In my role leading communications and marketing at a biomedical innovation hub, I often find myself navigating a delicate balance.
How do we amplify groundbreaking science in ways that are both authentic? How can they also be strategically effective?
Over the years, I’ve learned that not all marketing methods are created equal. Some are quick wins—low-hanging fruit that are easy to implement and can build initial momentum. But they rarely move the needle in a lasting way. Others demand far more effort, creativity, and trust—but they’re the ones that truly transform visibility into credibility.
So here’s a quick guide through that pyramid, based on four familiar tools I use often in our strategy: advertising, social media, direct mailing, and the holy grail—referrals.
1. Advertising – Easy to Start, Easy to Ignore
Difficulty: ★☆☆☆☆ Effectiveness: ★★☆☆☆
Traditional and digital ads (Print, banner ads, Google Ads, etc.) are among the most accessible marketing tactics. You can set up a campaign in a matter of hours and start reaching thousands of eyes instantly.
Pros:
Scalable reach
Quick to launch
Easy A/B testing
Cons:
Low trust factor
Often ignored or blocked
Expensive over time
Best Use: Awareness-stage campaigns, re-targeting, time-limited promotions.
2. Social Media – Engaging but Saturated
Difficulty: ★★☆☆☆ Effectiveness: ★★☆☆☆ to ★★★☆☆
Social media marketing seems easy—just post and go, right? But in reality, cutting through the noise requires consistency, creativity, and a deep understanding of audience behavior.
Pros:
Interactive and visual
Great for building brand personality
Direct customer feedback
Cons:
Constant content demand
Algorithmic gatekeeping
Declining organic reach
Best Use: Community engagement, brand storytelling, thought leadership.
3. Direct Mailing – Personalized but Underused
Difficulty: ★★★☆☆ Effectiveness: ★★★★☆
In a world overloaded with emails and notifications, a well-crafted direct mail can be a breath of fresh air. Whether physical or digital, it offers a personalized touch that feels intentional.
Pros:
High targeting precision
Less competition in physical inboxes
Tangible and memorable
Cons:
Time-consuming to execute
Higher cost per contact
ROI requires nurturing
Best Use: Account-based marketing, event invitations, exclusive offers.
4. Referrals – Hard to Earn, Impossible to Fake
Difficulty: ★★★★★ Effectiveness: ★★★★★
Word-of-mouth and referrals sit at the pinnacle of the marketing pyramid. They’re difficult to orchestrate directly, but they carry unmatched influence and trust. In many sectors—especially healthcare, B2B services, and high-ticket items—they’re the gold standard.
Pros:
Extremely high trust and conversion rates
Low customer acquisition cost (once systematized)
Great for network expansion
Cons:
Takes time and consistent value delivery
Requires a delighted customer base
Not easily scalable
Best Use: Relationship-driven sales, community growth, loyalty programs.
Climbing the Pyramid: Strategy, Not Substitution
While it’s tempting to stick with easy, scalable tactics, true marketing impact comes from layering your efforts. Use advertising and social media to build visibility, direct mailing to personalize the journey, and referrals to seal the deal.
The real magic? When all these elements work together—strategically aligned, audience-aware, and value-driven. That’s when marketing transforms from noise into influence.
In just a few years, TikTok has become a cultural phenomenon, captivating millions of users worldwide with its short, engaging videos and hyper-personalized content. Whether you’re watching funny skits, dance challenges, or life hacks, the platform keeps you hooked with its seemingly endless stream of entertainment.
Content categories: The most popular categories on TikTok are Entertainment, Dance, and Pranks, with billions of views each
Monthly active users: TikTok has over 1 billion monthly active users globally, with 150 million in the United States (growth of over 10 times in last 5 years).
User demographics: About 44% of TikTok users are under 25 years old.
Time spent: The average daily time spent on TikTok has more than doubled from 27 minutes in 2019 to 58 minutes in 2024.
Engagement rate: TikTok has an average engagement rate of 5.96%, making it the most engaging social media platform.
Regional growth: By 2023, TikTok is projected to have 682 million users in the Asia Pacific region (excluding China and India), 238 million in Europe, and 192 million in North America.
But what makes TikTok so hard to put down?
