In a constantly changing world, it’s important to find and connect with your B2B networks in every way available. If you’re to stay afloat in these uncertain times, you need to keep your online communication channels open and use technology to continue to increase profits and grow your business.
For some, the shift to communicating more online with their B2B clients, colleagues, and potential contacts has been easy. They have embraced video conferencing apps such as Zoom, Google Hangouts or Cisco WebEx for networking, appointments, and meetings, while others have struggled to stay connected.
There is a real danger in simply relying on ‘old ways’ of doing business. The ability for customers to reach your business in an instant—and in a variety of ways—is vital if you’re to keep your B2B networks alive and your business ahead of your competition.
So where is your business positioned when it comes to utilising technology to stay connected with your B2B networks? Would you say that you’re ahead of the game, just keeping up, or lagging way behind your competitors’ digital networking efforts? The good news is that if you’re struggling, it doesn’t take much time or effort for your business to make up lost ground.
If you’re prepared to invest a little time, these rapid changes in B2B networking technology can reap great rewards for your business.
Meeting the demands of the new B2B normal
As a business owner, you’re already acutely aware of the speed at which technology is evolving. It seems every day there’s a new platform, a new piece of software or a better app to help you run your business more efficiently and effectively.
However, you don’t need to become a technology geek to get your head around all the online networking and digital marketing channels available to you. You simply need to meet your target market where they’re at. Find out what suits the needs of your ideal customers and contacts when it comes to staying connected, then meet them there.
Take a little time to research how others in your network are keeping in touch. Check out your competitors and what they offer in the way of online appointment setting, conducting meetings, and ongoing service.
Your business doesn’t need to be on every platform, access every piece of software, or download every app. You just need to embrace those that best suit your business and your clients.
If you can master a select few, you will have some powerful tools that can give your business a real boost and keep you ahead of the game.
How to stand out in a more connected world
Thanks to advances in technology, the business community is more connected than ever before. Think about the rapid growth in online shopping, the increase in computer-based education, and the uptake of video conferencing as an acceptable and often preferable way of meeting and doing business. If your business hasn’t leaned into online networking yet, it may be one of the most promising customer acquisition strategies you’ve yet to seize upon.
A consumer can find a product, request a quote, book a service, or make an appointment quicker than it takes to pick up your drive-through coffee order! Does your business offer that same level of connectivity and speed?
What about maintaining your B2B connections? Does your current business network know how to easily find you, reach out to you, make an enquiry or place an order with you? How does your online presence compare with your competitors’? If your systems are outdated, slow, full of glitches, or just non-existent, then it’s guaranteed you are losing business, possibly without even knowing it.
In this overcrowded market, you need to continue striving to be seen—to stand out above the rest—and you may have to work a little harder (or just a little smarter) to make that happen. It may be time to up the ante and work out the best way to reach your B2B clients and potential clients. Once you connect (or reconnect) with them, you will start to gain some ground.
The more effort you put into keeping up and staying ahead, the more you will stand out from the rest and the more your B2B clients will notice and want to do business with you.
Use B2B networking as an opportunity to grow your business
Whether you’re firmly established with your B2B online networking or have a little way to go to fully connect, you can always find new and better ways to reach out to those in your community… and those you would like to invite in!
Through major advancements in mobile technology, you can now network with other businesses around the clock, no matter where you are. The Bartercard mobile app puts your business in your pocket, allowing you to access your B2B network anywhere at any time.
This gives you a competitive edge in the B2B marketplace, allowing you to connect with clients and potential clients whether at work or travelling for business or pleasure. It doesn’t matter if you’re in the next suburb, the next state, or even overseas, as the app lets you find other members, browse through their products and services, process sales, pay invoices, and keep track of your balance in a matter of seconds.
Make the most of your networking potential
If you’re looking for that competitive edge to help you find, connect, and do business with your B2B market, Bartercard provides a simple and easy way to take your business to the next level.
Contact Bartercard to find out how our latest technology can help you network with your B2B market.
