5 Tips to Optimize B2B Marketplace Listing to derive Maximum Benefits 1 comments

By: B2B Marketing Consultant

An Online B2B Marketplace is a trade portal where wholesale buyers and sellers gather to promote their products and services. Such Online Marketplaces are effective source of leads as there are thousands of buyers searching for products through these portals. The Online Marketplaces operate by creating profile pages for businesses and their products which are highly optimized for search engines and rank higher for many search results.

But donot fall in to the trap of these companies saying it is a cake walk. In fact marketing through B2B marketplaces can be quite a tricky thing. The limitations of the space and the nature of buyer affect the marketing aspects. Hence it is imperative for the b2b marketers to know about the limitations and exploit the benefits to the maximum. Here are a few points a b2b marketer must consider to derive maximum benefit out of the B2B marketplace listings:

Optimized & Concise Content
There is a limitation on the space available for you to showcase your products. The amount of text you can write and the images you can upload is limited. So as a B2B marketer you have keep the content highly optimized with a good sales copy. Take care there are no spelling or formatting mistakes.

Price
More options for the buyers’ means that you have a limited time and space to make an impact. The price is definitely the factor that would affect the buyer's decision. Moreover some marketplaces also provide listings based on products prices. The secret of being successful when dealing with the B2B market is that you need to keep the prices down and trade fast. The clients are interested in the products that are latest and hot in lower price.

Latest products
Always bring in your latest and best products online. Take care which products you showcase on your company profile page. Evergreen products like “generators” do not need regular updating but seasonal goods like fashion products or consumer electronic products should be need seasonal updating. Don’t sell the surplus products online. If you want to do so, sell them in the auction websites.

Display Accreditation & Verifications
The easiest way to generate trust on your company or business is by getting accredited and verified by globally renowned Agencies. After verification, the “Verified by ----” label is provided which can be showcased on your company introduction page and product details page. This helps build trust and can fetch you better prices.

Language & Communication
Communication means the languages, skills, and response time. Fluency and expertise with English is must in International Trade. Many B2B marketplaces provide instant messaging facility, in such cases it is mandatory that you are able to talk in the language that the prospect can understand. Also the responses should be in good English.

These factors help formulate a better marketing strategy for your b2b business. For more information you can visit one of the best B2B Marketplace: http://www.eurotradenet.com

About the Author

The author is an Online Media Consultant who has been consulting various businesses including Small and Medium B2B Businesses on how to use the power of internet to increase the ROI. This will be a series of articles targeted specifically for B2B businesses through our the world. To know more about b2b trade portal please visit http://www.eurotradenet.com. Visit http://b2b-ideas.blogspot.com/ for more marketing ideas for B2B Businesses

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ - 5 Tips to Optimize B2B Marketplace Listing to derive Maximum Benefits

Best Practices for B2B Wholesale Suplliers 0 comments

By: B2B Marketing Consultant

"Customer is the king". Yes it is true. It is because of “Customers”, why we are in business. In the B2B business, lead generation and sales management are keys to ensure your sales pipeline always full. But, many big and small companies are not giving heat to it. Not having or knowing how many leads you have in your sales pipeline and at what stage they are in the sales-cycle can have huge impact on your bottom line. So how do you find new customers? Where should you spend your marketing dollars? How do you measure your ROI?

So I am discussing herewith 5 things you can do to generate more and better quality leads.

1. Branding – Does it matter?

This is an ongoing argument. Some will say YES branding does matter and others will say NO it does not matter. So, the question arises, does it matter? Yes it does. Ask a group of your clients how they came to be your clients?
Maximum responses will say by "referrals", followed by: by reading about your company or learned about you through seminar, in other words your reputation or “brand" influenced their buying behavior and ultimately their buying decision.

2. Target Markets - Who are your prospects?

How well do you know your target markets? Jus answer these questions:
1. Do you know the profile of your target prospect? (Industry, No. of employees, revenue, etc.)
2. Do you know the title of the decision maker you should be targeting?
3. Do you know the names of the actual companies you should be targeting?
4. Do you know the actual names of the decisions makers in those companies?

If your score is 100%, it means you know your target prospects. 80% or less then there is scope for improvement. This is important because: to be successful in lead generation and sales, you need to know, who your best potential customers are. So, I can say knowing your prospects better and ROI on lead generation is directly proportional to each other.

3. Contacting Prospects -What works?

A refined prospect list is the starting point, but what is the most effective way to contact them? Recent Researches shows that two most effective ways to contact prospects is through:

1). Referrals:

Referrals can come from clients, partners or suppliers and represent your best way to contact your prospects. This is best method to contacting your prospect because the person making the referral already has a trusted relationship with the contact and has prequalified them to some level. You are granted the same level of trust as a result of the referral.

2). Telephone Prospecting.

Telephone Prospecting can be as effective as referrals if implemented correctly. The purpose of the telemarketing is what determines its effectiveness. What you should do is use the telemarketing as a way to introduce your company and learn more about the prospect, not sell them on the phone. It is very unlikely that you are going to call someone when they happen to be “sales ready”, but you need a starting point and this is it.

4. Nurturing – Is your bucket leaking?

Lead management is the key to long-term profitability. Sales teams are usually highly motivated to find “sales ready” leads. Industry researches show that only 10% of the total leads are in the “sales ready” bucket. The remaining 90% are not ready or able to make a purchase decision and require a nurturing plan…but do you have one?

Lead nurturing: It is about managing qualified leads throughout the sales-cycle. It’s not about weekly calls asking them to buy, but about demonstrating value, keeping top of mind and positioning your company as a resource so when the lead is sales ready, you are the one they contact. A nurturing plan requires strategy, tactics and systems. For strategy, your company will likely have some level of thought leadership where insight and innovation can be harvested. These are key starting points from which tactics will be developed. You will also need a highly automated system that can manage the lead nurturing process using various marketing tactics and then qualify leads as they become sales ready.

5. ROI – How do I get there?

You are investing in Branding, creating refined Prospect Lists, Contacting Prospects, Lead Management Systems and Nurturing Strategies all in the name of creating sales and profit. But how are you going to measure your return on that investment? The only way to do this with accuracy is by having a well defined closed-loop marketing system. This is where you can manage and measure throughout the entire sales-cycle process from initial contact to completed sale. You need to be able to manage and measure your

• Branding Activities
• Target Lists
• Contacting
• Nurturing

Having a closed-loop marketing system that you can control and adjust to fit your specific business needs will allow you to clearly define your costs for lead generation. Managing and measuring the lead generation and sales-cycle processes will also allow you to keep track what sales actually closed. Once you are able to match up the lead generation processes and costs with the specific sales that closed, your ROI becomes a whole lot easier to determine.

About the Author

The author is an Online Media Consultant who has been consulting various businesses including Small and Medium B2B Businesses on how to use the power of internet to increase the ROI. This will be a series of articles targeted specifically for B2B businesses through the world. To know more about B2B Wholesale Suppliers and Buyers Marketplace please visit: http://www.eurotradenet.com

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ - Best Practices for B2B Wholesale Suplliers