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B2B MarketingFundamentals

The balancing act:A B2B marketer’s unique challengeTo help our businesses accelerate even in tough times, we need to deliver leads today.But it takes time to build lasting impact.In B2B, how (and where) you do business matters. Starting with a strong foundation is key.By 2022, profitabilitywill replace customerexperience as the CMO’snumber 1 strategic priority.12xSuccessful B2Bmarketers are 2Xas likely to thinklong term.2B2B brand buildingshould account for 46%of marketing spend, andlead generation 54%.3Successful marketers operate off a simple playbook.They focus on 3 things:Reaching buyers with the power to actDriving meaningful engagementBuilding trust along the way1 “Gartner Predicts 2019: In Search of Balance in Marketing,” January 21, e-in-marketing2 MarketingWeek3 The B2B Institute2

Reaching buyers with the power to actB2B buying cycles are long, emotion-driven and involve many stakeholders. Make sureyou know who your marketing is reaching and how your buyers are reacting to it.B2B buyers average17 meaningful interactionswhen completing a purchase.4Navigating the B2B buying cycle can becomplex, so reaching the right stakeholdergroup is key.(The typical buying group involves six to 10stakeholders, each of whom have consultedfour to five sources of information that theymust then deconflict together.) 5And it’s clear that marketing can play apivotal role in how that stakeholder groupresponds.Considerations about whether a purchasecan enhance the buyer’s reputation orreduce anxiety play a large role in the B2Bbuying decision.695% of decision-makers state that, evenbefore contacting a supplier, feeling asense of connection to a supplier’s brandis as important as feeling confident aboutwhat they do.7Multiple stakeholders influence every sale.Winning brands drive consensus andcatalyze collective action across thebuying committee.“Too many B2B marketers underestimatethe importance of branding to theirsuccess, focusing instead on a productbased appeal to buyers.”– Forrester Research, ”What B2B Buyers Crave,” 20204567Forrester SiriusDecisions blog, “Why Are Buyer Insights So Vital for Product, Marketing and Sales Leaders?” 2019Gartner, “Buyer Enablement,” 2019, ablementHarvard Business ReviewB2B International3

Reaching everyone on the buying committee isone of the hardest parts of B2B marketing – andone of the most important when you’re selling highconsideration products and services.You succeed by reaching and building relationshipswith prospects who wield decision-making authority.That’s why it’s essential to engage high-qualitybuyers in a professional context.Reach your target audience on LinkedIn690 million65 million4 outof 5LinkedIn membersaround the worlddecision makerson LinkedInmembers drivebusiness decisionsMarketers can tap into our powerful demographic data to:Precisely targetaudiencesZero in on intent,behavior, engagement,interests and moreReach everyoneinvolved in thebuying decision4

“With these campaigns, we can know exactly whothis job title is that’s in front of this ad, and whatcompany they’re at. And it makes our job of findingthese people much easier.”Trey BuchananSenior Manager at Metric Theory (ServiceMax’s agency)Thanks to the quality of their content and precision of their targeting, ServiceMax and Metric Theoryhave seen strong overall results with their campaign. But the real breakthrough came from the decisionto focus their efforts on LinkedIn Groups. The Groups campaign outperformed even Retargetingcampaigns, producing an incremental surge in quality leads at a 16% lower cost per lead: 189 leadscaptured at a CPL lower than benchmark.16%better campaign performancewhen targeting LinkedIn Groups189leads captured at a CPLlower than benchmarkOur solutions for reaching professional audiencesAd TargetingReach professional audiences with Ad TargetingLookalike TargetingFind professionals on LinkedIn who look, act, and behave likeyour top customers with Lookalike TargetingAudience ExpansionFind similar professionals who might be interested in yourofferings using Audience ExpansionMatched AudiencesFind the exact audience to match your target list withMatched AudiencesAudience NetworkServe ads beyond LinkedIn via the LinkedIn Audience Network5

Driving meaningful engagementwith business-minded buyersMaximize your investment toward the engagements (and receptive audiences) that count.Joining your audience’s conversations is aproven way to connect with buyers. Gainmindshare and market share will follow.Empowered B2B buyers consult manycommunities – including those on socialmedia – to inform their purchase decision.They find most value in the ones gearedtoward their business needs and interests.81%of B2B buyers said they share businessrelated content with their LinkedIn network 875%of B2B buyers use social networks tolearn about different vendors 9Your brand should be a part of thosevaluable engagements.“Modern B2B buyers will expectproviders to be present and proactiveat every moment of their journeys,in all of their preferred channels andtouchpoints.”– Forrester Research, ”What B2B Buyers Crave,” 20208 DemandGen9 Forrester blog, “Welcome To The B2B Marketing Renaissance,” 20196

How to take part on LinkedIn82%of B2B marketers realize theirgreatest success on LinkedIncompared to other socialmedia channels 10LinkedIn members are purposeful.They invest time on the platform to be moreproductive and successful, to learn andgrow. That makes them more interested inlearning about brands on LinkedIn.LinkedIn is the most common social networkused to research for buying decisions.Brands on LinkedIn have seen 33% increasein purchase intent resulting from ad exposureon LinkedIn.11Quality conversations and dialogues thrive in the feed on the trusted, professionalLinkedIn platform. In 2019 on LinkedIn:25%more sessionsyear-over-year10 Content Marketing Institute11 Heinz Marketing358 billionEngagement reachedrecord levelsLinkedIn feedupdates viewed7

