B2B Websites Still Not Effective

If you work with B2B companies and do business with them, you've probably been frustrated by the lack of interaction, in-depth content and product information available on their websites. I don't know about you, but I'm busy. Buyers don't want to have to talk to a sales rep when they’re doing research. Frankly, they don't have the time.

Research shows that over ninety-three percent of buyers in search of complex solutions are on the Internet to find information that helps them make buying decisions. Ninety-one percent of them will leave your website without pursuing a conversation if they can't find solid information. [ThomasNet] B2B companies cannot afford to have a ho-hum website.

Companies need to consider the different stages of buying. Depending on which stage a buyer’s project is in, he/she may not have formed a sufficient plan to be able to discuss it intelligently. Especially if solving this problem is something new for the buyer or for their company. It’s your website’s job to help them get the education they need to develop a comfort zone that enables them to talk about it—to frame coherent scenarios of successful solution outcomes in their mind and speak to other influencers on the project about what they’ve learned.

Providing the framework for conversations is the purpose your website should pursue. Anything less will send your buyers in search of a vendor website that will better answer their needs.

At a bare minimum, your website needs to be able to help buyers learn about and understand:

• What the company does - not a bunch of rhetoric, but what you do, without all the posturing and jargon that makes understanding a lot more work than it should be.


• The array of available products that meet their needs, what capabilities each of them has and which options and extensions are available. But, beyond that, your buyers want to know why they should consider your products relevant to the problems they’re trying to solve. So a features and benefits bullet-list isn’t going to answer that need by itself.


• Depending on the buyer's role in the project, is content available that addresses his/her priorities? Your website should evolve to impact the engagement your company has with more than the final decision maker or the end users. IDC reports sales cycles have lengthened by 24% and that consensus groups for purchases have grown to at least 7 people. To shorten buying cycles, you need relevant, valuable content that addresses the needs of each of them.


• They will want some kind of price level indication so they can remove the question of affordability from their minds and concentrate on what’s important. It won’t be exact as there’s no way to do that for a complex sale without a conversation. But, there’s no reason to waste everyone’s time if the price won’t work, regardless of outcome delivered.


• How your products have impacted customers like them and the extent of the value the customer derived from using their products. To be really clear, this needs to be value as seen by the customer, not value determined by the vendor.


• Your buyers want to be educated, not sold. They want to learn something they didn't know before they arrived that will help them better understand the issues and confirm they’re on the right path in searching for a solution.


• Buyers want to see thought leadership and know that the vendor they choose will have the expertise necessary to get them through the journey to a successful outcome. They can buy a product similar to yours from a variety of different vendors. Why are you the one with the most value to bring to the table?


• What kind of support they can expect once they become a customer? The ongoing relationship is quite often more important than the initial purchase. And don't just tell them your company provides “unparalleled support available 24/7”—because everyone says that. Give your buyers something meaty. Something that says they can rely on you now and in the future—no matter what.


• Your website should have an easy way to find out how to contact someone or request more information. And let your buyers tell you how they want to be contacted. Don't send them an auto-response if you're not going to follow up like you promise. Because, if you don't meet that expectation you just set, you've already lost their business.


• Allow buyers to download the information they want access to without fearing they'll be besieged by phone calls and emails. Invite them to opt in for different levels of communication, and respect their wishes. Even better, ask them to indicate a problem or select an information track they’re interested in. Every bit of data you collect should be used to strengthen the engagement you’re building with each and every buyer on their terms.


• Tell buyers where your company is located. You can provide a form for your buyers to fill out requesting contact or opting in to ongoing communications, but post your address and phone number, too. When buyers are thinking about a purchase, they’re also wondering how hard it will be to contact you if something goes wrong.

This isn't asking that much. Most of these requirements can be answered with content. The difference between a brochure site and an effective interactive site is tone, focus and participation. A brochure site, by its very nature, is the old way and is focused on the company.

An interactive site embraces the buyers’ perspectives. The tone generates an emotive response. Buyers want to feel engaged, and they want to know your company is interested in doing business with them. You prove that by paying for their initial attention with high-value content and opportunities for buyer participation.

Your buyers ultimately want to know that your company is more in tune with and interested in doing business with them. They want to know you have the expertise to pull off what you promise. They want validation that you’re more interested in them than in yourself.

If you want to take your B2B website farther, consider adding some interactive tools to your website. Some interactive examples are:

• Simple TCO calculator tools
• Requirements surveys that lead buyers to additional, similar information
• Expertise forums with customer reviews and discussion
• Reseller locators
• Conversational match-ups with “like” customers
• Submit a no-obligation question to an expert and get a timely response
• RSS feeds
• Blogs – keep the posts focused on topics of interest to buyers and customers

If your website is designed more for you than for your buyers and customers, it’s definitely time for an overhaul. Another vendor is only a click away. But transforming your website from brochure to conversation outpost doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing proposition. Generate a plan and take ongoing steps to pave the way. And, while you’re at it, create a website editorial calendar to keep it current. Your buyers will value your contribution to simplifying their buying process.

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B2B marketing strategist Ardath Albee helps companies significantly increase their marketing momentum by generating more and better leads for their sales organizations. She helps them capture the attention of web site visitors, and strengthen engagement with high-value content till they are "sales ready." Visit the Marketing Interactions website: www.marketinginteractions.com.