If you work in B2B marketing, you’re probably familiar with the misconception that it’s stiff and creatively lacking, especially when compared with B2C. If it brings to mind bland sales materials, outdated websites, and messaging with zero personality, it doesn’t have to be this way. Being a successful marketer in the B2B space is no different than being a successful marketer in the B2C space. You need to understand your audience’s pain points to form a connection. And truthfully, you don’t have to look far to find companies killing it with their marketing.
One of my favorite examples today is Attentive, an SMS marketing company that’s making a name for itself through digital and traditional marketing. They recently launched a campaign encouraging businesses to build relationships with customers through conversations. Their strong Twitter presence includes the launch of a word game called Mojicode to celebrate World Emoji Day on July 17. Players are timed on guessing a phrase based on a series of emojis and are encouraged to share their scores using #mojicode. Their case studies page boasts plenty of well-known brands including TGI Fridays, Urban Outfitters, and even Tim McGraw.
You might be asking yourself “Okay, so what can I do?”
And the answer is simple: Be human.
We’re going to dive more into what that means and how it leads to genuine business relationships.
But first, know that the best B2B marketing centers around building relationships. Understand who your clients are and what they need so you can give them the right solution. You’ll also need to make sure you use a consistent brand voice so you communicate with your clients the same way each time–no matter who is connecting with them. Whether it’s your social media manager or sales representatives, your team should use the same tone, language, and personality with your customers so they have consistency in that relationship.
Let’s explore how you can put a human face on your B2B marketing efforts.
What’s Not Working With B2B Marketing Today
Before we dive into what works for B2B marketing, we need to talk about what doesn’t. B2B marketing can feel offputting when your inbox is filled with cold messages from people you don’t know who want to do business with you.
Since you know you’re looking to connect with certain “roles” within the company, it’s easy to fall into the trap of shooting off messages, keeping only their role in mind (or worse yet, something totally generic across all roles). If you forget there’s a human on the other side of that screen, you’re missing the most important part of marketing. Instead, remember you’re trying to build a relationship with a person, and use that as the basis for making a genuine connection. In fact, I want you to consider letting go of the sales outcome altogether and reach out with the sole intention of forming a relationship.
Define Your Clients
Who do you work with? Maybe you’ve already devoted time to define who they are and what they do. If not, here are a few questions to consider:
- Who are these clients?
- What do they do?
- Who do they serve?
- How do they deliver their services?
The more detail you can pull together, the easier it will be to solve their problems. But it’s also important to go deeper and explore the stage of their business and their priorities and goals. For example: Are they just starting out? Or, are they veterans in their industry with retirement around the corner?
Here are some additional questions to ask yourself about your client:
- What made them choose the role they’re in or what led them to this point?
- What does success look like to them?
- What do they enjoy doing in their spare time?
- What are their passions?
You may be familiar with the question “What keeps them up at night?”
It’s critical to understand your audience’s pain points to empathize with them. Later in the sales process, you can show how you solve them. However, empathy is the most important part—you should always lead by validating wherever your audience is right now. In copywriting, “agitate” is a big word, so it should come further in the B2B sales process unless it’s appearing on landing or sales materials. When building relationships, you don’t want to push too hard on people’s pain points, which can be offputting. By recognizing and acknowledging their problem, you can build trust while offering an exceptional solution—yours.
The bottom line here? Treating your prospects with kindness and consideration isn’t just a good business practice–it’s the right thing to do.
The Role of Core Values
Our personal relationships are often based on shared experiences and common bonds. It’s not all that different when it comes to building relationships in business. However, while the strongest relationships are formed over time, as a B2B marketer, you don’t always have the luxury of months on end, let alone years. It’s your job to find a way to accelerate relationship development. One of the most important steps here is to define your company’s “core values,” or the set of guiding principles that are your non-negotiables and offer a lens for everything you do.
Your core values reflect your brand’s beliefs, presiding philosophy, and the values that are most important to you. They should set the guidelines for how you/your business interact internally with your team and processes. Externally, they relate to how you engage with clients, peers, and your network. (For some examples of core values and how to use them in your marketing, check out this article.)
When it comes to your clients, you’ll want to understand their core values too. What do they stand for? What are some beliefs or causes they feel strongly about? If their core values align with yours, you can communicate with them on a deeper level.
For example, if you have two companies that strongly believe in inclusion and diversity, the conversation and collaboration foster a thriving partnership.
So how can you use your values to create a consistent experience for your clients? The first step is defining your values, while the next step is exploring how you want to make people feel and codifying it with a messaging platform.
Why Messaging Platforms Matter
A messaging platform is a set of communication guidelines for your company. It doesn’t dictate everything you say or do, but it takes the guesswork out of what to say and how you want to come across. More importantly, it creates a consistent experience for your clients, regardless of who they’re speaking to within your organization.
Think of it as a branding guide for your company’s voice. By using the same logos, colors, and typefaces on all your marketing materials, you make sure your brand is easily recognizable and consistent. The same applies to your messaging platform.
The contents of the messaging platform vary depending on client needs, but usually include:
- Tone of Voice
- Mission Statement
- Vision Statement
- Core Values
- USP (Unique Selling Proposition)
- Benefits to Customers
- Elevator Pitch
- Key Talking Points
And of course, it can be combined with your visual brand guidelines and brand strategy to create a cohesive document.
Whether you have a small team or various teams, your messaging platform lets them know what to say, what not to say, and how to connect with your prospects and clients–human to human.
Ultimately, your voice is a brand differentiator. Most people don’t want corporate, monotone language. While professionalism matters, your clients almost certainly prefer getting to know other humans. Your messaging platform defines guidelines you can use to consistently show off your human side, which makes you–and your message–more relatable.
Who Needs A Messaging Platform?
At a minimum, everyone should have a mini brand strategy guide that defines who they are. Defining core values, and how you want to come across sets your writers, marketers, and sales team up for success. It’s also a powerful tool for onboarding your team, particularly when it includes “say this, not that” language.
As your company grows beyond 10-15 people, you’ll want to expand this into a full-fledged messaging platform that clarifies key talking points about your unique selling proposition and your message.
Regardless of company size, both documents help you create a stronger, more cohesive customer relationship.
What The Human Face of B2B Marketing Means For You
No two companies are the same. Bringing the human element of your company forward into every engagement with B2B prospects and customers helps you grow those connections. Relationships are based on human connection, whether you work in B2B or B2C. Marketing to your clients is another opportunity to understand them and how you can help them.
Understanding who your clients are, aligning on core values, and speaking to them in a consistent manner demonstrates that you see them as a person and not just another target or part of a sales quota. No one likes to feel like they’re a means to an end. We want to feel like people genuinely like us for who we are. This builds trust, which is a must in business. After all, you want to make sure you’re doing business with people who are authentic, genuine, and trustworthy.
B2B marketing doesn’t have to feel cold and robotic. In fact, it shouldn’t. While remaining on the professional side, you want to be human.
Need help bringing a human face into your business? Whether you need a messaging platform, thought leadership content, or a blend thereof, I’d love to help. Book a consultation to get started.
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