Real-Time Marketing in B2B: 15 Best Practices

What is real-time marketing? In a nutshell, it’s marketing that happens in the moment. It’s not just an awareness campaign or a short-term promotion. Real-time marketing is about understanding customer needs and reacting to them in the instant they occur. But how do you make sure your business stays on top of all those fleeting opportunities, without going crazy?

 

Here are 15 best practices for real-time marketing in B2B:

 

1. Keep an ear to the ground

The first step to being able to react quickly is to have your finger on the pulse of what’s happening. You need to be aware of any breaking news and trends in your industry, as well as what’s happening with your competitors. There are a few different ways to do this:

• Set up Google Alerts: This will send you an email any time someone mentions your chosen keyword online.
• Use social media monitoring tools: These can help you track not only what’s being said about your brand, but also what’s being said about your competitors and industry news in general.
• Check-in with trade publications and blogs: A quick Google search should turn up several blogs and publications specific to your industry.

 

2. Know your audience

Before you can start creating real-time content, you need to know who you’re creating it for. What are their needs and pain points? What kind of information are they looking for? When you understand your audience, you’ll be able to create content that resonates with them and provides value.

 

3. Have a plan

Even though real-time marketing is all about being spontaneous, that doesn’t mean you should go into it blindly. Before you start creating content, take some time to develop a strategy and set some goals.

• What do you want to achieve? This could be anything from increasing brand awareness to generating leads or driving sales.
• Who is your target audience? As we mentioned above, it’s important to know who you’re creating content for.
• What platforms will you use? Social media is a given, but what other channels can you use to reach your audience?
• What kind of message do you want to communicate? Make sure your content is on-brand and aligns with your company’s values.

Once you have a plan in place, it will be much easier to create content that’s on-brand and on-message.

 

4. Be prepared to act fast

The whole point of real-time marketing is to be able to act quickly, so you need to be prepared to do just that. This means having a team in place who are ready and willing to jump into action at a moment’s notice.

• Assign roles: Decide who will be responsible for creating content, approving it, and publishing it.
• Set up workflows: Create a process for developing and approving content so that you can move quickly when the time comes.
• Keep a stash of evergreen content: This is content that can be used at any time and doesn’t need to be created from scratch. Having a few pieces of evergreen content on hand will help you get something out quickly if you need to.

 

5. Monitor social media

Social media is one of the best places to find opportunities for real-time marketing. Not only can you see what’s happening in the world in real-time, but you can also see what people are saying about your brand and your industry.

Monitoring social media can help you:

• See what people are saying about your brand: You can use tools like Hootsuite Insights or Mention to track mentions of your brand online. This is a great way to see what people think of your brand and get ideas for content.
• See what people are saying about your competitors: Keeping an eye on what people are saying about your competitors can help you find opportunities to one-up them.
• See what’s happening in the world: Social media is a great way to stay up-to-date on current events. You can use Twitter search or Google News to find breaking news stories as they happen.
• See what’s trending: Use social media monitoring tools to see what topics are trending on social media. This can give you ideas for content that is likely to be popular with your audience.

 

6. Keep an eye on the news

In addition to social media, you should also keep an eye on the news to see what’s happening in the world. This can help you find opportunities for real-time marketing.

There are a few different ways you can do this:

• Set up Google Alerts: Google Alerts is a free tool that allows you to get notified whenever a certain keyword is mentioned online. You can use it to stay up-to-date on news stories, as well as mentions of your brand or competitors.
• Use a news aggregator: A news aggregator is a website or app that pulls in news from a variety of sources. This is a great way to get a birds-eye view of what’s happening in the world.
• Follow news sources on social media: Most news sources have a presence on social media, so you can follow them to see the latest stories as they happen.

 

7. Monitor your industry

In addition to monitoring the news, you should also keep an eye on what’s happening in your industry. This can help you find opportunities to create content that will be relevant to your audience.

There are a few different ways you can do this:

• Read trade publications: Trade publications are a great source of information about what’s happening in your industry. They can also give you ideas for content that would be relevant to your audience.
• Attend industry events: Attending industry events is a great way to network and stay up-to-date on what’s happening in your industry.
• Follow thought leaders on social media: Following thought leaders in your industry is a great way to stay up-to-date on the latest news and trends.

 

8. Use data

In addition to monitoring the news and your industry, you should also use data to inform your real-time marketing decisions. This can help you see what’s working and what’s not, and make adjustments accordingly.

