Whether it’s a global pandemic such as the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation or a sudden change in business operations, a company needs to have an effective B2B communication strategy in place. This is to help clients stay informed, improve brand reputation, as well as maintain healthy B2B relationships. 

There are several ways that a business can communicate with others in order to proliferate clarity and transparency. In this post, the Find Your Audience team offers advice that a business can take to create an effective communication strategy. 

Firstly, sending a well-crafted message through email is an excellent way to communicate with clients. According to a report by the Mobile Ecosystem Forum (MEF) and NetSfere, 54% of U.S. smartphone users communicate with their business contacts through email. On a worldwide scale, the report indicated an average of 47%. 

Ensure that email messages are targeted and professional, depending on the client. This can be done through writing an effective subject line, addressing the recipient, and acknowledging that they are appreciated for their business efforts. Depending on the severity of the situation, these messages should indicate a business’ awareness and provide tools and resources to further help clients. 

Another way to communicate with businesses is through the use of social media. Platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, for example, can be leveraged as a news and community hub, allowing participants to view the information in a clear and concise way. Facebook company pages, for example, can also be updated with new information to reflect the latest situation. Meanwhile, business Twitter accounts can craft a post and pin it, ensuring that it would not be missed when clients visit the profile page. 

As for LinkedIn, a post on a company’s own page would help followers stay informed. Along with a content writing team and the help of graphic designers, a more dynamic post can be crafted on LinkedIn in the form of an infographic. An infographic can, for example, help readers understand information quickly, giving them the facts and statistics in a digestible manner. 

Being proactive in one’s B2B communication strategy is also important. This involves making information clear and easily accessible, mitigating user error and the need to answer the same questions from clients over and over again. 

A technique that can be implemented to do this is by using bullet points to outline what clients need to know. This is in addition to providing them with additional resources should they wish to learn more about a situation. By answering anticipated questions beforehand, a business can free up the time of its employees, thereby allowing them to focus on other important tasks. 

Of course, the B2B relationship is dependent on excellent communication. A couple of ways to go about maintaining a positive relationship is through showing that one’s business is genuine in their care for clients. This is especially important in times of crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic. 

While a business can state that it cares for its community, clients, and staff members, offers of action can showcase humanity and authenticity. These actions may be in the form of offering help to others, how one’s business is donating and aiding society at large, as well as an offer of either a free trial or service. 

Another option would be to encourage corporate citizenship. For example, a business can inform clients about local charities or national donation channels to showcase their own commitment to philanthropic causes. 

There are various forms of effective B2B communication strategies, however, finding the ones that are best suited for your business can be a challenge. Thorough research and cost-effective plans need to be in place before a business can commit to strategies with confidence in their performance. 

The Find Your Audience team is ready to work with clients to achieve performance-based results. To get in contact with a staff member, contact either 647-479-0688 or hi@findyouraudience.online.