All repair shops operate a two-pronged approach for their marketing outreach. One concerns targeting the direct customer – the domain of B2C. The other involves the acquisition of bulk B2B company contracts – our focus here.
Now, in the marketing field, there are some promotional tactics that are ‘golden’. Tricks of the trade that work well for both of these settings. Some are specific; turnkey methods that show their efficacy in defined conditions.
It is this latter ‘publicity regimen’, as some gurus are keen to call it, that B2B repair shop marketers need to master.
And, so, a disclaimer before you head toward a hasty implementation:
The ways of company-company marketing can be tortuous and complex. They call for a promotional savviness centered on a deep understanding of market conditions. Complemented, at every turn, by an outpouring of creative thinking.
The worst B2B campaign examples, experience shows, are devoid of these attributes. So it stands to reason for their cultivation to be encouraged. There is no one-size-fits-all solution here.
Template practitioners, then, should be wary. A narrow reliance on repair shop software is also amiss in this picture – especially if it comes without the ‘thought’ element to guide it.
My advice for the devout few who still choose to commit:
Follow the data trail – and be ready for some continual unlearning. 👨💻
Moving On…the Best B2B Outreach Arrangement
Ok.
Now that we’ve got the basic mind-framing out of the way, it’s time to get down to business.
I’ve worked as a B2B marketer for some time now, refining my craft over the years. And the promotions rubric I’ve listed below is one I choose to swear by. Its commercial efficacy has borne fruit in mostly every instance that I can count (tested both in person and by peers).
As such, I have yet to see a case where I’ve found this arrangement sufficiently wanting; although it may require some tweaking per the repair shop owner’s informed consideration.
Listing step-by-step:
1. Sketch a Narrow & Nuanced Customer(s) Persona
2. Tailor ‘Indirect Access’ Content (explained below)
3. Stick to a Defined Social Media Postings Profile
4. Measure Campaigns Efficacy with Analytics
5. Review Designs under Feedback Oversight
You’ve probably noticed the overtly ‘digital’ nature of this process. And it certainly is that way – in essence. But there’s no reason why this approach can’t work in concert with offline marketing.
Results gauging is important here, too. The point where data and analytics algorithms enter the equation to shed clarity on the situation.
Let’s dig into each pointer.
Developing Accurate Customer Personas
Every business exists to sell its products and/or services. Profit attainment provides the cause for continued operation. Marketing, of course, serves as the connecting bridge in this moneyed tango. 💃
Successful customer outreaches, in turn, depend on brand persona formalization. This hinges on a thorough understanding of the ‘ideal customer’ psychological framework. A construct that entails all the proverbial ‘business consumer’s needs and aspirations’.
Once this artifact is drawn in relief, its approach strategy becomes easy. In its most basic form, either a simple or multifaceted matter of correspondence. One-half of a pair that requires a complement.
In practice, this is different from standard customer segmentation. Baseline segregations, involving categorizations by gender and age, do also feature in the analysis. But the story they tell needs further qualification. This ‘completion’ is rendered by such divisions-criteria as:
- Interests (shown by site, social media visitations)
- Geographical Specification/Localization
- Allied Industry Targeting Potential
among others.
Once the marketer is confident on this front, it’s time to draft the relevant collateral.
Note: ‘Content’, in our going sense here, comprises the use of both text and multimedia resources.
Deploying ‘Access Content’ for Customized Targeting
I like to categorize my content postings along two formatting orientations:
- Direct Access
- Indirect
Direct access content is upfront and promotional. It is clear in its commercial intent. Also called BOFU (bottom-of-the-funnel) produce, it is geared for quick conversions. In being so, its appeal is limited to qualified leads. The people who are already familiar with your (repair) brand; ready to make the purchase.
Snap CTAs (calls to action) are also conspicuous in this material.
Indirect content, on the other hand, is subtle. In its more advanced forms, it enables astroturfing: public demand creation. Its standard varieties are geared to raise awareness and facilitate consideration.
It roughly aligns with the TOFU and MOFU content guidelines of the classic funnel model.
All types of entertainment, how-to, and informational content figure into this category.
When marketing B2B, you need to fire both types for effective promotions. Further, the entertainment appeal of the individual productions has to be heightened. Otherwise, you will risk losing your leads to awaiting competitors.
Picking your Primary Social Media Channels
Certain social media channels – per a growing consensus – favor B2B outreach more than others. Two of the most prominent examples here are those of LinkedIn and Instagram.
The first, being a network for building professional connections, comes obvious. Instagram, however, presents a wily recourse. Because, even if used primarily for the sole purposes of leisure, it still commands a sizeable presence of potential customers. People who, confining the issue to our present context, would profess interest in availing repair shop services.
With this understanding, it would be folly, then, for repair business marketers to look elsewhere. Now, I don’t mean this in the definitive sense; as a prescription to wean off of other channels. But I am proposing a prioritization. One that comes backed by experience.
Gauging Campaigns Success with Analytics
Nowadays, business professionals have an easy recourse for benchmarking their marketing attempts. Termed ‘analytics’: an automated panacea for the results-ready.
Google Analytics, of course, comprises the most famous user interface employed under this category. Its various reports and dashboards provide snap and updated insights on the bases of several default metrics. Custom ranges, such as tailored metrics, can also be rendered.
In the repair context, several computer repair shop software applications also align neatly with this trend.
In a nutshell, analytics allows users to connect the dots in various data streams. This information is priceless; allowing brands to tune in to the strategies that yield success. At the same time, businesses can choose to fine-tune outreach mechanisms that are found a little wanting.
Review
Reviews conducted on the back of analytics are insightful. They help businesses course-correct when the going gets tough.
Negative reviews, however, shouldn’t be viewed in any extreme, fatalistic sense. Exxagerations and understatements are sureshot productivity killers, for any repair venture. Only cool and calculated assessments provide the direction that is needed.
By way of an aside, I would like to allude to a recent experience involving a client’s repair POS software. The utility in question, using machine learning and AI to analyze the business’s accumulating metrics, was quick to provide literary solace to its users; spurning them forward with hope. A powerful reminder to not fall into complacency – and to carry on with the work.
My takeaway for the engaged reader:
Gut instinct, backed by numbers, goes a long way in this field. So as a repair marketer worth your trade, be forceful in its intelligent usage.