The secret lies in its algorithm, which curates content tailored to your interests, and its ability to trigger the brain’s reward system through bursts of dopamine—the “feel-good” chemical that reinforces pleasurable activities. This clever combination of psychology and technology creates a feedback loop that keeps users scrolling for hours.
Dopamine is at the heart of TikTok’s addictive design.
The app capitalizes on variable rewards—those unpredictable moments when you find an exceptionally engaging video—similar to pulling the lever on a slot machine. Each time you laugh at a funny clip, discover something new, or feel validated by likes and comments, your brain releases dopamine, reinforcing the desire to keep scrolling.
TikTok’s endless feed and short-form content further amplify this effect, delivering quick hits of entertainment without requiring much effort. The result?
A platform that not only entertains but also conditions the brain to crave more, making it one of the most compelling social media experiences today.
A 2022 study from the Frontiers in Psychology journal found that TikTok is the most highly addictive of all social media platforms. TikTok manipulates dopamine levels through several key mechanisms designed to create an addictive user experience.
TikTok’s AI-driven algorithm
TikTok’s AI-driven algorithm is a sophisticated system designed to create a highly personalized and engaging user experience.
TikTok’s AI-driven algorithm is a highly sophisticated system that tailors content to individual users, creating an addictive and personalized experience. By analyzing user interactions—such as likes, shares, watch time, and even pauses—the algorithm learns preferences and predicts what content will keep users engaged.
It uses machine learning to identify patterns in behavior and pairs this with metadata from videos, including hashtags, captions, and trending sounds, to deliver a feed uniquely curated for each user.
This real-time adaptability ensures that TikTok’s content always feels fresh and relevant, driving high levels of user engagement and fostering an unparalleled connection between the platform and its audience.
Why It Can Be Addictive
Short-form content: TikTok’s 15-60 second videos provide rapid-fire bursts of entertainment, each potentially triggering a small dopamine release[1]. This creates a short-term dopamine feedback loop, reinforcing the behavior of continued scrolling. According to a 2020 study from the University of California – San Diego, TikTok users in the United States open the app an average of eight times per day and spend an average of 46 minutes on the app.
Infinite scroll: The endless stream of content removes natural breaking points, keeping the dopamine system constantly engaged and making it difficult for users to stop scrolling. According to the researchers of another study “the system quality has a stronger influence than information quality in determining adolescents’ experience with TikTok and that the flow experience has significant direct and indirect effects on TikTok addiction behavior” – meaning the way the algorithm chose the content to visualize and for how long influence more the experience than the content itself.
Personalized “For You” page: TikTok’s AI-driven algorithm presents highly tailored content, creating a consistently rewarding experience that triggers more frequent dopamine releases. The average daily usage of TikTok is 95 minutes (compared to 17 minutes for YouTube and 29 minutes for Instagram), made possible through continuously analyzing user behavior and content characteristics, TikTok’s AI algorithm creates an addictive and personalized experience that keeps users engaged for extended periods.
Variable reward pattern: The algorithm regularly incorporates new content types to discover new facets of user interests. The unpredictable nature of content quality in the feed triggers dopamine release, similar to the mechanism behind slot machines. Besides dopamine, TikTok also triggers the release of epinephrine, norepinephrine, and oxytocin, creating a complex neurochemical response that enhances the addictive potential.
Real-time adaptation: The algorithm quickly adjusts to changes in user preferences and behavior. Using a new sophisticated “collisionless embedding” system, it organizes not only content but also user data efficiently (by categories) enabling better and faster recommendations. The “Monolith” system (this is how it’s called) updates its model continuously, learning from user interactions and syncing the data at short intervals.
Content relevance over creator popularity: Even new creators can gain visibility if their content resonates with users. It mixes constantly contents from new creators with established ones, to enhance the possibilities to become viral for anyone, also without high number of contents.
This combination of features creates a powerful cycle of anticipation and reward, keeping users engaged and continuously seeking the next dopamine hit. The result is a “dopamine machine” that can lead to addiction-like behaviors and potentially negative long-term consequences for users’ mental health and cognitive function.
US is concerned: TikTok faces a U.S. Ban
The potential TikTok ban in the United States stems from national security concerns over its parent company, ByteDance, and its ties to China. Lawmakers worry that Chinese government laws could compel ByteDance to share sensitive user data or leverage TikTok’s content algorithms to spread misinformation. As a result, legislation has been passed requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok to a U.S.-approved buyer or face a nationwide ban. Despite TikTok’s denial of these allegations and efforts to distance itself from ByteDance, the pressure on the platform remains high.
