.
A B2B buyer is also a consumer. Though a company has more policies, rules, and procedures they need to go through before making a purchase, the B2B buyer is using their consumer techniques to do research. And the messaging they are getting from B2B companies is inconsistent at best. A social media post may say one thing using a certain tone or branding. But their emails and videos are saying or look like something else.

It provides for a confusing environment for any shopper, let alone one that needs to provide the rationale for purchasing from company A over company B.
The eMarketer article mentioned 64% of B2B companies realised that an integrated approach would provide a better customer experience. It would also help provide consistent messaging and a stronger brand.
Getting mobile
Another article on eMarketer talks about how “B2B marketers continue to miss the mobile mark.” Only 51% of B2B marketers in the world say their company even had a budget for mobile marketing at all. And those that did were mixed in terms of the results with less than 10% saying their mobile initiatives were “very effective”.
It may be that their efforts have been misplaced, or at least were incomplete. Half of the respondents mentioned in the eMarketer article said their priority was to get their mobile web pages to load fast. A good goal, but there is something to be said about content too, and channel as well. Mobile is about more than just a web site. But when 75% of B2Bs only give 10% or less of their marketing budget to mobile you can’t probably expect more than that. The good news is that B2B’s reported they planned on increasing their mobile budgets in the coming year.
SMS for mobile and a digital channel
One way for businesses to get started in mobile is to use SMS. It’s a popular digital channel in the consumer market. And that’s the experience the B2B buyer is bringing to their research as a buyer for their business.
SMS messaging can help build relationships between vendors (B2B companies) and buyers. Many business purchases are contractual and it will be worth it in time to develop that relationship with the buyers in the time before the sale, and the years that follow.
With a low cost of entry, SMS is also good for a business’s ROI. The eMarketer article mentioned that the returns businesses saw from mobile investing were not very good. Over 72% said less than 10% of revenue was generated from mobile. But the ROI on SMS messaging is often very high, so they could see a much higher return than with other digital channels.
Mobile and digital channels are not going to go away. In fact their usage will certainly increase. Businesses need to “hit the mobile mark” and strengthen their use of digital channels for better communication and profits. If you’re in one of the businesses that hasn’t yet started a mobile strategy, or hasn’t had much in the way of returns, take a look at what SMS can do for you. You’ll probably be surprised how simple it can be.
Related Articles
SMS Messaging Still Seen As A Differentiator In Retail – For Now
How many retailers use SMS messaging? According to a recent survey, not that many. And that isn’t the only surprising result shared in the survey conducted by Internet Retailer. Companies large and small know how useful SMS can be. Read on to see why now is the perfect time to start.
SMS Marketing for Artisan Food Producers
How 2017 Will Change SMS Marketing
Setting New Year's resolutions for your business can be risky since it feels like you're only really setting yourself up to fail. It's much better instead to try and focus on one achievable goal and do everything to succeed and improve in that area. With its meteoric rise to popularity and outstanding success in 2016, businesses should be using 2017's welcome reprise to integrate SMS marketing into their business development strategy.
Boosting Ecommerce with SMS Marketing
Whilst some businesses still offer physical sales, many companies have an online presence as well. Whether they trade solely on the internet or maintain physical stores, it’s vital for businesses to cater for online customers. In order to increase sales and turnover, companies rely on a range of marketing methods, such as offline advertising or digital promotions. Whilst these can be effective, many businesses are overlooking the potential of SMS marketing.
The Growth of SMS Among Professional Services Firms
We all know how great SMS marketing is for companies which sell to consumers, such as hairdressers, night clubs, garages and hotels. But why would a primarily business to business organisation want to use SMS marketing and why would it want to use FastSMS as its online SMS platform?
Using SMS for business communications
SMS Marketing: An Essential Guide to PECR
The PECR Regulations, better known as the Privacy and Electronics Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 are one of the most important pieces of legislation affecting those involved in SMS Marketing. They exist to safeguard the privacy and use of personal information when used for direct marketing through electronic means, including communications by SMS. Parts of it crossover with the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) and where it does so, both pieces of legislation should be complied with. Unlike the DPA, the PECR is obligatory whether or not you process personal data in the course of your business. Read this essential guide to PECR for SMS Marketing to ensure you know everything you need to know.
9 Reasons SMS Marketing is Far From Finished
With all the evidence indicating that text messaging still has plenty of life left in it, here are 9 reasons why SMS Marketing still has lots to offer. Don't miss out on what SMS marketing can bring to your business.
SMS Messaging to Kick Off Your Summer Kids Club
Sending “Just in Time” Messages Using our SMS API
A few weeks ago I wrote a blog post about using SMS messaging to contact your list after some sort of trigger - they made a purchase, had a birthday, or some other event or date. I’m going to build on that concept a little bit more in this post and share how you can really offer just-in-time SMS messages by integrating with your existing systems.