Here is a question we get asked a lot: which marketing strategy should a B2B company invest in when looking to grow: brand awareness or lead generation?
You want the customers and you want the profits, right? But here is the thing:
If you lack B2B brand awareness, demand for your services is not reaching its potential and if your lead generation system is weak, customers may have a hard time committing to your services and products.
So what is the answer?
Well, surprise it is both. While brand awareness and lead generation are technically different, they impact each other directly. Some companies are great at promoting their brands but their websites don’t convert leads. Other businesses deal with the opposite: great website and available knowledge but they neglect building the brand and it is hard to sell to people if they do not know you exist on the first place. You can not have one without the other and expect success.
Let’s be honest, lead generation is rarely a straight path. That’s why B2B brand awareness is crucial. Most B2B brands are not household names, so it is really crucial to define who you are so customers are aware of your company or you could end up wasting a lot of your own time. B2B buyers research their problems online first and that’s where you have most potential for building awareness which in turn brings leads. So start putting resources in effective lead generation strategies like content marketing, try to answer questions from unique niche markets.
Brand awareness via B2B display advertising does not require huge budgets. So do not be afraid of investing some money on building your brand within your most precious prospects. It is important to know that this process takes time, so you may not see immediate results but over time a steady increase in trust, loyalty and revenue.
