Want more insights from B2B branding experts? Check out our webinar, “Unleash Your B2B Brand Power: Expert Strategies for Marketing Leaders”, with David Jones, Global Brand Strategist for Polar Electro, and founder of Brand New, the personal brand for personal brands.
In today’s crowded landscape, it’s essential to have a strong B2B brand presence that resonates with your target audience. However, creating a successful B2B brand isn’t just about having a great logo or a catchy tagline.
It’s about understanding your audience, delivering value, and consistently communicating your brand purpose. In this post, we’ll share expert strategies that will help you turn your bland B2B brand into a roaring powerhouse.
Define your brand purpose
Picture this: You’re at a party, and someone asks you what your company does. You could give them the standard elevator pitch – “We’re a B2B company that provides XYZ services” – but that’s not going to make them want to stick around and chat.
Now imagine if you could say something like, “We’re on a mission to revolutionize the industry and make the world a better place, one client at a time.” Suddenly, people are leaning in, intrigued by what you have to say.
That, my friends, is the power of a strong brand purpose.
Your brand purpose is the reason your company exists beyond making a profit. It’s the guiding star that motivates your employees and drives customer loyalty. But how do you define your brand purpose? It starts by looking at your company’s mission, values, and vision.
“One way to define your brand purpose is a simple concept, it’s called Ikigai. And there are four circles within this concept. One is what you’re good at. The other one is what you’re passionate about.
The third is how you can help people, and the fourth is how you can provide value, essentially what you can make money from. So right in the center of those four circles, that’s your core purpose. So that will define everything that comes out of that little experiment.”
David Jones, Global Brand Strategist for Polar Electro and founder of Brand New, in our webinar “Unleash Your B2B Brand Power: Expert Strategies for Marketing Leaders”
What do you stand for? What impact do you want to have on the world? Don’t be afraid to get a little philosophical here – your brand purpose should be authentic, meaningful, and relevant to your audience.
Now, we’re not saying that you need to become a nonprofit or start planting trees to save the planet (although that would be pretty cool). Your brand purpose can be as simple as providing top-notch customer service or being the go-to resource in your industry. The key is to make sure that your purpose is woven into the fabric of your company and consistently communicated to your audience.
But why does this matter? Well, for one, people are more likely to do business with companies that align with their values. If your brand purpose resonates with your audience, you’ll create a loyal customer base that will stick with you through thick and thin.
Plus, having a strong brand purpose can also attract top talent who are passionate about what you stand for. After all, who wouldn’t want to work for a company that’s making a difference in the world?
So, take some time to reflect on your brand purpose. What sets you apart from your competitors? What impact do you want to have on the world? By defining your brand purpose and consistently communicating it to your audience, you can create a brand that people will truly care about.
Look to B2C brands for inspiration
Let’s face it – B2B marketing can be a bit dry. It’s all about ROI, lead generation, and bottom-line results. But who says B2B marketing can’t be fun? That’s where B2C brands come in.
B2C companies know how to create emotional connections with their customers, tell stories that tug at your heartstrings, and build communities that feel like family. And guess what? These are all tactics that can work for B2B companies too.
Now, we’re not saying that you should start marketing to your audience like they’re toddlers hopped up on sugar. But there’s a lot to be learned from successful B2C brands. Look at how they connect with their customers on an emotional level.
“You need to tell a story to capture people’s human emotion because they buy with emotion, but then make the decision through rationale and logic.”
David Jones, Global Brand Strategist for Polar Electro and founder of Brand New, in our webinar “Unleash Your B2B Brand Power: Expert Strategies for Marketing Leaders”
What stories do they tell? What kind of tone do they use? How do they build communities around their brand? By adapting these strategies to fit your B2B audience, you can create a brand that people truly care about.
Let’s take the example of a B2B company that provides software for accounting firms. It’s not the sexiest industry, but that doesn’t mean you can’t inject a little personality into your marketing.
Look at how B2C brands in the tech industry tell stories about how their products are changing people’s lives. By showing the human side of your product, you can create an emotional connection with your audience that goes beyond just the bottom line.
So, don’t be afraid to look to B2C brands for inspiration. While their tactics may need to be adapted to fit your B2B audience, there’s a lot to be learned from the masters of emotional marketing. By building a brand that connects with your customers on a deeper level, you can create a loyal following that will stick with you for years to come.
Play to your strengths
Alright, let’s talk about playing to your strengths. We all have our own unique strengths – maybe you’re a whiz at coding, or maybe you’re a people person who can build relationships with anyone. Whatever it is that sets you apart from the crowd, it’s essential that you use it to your advantage in your marketing strategy.
Let’s say you’re a B2B company that provides logistics services. Your technology allows you to track shipments in real-time, giving your customers complete visibility into their supply chain.
That’s a pretty powerful strength, and one that you should definitely be highlighting in your marketing messaging. By emphasizing your real-time tracking capabilities, you can create a competitive advantage that sets you apart from other logistics providers.
But what if you’re not sure what your strengths are? It’s time to do a little soul-searching. Talk to your employees, customers, and partners. What do they see as your company’s unique strengths? What sets you apart from your competitors? Once you’ve identified your strengths, it’s time to make sure they’re reflected in your marketing strategy.
But here’s the thing – just because you’re playing to your strengths doesn’t mean you should ignore your weaknesses. It’s important to acknowledge areas where you could improve and work to address them. Maybe your customer service isn’t quite up to par, or maybe your product could use some additional features. By acknowledging these weaknesses and working to improve them, you can create an even stronger brand that resonates with your audience.
“You tell a story about what strengths you have and what results you’ve had through those strengths.”
