There are various types of marketing, such as B2B (business-to-business), B2C (business-to-consumer), and B2G (business-to-government), which focus on specific targets. However, what they all have in common is that “marketing = creating a strategic framework to reach decision-makers at companies, consumers, government agencies, and other entities that may become customers through various touchpoints and sell the products and services in question.” Today, I would like to focus on B2B and share a summary of LinkedIn's blog post on key points to consider when creating B2B marketing strategies and tactics, as well as LinkedIn-based marketing.
✏️ What is the process for creating a B2B marketing plan?
The following sequence is generally followed when developing a strategy.
- Establish a comprehensive vision
・Set specific and measurable business goals (What?)
・Establish a framework showing how to achieve those goals (How?) - Define the market and buyer personas
・Target specific customer segments with specific challenges or needs
・The more you narrow down the customer segment, the more effectively you can communicate the right message directly to customers - Identify marketing tactics and channels
・Design how to reach target potential customers through which touchpoints.
・Which methods are appropriate: online/offline, direct/indirect? - Create marketing assets and execute marketing campaigns
・Creative approaches, valuable insights for potential customers, more precise targeting, and strong calls to action (CTA) are essential. - Measure the results of marketing campaigns and make improvements
・By identifying why high-performing content is successful and why low-performing content is not, you can invest your marketing efforts and budget more wisely
・Refer to key performance indicators (KPIs) to identify the most responsive channels, topics, media, and creative, and strengthen your marketing strategies
✏️ What are the common content formats for B2B marketing?
The following are examples of content formats, but it is important to choose the appropriate reach method that your target persona is likely to prefer.
・Blogs: Increase organic visibility and drive inbound traffic to your site
・Search engines: Recently, the focus has shifted from keywords and metadata to search intent signals
・Social media: Reach prospects where they are active and increase engagement
・White papers, e-books, infographics: Providing gated access (requiring users to provide contact information to download content) can help generate leads (prospects who may become future customers)
・Email: A long-standing technique that remains effective
・Video: A best practice recognized for its usefulness in today's marketing
・Live streaming of events and webinars: LinkedIn Live videos generate an average of 7 times more reactions and 24 times more comments compared to native videos produced by the same broadcaster
・Case studies, customer testimonials: Endorsements from customers are extremely important in establishing trust in your products and services.
・Podcasts: These have been gaining popularity in B2B marketing in recent years.
✏️ What are the best practices for B2B marketing?
Here are some key points for success in B2B marketing.
・Add a human touch
Since marketing is directed at people, create content that appeals to emotions and cognition
・Target with both precision and volume in mind
In B2B, purchasing decisions are often influenced by multiple stakeholders, so it is essential to target all stakeholders who may influence the purchasing decision.
・Thought leadership influences
Thought leadership refers to a leadership style that involves sharing innovative ideas and perspectives in a specific field to lead that field. Many people spend at least one hour per week reading thought leadership content, and B2B decision-makers are more likely to pay higher fees when collaborating with companies that have built a clear future vision using thought leadership.
🎯 LinkedIn marketing is gaining attention!
According to “B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Outlook for 2025” (CONTENT MARKETING INSTITUTE, MarketingProfs), 85% of B2B marketers responded that LinkedIn provides the highest value, followed by 28% for Facebook, 22% for YouTube, and 21% for Instagram. Additionally, 68% of marketers reported increasing their use of LinkedIn over the past 12 months.
First, create a LinkedIn page that serves as a hub for your brand!
LinkedIn pages are free, can be created immediately, and are easy to set up on your own. Since LinkedIn is used as a tool when considering the purchase of products or services, regularly posting the latest information can attract the attention of your target audience and increase your followers. Once you have organic content and followers, consider implementing paid marketing centered on digital ads to expand the reach of your product and service promotions.
In the next article, we will introduce the current state of LinkedIn usage in Japan!
📚 Resources
For more details on the definition, strategy, and trends of B2B marketing, please refer to LinkedIn's blog post “What Is B2B Marketing: Definition, Strategy, and Trends”!
