From the bottom to the top of the funnel, COVID-19 is flipping B2B strategies [Video]

“Everybody was a little bit turned off by the idea of doing it,” Michelle Morgan, director of client services at Clix Marketing, said of one client’s initial reaction to expanding their top-of-funnel marketing efforts during our PPC for B2B session of Live with Search Engine Land.

“But, talk about ‘turning on a dime,’ now we are doing all of those strategies that we proposed to do earlier this year because we are shifting away from that bottom-of-funnel, super salesy thing,” she said, attributing the strategy change to COVID-19’s impact on businesses and customers.

The pandemic has resulted in unpredictable swings for B2B businesses, with some struggling to stay afloat and others experiencing surges in conversions. Out of respect for their customers, businesses are softening calls to action and being less “salesy.”

“So, we’re kind of getting to do what we and what our contact wanted to do, but maybe not what their sales team wanted to do … building audiences, building a top-of-funnel — we’re doing a lot of that because of the fact that they just don’t think that people are going to buy bottom-of-funnel,” Morgan said, adding that the strategy shift happened rapidly as her client turned their focus towards long-term goals.

Why we care. With so much uncertainty, marketers need to keep a watchful eye on their performance metrics to identify what opportunities are out there. In some sectors, the window of opportunity may be right now. For other sectors, investing in brand awareness or other top-of-funnel strategies may be the most effective way to allocate resources and prepare for success in a post-COVID economy.

Want more Live with Search Engine Land? Get it here:

• Click here for the full session.
• COVID-19 upheaval is actually speeding up some PPC campaigns [Video]
• What top SEOs are telling their clients now [Video]
• You can also find a full list of all our Live with Search Engine Land sessions on YouTube.

About The Author

George Nguyen

George Nguyen is an editor for Search Engine Land, covering organic search, podcasting and e-commerce. His background is in journalism and content marketing. Prior to entering the industry, he worked as a radio personality, writer, podcast host and public school teacher.