B2B Startup Paid Advertising vs Organic Marketing

B2B Branding Introduction

If you run a B2B startup, you are familiar with the challenges that come with it from what decision to make to what action to take. It is not easy to be decisive, but that is what is required as a startup founder, CEO, investor, CMO, or marketing manager. You get paid to make the tough decisions, including whether or not to pay for advertising or marketing campaigns.

B2B companies sell products or services to other businesses (and sometimes to consumers, too). Paid marketing at a B2B startup can be more tricky than a B2C startup given end users are usually buying on behalf of the organization. And it gets even more confusing if we are talking branding, marketing, and advertising for a B2B2C organization.

Meaningful Marketing Metrics

B2Bs use a lot of metrics that analyze their target audience before pitching and selling a product to them. B2Bs can attract both inbound (when the customer comes to you) and outbound (when you contact the potential customer lead) by: 

• Defining its target customer 

• Using the appropriate communication channels 

• Maintaining communication  

B2Bs (business to business companies) first consider the size of their audience before they start marketing and pitching them. They filter by SMB / SME small and medium businesses (0-100 employees), mid-market businesses (100-1000 employees), to enterprise businesses (1,000 employees and above). 

Effective business-to-business marketing depends on the size of the audience as marketing is not a one-size fits all process;  it is not possible to design a strategy that works for every size audience. Without understanding your target audience, marketing strategies will be ineffective. 

All You Need To Know About B2B Marketing 

To make the most of any B2B marketing strategy, it is important to consider the goal you wish to achieve. Is the strategy designed to just create visibility? Is it to drive partnerships and collaborations with other businesses? Or is it just simply to maximize profits? 

B2B startups unlike B2Cs (business to consumer models) focus on strategies that help them to pitch their products and services to businesses that need them. The end goal of doing this is so that they can gain visibility and make profits. 

The primary goal of every business is to maximize revenue and profits. Marketing strategies are used to reach your target market and drive awareness of your brand, product, and service. Strategies used differ from one business to another and are dependent on some basic factors. 

Factors that cause marketing strategies to differ include goals, purchase motivation, purchase purpose, purchase process, content, and the people involved in the purchase. 

Factors Impacting B2B Marketing

1. Marketing Goal

The marketing goal of B2Bs is to acquire and retain (high-value customers) which are other companies. Customers will typically be focused on understanding the business case of using your product, the ROI, efficiency, and expertise. Ensure that your marketing strategies communicate these values to your prospective customers. You will need industry benchmarks and KPI as well to help you reach your marketing goals, even if you run a top crypto forex MLM company. 

2. Purchase Motivation

Customers are not primarily influenced by emotion in B2B marketing. Instead, they are affected by reason, costs, and ROI - i.e. how companies can make more (financial) gains through their products and services. 

3. Purchase Purpose 

B2Bs tend to retain customers longer than B2Cs. Most times, the engagement with their customers is often long-term because of purchase purpose. Once customers have found what they are looking for, they won’t leave unless they are enticed by a better deal or better value elsewhere. In addition, switching costs in B2B solutions are usually higher than B2C solutions. Constant contact, feedback, and service with your customers is important to ensure client loyalty. 

4. Purchase Process 

Unlike B2Cs, purchases are not made directly. Specific employees in the company may be buyers for different types of B2B products. For instance, a Procurement Manager may negotiate deals for enterprise-wide software whereas a Design Manager may buy design software for their specific team. This way, relationships are enhanced and intensified between both parties. 

5. Content

Creating quality content (that informs and convinces) for B2B marketing is very important. Like direct consumers, the customers also need to be educated about new products and solve their problems. 

6. People Involved

B2B customers are not the sole decision-makers. They are often representatives taking instructions from the decision-makers. Make sure you understand the buying process and the key influencers and decision makers in the process to drive effective marketing and sales. 

Free Forms Of Marketing 

There are many B2B startups on a budget out there as well looking for free advertising avenues. Some top free forms of marketing with potentially no direct costs include: 

• Word of mouth and other referral channels that spread of your brand, products, or services. This is especially important for businesses like restaurants and video games. 

