I was originally planning to write up key takeaways from the HubSpot State of Content Marketing in 2022 for health tech and life sciences marketers. Turns out, I bored myself to tears just working on the outline—I can’t imagine how a reader might feel actually having to read it!
While I often joke I work in b-2-boring marketing, the truth is that it doesn’t have to be. Self-reflection has me wondering, am I the one making it boring?
The good news is that you can start testing new tactics right now to see what resonates with your target audience before altering your long-term strategy.
Ready to spice up your marketing? Here are five of the best B2B marketing tactics to try … right now.
Get started with these 5 best B2B marketing tactics
1. Stop chasing best practices. Yes, I said it. Stop dwelling on what everyone else is doing and figure out how to engage your audience—within your budget.
If you had read that State of Content Marketing Report I mentioned earlier, you’d be wringing your hands over the state of your video budget.
- Don’t have the money to spend on an explainer video? Record a LinkedIn live.
- Social media graphics boring? Animate them using Canva.
- Email open rates bottoming out? Create FOMO with your subject line or add a few emojis. 🤔
Sure you want to stay on top of what’s happening in your industry. But the point is not to follow what everyone else is doing, the point is to stand out—surprise your target audience with something that’s unexpected.
2. Go unbranded. Here’s another crazy idea. Next time you’re running a digital ad campaign, test creative with little or no branding. Especially if you’re trying to attract top-of-funnel leads among an audience who doesn’t even know your company exists, let alone can solve their problem. Trust me, they aren’t clicking on your ad because of your logo.
Here’s an example of a successful unbranded ad creative running for a patient engagement company targeting orthopedic surgeons. This creative has resulted in more than 175 top-of-funnel leads on LinkedIn:
3. Change the call-to-action. B2B marketers, myself included, can’t seem to let go of tried and true CTAs, including our old friend the “Request a Demo” button.
Here are some alternatives to test:
- Instead of “Download Now” try “Yes, I Want the Case Study”
- Instead of “Subscribe to our newsletter” try “Join XXX [number of subscribers] other professionals who subscribe to our mailing list”
- Instead of “Request a Demo” try “Activate Your Free Trial” or “Schedule a Discovery Call”
Your call-to-action is one of the easiest parts of your messaging to test. Challenge yourself to try a new CTA in your next email or social media post.
If people haven’t been clicking on your CTAs lately, what do you have to lose?
4. Personalize beyond the first name. Personalization is about so much more than “Hello [Insert First Name]”. True personalization is sending the right message to the right person at the right time.
When someone downloads a new piece of content, enroll them in an email nurture sequence that speaks to their pain points—and remember, you have an idea of their pain points based on what they already downloaded.
Companies using intent data have even more insight into what topics are resonating with your target accounts. Take advantage of what you know to offer your audience.
5. Take a walk. Struggling with dull and uninspired content, ad copy, and social posts? Next time you’re feeling stuck—take a walk. One Stanford study found a person’s creative output increased by 60 percent.
Show everyone you work in B-2-Bodacious marketing
Ready to take your health tech and life sciences marketing from boring to bodacious?
Partnering with a B2B healthcare marketing agency that speaks your language can help your organization stand out in a crowded market.
Our team of content marketing experts can craft compelling campaigns with CTAs that hit the right note.
Contact us today to get started.
