With so many B2B buyers now working from home either part-time (hybrid) or full-time (WFH), should companies keep up with physical, offline marketing? Or double down on B2B online marketing? And in what ways?
B2B Online Marketing vs. Offline Marketing
Yes, companies should think about how physical and offline marketing stays relevant.
However, most companies now measure physical and offline marketing under largely the same lens and scrutiny as their online marketing. The same goals, the same buyer personas, the same buyer's journey, and the same ways of measuring marketing results.
Before COVID-19, many companies invested most of their marketing budgets on offline events -- especially lavish trade shows, golf tournaments, and group outings to major sports events. And a much smaller percentage of the overall marketing budget went to website development, content creation, SEO, social media, videos, and webinars.
As we emerge from the pandemic, the massive shifts to all-things-digital over the past 12 months are likely permanent. And it's the trade show booth and golf tournament that has to battle for a small slice of the remaining marketing budget.
Remember the Basics
At the end of the day, however, building your go-to-market playbook isn't just about the mix between online vs. offline marketing. You still need to
- set SMART goals
- define your ideal client profile (ICP)
- build out detailed buyer personas for your most important stakeholders
- map out the buyer's journey that your company needs to participate in
- Thoroughly understand the job to be done that your product or service does for its most important buyer persona.
What does your company's marketing mix look like going forward?
And what will be the role of your sales team?
Are you planning a return to your old-school, legacy marketing playbook?
Or has the massive acceleration in digital transformation during the pandemic fundamentally changed your go-to-market strategy?
Let me know in the comments below.
And if you're serious about building a full-funnel growth strategy that's optimized for a mix of B2B online and offline marketing, enroll now in our free 7-day eCourse: Go-to-Market Strategy 101 for B2B SaaS Startups and Scaleups.
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