Gaining a Competitive Advantage in the B2B Software Marketplace

According to Forbes magazine, “despite global challenges and escalating consolidation, the medical device and technology market will eclipse $500 billion in sales by 2021.” This is great news, but it also means more competition in the B2B software marketplace. This means that companies have had to become more innovative to compete. This doesn’t happen through traditional marketing and sales strategies like trade shows, workshops, print ads, outbound telemarketing, billboards, and press releases. These methods are disruptive and expensive. Research by Roper Public Affairs found that 80% of company decision-makers said they would like to get information from content over ads. 70% said that content makes them feel closer to a company, and 60% said that it helps them make smarter buying decisions. A new technique has been developed, called the “Inbound Methodology.” This approach helps bring in new leads using informative and relevant content. The Earnest Agency found that 81% of customers start the buying process by doing research online. Here are some great ways to stay ahead of the competition in the B2B software marketplace using Inbound.

Release long-form content

Customers are bombarded every day with blogs on basically every topic out there. To stand out, you should develop long-form content that will help capture the attention of your target market and online search engines. Regularly release content like long blogs that place you as an authority in your niche, drive more traffic to your site, improve your search engine position. You can also repurpose long-form content into email newsletters or premium content like ebooks. Research by Odork found that long-form content performs better than short-form content.

Research and use long-tail keywords

Using the best keyword phrases will help improve your search engine position and produce more traffic to your site. Stay away from the short, widely-used phrases as they are very competitive and could be owned by other companies. Instead, use long-tail keywords that have less competition. For example, if you are marketing clinical scanning devices in Portland, you can use the long-tail keywords like “budget-friendly clinical scanning tools in Portland.” These long-tail phrases will be more targeted than just “clinical scanning tools.”

Create guest posts

Creating content for other sites will place you as an authority in the B2B software marketplace, bringing in more traffic to your site and creating backlinks to your page. Do some research to find trustworthy B2B tech sites that allow guest posts. Look for sites that have excellent domain authority( DA) and a lot of engagement. Write great posts that deal with topics currently trending in your industry. Remember to include a link to your site in the writer biography and be receptive to any comments or questions left on your post.

Use email marketing

Email is one of the most effective ways to nurture your leads and transform them into buyers. According to Oberlo, 80% of organizations said that emails add a great deal to their revenue. You can ask your site visitors to give their emails in return for a free ebook or report. As soon as you have a list of contacts, regularly send emails including informational content that will help engage your leads. Ensure your emails are optimized for all devices. Create exciting subject lines to prompt them to open. This will help you gain more followers and give you an edge.

Leverage user-generated content (UGC)

When it comes to the B2B software marketplace, social evidence is key, especially for potential customers that aren’t aware of your brand name. One of the best ways to do this is by levering UGC. According to research by BazaarVoice, 84% of customers said that UGC affects their buying decision. UGC transforms your clients into supporters that pump up your products or services. For example, you can gather video testimonials from your happy clients and upload them onto your site. You can also hold a photo competition where customers have to publish a photo of themselves using your product. This UGC will boost your brand name recognition and bring in even more traffic to your site.

Influencer marketing

According to Tomoson, 51% of marketing pros said that influencer marketing lets them bring in better clients. Before connecting with influencers, you should develop your goals for influencer marketing. This could be to enhance your social media presence, get to a new audience, or increase brand name recognition. Then you need to find influencers that can help you meet these goals. Seek out people that are popular in the B2B tech space and have a big following. They need to also be people with great credibility. Be sure to consistently track how well this strategy is working.

Use effective calls-to-actions

A call-to-action (CTA) is a button or link that prompts a site visitor to take a desired action. When someone clicks the CTA, they are taken to a landing page or product page. Make sure your CTA is brief and clearly describes what site visitors will get. “Start a free trial,” “Get a free ebook,” or “Join our email list” are great examples of CTAs. Use a relevant CTA at the end of every blog post or email.

The last word

Standing out in a crowded market seems like a big job, but with the right strategies, you will succeed. Inbound Marketing and Sales will not just help you shine, but will help develop you as an authority in the B2B software marketplace. We’ve worked with many CEOs and Directors to help them integrate Inbound into their marketing and sales groups. Don’t hesitate to schedule your free strategy session to get help in evaluating your current methods and see how to benefit your B2B company!