By Scott Will
If you’re like most marketers, you probably view omnichannel communication as a high-impact way to engage consumers, and you’re not wrong. But you could be missing out on a huge opportunity: B2B outreach.
The role of omnichannel communication in modern business-to-business outreach
Omnichannel’s emergence in B2B was once thought to be a pandemic-induced fluke. The thinking went that business decision-makers and purchasers would inevitably go back to the old ways. As McKinsey pointed out in mid-2021, this turned out to be incorrect.
A couple of years later, and B2B buyers are even more enthusiastic about omnichannel. Here are a few fast facts from McKinsey’s latest findings:
- There’s a direct correlation between the number of channels you use and your market share gains.
- Customers prefer great omnichannel experiences — so much so that they’re willing to switch suppliers to get them!
- Buyers use a mix of sales channels, including traditional interactions, remote human interactions, and digital self-service — but the experience needs to be seamless.
- Omnichannel is the clear preferred winner across multiple B2B customer demographics.
Devising a solid omnichannel strategy is integral to your sales success. With that said, it’s not as simple as integrating Facebook or some other popular platform into your strategy. For instance, more than 80% of decision-makers will find new sources if their current suppliers don’t offer performance guarantees. Not only must you make your content stand out, but you also need to deliver consistency.
B2B pointers for omnichannel e-commerce beginners
How can you ensure you make the grade? There’s no universal rule. Every market has its nuances, and that should be a helpful clue.
Get to know your customer.
Putting your customers’ needs first is a good start, and it takes research. Instead of building an omnichannel system that provides what you think customers need — or simply duplicating your existing outreach strategy — ask buyers directly. Find out what they want from an ideal omnichannel communication experience. Only then can you build a marketing framework to match.
Give yourself plenty of options.
Throughout this process, be sure to focus on flexibility. For instance, your preliminary research might show that many buyers prefer digital self-serve web catalogs, but these preferences could shift over time.
A good rule of thumb is to avoid painting yourself into a corner. Build an omnichannel messaging system that leverages integrations, templates, and other reusable components to increase your odds of staying relevant.
Broaden your reach
Pay close attention to your omnichannel messaging strategies. Does your brand have a broad enough footprint? Although omnichannel communication is a great way to build connections, it only works if you go to where the decision-makers are.
Remember: Many B2B customers use upwards of 10 different channels in a single decision journey. You’ll never gain traction if you don’t put yourself out there! Make it as convenient as possible to discover your brand.
Plan from the top down
Finally, don’t assume that your omnichannel software can do everything for you — even if it seems capable enough from a technical standpoint. You must have a solid plan for engaging buyers, and all of your people need to be on board.
Decide on an ideal set of customer service practices, and train your agents to use them. Identify actionable goals for your account-based marketing and make it easy for business clients to choose when and how they engage. Above all, write clear, comprehensive service agreements that let your customers know they can depend on you. It’s a lot easier to use omnichannel communication as a force for good when you’ve defined a clear organizational purpose.
Build your perfect B2B omnichannel e-commerce framework
Omnichannel software is a critical tool for the B2B marketer. If you haven’t made the shift yet, it’s long overdue. For better or worse, your business customers want to interact with suppliers at their discretion, so you need to accommodate them.
There are countless ways to enhance your outreach practices and put data to work. Whether you prefer adding integrations to an existing sales system or creating something entirely new, Mitto brings you closer to your objective — B2B success.
