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By Claire Wilcox, Account Support Intern

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"Whether it's B2C or B2B, you're still talking about stories," said John Osborne, president/CEO of BBDO New York, Ad Age’s 2017 B2B Agency of the Year. BBDO revealed how compelling marketing for businesses is just as important (if not more) as connecting to consumers with creative and resonating storytelling. This can be accomplished when businesses turn B2B direct marketing into a multichannel marketing strategy. Here are four of the best practices for businesses to improve their B2B Direct Marketing this year:

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B2B marketing doesn’t have to be boring. C-suite executives are consumers too, according to BBDO Creative Officer Andy Goldberg, who said, “You have to make [your ads] just as or more compelling than Nike and Coke.” Converting otherwise complicated, dull information into engaging, entertaining, and aesthetically pleasing messages can greatly increase business prospects’ attention.

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Businesses have largely given up on direct “snail” mail over recent years as technology has advanced new forms of digital communication. The cost of printing and delivering physical mail is significantly more than some other marketing vehicles. However, physical mail is a good opportunity to reach audiences offline, when their inboxes are cluttered, and with a personal touch. In fact, this marketing channel “yields an impressive 3.7 percent response rate,” according to the Direct Marketing Association. Due to the high costs of this method, it is important to be cost-effective by calculating ROI, carefully targeting the right audiences with the right message at the right times.

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Not only is email marketing the least expensive marketing channel, it yields a high ROI. Email marketing allows businesses to interpret audience behavior in order to gauge their next step. It also allows messages to be personalized to engage with specific customers. For example, newsletters can address a customer by name and reveal their buying history. Moreover, email marketing can include responsive design with attractive graphics that earn attention. Unlike “snail” mail, emails are delivered fast with quick response rates.

To read more on The Goss Agency’s email marketing services, click here.

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Businesses have the strongest presence and engagement on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Twitter, if handled properly, can be a key player in asserting brand identity, driving traffic, and boosting audience engagement. Key ways to do this: 1) Only recycle tweets with the most engagement; 2) use one to two relevant hashtags pertaining to your brand; 3) post consistently (scheduling in advance can help); 4) switch up your messaging style to avoid sounding robotic; 5) beef up your profile with a good bio and quality images.

LinkedIn is great for building relationships and thus can be used as a social selling tool. The “Advanced Search” feature can be used to discover leads by name, demographics, and more. Posting a status update on LinkedIn can create audience engagement as well. Lastly, businesses can use the private direct messaging feature to grab attention to anyone in their network.

Businesses have the capability of converting lackluster direct marketing into a multichannel marketing strategy that engages other businesses in creative and personalized ways. Direct marketing that utilizes email and snail mail, as well as social media like Twitter and LinkedIn, is well on its way to turning prospects into customers.

Are you interested in enhancing or starting a direct marketing campaign for your brand? Reach out to our Account Manager, Ryan Laffler, at ryan@thegossagency.com to see how we can help or read more about our services.

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Sources:

http://adage.com/article/special-report-agency-alist-2015/bbdo-ad-age-s-2015-b-b-agency-year/296725/
https://komarketing.com/blog/social-media/twitter-for-b2b-marketing/
https://smartbirdsocial.net/get-more-traffic/
http://freshmail.com/blog/make-responsive-emails-infographic/
https://radius.com/2016/07/29/best-practices-effective-direct-mail-campaigns/
http://www.chiefmarketer.com/in-b2b-direct-mail-be-relevant-creative-and-timely/
http://www.business2community.com/email-marketing/benefits-email-marketing-01568388#3zrVu7EpARdYuolg.97