• Content marketing that leads to organic rank on Google (while “free” this does entail spending time and/or money on building and promoting content. 

• Barter based partnerships with other brands where instead of paying money, you barter on other things like cross-promotions. 

But a lot of these free marketing and advertising options still take time, energy, employees, and maintenance. Remember that time is money, even when it comes to ads and branding.

If you don’t already have such channels set up and working for you, you’ll need to resort to paid marketing to start feeding your top of the sales funnel. 

When B2B Startups Should Resort To Paid Marketing - Pay To Play

There are several strategies that B2B startups can engage to drive sales. While some of these strategies can be free, there will come a time when the need for paid marketing will be very important. Sometime you have to pay to play, and you have to spend money to make money. Some paid marketing strategies that you can engage for your startup include: 

4 Top Paid B2B Marketing Strategies

• Email Marketing:  It was reported by Content Marketing Institute in 2023 that 81% of B2B marketers consider email newsletters as their most used form of content marketing. This means they are tapping into the 3.9 billion daily email users. Email marketing isn't new or glamorous, but it is one of the most dependable channels for scaling and ROI.

• Digital Marketing (SEM):  This is about having a digital presence. Without one, people will wonder what your business is since everyone is present online. Don't be that business that is still stuck in 1999 saying that they don't need a website or online presence in 2023. Get a website and ensure it is SEO-optimized. Search engine optimization is one of the best organic marketing tactics you can use for your business website and brands on Google, Bing, Yahoo, Baidu, Yandex, YouTube, and DuckDuckGo. Define your audience and run PPC campaigns if you want to take the paid advertising route. You may want to bid on high volume, high purchase intent keywords that will help your potential users become aware of your service when they are searching for a solution. 

• Social Media Marketing (SMM):  This form of marketing is not quite emphatic for B2Bs as it is for B2Cs. Yet, social media is a powerful tool for creating brand awareness and management. The followers you have might be the key to connecting you with businesses in need of your services. You can focus your paid ad spend on channels like LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Tiktok, Pinterest, Snapchat, and of course Facebook to some extent with expert digital marketing guidance from Appetite Creative. 

• Content Marketing:  Content available to B2Bs includes blogging, podcasting, newsletters, and even vlogging. Content marketing can drive traffic and convert leads when backed up by analytics. Once you have content ready, promote the content through sponsored channels such as Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Medium, Blogger, WordPress, Soundcloud, Mailchimp, and Google. Leverage social media for further business content growth in 2024.

Paid Marketing Potential

You could also pay freelancers to carry out these duties or to use their own digital cache to promote your company online. That is a separate or supplemental option of paid marketing and advertising for B2B startups.

Paid marketing is essential for you if speed to market matters to you and leaving things to organic or word-of-mouth growth may drive things too slowly for you to realize the potential of your business. Also, if you have a short timeline of products and services with specific goals and benefits a big paid push may be necessary to maximize exposure to consumers. 

To Pay Or Not To Pay? That Is The Question For B2B Startup Businesses

But before you dive into paid marketing methods, you need to be familiar with your customers' interests and previous interactions. While paid marketing would allow you to target new customers, the old ones might be as new as gold. Again, communication with your clients is key to success. Also ensure that your applications are working correctly for paid and unpaid marketing.

Relying on paid marketing as your sole channel can be dangerous and give you a false sense of achieving product-market fit. Ultimately, you need to track your conversions from these paid channels and ensure that the customers you acquire give you an ROI that more than crosses your cost of acquisition. You also want customers that are a good fit and advocate your brand. 

With paid marketing, you should be concerned about customer retention as much as customer acquisition for your B2B startup business. The right marketing strategies will keep your customers well informed of their needs that your company can meet and profit from. 