LinkedIn Strategy for Improving Visibility in the Pharma Space
In today’s rapidly evolving pharmaceutical landscape, effective communication with consumers has never been more critical. As the industry shifts towards more transparent and direct engagement, it is essential for pharmaceutical companies to master the art of communicating with their audience.
This is where a diverse range of stakeholders—including
ingredient companies,
regulatory bodies,
healthcare professionals,
Biotechnology innovators / knowledge center
health marketing agencie
can play pivotal roles. By providing support and guidance on best practices for consumer communication, these stakeholders can empower pharmaceutical firms to navigate the complexities of direct engagement.
Social media platforms have revolutionized how information is shared and consumed, enabling pharmaceutical companies to connect with their audience in real-time. This direct communication not only enhances brand visibility but also fosters trust and loyalty among consumers.
By fostering this collaboration, ingredient and other partners companies can help pharmaceutical firms harness the power of social media, ensuring they not only reach their target audience but also engage them meaningfully. Together, we can enhance the overall healthcare dialogue, making it more accessible and consumer-friendly.
According to a study published in June this year, pharmaceutical firms can enhance their sales and marketing strategies to drive revenue growth by leveraging social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. These platforms enable targeted marketing efforts, allowing companies to identify and engage with potential consumer categories, from healthcare professionals to end users.
Not just “fun” platforms, social media channels have become a needed tool also for the Pharmaceutical industry. Always according to the study: “Revenue growth and improved sales productivity are possible outcomes of this (social media marketing)”.
Key Benefits:
Increased Audience Reach: With billions of active users, social media offer pharmaceutical companies the opportunity to connect with a diverse audience, enhancing customer interaction and engagement.
Competitive Analysis: Facebook’ and other plattforms’s Insights tool provides valuable analytics, enabling companies to track engagement metrics, ad performance, and audience demographics. This data helps refine marketing strategies and better understand audience preferences.
Automation and AI Integration: The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in pharmaceutical marketing allows companies to analyze vast amounts of data, predict customer behavior, and create personalized experiences. AI tools are essential for developing precise and effective marketing campaigns.
Overall, utilizing these digital technologies can lead to improved sales productivity and significant revenue growth for pharmaceutical companies.
This is an effort that pharmaceutical companies can not make on their own. The whole chain involved in devolopping procees should work combined to support what is finally the expectations of the consumers: more clear and transparent communication.
Today I’d like to start by focusing on the most B2B platform: LinkedIn.
Despite very professional oriented, it has become highly used in many other aspects and more and more people share their personal stories and uses as frequently as facebook or other more “personal” channels. This is why ignoring it or worse, treating it like a pure “presence” plattform might be a big mistake.
Especially company image and reputation within a complex and highly competitive like the pharmaceutical industry should be prioritized. The engagement and interactions will lead to visibility that will make the company the “authority” in the space.
This is why it’s important to have a well-rounded strategy that leverages LinkedIn’s networking, content, and engagement tools. Here’s a step-by-step approach that can help build your presence and establish your authority within the pharma space.
1. Optimize Company LinkedIn Profile
Company Headline: Clearly communicate the mission and expertise in the pharma industry. Include relevant keywords like “Pharmaceutical Expert,” “Biotech Industry Leader,” or “Clinical Research Specialist.”
Logo and Banner: Use a high-quality, professional photo of the company and the team. For the banner image, use something industry-related, like a lab or an abstract medical theme. The “diversity” aspect should be highlighted.
About Section: Tell company story and mission. Highlight employees experience and activities, areas of expertise (e.g., drug development, regulatory affairs, market access), and main events. This is an opportunity to enhance the people and their successes.
Showcase Section: Showcase key achievements, publications, or projects relevant to the pharmaceutical industry
2. Define Company Spokesperson
Role of the Spokesperson: Select a knowledgeable executive or senior professional (e.g., CEO, Chief Medical Officer, Head of R&D) to serve as the company spokesperson on LinkedIn.
Profile Setup: Ensure the spokesperson has a well-optimized LinkedIn profile that complements the company’s brand and mission. Include a professional photo, detailed experience, and a compelling headline.
