By Kyle Lacy, Guest Post
It’s amazing to think that just a little over two decades ago, customers had only two options to communicate across long distances: telephone and mail. In today’s mobile, post-PC world, they have countless ways to communicate with each other.
B2B customers have similar options when it comes to communicating with brands. The question is, how do they determine the proper channel for their communication needs? The decision appears to boil down to four factors:
1. CONTENT: Is this a marketing message?
Individuals are much more selective about the channels through which they will allow marketing messages than they are with personal or professional communications. Customers, while they may be huge fans of a brand, don’t necessarily want to be friends with B2B brands (this also applies to B2C). They still draw hard and fast lines about when and where marketing communications are appropriate.
2. IMMEDIACY: Do I need to send or receive this message right away?
B2B professionals often select a communication channel based on how quickly a message must be sent or received. SMS (text messaging), telephone, and instant messaging through social networks tend to be the channels consumers use most often when time is of the essence. If your message is imperative (from the consumers’ perspective) and you have permission, these “urgent” channels will perform best. If not, you should consider moving communications to less urgent channels, such as email or direct mail.
3. ACCESSIBILITY: Will I need to reference this message later?
The ability to easily archive and access messages at a later time influences B2B buyer channel preferences. While smartphones and tablets replicate much of the desktop experience, many consumers purposely “park” messages to revisit later from their computers. Email remains a powerful channel for its ability to bridge the three-device environment of smartphone, tablet and PC/Mac.
4. INITIATION: How did the conversation originate?
This final factor is the one that can trump all the others. If the consumer initiates communication with your B2B brand, then the channel they choose may be deemed appropriate for response. Be advised, however, the nature of the conversation (if not laws regulating your industry) may necessitate that you move it from a public space (Twitter, for instance) to a private one (Twitter direct message or email) – especially if the subject matter is of a sensitive nature.
Keep in mind these 4 communication channels in order to reach your B2B customers in the most efficient, appropriate way. Pinpoint what the nature of your message is first, and then identify the appropriate outlet. Stick to these steps and success will follow when reaching your firm’s B2B customers.
About the Author: Kyle Lacy is the Senior Manager of Content Marketing and Research at ExactTarget.
