What Lessons Could B2B Brands Learn From B2C?

There’s less and less distinction between business to business (B2B) and business to consumer (B2C) marketing. And now more and more marketers in the B2B sector are taking note of techniques that were previously seen as the preserve of the B2C market.

Marketing Week recently noted that more B2B brands could learn lessons from the way B2C marketing operates.

One of the key areas they should focus on is brand building, according to marketing consultant Peter Field and head of effectiveness at adam&eveDDB Les Binet. The pair have recently carried out research on behalf of LinkedIn about brand building in the B2B sector.

Mr Field said there are “huge similarities” between brand building in the two arenas, but that many B2B marketers don’t take advantage of this. He explained that spending time on brand building activities can help “drive buyer choices and revenues”.

He added: “Brands need a creative storytelling element because it is not enough to rely solely on rational product messaging. There has to be clear differentiation and a narrative that taps into business buyers’ emotions.”

If your company already has a B2C marketing department, you can take advantage of their knowledge and take a hybrid approach. Mr Field pointed out that a number of companies, such as BT and Direct Line, have been successful in this way.

Claire Saddler, head of transformation at Direct Line, told the news provider that although much B2B advertising tends to be rational, companies shouldn’t dismiss the emotional side of it. “In insurance the risk to a business owner can be greater than to someone personally,” she explained.

“We are all human beings and we do not become a different person when we go to work,” she commented.

Relationship building with potential as well as existing customers is an essential part of brand building in the B2B sector, Mr Field added.

Chair of the DMA’s B2B Council Richard Robinson agrees. He told the publication that a rising number of B2B firms are focusing resources on building relationships because they understand that this is important for developing brand awareness as well as trust.

Tactics like storytelling and creativity are among the things that B2B marketers need to look at, if they aren’t already.

A recent article for The Drum pointed to technology as an essential part of the B2B marketing mix because so many of today’s buyers want to communicate digitally. Almost half of all buyers today are part of the millennial or generation Z demographics.

That means they expect to be marketed to in a direct way that speaks directly to them, and they want marketing that reaches them through a mobile device. They tend to block out other attempts at marketing to them.

According to the news provider, that means that B2B marketers need to embrace tech-enabled creativity. Using things like chatbots to deliver direct interaction with a marketing message is one example. Marketers also need to look at how they can deliver their marketing messages in bite-sized chunks.

If you’re looking for help with your B2B branding, get in touch with a branding agency in Buckinghamshire who can help you find a new direction with your marketing.