David Jones, Global Brand Strategist for Polar Electro and founder of Brand New, in our webinar “Unleash Your B2B Brand Power: Expert Strategies for Marketing Leaders”
So, take a good look at what sets you apart from the crowd, and make sure it’s front and center in your marketing strategy. By highlighting your strengths and acknowledging your weaknesses, you can create a brand that’s both authentic and compelling.
Use customer insights to inform your strategy
Let’s talk about the importance of using customer insights to inform your B2B marketing strategy. After all, you can’t create a strong brand if you don’t understand the people you’re trying to reach.
So, how do you gain insights into your customers? The first step is to collect data. You can gather information from a variety of sources, such as surveys, website analytics, and customer feedback. This data can help you create detailed buyer personas that capture the challenges, pain points, and motivations of your target audience.
Once you have a clear picture of who your customers are and what they need, you can start tailoring your marketing efforts to their specific needs. For example, if your buyer persona indicates that your customers are struggling with a particular challenge, you can create content that addresses that challenge directly.
This will not only show your customers that you understand their needs, but it will also position your brand as a thought leader in your industry.
But don’t just stop at creating buyer personas. Use customer data to track the effectiveness of your marketing efforts and make data-driven decisions about future campaigns. By analyzing metrics such as website traffic, click-through rates, and conversion rates, you can identify which strategies are working and which ones need improvement.
In addition to helping you create more effective marketing campaigns, using customer insights can also help you build stronger relationships with your customers. When customers feel understood and valued, they’re more likely to remain loyal to your brand and even become brand advocates themselves.
“Look to your NPS score, and monitor chatter on social media to understand your brand’s reputation. If people are talking positively about your brand, that’s a good thing.”
David Jones, Global Brand Strategist for Polar Electro and founder of Brand New, in our webinar “Unleash Your B2B Brand Power: Expert Strategies for Marketing Leaders”
So, if you want to create a strong B2B brand, make sure you’re using customer insights to inform your marketing strategy. By tailoring your messaging and content to your customers’ needs, you can create a brand that resonates with your audience and drives results for your business.
Encourage employees to build a personal brand
Encouraging your employees to build their personal brand is a great way to boost your B2B marketing efforts. Your employees are experts in their respective fields, and they can be powerful advocates for your brand.
By sharing their expertise, opinions, and insights on social media and other platforms, your employees can help build credibility and awareness for your company. This can also help to position your employees as thought leaders in their respective industries, which can lead to new business opportunities for your company.
So, how can you encourage your employees to build their personal brand? Start by providing them with the resources they need to succeed. Offer training on social media best practices, provide guidelines on what types of content are appropriate to share, and encourage your employees to share their successes and accomplishments.
It’s also important to lead by example. As a B2B marketer, you should be actively building your own personal brand and sharing your expertise with your audience. By doing so, you can show your employees the value of personal branding and inspire them to follow in your footsteps.
But don’t just stop at social media. Encourage your employees to speak at industry events, participate in webinars, and write guest blog posts for industry publications.
By doing so, they can help to establish themselves as thought leaders in their respective fields and bring greater visibility to your brand.
“By building strong personal brands for your employees, they’ve essentially become advocates and ambassadors of the brand.”
David Jones, Global Brand Strategist for Polar Electro and founder of Brand New, in our webinar “Unleash Your B2B Brand Power: Expert Strategies for Marketing Leaders”
Encouraging your employees to build their personal brand is a win-win for both your employees and your company. By doing so, you can boost your B2B marketing efforts, establish your employees as thought leaders, and position your company as a leader in your industry.
Get sales and marketing on the same page
When it comes to B2B marketing, it’s not just about creating a great marketing strategy. Your sales team is an essential part of the equation. It’s crucial to align your sales and marketing teams to create a cohesive brand message and ensure that both teams are working towards the same goals.
Start by ensuring that both teams understand your brand purpose, messaging, and customer personas. This will help to ensure that everyone is on the same page and working towards the same goals. Work together to create content that supports the sales process, and ensure that your messaging is consistent across all touchpoints.
One effective way to align your sales and marketing teams is to use a customer relationship management (CRM) system. This allows both teams to track customer interactions, share information, and work together to move leads through the sales funnel.
Regular communication between your sales and marketing teams is also key. Schedule regular meetings to discuss strategy, review metrics, and share feedback. This can help to identify areas where the two teams can work together more effectively and help to ensure that everyone is working towards the same goals.
“We’re one organism, one team, we have to move in the same direction and read from the same book. The collaboration between marketing and sales is linked because if marketing comes up with the right story that sales believe in, they can easily pitch that to prospects.”
David Jones, Global Brand Strategist for Polar Electro and founder of Brand New, in our webinar “Unleash Your B2B Brand Power: Expert Strategies for Marketing Leaders”
In addition, it’s important to ensure that your sales team has the support they need to succeed. This may include providing them with training on your brand messaging, customer personas, and marketing tactics. This can help to ensure that your sales team is equipped to effectively communicate your brand message to potential customers.
Overall, aligning your sales and marketing teams is essential to creating a cohesive brand message and ensuring that everyone is working towards the same goals. By doing so, you can improve the effectiveness of your B2B marketing efforts and drive more leads and sales for your business.
In the fast-paced world of B2B marketing, it can be challenging to stand out from the crowd. However, with the right strategies in place, you can unleash the full potential of your brand and connect with your audience on a deeper level.
From defining your brand purpose to aligning your sales and marketing teams, each of the tactics we’ve explored in this post can help you create a more powerful brand that resonates with your target customers. So, go ahead and take these expert strategies and apply them to your own B2B marketing efforts.
By doing so, you’ll be on your way to building a brand that not only attracts customers but inspires loyalty and drives success for your business. Remember, building a brand is not just about what you sell; it’s about the story behind it, the impact it makes, and the relationships it fosters. So, go forth and unleash your brand power!
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