There are a few different ways you can use data:

• Google Analytics: Google Analytics is a free tool that allows you to track the performance of your website. You can use it to see how your website is performing and to get ideas for content that would be relevant to your audience.
• Social media analytics: Most social media platforms have analytics tools that allow you to track the performance of your social media campaigns. This is a great way to see what’s working and what’s not and to make adjustments accordingly.
• Surveys: Surveys are a great way to get feedback from your audience. You can use surveys to gather data about what people want to see from you and to create content that is relevant to their needs.

 

9. Be prepared

The best way to be successful with real-time marketing is to be prepared. This means having a plan in place for when things go wrong, as well as for when things go right.

When things go wrong, you should have a plan in place for how you will respond. This could include having pre-written social media posts that you can quickly publish in the event of a crisis.

You should also have a plan in place for when things go right. This could include having a system in place for quickly creating and publishing content.

 

10. Be flexible

The key to being successful with real-time marketing is to be flexible. This means being willing to change your plans at a moment’s notice, and being open to new opportunities.

Being flexible will allow you to take advantage of opportunities as they arise, and make the most of your real-time marketing efforts.

 

11. Be responsive

For your real-time marketing efforts to be successful, you need to be responsive. This means being quick to respond to news stories, social media posts, and other opportunities.

The best way to be responsive is to have a system in place for quickly creating and publishing content. This could include having a team of people who can help you create and publish content at a moment’s notice.

 

12 Niche-driven marketing

Tailor your marketing messages to a specific niche or group of people. Doing so will make your messages more relevant and interesting to your audience. This is especially important when you’re marketing to a specific group of people, such as small business owners.

When doing niche-driven marketing, it’s important to:

• Know your audience: You need to have a good understanding of who your target audience is. This will help you create content that is relevant and interesting to them.
• Identify their needs: You need to identify the needs of your target audience. This will help you create content that is relevant and helpful to them.
• Speak their language: You need to use the language of your target audience. This will help you connect with them on a more personal level.

 

13. Harness big data

Big data is a term used to describe the large volumes of data that are generated by businesses and organizations. Big data can be used to inform your real-time marketing decisions and help you create more relevant and targeted content.

There are a few different ways you can use big data:

• Social media listening: You can use social media listening tools to track the conversations that are happening about your brand. This is a great way to get ideas for content that is relevant and interesting to your audience.
• Data mining: You can use data mining tools to find trends and patterns in the data. This is a great way to get ideas for content that is relevant and helpful to your audience.
• Data analysis: You can use data analysis tools to understand the data that is being generated. This is a great way to get ideas for content that is relevant and targeted to your audience.

 

14. Use influencers

Influencers are people who have a large following on social media. You can use influencers to reach a larger audience with your real-time marketing efforts.

There are a few different ways you can use influencers:

• Promote your content: You can ask influencers to promote your content. This is a great way to get your content in front of a larger audience.
• Share your content: You can ask influencers to share your content. This is a great way to get your content in front of a larger audience.
• Give your content away: You can ask influencers to give your content away. This is a great way to get your content in front of a larger audience.

 

15. Be prepared for things to go wrong

No matter how well you plan, things can always go wrong. This is especially true when you’re working with real-time marketing.

Be prepared for things to go wrong, and have a plan in place for how you will respond. This will help you avoid any major disasters, and ensure that your real-time marketing efforts are successful.

 

Final Words

Real-time marketing can be a great way to connect with your audience and create relevant and targeted content. However, it’s important to be prepared for things to go wrong. Be sure to have a plan in place for how you will respond to any potential disasters.

When done correctly, real-time marketing can be a great way to connect with your audience and create relevant and targeted content. Use these best practices to ensure that your real-time marketing efforts are successful.

 

FAQs

What is an example of real-time marketing?

Twitter is an example of a platform that can be used for real-time marketing. tweets can be created and published instantly, allowing businesses to respond quickly to current events or trends.

What is the most important B2B marketing?

The most important elements of B2B marketing are creating a strong relationship with customers and prospects, providing valuable content, and nurturing leads through the sales funnel.

What’s the difference between B2B and B2C marketing?

The main difference between B2B and B2C marketing is that B2B marketing focuses on building relationships and providing value, while B2C marketing is more focused on selling products or services.

What is the best time to do real-time marketing?

The best time to do real-time marketing is when there is a current event or trend that is relevant to your business. This could be a holiday, a natural disaster, or a breaking news story.