B2B marketers must educate extremely
smart potential buyers, ensure that influencers are knowledgeable about their
products, and ultimately convince people they should bet their jobs on choosing
their products over those of competitors. Moreover, even while sticking to a
limited marketing budget, B2B marketers must provide a hungry sales team with
enough qualified leads to keep their pipelines full and their families fed.
How do they do it? The best B2B
marketers are successful because they start with building a brand. In other
words, the best B2B marketers think like business-to-consumer (B2C) marketers.
Think Like a B2C Marketer
The first step toward thinking like
a B2C marketer is to create great brand recall. Let's say you're thirsty and
you walk into a store that carries Coke and DMG-Cola. You immediately reach for
the Coke because you know exactly how it will taste; it is the safe choice.
However, if earlier that day you'd seen a banner ad that said
"DMG-Cola—Tastes Like Coke, but 100% Organic!" you may well have
tried the DMG-Cola. The DMG marketer who bought that banner ad had a simple
goal—not to drive someone to make an immediate purchase but, rather, to create
brand recall that would influence purchase decisions in the future.
Of
course, applying this method to B2B marketing is more challenging, but it can
work. First, to illustrate how much more complex the B2B marketer's challenge
is, let's use the same example—but in a B2B context.
Your boss asked you to buy soda for
a company party, so you go to the store and spot Coke and DMG-Cola on the
shelf. Even if you had seen the banner ad marketing DMG-Cola, you'd still
choose the Coke. Why? Simply because Coke is the less risky decision, and many
purchase decisions in a business environment are made with the goal of
minimizing risk. Nobody ever ruined a party by buying Coke, but if you showed
up with DMG-Cola and your coworkers didn't like it, you'd take the blame for
making a poor decision that had a negative impact on the company party.
So, what would the DMG marketer have
to do to convince you, as the business buyer, to choose DMG-Cola instead of
Coke?
- First, she would have to build awareness of the DMG-Cola brand as in the above example.
- Then, she would have to provide examples and testimonials of others who had thrown successful company parties with DMG-Cola. She might create whitepapers and host webinars highlighting the advantages of DMG-Cola vs. Coke and other competitors.
- She would also have to influence executives at your company and your trusted peers outside the company, so they would recommend DMG-Cola around the water cooler.
- Finally, she would have to ensure this information stayed top of mind, so you wouldn't fall back on the "safer path" of reaching for Coke next time you were tasked with planning a company party.
Smart B2B Marketing = B2C With a
Twist
Of course, the previous example is
simplistic, but that is essentially how B2B products are marketed and purchased
every day.
The best B2B marketers think like
B2C marketers—but with a twist. They understand building a memorable brand
perception is critical, but they also understand...
- Exactly who the buyer is and who or what influences the buyer
- The key elements of a purchase decision and how to create messaging that addresses those elements
- The content, best-practices, and case studies necessary to remove the risk of the decision
- How to distribute messages and content to targeted decision makers, influencers, and peers with enough frequency to move the needle
And they do all that while staying
within budget.
What tips can B2B marketers follow
to start thinking more like their B2C colleagues? Here are five strategies B2B
marketers can implement right away.
1. Create great brand recall
The first step in any B2B marketing
campaign is to create brand messages and campaigns that will "stick
with" potential buyers long after they see the ads or marketing messages.
Get creative and try new messages and slogans to make your brand stand out from
the crowd and target them specifically to your audiences. Finally, always be
branding! Creating brand recall isn't a single campaign—it's an always-on
tactic.
2. Know your audience
Thinking like a B2C marketer doesn't
mean treating your audience like general consumers. Your audience is made up of
business professionals looking to make the most economical, risk-averse, and
high-value purchases for their companies. Always keep their needs and risks in
mind when considering marketing strategies.
3. Use visuals to sell your product
People remember images long after
they remember words. Make sure your campaigns are splashy, memorable, and
interactive. Try using interactive banners, social ads, or videos to tell your
brand story.
4. Maintain creative consistency
Trying new creative ideas is fine,
but make sure they're consistent across all your marketing campaigns, including
paid ads, social media, sales sheets, webinars, whitepapers, and your website.
Synch your messaging across all media activities as you move buyers down the
marketing funnel.
5. Be human
Your audience may be businesspeople,
but that doesn't mean they are automatons who don't enjoy a good laugh or a
personal touch. Make sure all your marketing materials speak to the human side
of the business world. In a world where most B2B campaigns are boring, a more
human touch will make your campaigns stand out.
* * *
So, next time you meet with your B2B
marketer, give him a hug and say "I get it now!" B2B marketers have a
rich, complex, and high-pressure job to do in a very dynamic and noisy world.
Those who do it well are rewarded with outsized growth and shareholder value
gains.
