Discover a data-driven guide to master optimizing the right marketing channel mix for EMEA to align with business goals. Find the most effective channels to make the most of the marketing investments.

When sailing through the attention-to-detail and quality competitive market of EMEA, selecting the right marketing channel for specific business goals can be a real hurdle. Businesses are relying heavily on creating a strategic marketing mix of the right marketing channels, while the fall of cookies and the rise of account-based marketing are creating unexpected ripples in the market.

However, continuously scaling destinations in compliance with the new data and privacy regulations depends on the right marketing channels. This article is crafted to serve as a compass, a tool to help businesses chart the course and optimize marketing channels for better marketing returns and profitability.

Selecting Effective EMEA Marketing Channels: A Quick Guide

According to the effectiveness of the marketing channels, whether they are digital marketing channels, traditional channels, or word-of-mouth marketing channels, selecting the right marketing mix can lead to better business outcomes. Marketing channels are interdependent in increasing their effectiveness, and they have a compound effect. Some of the benefits of picking the right set of marketing channels include:

• Better marketing outcomes
• Minimum investment for maximum returns
• The compound effect of marketing channels in tandem
• Enriching all the aspects of a sales funnel
• Products reaching the intended audience

Some marketing channels work better for B2B businesses than others. The most effective ones are digital, such as email, social media, search, content marketing, and retargeting. Comparatively, the less effective ones are traditional, such as print, broadcast, outdoor, direct mail, telemarketing, phone sales, distributors, or wholesalers. Some channels, like events and experiences, trade shows, workshops, and product launch events, can create word-of-mouth marketing, which is very powerful.

Overcoming barriers to marketing in EMEA becomes one of the crucial factors for success, whether entering new ventures or trying to expand businesses. Considering channels that can overcome these barriers boosts the efficiency of the entire marketing ecosystem. For instance, for a SaaS product, the perfect blend is of digital marketing channels and retargeting alongside the more traditional and word-of-mouth forms of marketing.

Traditional and word-of-mouth marketing are the foundation of a brand’s credibility and trust. User-generated content and reviews act as the most authentic forms of word-of-mouth marketing in modern times.

According to Neil Patel’s Blog, 93% of millennials base their purchasing decisions on recommendations from friends and family, and this is where user-generated content has the potential to excel.

Word-of-mouth channels like recommendations, influencer marketing, loyalty programs, testimonials, and reviews have a deep impact on B2B customers. These also show the need for a timely consistent customer and brand experience based on past interactions. A strategic approach to marketing channels is vital for creating the best customer experiences and boosting sales, marketing, engagement, and retention in EMEA region.

Marketing Channels in EMEA for All Business Sizes

Omni-channel marketing in EMEA requires the right strategy and tactics. Each business has its own marketing challenge, but they can reach more customers by using different channels in conjunction. This way, it creates a lasting impact with their marketing campaign. This is done by analyzing some of the high-impact marketing channels in EMEA for B2B marketing.

Digital Marketing Channels:

Digital marketing channels are crucial for decision-makers as they provide data-driven insights for targeted marketing and enable real-time customer interaction, enhancing the overall customer experience.

Email Marketing

According to HubSpot, 37% of brands are increasing their email marketing budgets.

Email marketing is an effective channel with 4 billion daily users and growing budgets. Generative AI can help create and test email campaigns, with 95% of users rating it as effective. Creative content, visuals, and videos can effectively boost email metrics and ROI. B2B email marketing connects thoughts, words, and visions.

95% of marketers who use generative AI for email creation rate it ‘effective’, with 54% rating it ‘very effective.’

Social Media

LinkedIn

97% of B2B marketers use LinkedIn for content marketing, and it ranks #1 among all social networks for content distribution, as per a report by LinkedIn Marketing Labs.

This means that with a user base of 722 million, LinkedIn tops the charts when it comes to B2B marketing. LinkedIn plays a pivotal role in keeping up with the latest industry trends, creating brand awareness, generating leads, and spreading thought leadership. LinkedIn’s sponsored content and advertising are known to be effective and works fast.

Facebook

79% of B2B marketers use Facebook, as per BusinessEdit.

With over 2.9 billion monthly active users and worldwide usage of 36.7% of the total population, Facebook’s gigantic reach is leveraged by 48.5% of B2B decision-makers worldwide for research. As promising are the statistics for this platform by Meta, Facebook ads sound even more compelling.

X (formerly Twitter)

67% of B2B marketers use X as an online marketing tool, as per Business Edit.

