November 7, 2022
Attending the B2B Social Trailblazers Summit last week opened our eyes to B2B marketing in a way we never expected. IF has worked in the industry for years, but garnering insight from so many people across it helped us to scope out what challenges are coming down the line.
Aside from being immensely impressed by Onalyitca and immediate future’s organisation of the event, the superbly delivered speaker line-ups and workshops offered up the opportunity for everyone to learn about each other’s difficulties in bringing messages to market. One of the main themes we noticed was around timing – the amount of time it takes to get things approved. There’s a fear factor among senior leaders that saying the wrong thing will come back to bite them – or, should we say, taking a risk is deemed not worth the repercussions. Do it and apologise later is my view! Don’t pass up the chance to go viral.
Among the many messages shared it was great to see so many influencers in attendance – utilising these industry experts can help brands massively; especially in tandem with a social strategy that can springboard your company into the limelight as a reputable thought-leader.
There were also some highly impactful B2B stats shared – the sheer rise in buyer decision makers looking to social to find out more – or at least being influenced in their buying choices is staggering. This proves that social has spread enormously from its B2C foundation to a widespread, trustworthy format of information sharing across various means.
But there are challenges that go beyond the speed of approvals.
Having spoken to attendees at the event, it’s clear to us that companies still need to shrug off the inward thinking when it comes to marketing strategies – on social especially. Brands remain regimented to their internal guidelines, so much so that content becomes monotonous and predictable – what’s worse, it tells customers nothing about how you can help them. This may sound harsh, but when it comes to what you take pride in, how many offices you have, how many employees you have worldwide – no one cares. How does that help them?
“We want to be sustainable” – well, so does everyone else.
Take a leap into the unknown. Take a risk. Social is meant to be fun – it’s not a corporate press release, it’s aiming to grab attention among a sea of other attention seekers.
Put yourself in your customers’ shoes. What would they want to see from you? Imagine they’re seeing you and your competitors all in one feed – what will you say to get them to notice you more? Once you’ve figured that out, you’re on your way.
Stay tuned for more insight and what’s next on the B2B Trailblazers Summit here