Is your marketing ready for the surge?

Covid ushered in “a mass migration to digital.” B2B buyers (over 70% of them) now consider remote selling and digital self-serve tools more effective than in-person interaction (McKinsey). By 2025, over 80% of B2B buyer interactions will occur in digital channels (Gartner). 

Think about the implications: If B2B buyers now consider digital self-serve tools and remote selling more effective than in-person selling and meetings/events, then our whole industry, which has rested on the strength of “the relationship” is in for a wake-up call. 

Add to this, the industry saw its first substantial increase in Q2 sales this year (year-over-year), with 63% of distributors reporting an increase (ASI).

The statistics are pointing to a growing reality: 

A NEW SURGE IS HAPPENING RIGHT BENEATH OUR FEET

In 2020, while we were battling covid in isolation, a tidal wave grew quietly beneath us: raw materials shortages brought inventory setbacks and production issues in massive waves to our shores. It was a disruption months in the making, now our daily battle. 

And there’s another surge stirring beneath us. While the economy is rebounding, prospects now use the web exclusively for finding, vetting, and selecting future business partners. B2B buyers now consider digital selling the new normal. 

The current tidal wave is material, the next tidal wave is digital.

BUT I’M TOO OVERWHELMED TO THINK ABOUT THAT NOW

Let’s pause for a minute and acknowledge this moment’s reality: You are fried, burnt crispy. Inventory ills. Problematic orders. Importing impossibilities. It’s a brutal time to be in the business. You and your team are firefighters, dousing one blaze after another. A sales rep once came into my office during a difficult season with a stack of problems -all raging fires- and I replied, “okay, who can we not afford to piss off?” It’s a bad season when you prioritize by irritation factor.

But what worries the savviest leaders is what we’re not worried about now. While the pressing problems of production keep us occupied, leaders know that it’s their job to protect the herd by lifting their heads above the fray to spot future challenges and look for future opportunities.

Since the selling future is digital, the problem and opportunity we should be preparing for are creating a digital-first experience that meets future buyers where they prefer to play.  

AND THAT’S GOOD NEWS. IT’S GOOD NEWS IF … 

… we take the critical time now to stop, reassess, and recalibrate our marketing. By doing so, we will create a self-operating funnel of future leads. It won’t be easy; nothing great can be accomplished with zero effort but, you will be surprised at how evergreen your future will look if you recalibrate for a digital-first future.

Everyone -regardless of how progressive, advanced, or sophisticated you are- needs to reassess their digital experience. In 2020, those that had put in the work, overhauling their websites and lead-gen engine, will reap first-wave rewards. But, as my cranky but endearing math teacher, Mr. Burgiss, once barked at me after I solved a problem in front of the class, “don’t break your arm patting yourself on the back, Lehew.” We can’t afford to be proud of our average intelligence in the arena of marketing. Marketing is a fluid mastery.

Some of us are caught flat-footed at the moment: our marketing emails are occasionally sent and occasionally interesting, we have ambitious but executable content plans, our websites need updating, our CRM is a haphazard tool, and our sales funnel is dry. But here’s what I’ve discovered: making a course correction, amping your marketing efforts takes a lot of work now that pays big dividends later and continuously. 

To help with your efforts, we’ve compiled a list of the essential areas you and your team should review to make sure you are maximizing your marketing to get ready for the digital wave and action points for each category, plus, a few secrets we’ve learned along the way.

To read more, click here.

Bobby Lehew is the chief content officer at commonsku, this article is courtesy of commonsku, the work-from-anywhere platform that powers your connected workflow enabling you to process more orders and dramatically grow your sales. To learn more visit commonsku.com.