Almost 75% of B2B businesses market their goods and services on X, whereas 82% of B2B content marketers are actively engaging on the platform. The effectiveness of X with over 528.3 million monetizable monthly active users, as a marketing channel is established by the fact that someone who has seen a business’ message four times is 335% more likely to click on a link in a tweet than someone who has only been exposed to the message once, as per the X Business blog.

Instagram

According to HubSpot, 79% of Instagram marketers have leveraged Instagram shopping tools, and one in three plan to use them for the first time in 2023.

Video content on Instagram is known to perform well as per user preferences. Instagram Live has the highest returns of any content format.

These statistics prove the effectiveness of Instagram as a valuable marketing tool for B2B businesses.

Other platforms like Pinterest, WhatsApp, and Threads hold promise for some of the industries where compelling visuals grab a lot of attention and reach the audience. To target a considerably younger audience, Snapchat and TikTok could become the social media platforms of the future for B2B marketers.

Search

Search is a powerful marketing channel for B2B marketers because it allows them to reach potential customers who are actively looking for solutions to their problems. By optimizing their websites and creating relevant content for different stages of the buyer's journey, B2B marketers increase their visibility, authority, and conversions in search engines.

These statistics prove the potential of search engine optimization and digital marketing for better ROI, sales, and customer experience for B2B brands.

Display Advertising and Programmatic Advertising

B2B marketers showcase their brand, products, or services to potential customers who browse the internet by using display advertising on digital platforms. Statista reports that the global digital display advertising market was worth $169.2 billion in 2020 and will grow to $243.6 billion by 2024.

Display advertising helps B2B marketers increase their brand awareness, reach niche audiences, generate leads, and drive sales by delivering creative, personalized, and measurable video or banner ads to their target decision-makers. WebFX reveals that 64% of B2B marketers include display advertising in their marketing strategy, and 59% of B2B marketers find display ads effective for generating leads.

Programmatic advertising in B2B marketing leverages data and technology to automate the buying and selling of targeted ads online. It allows businesses to deliver personalized and relevant ads to specific audiences, improving the efficiency and ROI of advertising campaigns.

Affiliate Marketing

Content creators promote B2B products or services to their audience by using affiliate marketing. Business Insider reports that affiliate marketing contributes to 15% of digital marketing revenue. Affiliate marketing helps B2B marketers increase their brand awareness, generate more leads, and drive more sales by paying commissions to the affiliates for each conversion.

Affiliate marketing is a multibillion-dollar global industry that will grow by over 10% in the next couple of years. Affiliate marketing also helps B2B marketers optimize their marketing budget and improve their ROI by using various payment models, such as cost per action (CPA) or pay per lead (PPL).

Content Marketing

Content marketing is one of the most powerful weapons in all B2B marketers’ arsenals. According to a report by Demand Metric, content marketing generates over 3x as many leads as outbound marketing and costs 62% less. Content marketing can help B2B businesses establish their authority, educate their audience, generate leads, and increase sales. A survey by HubSpot found that 82% of marketers are actively investing in content marketing, and 81% of marketers view content as a core business strategy.

Common forms of content marketing in B2B include blogging, podcasting, email newsletters, and infographics.

The timeless effectiveness of content marketing in B2B helps marketers in all industries and niches drive better results and higher returns. For niche content marketing, partnering with a network of publications has emerged as a trend to give B2B content high-quality exposure and reach to connect with a decision-making community.

OTT and CTV

OTT and CTV marketing is a way of reaching potential B2B customers watching streaming content on the internet through various devices, such as smart TVs, OTT boxes, laptops, or smartphones. OTT marketing can help B2B brands increase their brand awareness, lead generation, and customer retention by delivering personalized, interactive, and measurable video ads to their target audience.

Mobile and Web

Mobile in B2B marketing has become a significant tool for engaging customers, influencing over 40% of revenue in leading B2B organizations. It allows marketers to target audiences based on a richer set of data, facilitates efficiency in decision-making, enhances team collaboration, and accelerates the purchasing process.

The web in B2B marketing serves as a digital storefront, allowing businesses to engage with and sell to prospects around the clock. It increases business exposure, helps generate new customers, and provides targeted content that clients are looking for.

Online Retailers and Online Direct Sales

Online retailers in B2B marketing provide a platform for businesses to reach a global audience, offering a wide range of products from multiple vendors. They facilitate easy comparison of products and prices and often provide customer reviews, enhancing the purchasing decision process for businesses.

Online direct sales in B2B marketing allow businesses to sell their products or services directly to other businesses through an online platform. This eliminates the need for intermediaries, reduces costs, and provides a streamlined and efficient purchasing process for both parties.

