Mobile marketing integrated with social media is a perfect fit for business-to-consumer marketing strategies, but what about business-to-business? Is there relevancy here?
Business-to-business mobile marketing spending will quadruple over the next four years, rising from $26 million in 2009 to $106 million in 2014, according to Forrester Research, so the answer is a definite yes.
Deeper Customer RelationshipsLike social media, mobile marketing can be as much about creating deeper relationships with existing customers as it is about attracting new ones. Marketers such as FedEx have done this by building mobile applications that allow businesses to track shipments on the go.
“These are going to be mobile applications that you can put in the hands of salespeople or applications you can give to your customers to help them execute on your products and services,” says Michael Green, analyst for Forrester Research. “A great example is FedEx letting customers track their packages from their handsets.”
Sales SupportIn addition to customer engagement and education, mobile can be a useful channel for a company’s sales force.
“A mobile application is an easy way to put a product demo into the hands of a salesperson,” Greene says. “Instead of carrying a big physical presentation around, it can be in their hands at all times and deliver collateral that engages the client.”
In terms of reaching customers, generating sales leads is a fantastic goal, and mobile can help that along, but the channel’s greatest strength is as an engagement tool.
Creating Value“It is less about the high end of the funnel—lead generation—and more about ‘Once we’ve identified this customer, how do we bring them along the purchase path?’” Greene says.
While B2B marketing has not always been associated with the cutting edge, Greene believes that is beginning to change.
“They are going to use these digital channels to engage customers and we might even see more benefit from mobile for B2B than for B2C,” he adds.
“For B2B marketers, it’s not about launching the coolest app, it’s about creating value and utility for the sales force and the customer.”
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