Maximising B2B Ecommerce Opportunities Without A Huge Advertising Spend

There is a trend happening in digital sales at the moment that can end up costing B2B ecommerce businesses dear. That fad is focused on tools that involve an advertising spend. While they can increase your online visibility, they can be financially disastrous - particularly for those who don’t know how to use the tools effectively.

Some promotional opportunities are so hard to negotiate, you may have to engage a third-party to ensure you get the most out of them. Of course, this involves an additional cost. Current trends include pay per click advertising and directory listings. Both of these are likely to involve correct use of search terms. They often require considerable research, tweaks to your website and even training. Know anything about attribution models, message matches or dynamic text replacement?

In the current economic climate, cash may be tight. So, how does a B2B ecommerce business maximise opportunities without a huge advertising spend? Comgem, the UK leader in cutting-edge B2B ecommerce solutions, explains.

Sustainable marketing in B2B ecommerce

The key to maximising sales opportunities is often rooted in the type of ecommerce platform a business has invested in. Comgem says, before a B2B ecommerce brand spends a single penny on paid advertising, it should:

• Ensure its platform consistently delivers a great user experience
• Make sure its ecommerce solution has integrated marketing tools, including integrations with social media channels and the option for visitors to subscribe to news and special offers
• Invest in a solution that will increase the visibility of products cost-effectively
• Have an ecommerce platform that is capable of managing sales across multiple channels from a single login
• Can offer website visitors personalised marketing and a range of payment options
• Have a platform that rewards loyal customers
• Have access to reporting tools that can drill down data

A spokesperson for Comgem points out: “There are lots of things you can do to increase sales that don’t involve a huge spend. While there are potentially significant benefits to sales funnels that include pay per click advertising, you will be wasting your money if you don’t know what you are doing - or if you attract traffic to a site that offers a poor user experience. Businesses that don’t understand, or aren’t suited to the pay per click model, can loose tens of thousands of pounds - sometimes in a relatively short period of time.

Putting all your eggs into the pay per click basket can have significant drawbacks if a campaign is poorly managed. They can include fraudulent clicks, sometimes perpetrated by competitors. Developing a sustainable marketing campaign is much more sensible than throwing large amounts of money at something that may not deliver the desired return or even cover its costs.

Organic lead generation for B2B ecommerce

B2B ecommerce brands are better off developing strategies that support organic lead generation and put their own platforms at the heart of promotional campaigns. Inbound marketing that focuses on customer engagement and outstanding user experiences is more cost-effective and easier to measure than advertising that requires an on-going spend to maintain.

By focusing on organic traffic, you can increase sales through engaged audiences. Grow your fan base on social media and through personalised marketing. Throw in content that compels website visitors to act, and you could grow your business cost-effectively without having to worry about budgeting for ongoing, speculative advertising.

Want to know more about organic lead generation and how to measure its success? Download the completely free guide to the B2B ecommerce features your business needs.