At some point in your professional life, you will need to draw on an expert opinion from outside of your organization to truly succeed in B2B online marketing. It’s a great way for industrial professionals to be found online and increase lead generation. Online marketing is complicated and always changing, so even top marketing experts need help to keep up. If you are wondering whether it’s time to get some help, here are some common signs.

1.       Your Web Design is Done As A Pet Project

We have many industrial clients come to us and ask for a new website. We’ve heard it all! Their brother’s second cousin made their website as a pet project. Chances are he’s designing the site for looks and not conversion. A website isn’t there to just look pretty; it’s a marketing tool and should bring you traffic and leads. Hiring an outside company to create a website for you and manage it will turn your site into a professional marketing tool.

2.       No One Knows What Google Analytics or Adwords is

We all know what Google is, but what about Google Analytics or Adwords? If you don’t know what either of these is then you need to find someone who does! Marketing efforts are great but what good are they if you can’t track the results? Google analytics tracks traffic on your site and many other useful statistics. Google Adwords, on the other hand, is paid to advertise.  Adwords is a science, knowing all of the elements that work together to get your ad on top. Google is forever changing the standards and rules, so having an outside organization to create and monitor yours ads will provide great results for your B2B online marketing campaigns. Many companies are Adwords certified, making them the experts!

3.       No One Knows What SEO Stands For

If no one in your organization can tell you what SEO stands for or what it means, then you definitely need to outsource it. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and is not something you can teach yourself in an hour. There are many elements that come together to make SEO worthwhile. Just a few pillars of SEO are content, links and social media. There are too many ways to count to improve your SEO and that’s why it’s a good idea to outsource it.

4.       Spending all of Your Marketing Budget on Print Ads

Many industrial companies are still spending thousands of dollars on print ads. In some industries, this can prove beneficial, but not all of the budget should be on traditional media. It is 2014 and the online presence is bigger now than ever before. Many consumers will avoid businesses that do not have an online presence. A website has proven to be the basic necessity, next add in some paid advertising, SEO and a solid B2B online marketing strategy and you’re more than on your way!

5.       You Don’t have Time for Marketing

It’s common for industrial companies to have only one person in charge of marketing and sales, or no marketing employees at all. You should outsource your marketing when it’s the last thing you think about or when you don’t even have the time to update your website. Hiring an outside company to run your B2B online marketing efforts will free up your time and actually get things done effectively. Marketing efforts should take a lot of planning and execution. Having a fresh perspective and experts manage your marketing efforts will make everyone happier!

6.       No Social Media Updates For the Last 6 Months, Or No Presence At All

A good sign that you need to outsource your B2B online marketing if you have not posted on social media last 6 months, or if you have no social media at all! It takes 5 minutes to set up an account but why have a profile if you have no followers or posts? An outsourced company can take over your social media and post regularly with tips and articles. Social media keeps visitors engaged and drives traffic to your site if it’s done well.

If after reading this blog, you realize you need help with any aspect of online marketing give us a call!