27 Oct Building Better B2B Marketing
By BravoEcho
Much of what follows may feel like common sense. But knowing what works and doing it consistently are very different things, and research shows a sizeable gap between the two in the majority of B2B campaigns.
More than three-quarters of B2B marketing campaigns utilize, at most, only two of the seven buyability levers we discuss below. This is a pity because using three or more delivers a 24% increase in awareness; an almost doubling of consideration, preference and purchase intent; and a 63% increase in marketing ROI (LinkedIn, LIONS Advisory, and World Advertising Research Council).
Only 5% of B2B buyers are actively looking to buy at any one time (Ehrenberg-Bass Institute). According to research from LinkedIn, B2B buyers are risk-averse, buy defensively, distribute buying responsibility across ever-larger groups, and buy on multi-year cycles. They also found that if everyone in the buying group knows the brand/product at the start of the buying process, it is 8x more likely to be bought.
These findings lead us to two conclusions. First, to be in the fight, your B2B brand must be on the day-one list — this means reaching the 95% not currently buying with marketing memorable enough to get the brand on the list when they’re ready to buy. Second, to win the fight, your B2B brand must prove its buyability by being the credible, trusted, risk-free, and most easily-defendable choice.
Ad-testing company System1 calls the majority of B2B advertising “dull” — too focused on features and pricing, and devoid of feeling. Their analysis of B2B campaigns reveals the same keys to better ad performance that they recommend for B2C campaigns:
- Generate an emotional response: ads that do this well are significantly more likely to drive consideration and preference, and boost sales, share, and profit.
- Leverage fully a bank of distinctive brand assets: the logo plus three or four other elements, unmistakably of the brand, used all the time, everywhere. Being distinctive gets a brand remembered.
- Give a campaign time: a good campaign performs better the longer it runs. And with lengthy purchase cycles, impact won’t be immediate no matter how much we might wish it were so.
So, your brand is in the fight, now how do you win it? How do you demonstrate buyability? We now turn to the seven levers we mentioned earlier that boost awareness, consideration, preference, purchase intent, and marketing ROI. After analyzing 700 award-nominated and award-winning B2B campaigns, these are the elements LinkedIn, LIONS Advisory, and WARC found actually get B2B brands bought.
Recommendations — others’ success offers proof and, therefore, reassurance.
1. Testimonials, endorsements, and use cases from current customers: these build performance credibility because prospects trust peer experience far more than a brand’s own claims.
2. Validation from industry experts and trade groups: endorsements from these authorities grant legitimacy by showing that the offering meets industry standards.
3. Validation from celebrities and influencers: boosts visibility and can impart stature and prestige on the brand. Even in B2B, aspiration and user imagery matter.
Relationships — high-stakes, high-switching-cost decisions mean buyers want durable partnerships.
4. Signal long-term relationships: dedicated account management and multi-year success stories reassure prospects that they won’t be abandoned after signing on the dotted line or when the first problem arises.
5. Signal category leadership: recognition as the biggest, best-performing or highest-rated doesn’t guarantee success but in buyers’ eyes it means not being burnt by an unproven player.
Relatability — it might be right for everyone else, but buyers want to feel it’s right for them.
6. Experiences with similar customers: demonstrating understanding of the workings, imperatives, and pain points specific to their industry shows prospects you ‘get’ them.
7. Demonstrations of a compatible working style: the product might be great, but a perceived mismatch in culture, communication, or process can create doubt in buyers’ minds.
Bringing it all together, marketing that generates an emotional response, is distinctively branded, and is given time, will get your B2B brand on the day-one list. Then, using several of the levers outlined above will increase your brand’s buyability by giving buyer groups the confidence they need to justify choosing you in the face of procurement, departmental, and C-suite scrutiny.
On the face of it, none of this is too complex — it’s clear, data-backed guidance for building brands that buyers remember and feel confident choosing. But common sense clearly isn’t common practice as few brands act on this guidance. This makes it a real advantage for those with the discipline to follow it consistently, for long enough to matter. Get remembered and you’re in the fight. Be the choice buyers can defend, and you win it.