In B2B marketing, it can be tempting to rinse and reuse marketing strategies that target decision-makers and upsell your offering.
However, like the social media landscape, no formula for success remains the same. Just like B2C marketing, we need to factor in changing audience behaviours and the ways we reach them. Here are some important factors we should consider:
Decision-makers aren’t the only audience you should market to
Social channels are most effective when we target the broad audience of consumers who spend their time there.
Yes, reaching decision-makers is important in B2B marketing. They aren’t, however, the only audience that you should be targeting. Sales cycles and procurement processes are long and involve several different stakeholders – be sure your marketing programmes consider different touchpoints at all levels of an organisation.
Consider human decision making
If you believe in the product you’re marketing, it might be tempting to reason that the brand will build itself through word of mouth and positive case studies. Unfortunately, this is not as easy as you may think.
Like all consumers, B2B buyers are looking to work with organisations that they enjoy doing business with. Their decisions are not only driven by rational thinking but rather, are a combination of emotional brand building and direct, rational, sales activation.
Have a healthy balance between sales activation and brand building
B2B marketers need to strategise for changing environments. The brand element is an important part of a successful marketing strategy, particularly in the long term. Investing in brand reputation is a wise approach and doubling down on activation could accelerate, or even perpetuate business growth.
Findings from Binet and Field’s B2B marketing research suggested that the most effective marketing strategies were weighted 60:40 between brand and sales activation. This specific analysis of B2B marketing campaigns recommends an optimal split of 46:54 between brand and sales.
While the formula for B2B marketing is ever-changing, one this is clear: brand building and sales activation should work together.
Reach out to learn more about building awareness for your brand.
