Welcome to the Bold New World of B2B Micro-Marketing

Welcome the world of B2B micro-marketing.

As attention span shrink, B2B marketers have to deliver their messages faster and a lot more efficiently. I’m talking about things like:

30-second videos that educate and engage prospects and customers.

Five-minute podcasts featuring small doses of thought leadership.

Blog posts less than 250 words, something that Seth Godin has done successfully for years.

Social media updates with mini-nuggets of insightful. (On LinkedIn, it’s amazing to see the wildly enthusiastic reaction to posts that are <10 words.)

Your prospects and customers are distracted and time-strapped. They are doing more with less. It’s a different world.

There’s so much to do but a lack of resources. Even as the economy improves, the situation likely won’t change as companies continue to operate lean and mean.

B2B marketers need to cater to how prospects and customers want to learn and consume.

A lot of B2B marketing should be served up as snacks rather than meals.

Create marketing “episodes” that leave people wanting more. Provide enough information to answer their questions or address specific problems but don’t overwhelm them with information.

There’s no excuse to create a three-minute video, for example, when a 60-video delivers all the relevant information.

Think of micro-marketing as the “Netflix of B2B marketing”. You’re creating a series of shows, not a two-hour movie. If people binge on your content, that’s great. You’re doing something right.

Consider how micro-marketing and your approach to email marketing. A drip campaign is a “season” of content focused on a particular theme or topic. Each email features a new story that is easy and quick to consume while still being informative.

It doesn’t mean that eBooks and long-form content are dead as a dinosaur. There are a time and a place for marketing that offers depth and perspective.

For example, check out the guides created Alias Partners around ABM. They take time to consume but they are well-designed and deliver value-added content. 

Micro-marketing is effective at different parts of the sales funnel but it likly performs better in the early stages when prospects are doing research and looking for options. Delivering fast and informative marketing content is a powerful proposition.

Next steps: Take a hard look at your marketing and sales collateral. What content and collateral (videos, blog posts, social media, podcasts) could be distilled while delivering insight and value? It’s like decluttering. Tough decisions are needed but you will feel better afterward.

Mark Evans is the principal with ME Consulting. Learn more about how I help B2B companies drive customer engagement and leads through powerful positioning, marketing plans, and tactical guidance. Book a free 30-minute consultation to discuss your challenges and needs. Subscribe to my weekly newsletter, featuring curated content about marketing and sales.