“ by the end of the hour-long presentation we hadone thousand comments. I was with the team in thecampaign control room, and they couldn’t believe thequality of the conversations we were having with viewers.”Julian FosterGlobal Head of Paid Social MediaAutomation AnywhereWhen the big day arrived, and Automation Anywhere launched its LinkedIn Live broadcast,the response was immediate and immense. In addition to generating 1,000 comments by theend of the hour-long presentation, it drove 2,000 high-quality leads per month.2,000avg. high-quality leadsper month from LinkedIn at 30 avg. cost per lead78%of views across allplatforms came fromLinkedIn LiveEngaging your audienceon LinkedInSearchHomeMy NetworkJobsMessagingNotificationsMeTry Premiumfor freeMoreGolden PhasePageContent SuggestionsCareer PagesAnalyticsActivityAdmin tools Bring your brand to life and buildrelationships using LinkedIn PagesGolden Phase Stream live video content todrive record engagement withyour professional audience withLinkedIn LiveInviteEnter your company’s ‘golden phase’ with the right marketing strategy.FollowVisit websiteShareShare your thoughts about this eventGolden PhaseDashboard11,24534,53634,5360%UpdatesFilter by: Page updates34.1%Posted by Alice Walker34.1%23,0431.1%10/10/2019Sponsor nowPinned#goldenphase636 followersLIVE7.5k#goldenmarketing400 followersGolden Phase163,880 followers1hAll post impressionsFollowersSo you want to accelerate the progress of data sciencein 2020. Watch our incredible panel of experts.HashtagsVisitors163,880 followers1dCommunitiesStart a postLast 30 daysCustom button clicks Reach a highly engaged audiencein the LinkedIn feed withSponsored Content105 attendees including Marcella KellyMarketing and Advertising San Francisco, California 163,880 followersIt’s not just a trend. Golden Phase team members are increasingly more likely to#WorkCommute using environmentally friendly transportation.#marketright200 followers1.5kFeatured groupsReact120 CommentsCommentRunity coders2,213 membersRunity programming1,213 membersRunity programming1,213 membersSee all featured groups22 Likes · 17 CommentsLikeCommentShareNotify your employees of this post8

Advertising in trusted environmentsthat deliver resultsTrust is something that’s hard won but easily lost. So is your brand’s identity. Where yourad shows up matters. Context matters.Brands must carefully choose where to establishtheir reputation. Doing so could mean the differencebetween winning and losing their biggest deals.51%68%of B2B buyers place a higher emphasison the trustworthiness of the source ofthe content they consume12The majority of B2B buyers notice adsfrom the solution provider they choseduring the research process13That’s why you should align your brand withtrusted, recognizable sources. Establish a strongbrand reputation by showcasing your value intrusted environments.Perceptions of enterprise – who you are – drivestwo thirds of corporate reputation vs. what you sellwhich accounts for only a third.14“Many companies focus on chasingdown leads with a ‘last-click’ mindset.Fewer invest the effort to earncredibility in the minds of customersand create an environment thatstimulates lasting demand.”– Edelman, “Beyond Conferences,” 202012 DemandGen13 DemandGen14 Reputation Institute9

The case for trusting LinkedInTrust is the foundation of meaningful relationships that convert prospects to customers.When you advertise on LinkedIn, you associate your brand with the most trustedsocial media platform.For the third year in a row, LinkedInhas been recognized as themost trustedsocial platform15LinkedIn ranks #1for “least annoying ads,”“confidence in data,”“least deceptive content,”and “feel safe participating” 15“We were able to find a lot of success on LinkedIn because LinkedIn gives us access toa very engaged and relevant audience. When a potential customer sees meaningful,relevant content, they’ll view your company as a knowledge resource and as a partner.And in the future, once they build up that trust, they’ll come to you with their business.”Joon ShinDigital Marketing Manager,Aha!Trust is also the foundation for delivering both short- and long-term results. And ourplatform empowers you to deliver against any and all marketing objectives: brandbuilding, engagement, lead generation, and conversions.As a source of leads, LinkedIn performsabove average compared to othersocial networks 1640% of B2B marketers surveyedindicated LinkedIn the most effectivechannel for driving high quality leads 19Brands see a 2-3x lift in brand attributeswhen advertising on LinkedinMarketers see up to 2X higher conversionrates on LinkedIn 17Brands have seen 33% increase inpurchase intent resulting from adexposure on LinkedIn 17Audiences exposed to both brand andacquisition messages on LinkedIn are over6x more likely to convert 20LinkedIn was named the #1 rated platformfor B2B lead generation 1815 Business Insider Intelligence16 eMarketer17 LinkedIn data18 DemandWave19 eMarketer20 LinkedIn Marketing Solutions10

Our solutions for building trustYour ads – whether powerful videos, evocative images, or personalized messages – appearseamlessly in the LinkedIn feed and inboxes to become part of the member experience on LinkedIn.Easily create and launch LinkedIn ads aligned with yourobjectives using Campaign ManagerDeliver powerful videos and evocative images directly tomembers’ LinkedIn feeds using Sponsored ContentStart a dialogue with professionals and businessdecision-makers with Conversation AdsCollect quality leads from your ads with our Lead Gen Forms,prefilled with accurate LinkedIn profile data11