B2B Paid Marketing For Startups Conclusion 

Marketing is fundamental to all businesses, be it small or large. Visibility and productivity are largely determined by the quality of marketing strategy that is engaged. B2Bs can make use of paid marketing strategies like email and content marketing to be sure they are reaching their target audience. Keep these tips in mind to determine whether your specific B2B business situation calls for paid marketing or organic marketing strategies. And make sure to read more B2B startup insights right here on Marketing Masterminds!

Getting Started Guide To B2B Digital Marketing

Modern marketing is evolving at a rapid pace especially in competitive B2B markets. With longer sales cycle, bigger budgets and higher stakes, B2B marketers have to take a mindful yet aggressive approach to their craft in the digital age. To set them on the right track, here is a quick getting started guide to the digital marketing for B2B brand strategists. 

Bridge Digital Gaps 

A whopping 98% of marketers believe that there is no longer a meaningful distinction between online and offline marketing practices. B2B competitors need to reassess their budgets and strategies to put digital tactics above all else. 

Ramp Up Custom Content 

Branded content is a hit across industries and B2B brands will soon boost their budgets for these assets by 59 percent. Now is the time for marketers to map out a strategy and start building an impressive portfolio. 

Shore Up Social Media Marketing & Sales

Now that so many B2B companies have a strong LinkedIn presence, it’s clear that social media is a key ingredient in the marketing mix. Brands should not hesitate to experiment with other platforms and social campaign strategies like Facebook and WhatsApp for quick and convenient customer messaging. Connecting WhatsApp and Salesforce for sales and customer service is another strong play to increase overall business revenue.

Master Mobile ASAP 

Mobile marketing isn’t just for the B2C crowd, as 67% of B2B buyers access content on smartphones and tablets daily. All branded materials and calls to action must therefore be optimized for on-the-go discovery. All marketing industry disruptors know that it is all about mobile-first marketing!

Don’t Forget Email 

The longstanding staple of digital marketing still plays a key role, with 86% of strategists relying on email as a primary channel of communications. Brands in the B2B arena need to step things up with frequent, personalized messages. 

Master Your B2B Marketing

Do not hesitate to try out innovative strategies that explore new possibilities in this age of digital marketing. Make use of modern digital platforms like web 3.0, video sharing and remember that improving customer experience is at the heart of all of these online marketing strategies. Follow up and learn more about the pain points of your business clients, those two things paired together will really set you up for B2B success!


I hope you enjoyed this article about a quick getting started user guide to B2B digital marketing including social media and SEO strategies.

Interested in reading more articles about digital marketing strategy? 

Read My Blog Posts: 

- How To Earn More Online Income With Digital Marketing

- Build Better Backlinks With Blogger Outreach Services

More Marketing Masterminds Media Below

5 Content Marketing Tips For B2B SaaS Businesses

If you are in the B2B SaaS industry, you know how challenging it can be for marketers. It is getting to be a much more competitive and congested global market so you need to stand out if you want a shot at surviving and thriving. Competing companies are popping up everywhere in the modern digital economy. And if you have not started getting serious about your content marketing strategy, you are in the right place here on Marketing Masterminds. Why is it so important to step up your game in the B2B SaaS business? 

It is crucial to level up due to nearly three quarters of organizations recently surveyed saying that by 2024 at least 88% of their software programs will be SaaS (software-as-a-service), which is of course only expected to grow each year. When it comes to B2B (business to business) SaaS, a lot of the cloud products can appear complex, or require some degree of explanation, tutorial, or how-to guide. In this way, content marketing and the B2B SaaS industries are a match made in heaven, since content marketing has exploded alongside the development and popularity of SaaS. 

One marketer we used to work with said it best: “The only way to win at content marketing is for the reader to say: This was written specifically for me.” 

So what exactly is a Content Marketing Strategy? It is first helpful to define terms when we mention a “content marketing strategy” for software marketers with KPI concerns.

What Is A Content Marketing Strategy?

We're flooded daily with the word "content", and it’s hard to differentiate what is helpful, what converts potential prospects into customers, and what is just noise. Let’s take it straight from the source - the Content Marketing Institute (who would seem like they know what they are talking about) says that a content marketing strategy is a “strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.” 