Create a Communication Plan: This person should actively engage with followers, share insights, and represent the company’s voice in discussions. Decide a set of topics each month and include sporadically new contents based on latest news from the industry. Prepare an Editorial Plan to follow through, which links company corporate communication to Speakspeople communication.
3. Content Strategy: Thought Leadership and Engagement
Original Articles: Have the spokesperson write and share articles on relevant topics such as drug development, regulatory updates, patient advocacy, and industry trends. This establishes authority and showcases expertise.
Regular Posts: Share company updates, product launches, research findings, and industry news at least 3-4 times a week. Encourage the spokesperson to share their insights on these posts to add a personal touch.
Engaging Multimedia: Utilize videos, infographics, and webinars featuring the spokesperson discussing important topics or insights in the pharma space. This helps humanize the brand and engage audiences visually.
4. Networking and Engagement
Connect with Industry Leaders: The spokesperson should actively connect with key opinion leaders, healthcare professionals, and relevant organizations in the pharmaceutical industry. Personalized connection requests will enhance networking opportunities.
Join Relevant Groups: Participate in industry-specific groups to share insights, answer questions, and engage in discussions. This builds credibility and expands the company’s reach within the community.
Comment and Engage: The spokesperson should regularly comment on posts from industry peers and thought leaders to increase visibility and foster relationships.
5. Utilize LinkedIn Analytics
Monitor Engagement: Regularly analyze LinkedIn metrics to assess the performance of posts and articles. Identify what content resonates most with the audience and refine strategies accordingly.
Audience Insights: Use demographic data to better understand who is engaging with the company’s content and tailor messaging to suit the interests of these audiences.
6. Leverage Paid Advertising
Sponsored Content: Consider using LinkedIn Sponsored Content to promote high-value posts, such as whitepapers or webinars, to a targeted audience within the pharmaceutical sector. But do this only when there is a clear and well defined target group and limit the time of the ad. It can goes up very quicly.
Precise Targeting: Utilize LinkedIn’s targeting options to reach healthcare professionals, researchers, and decision-makers in the pharmaceutical industry.
7. Engage with Industry Events
Post Event Summaries: After attending industry conferences or webinars, the spokesperson can share key takeaways and insights, positioning the company as an active participant in the industry.
Host Webinars: Organize webinars on relevant topics featuring the spokesperson as a key presenter. Promote these events on LinkedIn to attract attendees and foster engagement.
8. Encourage Employee Advocacy
Engage Employees: Encourage employees to share company content and their insights on LinkedIn, amplifying the reach of posts and building a community around the brand.
Recognition and Sharing: Recognize employees who actively participate in sharing content or engaging with the audience, fostering a culture of advocacy.
By combining a well-optimized profile with regular, insightful content, strategic networking, and a focus on industry trends, the company profile will see a steadily increase in visibility in the pharma space on LinkedIn. Tailoring the strategy to highlight thought leadership and active engagement will help establish you as an authoritative voice in the industry.
In today’s digital age, establishing a strong online presence is imperative for professionals and companies. Among the myriad of social platforms available, LinkedIn stands out as the most important platform for B2B purpose, with many possibilities of networking, professional development, and business contacts generation. With over 1 billion users worldwide, LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network offers a vast pool of opportunities for connecting with industry peers, potential clients, and valuable resources.
However, if a company wants to harness the power at its best from this platform, simply having a “presence” isn’t enough and, sorry to disappoint, having the official company page and posting random company-only updates is far from being enough.
In this blog post, I’ll explore the significance of persona profiling on LinkedIn and how it can drive business success.
LinkedIn Algorithm
LinkedIn algorithm is specifically designed to connect individuals and not to bombard its users with content. Meaning that if other platforms wants you to see and be entratianed by as many post / reels / images as possible, LinkedIn prefers you to focus on knowledge and education, favouring the showing of possible new connections who might enhance your network in that sense. In this context the possibilities that your post might be organically shown to possible target customers is much lower than in other platforms (or through Google search for example). Even more so from 2023, when the company announced significant algorithm changes focusing to these two goals:
Surfacing more content that shares knowledge or advice
Strengthening connections among people who know each other
Company vs Personal
People simply don’t trust companies, rather people. This is true also online. Several studies confirm that sharing information through a personal LinkedIn profile drives 2.75x more impressions and 5x more engagement when compared to a company profile, despite having a follower base much lower. Company profiles are seen as windows of the companies and therefore mistrusted source of information or at best very promotional. Furthermore the company page is only one and can not always tailor the content for different stakeholders / target groups, leading to overload of not meaningful information. Therefore part of the marketing and communication plan of a B2B organisation should be to employ a robust strategy by enabling and empowering the employees to complement the company page’s organic and paid efforts.
