In today’s fast-paced and hyperconnected world, B2B companies face many challenges in reaching their target market. Traditional marketing channels such as email, cold calling, and direct mail are often ineffective, expensive, or ignored by busy decision-makers. How can defence companies stand out from the crowd and get in front of businesses that need their products and services?
One powerful strategy is to leverage media audience. This means using media outlets that your target market consumes to showcase your brand, share your expertise, and generate leads. By tapping into the right media audience, you can increase your brand awareness, enhance your credibility, improve your lead generation, and achieve greater efficiency.
Increase your brand awareness
Brand awareness is the extent to which your target market recognizes and remembers your brand. It is crucial for B2B marketing, as it influences the perception, preference, and loyalty of your potential customers. A report from Content Marketing Institute shows that the most successful B2B marketers increased brand awareness using paid media. Paid media refers to any media exposure that you pay for, such as advertising, sponsored content, or influencer marketing. Military Africa offers a proven and cost-effective digital marketing solution available for defence companies looking to improve their visibility, brand awareness, and ultimately boost their sales outlook.
By appearing in the media outlets that your target market consumes, you can increase your brand’s visibility and build awareness of your products and services. For example, defence company Lockheed Martin used paid media to launch its “Generation Beyond” campaign, which aimed to inspire the next generation of innovators and engineers. The campaign featured a virtual reality bus tour, a mobile app, and a website with educational content. The campaign reached over 2.5 million students and teachers, and generated over 1.3 billion media impressions.
Enhance your credibility
Credibility is the extent to which your target market trusts and respects your brand. It is essential for B2B marketing, as it influences the reputation, authority, and influence of your brand. When your brand is featured in respected media outlets, it can help to enhance your credibility and position your brand as a thought leader in your industry. Thought leadership is the ability to provide valuable insights, opinions, and solutions that address the challenges and needs of your target market.
By creating and sharing valuable content that showcases your expertise, you can establish your brand as a credible and reliable source of information and guidance. For example, defence company Raytheon used earned media to showcase its thought leadership on cybersecurity. Earned media refers to any media exposure that you earn through your own efforts, such as public relations, media relations, or word-of-mouth. Raytheon published a series of articles, podcasts, and videos on cybersecurity topics, such as ransomware, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing. The content was featured in various media outlets, such as Forbes, Wired, and The Wall Street Journal.
Improve your lead generation
Lead generation is the process of attracting and converting prospects into potential customers. It is vital for B2B marketing, as it influences the quantity and quality of your sales pipeline. By creating targeted content that appeals to your target market, you can generate high-quality leads that are more likely to convert into customers. High-quality leads are those that have a high level of interest, need, and fit for your products and services.
By offering valuable content that solves a problem, answers a question, or provides a benefit for your target market, you can entice them to take action and provide their contact information. For example, defence company BAE Systems used owned media to generate leads for its naval defence solutions. Owned media refers to any media exposure that you own and control, such as your website, blog, or social media accounts. BAE Systems created a landing page that offered a free report on the future of naval defence. The landing page included a form that asked for the name, email, and company of the visitors. The visitors who filled out the form received the report and became leads for BAE Systems.
Achieve greater efficiency
Efficiency is the extent to which you use your resources effectively and optimally. It is important for B2B marketing, as it influences the cost, time, and effort of your marketing activities. Leveraging media audience can be a more efficient way to reach your target market than traditional marketing channels, as you can focus on a highly targeted group of potential customers. By using media outlets that are relevant, popular, and influential for your target market, you can reduce the waste and increase the impact of your marketing efforts.
By optimizing your content for the media outlets that you use, you can increase the reach, engagement, and conversion of your content. For example, defence company Northrop Grumman used a mix of paid, earned, and owned media to optimize its media audience strategy. The company used paid media to advertise its products and services on relevant websites and social media platforms. The company used earned media to secure media coverage and endorsements from reputable sources and influencers. The company used owned media to create and distribute original and engaging content on its website, blog, and social media accounts.
Conclusion and call to action
Leveraging media audience is a powerful strategy for B2B marketing, especially for defence companies. By tapping into the right media audience, you can increase your brand awareness, enhance your credibility, improve your lead generation, and achieve greater efficiency. To access the benefits of leveraging media audience effectively, you need to take a strategic approach that aligns with your business goals. You need to identify the right media outlets, create valuable content, build relationships with media influencers, measure and optimize your results, and provide a clear and compelling call to action for your readers.
If you want to learn more about how to leverage media audience for B2B brand growth, contact us today. We are a team of experts in B2B marketing, media relations, and content creation. We can help you design and implement a media audience strategy that suits your needs and objectives. We can help you reach and influence your target market, generate and nurture leads, and grow your brand. Don’t miss this opportunity to leverage media audience for B2B brand growth.
