Field marketing can be a vague description. B2B, or business to business if you prefer, field marketers are simply those who specialize in getting their company or product out in the eyes of their audience directly.
Whether you’re hoping to attract attention to your company in a retail environment, college campuses, or large scale events, field marketing experts need to be engaging.
This is especially true when you’re a B2B agency. Being trusted to engage your customers into a positive impression of your brand can be a huge undertaking.
If you feel that some of your tactics are becoming stale you may need to begin mixing up your techniques. Relying upon your experiences as a salesperson and a marketer to build the relationships that will allow your brand to thrive.
Here are 5 tips to improve your effectiveness as a field marketer
1. Don’t Make Events Your Sole Focus
Of course hosting events can be a great way to help your customers learn more about what you have to offer.
But one mistake that is often made by field marketers is they forget the worth they bring to the organization as a whole. You need to be sure that you are actively working with your company since you are a valuable part of the team. You aren’t just a party planner.
Because you’ve interacted personally with clients through your events you offer a unique perspective into what they are looking for.
Knowing what the customer wants is the key to business success so offer up your personal knowledge of clients to your sales team and other departments that may benefit from having more information.
Spending some time monitoring the trends of your industry can help you stay on track. You want your company to stay at the forefront of your customer’s minds so following the trends will help you do that well.
It’s also important to spend some time keeping notes of what has worked and what hasn’t. That will become valuable information so that you can track your own marketing trends so you can find further success going forward.
2. Sharing Your Insights
It can be hard to be a team player but an effective field marketer needs to be one. As the best advocate for both your customers and your company, you bring a unique perspective to the table. Take your impeccable records and use them to your benefit.
When you meet with the sales management team, you can offer suggestions on areas that need improvement.
As the middleman between the sales representative and the new customer, you may have done some hand-holding to get them up and running correctly. When you share what you’ve learned with those who can improve from it as well you’re being a team player.
Having event notes and client feedback handy for meetings will show that you’re prepared and take your job seriously.
If you can find a pattern or trend that may be able to be capitalized on as a company as a whole you can better your position as a B2B field marketer.
Running reports doesn’t need to take up the bulk of your time. There are apps that can help you keep track of your findings as well as take notes on specific clients for you to look back on as needed.
They can even manage your mailing lists. When you find a solution that helps your job run smoother you will also help your brand succeed.
Since you are out in the field you also have a unique perspective on what the competition is up to. You will want to keep track of what similar businesses are up to and how they seem to be doing that you don’t fall behind. Keeping your ears open is important and sharing your insights is as well.
3. Not Learning the Lingo
Your job is to get out and meet people. You’re probably great at finding people who will appreciate what you’re trying to market.
But if you don’t have a robust knowledge of everything your brand has to offer then you are doing yourself a disservice. Sure you’re a marketer first, but your secondary goal is sales.
Understanding not only the industry terms of your brand but also some of the general sales terminology will help your job running smoother.
You may not communicate with a client the same way you would a member of your sales force, but being able to effectively get your message across to both groups is important.
Figuring out the necessary jargon that your sales team uses is important since your goal is to help them generate more sales.
When you are able to listen to their sales goals and understand what they’re hoping for you can effectively plan events and marketing solutions to help achieve success.
Asking questions of your sales team to be sure you’re on the same page is a great way to gain more understanding. If a term comes up that is unfamiliar to you, speak up! You’re on the same team so pretending you know what they mean doesn’t help either of you.
4. Don’t Forget to Direct Sell
When you’re running a booth at a trade show or offering a product demonstration you need to be prepared to get the interested customer signed up immediately.
How you can best go about that is up to your brand but being able to drive sales is an essential part of becoming an effective field marketer since you are the point of interaction.
Using the personal connections you have with your clients can be a very effective way to sell your product.
They may not even realize you’re selling to them since you will approach them as a marketer and not a sales representative. This is a win-win. Your customers will be thankful their needs are met and your company will appreciate the steady growth.
The ability to promote your business either spur of the moment one-on-one or at large scale events gives you the insight your company needs. B2B field marketers are essential team members who should not be overlooked, so don’t forget the important role you play as you go about your job.
5. Remember to Use Social Media
While some people may scoff at the idea that spending time on social media is actually work, as a field marketer you can’t overlook the importance.
If you want to meet the people where they are, then social media is a great way to find people. After all, Facebook is one of the most widely used platforms used by adults in the United States.
Being able to stay up-to-date with social media trends is essential for running a successful online campaign.
Having a keen understanding of your clientele will allow you to best target individuals with the appropriate campaigns.
Creating videos and even the “Facebook Live” function can also be effective ways to reach broader audiences without needing to travel as a field marketer. Running a social media account can take a lot of work but should be exciting for a great B2B field marketer.
Conclusion on Tips For B2B Field Marketers
Being an effective field marketer can involve staying on top of a lot of different tasks. Following these tips can help you avoid making mistakes that other field marketers have made in the past.
While there is no one size fits all approach to field marketing that will work for everyone, these 5 tips should help your skills and improve your effectiveness.
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