Whether your goal is B2B sales or industry marketing in the water, energy or utility sectors, targeting decision makers is the key to a successful marketing strategy.
The business-to-business (B2B) sector is an excellent space to operate in and provides fantastic opportunities for growth, particularly in niche industries such as utilities. To enable this, it is essential to target your marketing directly at those who are calling the shots.
There are a number of strategies you can utilise to find the right people to connect with in the utility sector, which we have outlined below.
1 Pinpoint chains of command in utilities
Before you can target decision makers, it is essential to know and understand who exactly in the chain of command your marketing should be aimed at.
Identifying the kinds of businesses you want to target and then using LinkedIn and organisational charts on utility websites is a fantastic way to start. From here, you can pinpoint where the reporting chains lie and who specifically would be best placed to receive your marketing.
This will ensure that you aren’t wasting your time and money by directing your content to the wrong people.
2 Visit events
Major industry events in industries such as energy, water and utilities are attended by a variety of important and influential people in the sector, many of whom are likely to benefit from your services.
Before the event, you can prepare by researching who will be attending and who will be speaking to gain a better understanding of key players in the industry.
Regular attendance at major utility industry events will help you to understand what goes on and who makes the decisions behind the scenes to inform your marketing strategy.
3 Understand decision maker relationships
To expertly target a niche utility audience, it is important to spend time speaking to your contacts to understand the different relationships that decision makers have across the industry.
For example, who is responsible for researching and purchasing options? Who assesses the different options? Who makes the final decision about vendors?
Understanding the motivation behind each relationship will solidify your marketing strategy and ensure a successful campaign that targets the right people.
4 Ensure your brand is seen
Beyond the first three steps, one of the most important things a business can do when seeking decision makers in niche industries is to ensure their brand is being seen by those it wants to work with.
There are a number of ways that this can be done, but one of the simplest and most effective is positioning your brand in respected, reputable publications that the sector turns to for industry news and developments.
Social media is also an excellent platform to utilise to ensure you’re being seen, and on platforms like LinkedIn, you can target any content or advertising to decision makers in the utility sector.
Key tips to ensure your brand is visible:
- Only align your brand with publications with a solid industry reputation, and ensure this is backed by readership and engagement stats
- Use a combination of marketing strategies – for example, branding advertising, thought leadership content and lead generation – across different platforms, such as print and digital, for maximum impact
Conclusion
Like many other sectors, B2B can be fantastic for growth, however to achieve this it is essential that your marketing strategy targets the right audience.
Recognising the chains of command, attending events, understanding decision maker relationships and ensuring your brand is visible are key steps in finding decision makers and adjusting your marketing approach accordingly.
If you need help reaching the utility market, download the Utility Media Kit here.