Webinars

Webinars in B2B marketing serve as an interactive platform for businesses to demonstrate their expertise, products, or services, fostering trust and credibility. They also provide an opportunity for businesses to engage with a wider audience, generate quality leads, and drive conversions. In fact, 73% of B2B marketers consider webinars as highly effective tools for generating quality leads. Webinars are especially popular among B2B companies, which hold almost 61% of the total webinars held in a year.

Retargeting

Retargeting in B2B marketing is a powerful tool that allows businesses to re-engage with potential customers who have previously interacted with their brand or website. It helps in nurturing leads, increasing brand awareness, and driving conversions by delivering personalized ads based on the users’ past behavior.

Retargeting is a proven strategy to increase the effectiveness of online marketing campaigns. However, it also requires careful planning, execution, and evaluation to ensure optimal results and avoid potential pitfalls.

Traditional Marketing Channels

Traditional marketing channels are ways of reaching and engaging with potential customers that do not involve the internet or digital technologies, such as physical, print, broadcast, outdoor, direct mail, telemarketing, direct sales, events, and word-of-mouth. Traditional marketing channels can be effective for building brand awareness, trust, and loyalty, but they can also be costly, difficult to measure, and less targeted than digital marketing channels. These include the following:

Referral and Word-of-Mouth Marketing Channels

Referral and word-of-mouth marketing channels are ways to leverage existing customers, partners, or influencers to promote the brand, product, or service to their network, such as through customer referrals, influencer marketing, loyalty programs, testimonials, and reviews. Referral and word-of-mouth marketing channels can be powerful for generating leads, conversions, and retention, as they rely on trust, credibility, and social proof, but they can also be challenging to control, monitor, and scale.
These highly effective marketing channels referring to word-of-mouth marketing are listed below:

Strategize a Great Marketing Mix for Success

With the right market research in EMEA and relevant customer personas, businesses create a winning strategy to select the perfect marketing mix to get extraordinary results and boost their returns. Machintel is committed to excelling in creating a market mix of suitable marketing channels. Here are two such success stories where Machintel has driven results:

Hitachi Energy’s Win for its Newly Launched Product Awareness

Hitachi Energy is a global company that provides innovative solutions and services in the utility, industry, and infrastructure sectors. Its recently launched product, Spark Prevention Unit (SPU), is designed to prevent wildfires and protect wildlife. The product aimed to create brand awareness for the SPU among a niche audience interested in wildlife preservation and forest fire prevention.

Machintel served as a ‘one-stop shop’ for B2B marketing for Hitachi. The project was divided into three phases:
1) Brand awareness campaign,
2) A campaign focused on driving traffic to Hitachi’s website, and
3) Content syndication campaign that leveraged intent data to generate highly targeted leads

To make the most of its budget and connect with the people who mattered to them, Hitachi Energy chose a specific audience and hyper-targeted these initiatives to its target audiences.

Outstanding results of a staggering 2.5 million impressions, 150 targeted leads, and a click-through rate of 6.17% were achieved in less than a month.

Medallia’s Strategic Marketing Success in Lead Generation

Medallia is a powerful enterprise SaaS platform designed to create a rich 360° profile of customers and employees. Customers of Medallia decrease churn, convert detractors, and generate cross-sell and up-sell opportunities. As a new company in an emerging solution space, Medallia was looking to expand brand awareness and reach new customers across multiple demographics.

Machintel utilized targeted, data-driven marketing strategies to drive lead generation. The team utilized intent data derived from our 30+ publications focused on 16+ industries to identify highly targeted buyers in the areas of customer experience, strategy, operations, technology, HR, marketing, and insights.

The results achieved in the highly targeted marketing campaigns were 1640+ highly targeted leads, a 100% lead acceptance rate, and significantly improved lead quality.

Drive Better and Smarter B2B Marketing with Machintel

Machintel offers B2B marketing services such as market research, strategy, and execution. Leverage its media network and solutions to launch campaigns for demand generation, data intelligence, media, and events. Reach niche audiences in EMEA with 32% of its global reach. Get customized marketing plans for EMEA that suit various budgets, goals, and industries. Contact Machintel today for smarter B2B marketing!

[Sources – B2B House,  SocialPilot, Demand Sage, 99firms, Foundations,Inc, ThriveMyWay, Backlinko, FinancesOnline, ThinkImpact, Boast, P2P Marketing, Influencer Marketing Hub, Referral Rock, Findstack, Backlinko, Expert Market, Demand Science, Ahrefs, Content Marketing Institute, WebinarCare, Outgrow, Codeless, FinanceOnline, TrueList, MotoCMS, and 99firms]