No matter which search engine people use, they are always looking for relevant results. The organizations that do well in the online space do so because they have a strong web presence and as a result are able to intercept their target markets earlier and at more crucial stages of the buying process. Having this strong presence in the search engines allows these B2B sites to generate 'Top of Mind Awareness' and is a great advantage in being selected as the vendor of choice for the company looking for that specific solution.

Just One of the Rungs

You have no doubt heard of the expression 'keeping up with the Jones'. Well this holds true in the B2B marketing world as well. Within the buying funnel there is a research and a consideration phase. Creating top of mind awareness is critical for B2B vendors to ensure that you are one of the 'rungs on the ladder'. This means making the potential client aware of you during the research phase and making a good enough impression on them so that you are still one of the 'rungs on the ladder' as they proceed to the consideration phase. To do this you need to understand how they think and how they search. Which key words are they searching for? What are their current pains and dilemmas? If you have a grasp of understanding your target market then being able to intercept them at the research and consideration intervals is all that much easier. The key here is to ensure that you remain as one of the 'rungs' throughout your target market's buying funnel.

Longer Buying Cycles

More often than not, B2B companies offer higher ticket items and solutions. As a result in the B2B world, it is not uncommon to have longer sales cycle. This means that the companies that are seeking these solutions spend more time researching for an ideal solution for their organization. In turn this causes the buying cycle for that company to become more drawn out. The longer the buying cycle, the greater the number of online interactions you will find. Further as the buying cycle is extended you will find that the nature of these online interactions change. The company researching the solution will have already mapped out the landscape so the interactions now become more navigational in nature. They will have already compiled a short-list of vendors and will now use a search engine to get to a specific page or section of a site. If they have in fact bookmarked the site, then upon returning they will want to navigate to a specific section of the site such as to product description or spec pages. From a search engine marketing point of view, this means that you will want to have your internal product and information pages well optimized with proper keyword density so that:

A). The researcher/visitor can find the proper page from your site

and

. The information on this page is relevant and useful to help them proceed through the buying funnel.

As B2B marketers, in order to intercept your target market you need to establish top of mind awareness. This can be accomplished with a well optimized website that has proper keyword density for the phrases that speak the language of your target market. Further, the messaging on your site needs to speak to your target market and to ensure that your site is treated as an authority by the search engines. If your site can satisfy these conditions then you should receive favorable rankings in the engines where you will intercept your target client that culminates in the forming of a successful relationship and ultimately a conversion for your site.



Jody Nimetz
Search Marketing Strategist
Search Engine Positioning by Searchengineposition
Enquiro Full Service Search Engine Marketing

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