Almost 78 percent of German marketing managers in industrial and service companies believe that the increasing importance of digital platform business models will change B2B marketing in the next three years – a current survey by Statista shows this. This means adapting their marketing strategy and incorporating new tools into their marketing mix for marketers. Portal marketing and website analytics can be a part of it – especially when it comes to being successful in the international market.
Why Portal Marketing Should Be An Integral Part Of Every Marketing Strategy
Large German industrial companies are already largely present and thriving on the international market. On the other hand, small and medium-sized companies often face the challenge of marketing and publicising their products outside of their region. One approach that supports this is portal marketing. Portal marketing helps SMEs market their products internationally by placing them on B2B portals, marketplaces, and company directories where both company and product details are presented. A successful online presence makes it easier for industrial companies to open up new markets and acquire new customers digitally. B2B portals are preferred of the three options listed, as they also display results for specific search queries.
In addition, B2B buyers often use portals as a source of information on specific products or services. If companies and their products are listed on these, they can be found in the early phase of the purchasing process. In addition to the low costs incurred for portal marketing – there are free standard accounts or inexpensive premium accounts on portals – portal marketing, above all, offers security. Verification services, such as the telephone verification of all registered users by B2B portal operators, make international customer acquisition safe and profitable.
B2B portals also enable specific targeting of certain industries and regions. Outlets either focus on individual sectors or regions and thus guarantee the targeted addressing of the relevant target group without considerable wastage – unlike other online marketing tools. A successful portal marketing strategy integrates several B2B portals and the global expansion strategy of SMEs.
What Role Does The Website Play In Marketing?
As soon as potential customers have become aware of a company, the company website is the first place to go for further information. A strategic and high-quality website structure is essential for industrial companies to succeed in the international market. There are a few points to note that are different from the domestic market. A concrete target group analysis, the use of relevant keywords that customers would search for, and a modern layout must be considered, among other things. But not only a chic design is essential. Technical things like a customised navigation menu or metadata of images in the target language are also crucial for a successful website.
Once an international B2B website has been created, it needs to be regularly updated, and traffic analysed. Marketers or salespeople must know the visitors, collect the respective data, analyse them, and evaluate visitor behaviour and relevant key performance indicators. This is the only way to easily measure and monitor the success of the international B2B website and adjust the website performance if necessary. For the website, This is the only way to easily measure and monitor the success of the global B2B website and adapt the website performance if required.
For the website, This is the only way to easily measure and monitor the success of the international B2B website and adjust the website performance if necessary. For websites, automated data protection-compliant software solutions are now available for analytics . This automatically identifies B2B visitors, makes data available in web applications, and can then be exported and transferred to CRM.
Digital Lead Scoring – The New Must-Do?
We note: Portal marketing draws the attention of B2B buyers to companies at the beginning of the purchasing process, and they then visit their website to get more information about products or services. The number of potential new customers or leads via the website increases for marketing. In contrast to the offline world, where salespeople have made an average of 30 contacts at a trade fair, the online world offers a significantly more significant number of connections. Although this gives marketers and salespeople new opportunities, they are also faced with challenges at the same time.
It is essential to evaluate and analyse the leads because not every website visitor is relevant to the company. Lead scoring is therefore indispensable for companies. For example, an email campaign that reaches the wrong target contacts could have more negative than positive impacts and convey an unprofessional image of the company. Software solutions analyse and prepare the traffic on a website. Because the leads compared to earlier before the digital lead scoring methods offer the solution.
The charges are thus evaluated according to the completeness of the profile – this includes, on the one hand, demographic data, such as the age of the potential leads, and on the other hand, company information, such as the location, but also the number of website visits.
The pandemic, in particular, has once again shown companies the need to act and digitise their sales. More and more software solutions are coming onto the market to support marketers and salespeople digitally. For companies, this means that marketing strategies must be constantly adapted. The implementation of new processes does not always have to be expensive. Approaches such as portal marketing and website analytics are the best examples of how marketing and sales can be developed efficiently and sustainably.
