With budgets under pressure and everyone in pursuit of the holy grail of measurable return on investment, many B2B brand owners have consciously diverted spend away from trade media advertising in favour of other marketing activities. But, faced with the challenge of prioritising investment across an increasingly diverse set of channels, are B2B marcomms teams in danger of missing a trick by ignoring a proven route to market?
Of course, marketers need to spend their budgets on well-targeted activities that deliver results. Respected trade media brands are gateways to known communities of prospective buyers and influencers. Publishers control well-managed databases, giving marketers a reliable means of driving highly targeted direct marketing campaigns to decision-makers meeting specific profiles. Trade media publishers and their editorial teams are well-connected industry experts, who are 100% plugged in to the concerns and interests of the readers they serve.
And since most B2B publishers have a range of assets, including printed magazines, web sites, e-bulletins, events, research activities and so on, the opportunities for B2B brands to integrate trade media in their promotional strategies need no longer be confined to a schedule of full-colour pages. Approached as an element of a holistic communications plan, the trade media provides a ready-made platform to engage with customers and prospects through a rich and flexible mix of activities including targeted promotion, educational and awareness building initiatives, surveys and focus groups, and so on.
Brands can now work with publishers to devise effective, results-driven campaigns supported by meaningful analytics to evaluate how their activity drives traffic, enquiries, downloads and so on.
Want to find out more about how we can help you make paid media an effective part of your B2B marketing strategy? Email us for a copy of our white paper – Integrated media relations: the role of the independent trade media in effective B2B communications.