B2B Inbound Marketing: Strategy Guide (+ 30 Proven Tips)

The Sales Funnel Model

The sales funnel model is a visual model that a business’s sales team uses to understand the sales process in marketing. 

The model breaks down every stage of the buyer’s journey. Some businesses might phrase or label their sales funnel differently, but here is a common structure that is used to show the stages. From top to bottom, the stages are:

• Awareness: The customer has found out about the business in question and the type of services they provide. The marketing efforts have paid off and gotten their attention.
• Discovery: The customer has found a product that looks intriguing. They have become a lead.
• Evaluation: The customer has weighed the pros and cons of purchasing the product. They have done their research and become a marketing-qualified leads. They have pondered whether they can afford the product or not.
• Intent: The customer has made the decision to purchase the product. They are now what’s referred to as a sales-qualified lead or SQL.
• Purchase: The customer has purchased the product of their choice.
• Loyalty: If satisfied, the customer knows that the business that sold them the product is competent and plans to buy from them again. They have probably written a review or fill out a survey to communicate their feelings about the product.

Ultimately your content marketing strategy should support the various stages of the buyer's journey.

The Flywheel Model

The flywheel model is a visual marketing model used in lead generation. It is similar to the sales funnel but shaped like a wheel instead of a funnel, with slightly different visualized principles. 

The two models follow similar steps, however, the flywheel features three main principles that have a significant role in the inbound marketing methodology; attract, engage, and delight.

• Attract: You need to promote your brand enough to attract prospective customers. This is similar to the awareness category on the sales funnel model.
• Engage: At this point in the sales funnel, the customer is considering, evaluating, and forming a decision about the product. Engage them with any type of content tailored to their specific needs.
• Delight: By now, the customer has made their decision and purchased the product. They are a sales-qualified lead. After they have been delighted by the product and/or service, they have become a promoter.

Learn more about the FlyWheel model, developed by HubSpot, here.

To summarize, as each stage of the buyer’s journey, from awareness to loyalty, is completed, the relationship between the person and the business progresses from stranger to lead to customer to promotor, which leads to more strangers becoming leads, customers, and eventually promoters. As the cycle continues and the flywheel keeps circulating, the flow of revenue for the business is maintained.

Here they are, folks:
 

Mistake #1: Not having clearly defined marketing goals: 

Without fully formed business goals, your marketing team will be disorganized and struggle to achieve your desired growth. 

You will have no idea who to reach out to or how to do so and will not know how to allocate your time or budget. This can harm your revenue stream, and your business will struggle to remain afloat.

Solution: SMART goals. These are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based goals. This is a common, simple, and effective tool you can use to keep setting goals that you will remember and work to achieve. 

Having SMART goals can help you with any number of things, from balancing workflows to adapting your content strategy. They will motivate you and increase your confidence in your marketing efforts.
 

Mistake #2: Not running enough tests: 

Data is everything, and so is analyzing that data on a regular basis. If you don‘t test your website‘s performance, you will know nothing about the design flaws. Any piece of content that fails to satisfy your target audience and bring more B2B buyers is a liability.

Once the general swath of website visitors notice your failure to address the shortcomings that negatively affect their online experience, your website traffic, and lead generation will deteriorate.

Solution: Using online analytics tools to track website traffic and other important metrics will help you achieve this more easily. Google Analytics, Hotjar.com, SEMrush, HubSpot, and other services can do this for you sufficiently and quickly. The data you collect and analyze with these tools will help you evaluate what you currently have on the website and then produce more quality content.
 

Mistake #3: Not having a target audience to market to: 

If you aimlessly produce work with nobody to tailor it to, your lead generation will suffer. This is especially true if your line of work is supposed to be inbound marketing. 

If you are spinning out non-specific content devoid of further details, even digitally, your methodology is mirroring the outdated methodology of outbound marketing instead of the modernity of inbound marketing.

Solution: This is the reason why you need to create buyer personas. The personas will help you find your target audience, get to know them, and figure out how to tailor your business to them. 

