The choice of marketing channels is often a matter of dilemma for many B2B founders and marketers. It’s not that they don’t know the different channels that exist. It’s the lack of certainty as to which channels would work for their industry that puzzles them.
In addition, almost every business out there is using the same marketing channels. Everybody is doing SEO. Everybody is there on LinkedIn. Almost everybody is doing email marketing. So, there isn’t much differentiation between what various B2B businesses do in terms of their marketing efforts.
One of the ways to overcome these challenges is to experiment with unconventional channels that most are not exploring (or known to many but are not being used effectively).
But the question is, how do you find such channels? In this article, we explore 3 ways in which you can find such ‘invisible’ channels.
3 ways to find untapped B2B marketing channels
To be honest, finding the right marketing channels does not have a formula. Rather it’s a lot of experimentation. As in the case of scientific research, some experiments fail and some succeed. You need to approach this exercise with such a mindset.
That said, let’s look at the 3 tactics:
1. Competitor benchmarking
I know this comes as a surprise to many of you. But most of us have a very narrow view of competitor analysis. And often, competitor benchmarking is not even done by the marketing team. The best we do is content gap analysis to find new keyword ideas by comparing our website with that of competitors’.
But competitive analysis from a marketing standpoint is much more than that. It includes the following elements:
- Business overview – products/services, key customers & partners, target segments, etc.
- Marketing overview – a quick overview of key marketing metrics at a business level
- Positioning, value proposition, and messaging
- Website traffic analysis
- SEO audit
- Content audit – blog, videos, gated assets.
- Social media audit
- Ads analysis
- Marketing tech stack analysis
- Email marketing audit
- Website chat analysis
- Online and offline event analysis
- Analyzing other online activities
When you look at your top competitors across all these elements, you are likely to find a few marketing channels that they are using but you are not. Often, what you will find is that competitors are not doing enough with some of those channels. This means that there is a lot of untapped potential for you to grab.
To learn in detail how to do competitor analysis to identify marketing opportunities, check out the below article:
Competitor Analysis Framework – A Definitive Guide [From A Marketing Standpoint]
2. Learn from niche businesses
One of the biggest gaps I see in the IT and SaaS marketing space today is the extensive reuse of standard playbooks. A lot put forward in the content-led marketing framework by HubSpot years ago still works. But that has created a lot of digital noise. Such ‘tried and tested’ techniques are not enough to stand out from the crowd.
Source: bizsetup.wordpress.com
This is where learning from niche B2B businesses can help. Examples include:
- A company selling packaging solutions to manufacturers.
- A business that offers robotic fleet management software.
- A system integrator that designs electronic components for medical devices.
You won’t find most of them on LinkedIn. You don’t see them doing a lot of SEO. Many of them don’t run ads. So, which marketing channels are they using?
It varies from business to business. But there is a common pattern. Here are some:
- They are heavy on events.
- They rely a lot on field marketing. Often, the marketing and sales functions are integrated (they don’t have the marketing-sales misalignment problem😀).
- They still do print ads in relevant industry magazines (today, most of these magazines have a digital version too).
So, what can we learn from this? Should we go back to traditional marketing tactics?
It depends a lot on your industry. Make a choice based on what works for you. But the point is, be open to exploring channels like these. Don’t ignore them. They have low competition and little barrier to entry.
Related: 7 Niche B2B Marketing Strategies For Sustainable Growth
3. Community-led approach
Many see communities as a single marketing channel. I mean, in a way they are. However, we don’t realize the potential of a community in driving the business forward. Many B2C and creator-led businesses have designed their entire product development journey by leveraging insights from communities they built. Jupiter Money and Topmate are examples.
Source: makeameme.org
Now, how can this be relevant for B2B businesses, that too for finding new or unexplored marketing channels?
It’s fairly easy. When you build a community, you are essentially creating a group of individuals who are willing to share their wisdom and opinions. Assuming that a vast majority of your community members fall into your target audience, their thoughts reflect the ground reality. Something as simple as a poll in the community Whatsapp group can help you find the best-fit channel for your business. Here, you can also consider existing customers as a part of the community when you try to gather insights.
Building a community takes work. But you are not just creating a group of target customers but a valuable source of knowledge that contribute to your success.
Final words
Choosing the right marketing channel is not enough. How well you use it and execute various tactics matter more. Be ready to face a lot of failure on the way. Even Thomas Alva Edison had 1000 unsuccessful attempts before he invented the light bulb. Embracing the experimentation mindset is key to marketing success. That’s how the largest (and most successful) brands in the world operate.
Skalegrow – marketing agency for robotics companies
Skalegrow is the only marketing agency in India (and one among a few globally) to specialize in marketing robots. We understand how the industry works and what can make your product attractive to your target audience – whether you are selling to hospitals or construction companies. We focus on generating demand for your products by producing high-quality content and marketing campaigns that standout. Our services include content marketing, SEO, video marketing, ,email marketing, graphic design, LinkedIn marketing, performance marketing, and website management.
So, if you are looking for a marketing partner that is laser-focused on robotics, look no further than Skalegrow. You can get in touch here or reach out to us at info@skalegrow.com for a detailed discussion.
About the author
Naseef KPO is the Founder and CEO of Skalegrow. He comes with rich experience across multiple areas of B2B marketing including content marketing, demand generation, SEO, account-based marketing, marketing analytics, revenue attribution, marketing technology, etc. He writes thought-provoking and relevant articles on The Skalegrow Blog and his weekly LinkedIn newsletter Elevate Your Marketing.
Prior to starting Skalegrow, Naseef led large marketing teams in multi-million dollar B2B organizations where he made significant contributions to the topline growth of the business. He has also appeared on numerous podcasts where he shared his thoughts on trending marketing topics such as the application of AI in marketing, startup marketing, ABM, and B2B content marketing, just to name a few. Being the founder of Skalegrow, he is currently focusing on helping its clients stay ahead of their competition by using innovative yet practical marketing tactics.
You can connect with Naseef KPO on LinkedIn.
