October 14, 2014

Buyers Are Researching Products Online: Are They Finding You?

Your business is about to release its new product out into the market. But is there enough supporting content to ensure a smooth launch? If not, you could be taking a big risk, as an increasing number of B2B purchasers are now using the Web to make informed buying decisions.

According to research from the new B2B Procurement study from Accenture’s (News  - Alert) Acquity Group, 94 percent of B2B buyers conduct some degree of online research before making a business purchase. And 55 percent do so for at least half of their purchases.

Where are B2B buyers finding the digital information they are looking for? To be expected, social media and blogs are some of the top destinations for buyers. But an overwhelming 83.4 percent of survey respondents indicated that they go directly to a supplier’s website for information. And 77 percent of people will turn to Google (News  - Alert) for answers.

Buyers want to see written articles, pictures, infographics, videos, podcasts and webinars. And if you don’t supply this information to users, you leave the door wide open for your competitors reviewers to do so. Just consider the fact that user reviews and third party websites make up 41.8 percent and 34 percent of research channels, respectively.

Here are some of the biggest reasons you need to support your products with digital content:

Create a “must have” product:  As a digital marketer, it’s your job to make your online audience need your product. Content helps create this need by showing your readers how your product or service will save their business time and money, as well as solve many of the challenges they face. Explain the ROI that it will generate. And make sure you go above and beyond the initial price savings when describing ROI.

Tip: Think of typical pain points that plague business leaders, and generate your content around them. These pain points can transform your product from a luxury item into something they have to have.

Control the narrative: Don’t let third party reviewers and competing companies control what is said about your brand. Use online content to control your narrative. Do this by conducting interviews with product developers, industry experts and partners. The more positive information you generate about your product, company and industry, the better.

Tip: Don’t focus so much on your new, exciting product that you wind up sounding like a broken record. Make sure you spread out your topics evenly so you don’t forget to cover other important events happening at your company or industry. Remember: Even though you are trying to promote your new product, the world doesn’t revolve around it.  Your job is to create alluring content to generate interest—not to beat the topic to death. 

Keep people on your site Once your product has made it past the launch phase, you need to keep readers coming back for more content. You can do this by supplying a steady flow of “how-to” articles, as well as partner case studies and use cases. Get into the mind of the B2B buyer by investigating product trouble points. Figure out what questions your readers have about your new product, and work this information into your content calendar.

Tip: Find out early what makes your product interesting and use this information to your advantage. An easy way to do this is to figure out how your product aligns with larger topics that are going on in your industry. Keep up with the news, and use breaking headlines to help generate attention towards your business.

Click here to learn more about how Content Boost can help ensure a smooth product launch into cyberspace.




Edited by Brooke Neuman


Edited by Brooke Neuman




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