In the world of B2B marketing, customers aren’t just looking for the right product or service – they’re looking for a seamless, memorable experience. Enter omnichannel marketing: the strategy that ensures your brand is not only everywhere your customers are but also speaking the same language across every channel.
Let’s deep dive into why omnichannel marketing is the future of B2B – to find out just how it fuels frictionless customer experiences, from better engagement to quality lead development, and personalization, leaving them begging for more. Spoiler alert: metrics and humor included.
The Omnichannel Landscape: A Symphony of Touchpoints
Think of yourself as the conductor of an orchestra, with each one of those marketing channels a separate instrument: your website violin, email marketing trumpet, social media clarinet, sales team drum line. And when those instruments play in a succinct rhythm, you have a harmonious symphony of customer experiences. Otherwise, it’s just noise. Today’s B2B buyers expect a symphony.
According to Gartner, the average buyer engages with 10 or more channels before making a purchase decision. It could be your website, email campaigns, social media, webinars, review sites, and of course, word-of-mouth. They want all those touches not to feel disconnected or redundant.
The problem is, far too many B2B businesses still operate in silos. Your sales team doesn’t know what your marketing team is up to, and it would appear that your customer service hasn’t spoken with either since the office Christmas party. Omnichannel marketing solves the problem by orchestrating all those touchpoints into one seamless, intuitive, and delightful journey for the customer.
Why Omnichannel Marketing Is a B2B Superpower
• It’s All About Engagement (And Revenue)
Engaged customers are happy customers, and happy customers tend to spend more. In fact, per one study by Omnisend, companies using omnichannel strategies see a purchase rate 287% higher than single-channel businesses. In the B2B world, when long decision cycles might be complicated, such levels of engagement could make a very big difference between conversion and a no-deal situation.
Take LinkedIn Ads, for example. As powerful as LinkedIn is unto itself for generating leads, it is all the more powerful in conjunction with other channels. Perhaps a prospect had learned about your brand from an interesting LinkedIn post, went to your site to learn more, got a nurturing email, followed by an invite to a custom demo. That kind of multi-touch keeps your brand top of mind and better advances prospects through the sales funnel.
• Personalization at Scale
Omnichannel marketing is not about just being there; it is about relevance everywhere. And personalization is the magic elixir that does that. In fact, 80% of consumers, according to Epsilon, are more likely to make a purchase when offered a personalized experience.
Try this on for size: Your lead Jane attends your “AI in Supply Chain Management” webinar. The next morning, she receives an email with the key points summarized, with an invitation to download a related whitepaper. Then your sales outreach team sends her a message – a personalized, one-on-one consultation with her industry in mind. That is omni-channel personalization. Jane feels seen, appreciated, and understood – and isn’t that what we all want?
• Lead Generation on Steroids
B2B lead generation is a marathon, not a sprint. Omnichannel marketing paces the marathon, catching leads at whatever touchpoint they come in through and then moving them down the funnel. In fact, companies with a strong omnichannel strategy see only 33% churn in customers, while retaining 89% (Forrester).
Case in point: Imagine combining a targeted ad campaign on Google with an engaging social media presence and an automated email sequence. Prospects who aren’t ready to buy immediately still stay in your orbit, receiving valuable content that keeps them engaged until they’re ready to convert.
The Essentials of Omnichannel Marketing for B2B
Step 1: Understanding Your Buyer’s Journey
One can’t create a seamless experience without understanding how buyers make their way from awareness to decision-making. It’s definitely about charting the journey a buyer makes, identifying all the critical touch and pain points on the way.
For example, a SaaS buyer might start with a Google search, read blog posts for information, compare solutions via third-party reviews, and attend a webinar before scheduling a demo. Your job is to be present – and helpful – at every step.
Step 2: Invest in the Right Technology
In omnichannel marketing, you’ll require tools that will be able to integrate fluently with each other. A CRM (such as Salesforce), Marketing Automation (like HubSpot), and analytics tools (like Google Analytics) all become your key partners in this game. All combined, you have the full 360-degree view of customer interactions-making sure leads are never missed.
Bonus: Integrating these tools allows you to track the ROI of each channel, so you can double down on what works.
Step 3: Consistency is King
Your brand’s tone, voice, and visuals should remain consistent across channels. Whether a prospect is reading your email or watching a video on YouTube, they should feel like they’re interacting with the same entity.
Think of it this way: if the website looks like a three-piece suit, and the posts on LinkedIn are floral Hawaiian shirts-well, that gets confusing. Commit to one identity.
Step 4: Always Optimize with Data
One of the strong points of omnichannel marketing is all the data behind the actions. Use that data to optimize. Are prospects abandoning immediately after the download of a whitepaper? Maybe your series of follow-up emails need reworking. Is one channel converting customers more than any other? It’s time to double down here.
Success Stories: Omnichannel in Action
HubSpot’s Omnichannel Mastery
Where HubSpot really shines is in reducing friction via email, social, and its own CRM platform. If a prospect downloads an e-book, they’re automagically enrolled in a personalized email journey; they see curated content from the company on LinkedIn, and get a call from a sales representative who knows exactly where they are in the sales cycle.
Data-Driven Approach by Adobe
Adobe uses omnichannel marketing to deliver personalized experiences to its B2B customers. By integrating data from multiple sources, they provide targeted ads, relevant content, and tailored recommendations, resulting in higher engagement and conversion rates.
The Future of Omnichannel Marketing in B2B
Omnichannel marketing isn’t going away. If anything, it’s becoming more sophisticated, with AI and machine learning driving deeper personalization and predictive analytics. Imagine knowing what your customers want before they do – and being there with the perfect solution at the perfect time.
In the future, successful B2B marketers will be those who can combine the human touch with technology to create experiences that feel both seamless and personal.
Wrapping It Up: Why You Should Care
Omnichannel marketing isn’t just a buzz term; it’s the bedrock on which you’ll be building solid, long-lasting relations with your B2B customers. Seamless experiences at each multichannel touchpoint drive engagement and personalization in ways you might not have ever considered.
So, are you ready to conduct the symphony? Grab your baton (or CRM) and start orchestrating omnichannel magic today. Your customers – and your bottom line – will thank you.
As they say, the best marketing doesn’t feel like marketing. And in the omnichannel world, it doesn’t – it just feels like a really good experience.