You will know how to personalize the emails you send, you will know what appealing quality content to put on your website, your lead generation will increase, and your relevance in the community will improve. The business will also thrive financially.
 

Mistake #4: Creating spam: 

Spamming people’s inboxes is not going to pull them in but rather push them away. People find spam annoying and tend not to trust it, especially if they have been hacked in the past. Protect your reputation with customers by refraining from creating spam.

Solution: The alternative to creating spam, use regular, polite email marketing. It will feel like you are still spamming in the beginning, but the difference here is that you actually have a list of subscribers you can send these relevant and helpful emails.
 

Mistake #5: Ignoring Customers’ Pain Points: 

Pain points are any of the problems faced throughout any stage of the buyer’s journey. In B2B, common pain points for the customer include feeling unsupported or uninformed, not getting their money’s worth from the product, or finding the buying process overly complicated.

Solution: Listen carefully to what a customer has to say. Their words are authentic, and they matter. Validate their concerns about navigating the marketplace and make sure to address and solve the issues they’ve been experiencing. 

Make sure to keep communication between your business and the customers clear and constant. Thoroughly inspect and redesign your products to guarantee longevity and satisfaction. Make every stage of the buyer’s journey as simple and efficient as possible.

Creating High-Quality Content for a B2B Inbound Marketing Strategy

Creating high-quality content is the cornerstone of a successful B2B inbound marketing strategy. Your content must resonate with decision-makers in B2B businesses, providing value and insights that address their specific challenges and needs. Here's how to create content that attracts and converts new customers.
 

1. Identify the Right Formats

Choosing the appropriate content formats is crucial for engaging your audience. Different formats resonate with different decision-makers. Consider including the following in your strategy:

• Blog Posts: Short to medium-length articles that address specific topics.
• Whitepapers and eBooks: In-depth resources that provide comprehensive information.
• Webinars: Interactive sessions that allow for real-time engagement.
• Templates: Practical tools that decision-makers can use immediately in their workflows.
• Infographics: Visual content that simplifies complex information.
   

2. Focus on High-Quality Content

High-quality content is not just about good grammar and spelling; it's about providing value. Your content should be well-researched, data-driven, and actionable. This is especially important for B2B businesses, where decision-makers expect reliable and insightful information.

• Research Thoroughly: Use reputable sources and include data and statistics.
• Provide Actionable Insights: Offer practical advice that your audience can implement.
• Optimize for SEO: Ensure your content is discoverable by search engines to attract organic traffic.
   

3. Leverage Social Media Marketing

Social media marketing is an effective way to distribute your high-quality content and reach a broader audience. Use platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook to share your content and engage with your audience.

• Share Consistently: Regularly post updates, articles, and infographics.
• Engage with Followers: Respond to comments and participate in discussions.
• Use Backlinks: Encourage shares and mentions to build backlinks, improving your content's SEO value.
   

4. Utilize CRM Tools for Personalization

CRM tools can help you tailor your content and marketing efforts to better meet the needs of your audience. By leveraging CRM data, you can create personalized content that resonates with different segments within B2B businesses.

• Segment Your Audience: Use CRM data to categorize your audience based on industry, job role, and interests.
• Personalize Content: Tailor your messages and offers to each segment.
• Track Engagement: Use CRM analytics to measure how decision-makers interact with your content.
   

5. Target Specific Verticals

If your products or services cater to SaaS companies, for example, ensure your content addresses their unique challenges and opportunities.

• Highlight Case Studies: Show how your solutions have benefited other SaaS companies.
• Offer Practical Solutions: Provide tips and strategies specific to the SaaS industry.
• Use Relevant Keywords: Ensure your content is optimized for terms frequently used by SaaS decision-makers.

By focusing on these practices, you can create high-quality content that not only attracts but also engages and converts decision-makers in B2B businesses. This holistic approach will help you build long-term relationships, driving sustainable growth and attracting new customers.