Digital Buyer Persona:
Before diving into content creation and engagement strategies, it’s essential to develop a clear understanding of the target audience’s personas. A persona profile outlines the characteristics, preferences, and pain points of the ideal LinkedIn connections. This includes factors such as industry, job title, interests, challenges, and goals. This analysis and characterization goes beyond the simple definition of “attributes” such as “Job Title, function, Country, ..” but also mean understanding the behavior of the target users within the platforms, the preferences, how he/she consumes knowledge, their values and culture background and so on. By creating detailed persona profiles, companies can tailor content and messaging to address the exact specific needs and interests of the target audience segments.
One important remark: in contrast with a “persona” (who is a fictional representation of the ideal customer and include also general information about the person), a buyer persona is a persona that specifically focuses on the decision-makers involved in the buying process. This includes only information related to the “final” step of the sales journey, so information as their role in the company, their decision-making process, and their objections have the highest priorities but they might not be the only ones to look at.
LinkedIn Attributes:
When crafting your LinkedIn strategy, it’s essential to consider the various attributes that define your target audience. For example, while some may be primarily interested in connecting with fellow executives or decision-makers, others may be seeking insights from industry experts or thought leaders. By understanding the nuances of LinkedIn’s user base, you can customize your outreach and engagement tactics to maximize your impact.
Especially in LinkedIn the topic of attributes is quite tricky. There are many factors to take in consideration when selecting attributes of the target groups: for example, if we consider the Job Title – it could be written in many languages, it could be simplified or very detailed, it could be differently interpreted (Manager or Head) based on the company, might no be showing at all (many C-Level/Board) or could be by policy forbidden to explicitly mention the title but one can show the department.
Since 2023 LinkedIn’s included “interest targeting features” with the aim to continue improving B2B ads targeting. The platform offers now more than 400 interest categories for campaign targeting, including services, products and general interests. Meaning for Social Media Managers of B2B companies being much more specific in the content and very precise and straightforward in the communication. Which is anyhow a best practice considering that according to research conducted by Microsoft, we have a shorter attention span than a goldfish. That is less than 9 seconds.
Relevant Content for Target Groups or Pain Points
Once the target audience personas have been identified, the next step is to create content that resonates not only with their interests and addresses but also their pain points. Whether it’s informative articles, thought leadership pieces, or engaging multimedia content, the key is to deliver value that solves the audience’s challenges or provides insights relevant to their industry or role.
The content can serve different purposes: –
Educate the existing and prospect customers on a specific topic that might be very critical in the business area and requires high expertise and knowledge. With the overload of information and data, it is impossible to keep up with all what is going on in the world, even in your own business area. That’s why companies should play that role in the communication and being the “mentors” for their customers on the information they need to know. Studies, researches, market trends, insights, new technology…Even if not directly related to their specific products, companies are expected to be their customers “consultant”. This is the famous “added value”, especially in B2B. With commoditization of products, unless the lowest prices is your strategy, the only competitor advantage is your knowledge and credibility. I am still amazed that companies don’t realize how important it is to communicate exactly for this reason.
Entertain the audience with something light but still inherent the area, in order to keep in touch but without a specific goal, like educate or inform. It seems the opposite on what I wrote above but what I mean is some light entertaining content to keep the attention to the company and / or to stand out from the crowd is surely recommended. Nowadays we are all used to have just a little fun while we watch our social media, even if we don’t necessarily look for it and when that doesn’t happen, we tend to instinctively switch channel/platforms. That doesn’t mean completely turn all the content into funny cats posts or TikTok dances…It is an addition and it complements the most serious communication, that should be the vast majority.
Inform about company news, mainly to the existing customers in that follow the channel. This is what the LinkedIn Channels are most used for in B2B in my experience. Although there is nothing wrong with informing the audience about a trade-show participation or about a new product launch, we should not expect huge reactions also because even that the algorithm will not promote such type of content so much. For the reasons I explained above, people tend to believe more in people. That’s why for critical announcements I would always recommend spokespeople to be in the front seat and share it openly e directly from their own accounts.
