Research: The Necessary Evil for B2B

Research is a word that scares many people. Overwhelming thoughts of looking through pages and pages of information and finding nothing tend to flood a person’s mind when thinking about the research process. However, research does not have to be scary. In order to be successful in B2B you need to utilize research. Below are three reasons why research is the necessary evil for B2B.

Creates a Solid Foundation

Why is research necessary for B2B?

In any type of marketing, you need to understand your audience, your competition, and your own company. How do you accomplish this? The simple answer is research. In order to reach your target public, you need to learn as much as you can about those people. However, you also need to understand your competition and your own company so that you can best cater to that target public. 

Look over your website. Ask yourself if there are any gaps of information you need to fill or if there is anything else you should be including. You should also do the same with your competitors. See what works for them and how you can integrate or improve those tactics into your own marketing strategy. If you do not research yourself or your competitors, you will have no idea where your company is currently at in your marketing and business overall. Knowledge is power. Thus, research is key to being successful in B2B and any other field.

Looks Past the Numbers

How can research inform my marketing techniques?

Numbers tend to be one of the first concepts that come to mind when thinking about research. While looking through data is an important part of research, what you do with that data is even more crucial to your marketing strategy. 

If you are getting low traffic on your website and social media, how can you fix that? Or, if a certain product has not been selling as well, how can you boost its sales? To answer these questions, you need to research the field and understand what those numbers mean. Data can point you to the problems and the successes of your company. However, you need to take it to the next level to boost your marketing strategies. Check out Benedikt Gentner’s article, “The Key To B2B Marketing Is Capturing And Conveying Emotion,” at Forbes to learn more about how to build off of your data and improve your marketing skills in B2B.

Keeps You Current

Why is research necessary to keep me and my company current in B2B?

No one wants old news. One of the biggest ways to lower your credibility is to communicate outdated information. How, then, can you make sure you are staying current? Again, research is the answer. In B2B marketing, the research never ends. The market constantly shifts and no one can be 100% sure of where it will end up. So, the best tactic is to constantly research the field.

Now, constant research sounds like an abundant amount of work. However, it does not need to be. There are times where you need to look into a topic in-depth, but sometimes research can just be reading the latest news in your industry. Research does not always entail hours upon hours of sifting through materials. Just be aware of your company’s needs and use research to help meet them.

While research can seem intimidating, it is vital to successful marketing in B2B. Research will help your company create a solid foundation, look past the numbers, and stay current in your industry. All in all, research is the necessary evil that isn’t actually evil in itself.