B2B: The Red-Headed Stepchild Deserves More Respect

by MGB2B

Whether you’re marketing to both consumers and other businesses or just the latter, you need to put as much thought and creativity into your marketing as you would if you were just a B2C brand.

Here are the Top 5 ways brands disrespect their B2B customers (and themselves):

  1. Lame Emails and/or Blog. Good marketers, whether B2B or B2C, provide their clients and customers with relevant, well-written content. Insights, not promos or rants. You are the expert in your industry, right? Act that way. Write that way. Lead the way.
  2. Social Media without Strategy. Businesses need to really think social media through before they start Tweeting, Facebooking, etc. As many of my colleagues have said in previous blog posts, campaigns without research behind them are bound to fail. You not only need to know when and where you can reach your audience, but also what motivates them, what gets them to respond. Then determine which social media to use and how to use them – if at all!
  3. Confusing Website Navigation. Don’t skip this one because you think you have a great website. Chances are, you don’t. Yes it’s important for your site to look nice and simple. But navigation needs to be simple too, if you want your clients and customers to feel fulfilled, and thus purchase your product or service.
  4. Safe Ads. If you flip through any trade publication, you’ll notice a trend. The ads usually all look the same, and let’s be honest – most of them suck. A big product visual, with a big boring headline and a wall of copy, maybe an award mention to boot. If you want to stand out in a trade pub you need to differentiate – creatively, strategically, every way you possibly can. Go ahead, take a risk and do something interesting. If your brand is truly better than the others, this shouldn’t be a problem.
  5. Poor Trade Show Presence. Want people to notice you at trade shows? A simple folding table and a cardboard sign aren’t gonna do it. Try to reserve part of your budget for a sleek, eye-catching, relevant display. And, most importantly – pay it off with something that highlights your point of difference. Do you use better materials in your product than the competition does? Create a (nice-looking!) display or kiosk that does your product justice.

These are just a few tips to consider. There is no formula for good B2B. Each brand is different. Which is why you need to get to know your audience. Learn which new audiences you might be able to tap into. And find out what makes them tick. Then you can develop a strategy for an effective B2B campaign.

And perhaps most important, make sure your sales force is on the same page as you are, smart enough to set your strategy in motion and motivated to do it. They need you to help them pay their mortgages; you need them to help your business grow.

 

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2 thoughts on “B2B: The Red-Headed Stepchild Deserves More Respect”

  1. Mike Landry

    Great post. For the record, some upscale brands have dedicated B2B departments. For example, ALL I DO is B2B at prestige bagmaker Tumi. We have dedicated staff, phone lines, web site, trade show effort and even a catalog. Our business rivals what we do in Department Stores.

    I love your 1-5 above. We have a channel specific B2B e-mail effort and trade show presence. Still working on the social media, though.

    Red-headed Stepchild? I’d like to think we’re moe like the prodigal son!

    Mike Landry
    Tumi

  2. Michelle Yue

    Thanks Mike. Glad to hear Tumi is doing B2B the right way – that means you are way ahead of the game. Let me know if you’re looking for any insights in the social media category, and keep up the good work!

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