Care to sharing more insights from the company in order to create trust. Several studies prove that In today’s dynamic business landscape, where consumers are more and more interested on how companies behave (especially in topics related to social responsibility), companies are expected to share more information. Among consumers, increasing visibility and the disclosure of information has always positive effects in the strengthening of trust.
By consistently sharing valuable content, you can position yourself as a trusted authority in your field and attract the attention of potential clients or collaborators.
Behavioral Analysis:
Ultimately understanding the behavior of your target audience on LinkedIn is key to optimizing your engagement strategies. With more and more analysis tool you can now track how the target groups behave within the platform, for example what kind of pages they look at (company, ads, groups,….) or what time of the day they connect and for how long or even if they prefer to look at pdf or images. By monitoring these factors such as online activity patterns, content preferences, and engagement trends, you can identify opportune moments to connect and interact with your audience.
Undoubtedly these are all very important things to keep in consideration. But in my opinion if I have limited time and resources (often the case in marketing teams for middle-size companies) and I have to decide between investigate the behavioral aspects of my target audience or train and encourage more internal people becoming the social experts and spokespeople for my company, I will all the time choose the second. People, even in digital, are always the most important factor and I will always priorize that. While behavioral analysis provides valuable insights, it’s the human element that truly drives meaningful connections and engagement. Investing in training and empowering your team to become knowledgeable and influential voices within the industry fosters authentic relationships and enhances the company’s reputation on LinkedIn and beyond. Ultimately, people remain the cornerstone of successful engagement strategies, both in the digital realm and in the broader scope of business operations.
In conclusion, LinkedIn offers a big array of opportunities for professionals and businesses to connect, engage, and grow their networks. As a B2B company I would absolutely recommend to be in the platform and nurture the channel with constant content…But knowing that is not enough. Only through engagement of the people companies can unlock the full potential of this platform and achieve their business objectives.
In the digital world we call “Referral” other online sources that place somewhere in their web-pages a link to our website. The reasons of this linking are various, from citing one of the article/Blog Post to show a particular application/product, every companies should work to have as many referral as possible, possibly strategically placed in websites that talk to your target groups.
If you ask Google what a referall is, this is the answer “What is Referral Traffic in Google Analytics? Google Analytics recognizes referral traffic as visitors that land on your site after clicking on a link from another source (other than search engines)”.
When integrated into the third website, that links is so-called “backlinks”. Integrating carefully backlinks within your website serves as a strategic move to expand your audience and enhance your online visibility.
What is a Backlink
These backlinks act as digital pathways, guiding visitors from one relevant piece of content to another, creating a “funnel” direct to the other site. By thoughtfully embedding these links in high-traffic areas or within engaging, informative content, we can not only improve the user experience but also increase the chances of attracting a wider audience.
Backlinks can be strategically placed within blog posts, product pages, or even on landing pages, directing users to explore more of what a website has to offer. This not only keeps visitors engaged but also contributes to search engine optimization, as search algorithms often favor well-integrated, relevant backlinks.
Ultimately, the careful placement of backlinks becomes a dynamic tool for audience expansion, driving traffic and facilitating a more comprehensive exploration of your website’s offerings.
Referral = Authority
One great example of a strategic referral would be to be placed on a blog post in a popular answering questions about a “complex” topic, that requires the expertiese of professional and regards highly the credentials of the know experts. I can share one example from my experience: with people more and more aware about what they are eating, it is common to find online more and more content about pharmaceutical or Supplements and what they are made of.
Imagine a gelatin producer being mentioned in a popular blog post about supplement capsules. This post explains the differences between soft and hard capsules and how they affect the body. Such a mention would bring more people to the producer’s website. It also establishes them as experts in capsule manufacturing, making people trust them more. This boosts their reputation and makes them stand out in the industry. Not to mention if would position this producer as “the source of information” meaning the experts and the only to be trusted company in the field of capsules manufacturing, for example.
This simple operation not only enhance the traffic to the selected pages and ultimately to the company website but also confirms the image of the company in being the trusted and serious partners for its customers. Furthermore, adding a strategic call-to-action to continue the journey, there is higher chances to generate new leads though it.
