A diversified marketing strategy is key for ambitious medium sized businesses looking to grow in competitive markets. Rather than relying on just one or two marketing channels, a smart diversification strategy distributes marketing efforts across multiple online and offline channels. This increases overall reach, reduces risk, and allows for greater flexibility to meet evolving customer needs.
The right marketing mix will be unique for each business depending on products, services, customers and growth goals. However, there are proven digital, content, social, influencer and events strategies medium sized B2B companies should leverage to drive diversified success. In this complete guide, we will cover the key tactics and best practices around implementing a diversified marketing strategy that delivers real results.
Search Marketing Diversification
Search engine optimization and pay-per-click advertising are proven drivers of website traffic and leads, which is why most B2B marketing budgets heavily prioritize Google. However, smart SEO and PPC diversification across additional platforms protects from Google algorithm changes and expands reach.
- Go beyond just Google – Aim for 10-20% of SEO and PPC budget on Bing, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo. Appearing on multiple search engines increases visibility.
- Target industry directories – Create and optimize company pages on industry-specific directories like Yelp, Manta, etc.
- Guest blog for quality backlinks – Guest posting on authority sites helps SEO via backlinks while also driving referral traffic.
- Optimize for voice search – Voice search usage is increasing. Optimize content for conversational long-tail keywords.
- Leverage Quora – Answer relevant industry questions and get found by searchers on Quora.
By diversifying SEO and PPC efforts beyond Google, medium businesses see a wider net for catching qualified searchers across platforms and build protection against Google algorithm changes.
Social Media Diversification
With 93% of B2B buyers using social media for purchase research, having a diversified social media strategy is imperative. Beyond broad platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram, industry forums and employee networks represent targeted social opportunities.
The above list is by no means exhaustive. Still, it offers a clearer picture of how mature firms can quickly lose ground.
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- Run LinkedIn lead gen ads – LinkedIn now has more capability for lead gen and sales prospecting ads.
- Facebook/Instagram targeted ads – Precise interest, job role and employer targeting makes social ads effective.
- Leverage employee networks – Employees likely have expansive industry connections ripe for sharing content.
- Curate user generated content – Repost and highlight satisfied customer social posts, reviews and testimonials.
- Strategic partnerships – Co-create and cross-promote content with strategic partners to expand reach.
The combination of paid advertising on major platforms along with content amplification through social communities and influencers creates a powerful diversified social strategy.
Content Channel Diversification
With so many options for delivering content today through websites, social platforms and multimedia formats, having a diversified content strategy ensures wider reach and appeal.
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- Blog regularly – A company blog with fresh industry content remains a staple of content marketing.
- Create videos – Short, engaging videos can be embedded across media platforms.
- Start a podcast – Podcasting opens up a channel for long-form storytelling.
- Develop infographics – Visual aids like infographics condense complex data simply.
- Repurpose across channels – Turn blogs into videos, infographics into slide decks, etc.
- Promote owned platforms – Links to owned content platforms in marketing materials keeps audiences on your properties.
The more types of content mediums deployed across websites, social platforms and multimedia formats, the more potential touchpoints with customers.
Influencer Partner Diversification
Influencer marketing has become a major component of digital marketing. Micro-influencers with highly targeted expert niches provide channels for getting content in front of ideal audiences.
- Identify relevant micro-influencers – Look for influencers creating content related to products/services with engaged followers.
- Co-create content – Partner to develop co-branded blog posts, guides, videos that benefit both brands.
- Set up affiliate revenue sharing – Offer financial incentives via affiliate sales commissions.
- Seed free products – Provide free products/services in exchange for reviews and social promotion.
- Promote their content – Amplify influencer content focused on your brand through owned channels.
The right influencer relationships lead to expanded brand exposure, content amplification, affiliate revenue and product validation.
Events and Community Diversification
While digital marketing opens up scalable customer reach, in-person events, conferences and meetups facilitate more intimate relationship building within communities.
- Attend key industry conferences – Conferences centralize access to many prospects and opportunities for networking.
- Deliver keynote speeches – Position executives as thought leaders via speaking engagements.
- Sponsor local meetups – More niche local meetups offer targeted networking and exposure.
- Active engagement in forums – Contribute and build reputation in relevant online communities.
- Host customer advisory panels – Facilitate an ongoing dialogue with influential customers for insights.
Nothing beats in-person relationship building and brand evangelism, which is why events and community engagement represents a key diversification component.
Testing and Optimization
The most effective marketing diversification happens over time through continual testing and optimization based on performance data.
- Set key metrics for each channel – Determine the key quantitative metric for success per channel.
- A/B test content variations – Try different content formats, calls to action, headlines.
- Analyze attribution by channel – Track leads and sales driven by each channel.
- Double down on what works – Pour more budget into the highest performing channels.
- Continuously optimize – Never settle, always look to improve channel performance.
With the proper metrics and analytics set up, medium businesses can continually fine tune channel mix and content for greater diversification success over time.
Key Takeaways
Implementing a diversified, integrated marketing strategy takes research, planning and commitment. But the long-term payoff can elevate any ambitious medium sized business to the next level. Key takeaways include:
- Relying on just one or two marketing channels is risky. Distributing efforts across multiple online and offline tactics reduces risk and expands reach.
- Search marketing should go beyond just Google and include industry directories, guest posting and voice optimization.
- Social media requires a combination of paid advertising and community content amplification for best results.
- Leverage a multimedia mix of blogs, videos, podcasts and infographics on owned channels.
- Influencers and events/meetups facilitate targeted in-person engagement and brand building.
- Continually test and optimize channels based on performance data.
Are you ready to build a diversified marketing strategy that drives sustainable growth? Our team of experts can help develop the perfect channel mix and execution tactics tailored for your unique business goals. Let’s talk!
