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“Think consumer” 5 top tips for B2B automotive PR & Marketing in 2023

It should come as no surprise that when researching the habits of the automotive aftermarket, particularly garages, we found that they were indeed searching as consumers. From technical information in its most advanced form, to the purest “how to” videos, technicians are searching with their smartphones on the sites we all utilise as consumers, notably Facebook, Google and YouTube.   The reasons for this are plentiful. While we would look at the main reasonbeing trust in the content they view on such platforms, it is the accessibility and familiarity of the platforms that makes for its frequent use. We are all consumers, and what’s good enough as a communication tool in our personal lives is good enough in our professional careers too.   So, here are our five top tips for B2B automotive PR & marketing in 2023.

  1. It’s all in the data
What does your ideal customer look like? Where do they congregate online and where do they obtain content? What are their pain points? These are just a few questions you should ask yourself when planning your B2B automotive PR & marketingstrategy in 2023. The answers to nearly all of these questions are in the data. From social media platforms to search engines like Google, the amount of data available to you on your customers, new and existing, is plentiful and should shape your marketing strategy.  
  1. Time to get social
At Impression we believe it’s never too late to get social and communicate online. Digital is the present and future of B2B marketing. We’re seeing more clients allocate more of their marketing spend on social media - and Hootsuite predicts B2B product brands will spend 14.7 percent of that marketing budget on social media in the next 12 months. “But I don’t know what to post” we hear you say. Start small and be personal. People featured posts perform much better for businesses than those that focus purely on selling. We advise businesses to have a calendar of content that you can plan in before posting and focus on your objectives. You may want to sell more of a certain product but if you don’t spend the time educating people on the problems it solves, why it’s important and its benefits, you won’t get much buy-in.  
  1. Video content
We’re sure you’ve heard of the power of video marketing. Video connects you more directly with customers, boosts conversions, sales, awareness and ultimately builds trust. What’s more it’s also favoured by Google and social media platforms. But for B2B, the prospect of creating video is daunting, so similar to social media content, have a plan of activity - start small and don’t worry too much about high production values. Just be clear and concise about the message you want to get across. So grab your smartphone and begin!  
  1. Bring your team along with you.
The most important part of your business is your team. Everything that they do in the business is marketing as it affects the delivery of your customer service, so it’s important you bring them along with you when employing a B2B PR strategy. In doing so, their activity helps shape your content plans in the steps above. Sit down with employees and explain what you want to do, how they can help and offer them the chance to contribute to defining the future direction of the business. You’ll be amazed at what you pick up from them.  
  1. Effective storytelling.
Everyone has a story to tell - and for B2B communication is rapidly merging into B2C. The future of B2B PR is being more agile, inventive, and effective with storytelling. Whether you have top customers, influencers, or content creators telling your story for you, it is essential that you have a plan, a strategy for how you want to tell your story and to whom, backed up by measurable data.

Want to know more? Contact Impression by emailing Cheryl Dean at Cheryl@impressionuk.co.uk . You can also subscribe to our newsletter which lands in your inbox each month featuring top tips for PR and digital marketing in the automotive industry.