Creating a good referral network is the Fundament to be recognized as “Authority” in the selected field of expertise. The more a website is linked the more influence you can bring to the topics of your interest. Once a company is mentioned and brought as “example” in other platforms, it is a natural follow-up to enlarge the journey of those target-groups users within the same platforms.
How do I increase Referrals?
According to LinkedIn Marketing, B2B buyers will consume 10 pieces of content before their make their purchase decision. And in my opinion this is valid for short decision making products. We can image if you have to invest in a new machine for your plant or if you needs to invest in a 50K€ Social Listening Tool you will get more than 10 pieces! Probably one of the convincing argument would be to search what other people think about this machine / tool / product from other peers in the industry and / or other industry with a similar / related job function. And how you will find them? If they’re not already in your Knowledge circle, you will find them looking online and try to find out if they’re customers of that company. That is when the referral throughout other websites come to play. I listed here below 4 strategies to enhance Referral traffic to a company website:
Through Customers: a key goal for a B2B company is obtain and publish as many case studies, customer experiences and testimonials as possible, obviously prior customer approval. Ultimately this is the most important of the 4 strategies. Have customers talk about our company and how satisfied they are to work with us is the most powerful marketing goal there is.
I understand that in certain industries, obtaining endorsements and testimonials can be more challenging. Some products are highly visible and garnering official statements or quotes to include on a website is relatively straightforward. However, for products that are less visible, being vocal about their success can be more of a struggle.
In such cases, I’d suggest starting small. Even a simple quote that can be included on the website can make a big difference. Additionally, participating together in award competitions might be a viable option for some industries. By showcasing any recognition or accolades received, we can begin to build credibility and generate interest in our less visible products. It’s all about taking those initial steps to establish trust and demonstrate the value we bring to the table.
And don’t forget! It’s not just about putting them on our website. We should also encourage happy customers to talk about us on social media and include links to their stories. This way, we can reach more people and build trust in our brand. It’s all about showing potential customers that others have had great experiences with us, too.
From PR: often PR efforts result in an online publication mentioning your brand and linking back to your site. Traffic from these links will show up in the Referral Reports, allowing companies to measure the impact of PR efforts in driving value to online presence. While PR may involve offline efforts, Google Analytics can help to connect the dots to online activity. T
I acknowledge that in certain industries, there’s a close connection between public relations (PR) and advertising. Customers are often aware that the legitimacy of an article or publication can be influenced by the company’s investment with that platform. Consequently, they may approach such content with a certain level of skepticism.
However, it’s crucial to recognize that despite this skepticism, these publications still manage to reach our target audience. The fact that they found the content intriguing enough to click on the link indicates a high level of interest. Therefore, while we should be transparent about our PR and advertising efforts, we can leverage these platforms to reach and engage with our highly interested audience effectively. It’s about striking a balance between transparency and utilizing the available channels to connect with potential customers.
From Events: Another perfect example if the use of referral during business events, especially after Covid where even are nowadays online as well as physical, the “posting” of backlinks throughout the media platforms has been definitely a boost in the traffic increase.
From Business Partners: This is tricky. Often this is the easiest referral you can obtain. Partners companies that deliver/manufacture/produce anything that partcipate to the realization of the final products along with yours are more than happy to participate in the final success of the collaboration. One example is if you copy machines to companies you might get the referral from the paper company that will surely help you to sell more. The problem is, it might be that within companies you might not reach your target group. (for example in this case, the IT department might take care of the printing machines in a company while the purchusing might buy papers). Another problem, similar to the PR case, since it is a “beneficial” referral, the customers might perceived not “real” .
I finish with the Referral Report of one of the website that I am in charge of. Besides a careful use of PR and Events linking, which surely helped a lot, we used some very strategic pages to be “cited” as the source of truth for some very specific topics and it was very succesfull.
What is the most important stage of the digital funnel when acquiring new customers in B2B?
Surely I don’t need to explain what is a marketing funnel is: it is a series of steps in order to qualify a bigger audience and select the individulas who might be interested in our products / service and for our companies are the interested one.
The digital funnel operates bidirectionally, serving two primary functions for companies engaged in its implementation.
