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B2B marketing campaigns are often rich in data and facts — but unfortunately they are also often very characterless. When was the last time you told someone about a white paper or webinar that you described as exciting or even compelling? The problem: Marketers too often seem to believe that B2B buyers and decision makers always think and act purely analytically and factually. That B2B marketing therefore has to be practical and sterile in order to be convincing.
The opposite is the case: B2B products and services such as specific consulting services, systems and machines, etc. are usually purchased over periods of five years. According to LinkedIn B2B Institute, only 20% of potential B2B buyers are looking for it in the market... because a need is simply not acute? Calculated over the quarter, only 5% of buyers are on the market and are actively looking for data and facts.
“Perhaps 20% of your potential B2B buyers are even active in the market. Don't you want to reach the other 80%, which may not be needed until next year? ”
So what do we do with the remaining 95% of potential, future B2B buyers and decision makers? Don't we want to inspire them, trigger their short attention span with something new, fresh and unexpected?
Don't throw your fact-based articles, landing pages, and series of posts in the trash — these assets have value. But try different strategies to infuse emotional value into your brand and product to be remembered over the long term. Invest in your brand Make your content marketing less dry and increase your chances of generating more fame, creating awareness and, above all, better memories. Here are a few basic approaches:
86% of B2B marketing managers say that their top goal of “brand awareness” should be achieved through content. Can that really be achieved? We don't need more content, we finally need big ideas and bold, creative guiding ideas again. Use the power of emotions and increase your reputation over the long term through surprising and entertaining stories and campaigns. Everyone is more likely to remember a creative commercial or a funny B2B social media campaign than the hundredth boring webinar white paper or a company announcement. Who doesn't know them, the humorous Hornbach Spots? But does that also work in the B2B sector? Here are a few campaigns that were not only particularly effective, but also anchored companies and brands in consumers' minds and thus stuck in the memory:
Not completely fresh anymore but still good: Spot for Adobe Marketing Cloud:
Workday celebrates business rock stars:
Create topics for conversation and dialogue and retain your audience emotionally. Especially when competitors cut their budgets, you have the perfect opportunity to stand out and thus effectively make a name for yourself.
Most campaigns and content assets often only take effect in certain parts of the consumer journey. Optimal campaign ideas include all content that accompanies buyers on their journey in the long term, under one campaign umbrella and a content strategy. A more detailed analysis of the customer journey is helpful for this purpose. Good journey maps are the only way to deal with the confusing B2B journey. Journey maps make it possible to record important moments and channels and to adjust the assets involved here for an overarching brand story. Don't just limit yourself to the “typical” B2B channels.
“Civil engineers are also on TikTok — diversifying their messaging and channel strategies will thank you through better engagement data. ”
Lawyers also listen to podcasts, civil engineers are on TikTok and procurement employees scroll through their Instagram feed. Test new channels — but, no matter on which channel, communicate your story consistently, albeit with slightly different tones and yet always with recognition value. Invest in increased vertical integration and continuous optimization of your customer journey models. The journey doesn't end when you click on your website or opt-in to your newsletter.
When it comes to complex products and services in particular, many marketing managers fail to make them accessible and understandable in such a way that they are appealing. People are often afraid of admitting that they are unable to cope with this complexity or of how emotionally influenced their decision making is. There are stakeholders with many emotions, sometimes not openly communicated. A lot of complexity — so a lot can go wrong. From a creative point of view, fear often leads to mediocracy and thus to being forgotten and not remembered.
“Make it simple but significant. ”
Especially in Germany, B2B marketing often tends to give itself value and significance through academic advantages or engineering. Always integrate a certain human touch, use images and faces that reflect the reality of life and work or place them in a new, funny or surprising context. Stock or recently AI photos of grinning business people whose greatest joy lies in advancing “transparency,” “new work,” and “digital transformation,” are the opposite of human-credible communication. We all want to be loved, respected, entertained, or simply left alone. People at work are no more conservative than at home. Simplify complexity and present your services and products in an approachable and human way. Be enthusiastic about making complexity accessible and not presenting it.
If you want to make your digital content and social media marketing less “boring” but still efficient and effective, Call us at Uhura Digital!