At Marketing Masterminds Media, we're extremely familiar with a content marketing strategy (CMS) not only because we develop and publish our own, but we also implement them for our customers. It’s definitely our thing. Because of that, we’re going to share with you, the B2B SaaS marketing crowd, exactly the steps you can take to develop your own SaaS marketing strategy and ultimately, turn your content into customers. Here's how to amp up your software-as-a-service business 2 business marketing:

5 Top Tips For B2B SaaS Content Marketers

1. Research What Audiences Want 

Although it could be argued that this should be the first step for any type of strategy, it’s of the utmost importance for creating one for the ubiquitous B2B SaaS industry. 

Since your brand is making the content for your audience, you need to be sure it’s what they need, want, care about, or will even look at. This could also be called gaining customer insights, and it’s these insights that will shape the direction, look, and feel of your CMS. There are seemingly endless, and relatively easy, ways to conduct this research: you can take a look at already existing content of yours to see which performs the best, you can take a look at competitors’ content to see what people are engaging with, and you can use keywords tools like Neil Patel's UberSuggest or the SEO software platform Ahrefs. 

Let’s say you’re a social media scheduling and analytics company that provides tools for businesses to plan, share, and schedule all of their content in one place. If you were to search “how do I schedule social media posts in advance?” you also have the option of taking a look at the “people also ask” function on Google. This provides insight into similar queries people are searching for, but it can also serve as great inspiration for the content you should create - because, clearly people are looking for it. In this instance, as seen below, you could add a blog or video (we will get into content types in just a bit) into your CMS that answers the sought after question of “what should I look for in a social media management tool?” Another obvious but often overlooked approach is ASK! Ask your customers what they need an how you can solve their problems or provide value. 

Ask what they want to see, what pain points they have in understanding your app or software, and what types of content they love to consume. Use your social media channels as a market research tool, as if it gives you one-to-one contact with the people you’re creating the strategy for. It will allow you to learn the language of your audience, and also build brand sentiment as you are saying to your customers or followers “ask and you shall receive.” If you don’t have this one to one with your audience just yet, talk with your sales dept to ensure that what you’re delivering is actually being requested. 

2. Understand Your Target Audience's Perspective  

The whole point of a content marketing strategy is to guide your potential customer through the content marketing funnel; from unaware, uninformed, internet stranger, to educated, loyal, brand ambassador. This means you need to understand the buyer’s journey. You have to put yourself in their shoes, and walk yourself through what it takes to go from first click, to credit card swipe. Map out what type of understanding your customer would have at the Top of the Funnel (TOFU), Middle of the Funnel (MOFU) and Bottom of the Funnel (BOFU.) This includes thinking about what questions they’d have, and what they’d need to move on to the next -FU. After you’ve done your research and started to get ideas, look at where your content fits within the B2B marketing funnel. 

You’re probably not going to provide case studies to someone who doesn’t even know what your product does. You can’t expect your potential customers to jump straight from question to conversion - you need to provide value first. Let’s say you’re a project management software company, this means that you most likely have both personal and professional users, and users who have varying models i.e. free vs. premium. You need to address pain points that each of these groups may have. 

This may look like a FAQ blog for initial buyers, who are just getting familiar, and a “Project Management: The Definitive Guide” for your enterprise clients who’ve been around the block. A stellar content strategy would also simultaneously create content that leads that free user to a paying customer; perhaps a video tutorial that shows the awesome features from the paid version. Our Content Marketing & The Marketing Funnel Guide breaks down exactly what types of content perform the best at each stage, and how you can guide your audience from top to bottom - the only time you’d want your customers at the bottom. 

