Tips for reaching your B2B customer at home

Over 25% of the workforce has worked remotely for the last year and predictions indicate those numbers will continue to rise in the years ahead. This leaves B2B marketers facing a new challenge – how to reach a business audience in a home environment. Unfortunately, there is no magic bullet. Direct mail lists currently target businesses and employees at their office. But there are multiple options to help you find and reach this audience in new and unexpected ways. Here are a few ideas to consider.

1. Build and utilize lookalike audiences

One of the best places to find prospects is by looking at your current customer database. Identifying key characteristics of your core customers can help you locate others who “look” like them. A number of resources provide this product offering – including Google and Facebook –  but usually the most relevant option for a business audience is LinkedIn. By uploading your current contact list and selecting key identifiers, you’ll be able to begin marketing to a new audience that matches your original profile. Of course, a high-quality source list and accurately identifying key characteristics will deliver better results. You might also want to check with your media partners and list providers regarding their capabilities. For instance, if you have an email list of recent conference attendees, they may be able to determine identifying factors enabling them to find prospective contacts. Another option is to use your customer advocates – create a referral program offering incentives to your strongest customers for qualified leads.

2. Focus on getting found

As marketers, we’re conditioned to focus on doing the finding – new customers, new leads, new technology. Another relevant practice is to flip that idea around and start focusing on being found. Demonstrate your thought leadership with a solid content marketing plan and consistently post new and relevant content on your website and social media. With podcast numbers continuing to increase, put your marketing dollars to work by sharing what you know best – your industry expertise, your brand awareness and your audience insights. However you choose to present your content, make sure you’re providing information your customers want and need – and not what you want to tell them.

3. Employ emerging technology

Direct mail retargeting continues to grow and improve allowing identification of website visitors who abandoned your site before completing a task (making a purchase, downloading a white paper or completing a contact form, for example) to be re-messaged. The use of data analytics and implementation of pixels on your website allows for identification of web visitors. Visitors can then be mapped back using IP addresses, cookies, and device IDs. Those who can be matched to a physical address can be sent a postcard (or any other direct mail item) within days of their visit. Other possibilities include app downloads or keyword searches to identify prospects. Just as you’re able to identify visitors to your website, you can find information on individuals who have downloaded apps or are using keyword searches relevant to your business to retarget them via email. Remember that match accuracy will vary depending on your industry and your provider. Before proceeding, be sure to question how data is collected and managed to ensure all privacy and protection best-practices are being used.

And be sure to check out our blog on how to find B2B prospecting emails for more ideas and inspiration to effectively reach your customers.