Love it or hate it, Valentine’s Day will soon be upon us again. Whether it’s with cards, flowers or chocolates, it’s the perfect time of year to pursue your crush or show your loved ones how much they mean to you. With so many articles written about how to woo that special someone in your life, we got thinking about how these tips could be applied to B2B marketing. Building relationships with your leads isn’t all that different from the relationships you build in your personal life, so what can you do to ‘woo’ your leads this Valentine’s Day?

Make them feel special

In B2B marketing, just as in life, people want to feel special. Although you’re a business marketing to another business, it’s important to remember that there are people behind the email addresses you’re sending information to. Sending a generic email to hundreds of names in a database will turn your leads off, so personalise their entire buying process and take the time to tailor the content you send them so it meets their individual needs.

Listen to them

A one-sided relationship is where one person talks all the time and the other can’t get a word in. Relationships work best when there’s mutual respect and trust, and listening to what the other person wants is an effective way of achieving this. Within B2B marketing, the usage of analytical software can provide insight into the online habits of leads throughout the buying cycle, enabling you to more efficiently understand what they’re looking for and what they’re engaging with.

Shower them with gifts

Everyone likes presents. Whether you begrudgingly buy a greetings card for your significant other or you pre-order a dozen red roses for delivery each year, gifts are always appreciated. And it’s the same in B2B marketing. Offering leads a steady stream of high-quality content that’s relevant to them can help position your company as an industry thought-leader, whether it’s with infographics, tipsheets or ebooks. As 76% of B2B marketers plan to create more content in 2016, make sure you don’t get left on the shelf [i].

Don’t rush it

Our final tip is not to rush things. Romance takes time, and putting all your cards on the table on a first date could seriously backfire if the other person doesn’t feel the same. This is especially true for B2B marketing, where thanks to increasingly savvy buyers carrying out their own research, the typical buying cycle is now anything from 3 to 12 months [ii]. Nurturing your leads with a combination of high-quality, targeted content will keep them engaged with your company, and move them down the sales funnel, until they’re ready to buy.

Although it might take time and effort to win the hearts of your leads, the most successful B2B marketers understand the important part lead nurturing plays in generating sales-ready leads. After all, people want to feel appreciated and listened to all year round, not just on Valentine’s Day.

 

To find out more about how lead nurturing can help you build relationships with your leads

 

[i] http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/2016_B2B_Report_Final.pdf

[ii] http://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/chart/shrinking-length-b2b-sales-cycles