The key to success in B2B internet marketing is to position a company correctly and to address the right target group at the right time in the right media channels. Not every web agency is able to do this. Those who want to save time and money should be critical in their selection.
Finding the right agency is one of the biggest challenges in Internet marketing in B2B. You should be very clear about this, because you will be investing time and money. Unfortunately, not all traditional web agencies are suitable for B2B. To get the best results, you should make important preliminary considerations for this. Because apart from the money and time, you could even endanger your brand with the wrong agency.
After the economic crisis and financial uncertainty in today’s marketing world, many agencies decide to simply work on the B2B sector as well. Every day I come across companies whose web agency actually has very little idea about B2B internet marketing and yet offers these services full-bodied. When success fails to materialise, the decision-makers take notice and invite me as a neutral observer who then develops the appropriate B2B strategy with the agency – and sometimes even has to train the agency!
Internet success depends on the web agency
The key to success in today’s Internet marketing for B2B companies is your agency’s ability to position itself correctly, to address the right target group at the right time in the right channels. If an agency immediately comes to you with obscure Facebook or Twitter strategies without first integrating your website into the strategy and adapting it to social media marketing, then you should be especially careful.
My marketing professor used to say: “Before you learn to fly, learn to walk. Before you learn to run, learn to walk!”. If some agency would stick to this, there would be fewer disappointed companies! Here are a few important points to consider when choosing the right partner if you want to save time and money:
How well does your web agency know your industry?
First of all, the right B2B web agency speaks your language and that of your customers. Ask for appropriate references. Only an agency that has deep insight into your market and knows the purchasing behaviour of your customers will be able to help you operate better in the market. Does the web agency also know the relevant business channels and processes in your industry? It is really very important because many B2B companies just rely on the in-house agency for the internet marketing campaign, which was previously responsible for business cards and print advertising materials and suddenly overnight they are into B2B internet marketing.
How well is the agency known in the industry?
How good is the agency’s reputation? What happens if you search for the agency yourself, e.g. on the Internet, under “internetmarketing B2B”? Can it be found there? Ask about the team behind the agency – and in which areas the agency specialises. Is it perhaps simply a PR agency looking for new clients in B2B – perhaps even as a field of experimentation – or has the agency specialised in B2B challenges for years?
In your own interest, make sure that the agency that takes care of your internet marketing in the future understands a lot about the interrelationships on the internet. Don’t accept any concepts that look good on paper and cost a lot of money, but achieve nothing.
What qualifications does your web agency have?
Look at the qualification and ask! It is important how up-to-date the training is – not for nothing do we offer the Internet Marketing Master training!
Often the argument comes when something doesn’t work: “Yes, that will only have an effect in years …”. If an agency tells you something like that, you should run away! You won’t get far with such promises.
In my experience, working with the right agency, the right strategy and the right attitude is the key to success and can lead to outstanding results. I would be happy to support you in the selection process.
Last updated on 7. February 2023