On one hand, it acts as a valuable tool for companies to gain deeper insights into their audience – understanding who they are, their interests, and their needs. Simultaneously, the digital funnel serves the purpose of elevating the understanding of “interested” individuals about the offered services and products. The goal is to gradually educate and nurture them to a level where, upon personal interaction, they are considered “warm” leads – individuals who have demonstrated sufficient interest and value in the product or service and are ready to progress towards the final stages of the purchasing journey, pending a successful interaction.
While ChatGPT defines a digital funnel as a guide for systematically attracting, engaging, and converting potential clients, it’s essential to clarify the nature of conversion in a B2B environment. The conversion, in this context, doesn’t happen within the digital funnel but is rather the result of a series of interactions between the company and the potential client. The conventional digital funnel serves as a preparatory pathway, pre-qualifying prospective customers and engaging all key stakeholders into the company’s sphere.
In the realm of B2B, where decision-making involves multiple stakeholders, it becomes imperative for the digital funnel to align with the comprehensive buying center. Addressing the diverse needs of each stakeholder in the purchasing process is integral to the effectiveness of the digital funnel. Therefore, the role of the digital funnel in my opinion is not just to guide prospects toward conversion but to tailor the journey in a manner that resonates with the unique requirements and concerns of each decision-maker within the buying center.
After this needed introduction about what is a digital funnel, let’s quickly introduce the four stages that we can distinguish that make a digital funnel for B2B interactions, from the most important one.
Referral
SEO / Visibility
Advertising
Social Media Channels
Each stage would need a chapter alone and today I am not covering them all.
Among these stages, the first and arguably most significant level is referral marketing, setting the foundation for success in the B2B landscape. Let’s deep dive into it.
Level 1: Referral Marketing – The Power of strategic Partnerships
Referral marketing stands tall as the initial level of the B2B digital marketing funnel. In the start of each business-to-business interactions, trust and credibility are paramount.
Referral marketing leverages the power of satisfied clients becoming advocates for your brand, recommending your products or services to their industry peers. This peer-driven approach holds exceptional weight in the B2B space, where decisions are often influenced by personal relationships and trusted recommendations.
Recommendations can come from satisfied customers but they can also be the results of an effective and strategic alliances between different and not competitive companies, being one the katalysier of the other.
In a B2B context, referrals can be both formal and informal. Formal referral programs incentive existing clients or partners to recommend your business to others, creating a network of trusted endorsements. These referrals can open doors to new opportunities, partnerships, and collaborations, acting as a catalyst for organic growth. The authenticity and credibility embedded in referrals lay a solid foundation for future interactions, making this first level an indispensable element in the B2B digital marketing funnel.
Let’s delve into a hypothetical scenario to illustrate the dynamics of such a partnership.
Consider Company A, a trailblazer in the world of supply-chain software solutions tailored for retail stores. On the other side, there’s Company B, a powerhouse specializing in networking solutions, catering to the IT professionals overseeing the vast technological infrastructure of retail chains.
Now, on the surface, these companies may seem like they operate in separate spheres with minimal overlap. Company A’s focus is on optimizing supply-chain processes, while Company B excels in ensuring robust network management and web engineering. However, the magic happens when these two entities recognize the potential synergies between their offerings.
Picture this: an IT professional, immersed in the intricacies of network management, seldom delves into supply-chain considerations in their day-to-day tasks. Company B, cognizant of this reality, decides to bridge the gap. In a strategic move, they propose a collaboration with Company A, weaving a narrative that goes beyond mere product integration.
To entice their shared target audience, Company B suggests hosting a joint webinar. In this collaborative endeavor, the IT professionals would not only gain insights into optimizing network infrastructure but also explore the intricacies of supply-chain software solutions provided by Company A. As an added incentive, Company B sweetens the deal with exclusive “perks”– perhaps a gift card or specialized training, creating a personalized touch to the partnership.
Through this collaboration, both companies stand to gain. Company A gets an opportunity to showcase the complementary of their supply-chain solutions with Company B’s network expertise. Simultaneously, Company B strengthens its appeal by offering a more comprehensive package to their clients.
This hypothetical scenario illustrates how companies from different domains can join forces, creating a unified front that resonates with their shared target audience. Such collaborations not only expand the horizons for both companies but also exemplify the transformative power of partnerships that go beyond the surface-level offerings, creating a holistic value proposition for their customers. And all in all, they form the basics for a Referral program that is cost-efficient meanwhile highly effective.
The Diary of a digital Journey 