3. Create Content Supporting Company Goals

The research aspect of your CMS is crucial, and understanding your audience is imperative, but you are, after all, a business. This means that the content you are creating needs to support the goals of your B2B SaaS marketing business, and not just provide value for your customers only. In the beginning stages of strategizing, nail down some defined, measurable results that you want to see. This would be the fourth stage of the flowchart below. Depending on where you’re at in the evolution of your company, this may vary. Your focus could be lead generation, audience education, or customer retention - or, all of the above. Without setting relevant and achievable goals that align with the overall marketing strategy, your content will be in vain. The focus of your goal then, should influence which metrics you measure and how you analyze your analytics. For example, if you’re an HR management software company with the goal of lead generation, a metric to measure this success could be #’s of free trial downloads. 

You then can craft and create content that will deliver this objective. You could create a gifographic (yes, that’s a real thing) that highlights the benefits of your product, or some impressive performance stats, with a CTA to download a free trial. You set your goal, you choose your KPI, and then you create the content that will get those results. Likewise, if you want to increase customer retention, your content strategy could be a loyalty program, or members-only newsletter. 

4. Tell Your Audience Who You Are 

Almost 90 percent of consumers who were asked said that authenticity is a key factor in deciding what brands to like and support. This means that consumers can easily distinguish when a brand is being transparent vs. saving face. Although a major step in the content marketing process, it can also be quite a bit of fun, if done correctly. You set the tone of how you want your content to be received, communicated through your brand voice. It’s important to differentiate between the two: your brand voice is the personality of your brand, and the tone can change based on the medium or the message - but it should always be apparent that it’s yours. Buffer, a social media software company hits the nail on the head when it comes to showcasing brand identity. They achieve the goal of fusing their product with their personality, and, in addition to promoting their tool, showcase content that highlights their brand’s willingness to learn and grow. Sure, you want to create content to grow your engagement and increase visibility, but you also want people to enjoy the content of yours that they consume, or else they won’t be returning. 

Most B2B SaaS brands fall into one of the below categories, and deciding who your brand is before you start releasing content makes the strategizing process much easier. Think of your brand as a person - what kind of personality would they have? How would they act in a group of people? List adjectives that describe this personality and weave that tone of voice, approach, and attitude through every piece of content you create. Yes, every. It should be apparent in every Instagram caption, blog title, and paragraph on your website. Then - go nuts; create surveys, infographics, podcasts. Take testimonials from clients or case studies and present them in an interesting way. Look at what other companies are doing and then create the things you wish to see but don’t. And remember, a little humor goes a long way. 

5. Distribute And Amplify As Much As Possible

This step may be the most overlooked but also the one that returns the most rewards. Nothing is worse than spending time and resources researching and creating content, only to hit “post” once, and then leave it to die in the content graveyard. Especially considering the fact that over half of B2B SaaS marketers create at least one piece of content a day, it’s no longer a viable strategy to simply create, share, and hope for the best with this "spray and pray" tactic. This is where cross-platform publishing is huge; it’s essentially an ongoing focus group. You get to see what types of content perform the best on which platforms, which audiences respond most positively to what you’re creating, and can help guide you into editing and tweaking your CMS based on real-time insights. 

For example, if your company, a finance management tool for enterprise, has written a blog about “The Top 5 Financial Applications in 2021,” you’d post it on your blog, and then adapt its contents to better suit your identified target platforms. This may be sharing long-form excerpts from the blog on Reddit, infographics on Facebook, or discussion points regarding the blog on LinkedIn. Then, follow up with commenting and engaging with those who like, comment, and share on these posts. Other tactics to make sure your content gets the spotlight it deserves is investing in SEO expertise, paid ads, or an email marketing list. It should also be noted that the workflow for how you distribute your content should be integral to your CMS, not something that’s done in a random way once you go to share it with the world. 

Company Content Conclusion

After all this is done, analyze the performance of your content frequently so you can always refine your marketing strategy to maximize effectiveness. It comes as no surprise that nearly three quarters of B2B marketers said they have a content marketing strategy documented, up from only a third of marketers two years ago. For B2B SaaS, it’s not so much a case of “if” but “when.” Using this marketer guide as your blueprint, you’ll learn how to create a content marketing strategy that can catapult your brand in front of the eyes of the businesses and people who need your product the most. Now get out there and boost your B2B business big time!