B2B marketing has long carried an unfair reputation for being dull. It’s not that it isn’t effective—it absolutely is. Yet it is often viewed as the less cool cousin to the arguably more innovative business to consumer (B2C) segment.
The truth? It’s time to get excited by B2B. In fact, 45% of B2B companies plan on increasing their content marketing spend within the next 12 months, a clear sign that innovation and creativity are on the rise—and there’s nothing boring about that.
What is B2B?
Let’s start with the simple. Business to business, or B2B, refers to the marketing or sales of products and services from one business directly to another.
B2B is distinct from business to consumer (B2C), or business to government (B2G). It does not involve a single, direct consumer, or indeed the particular constraints and regulations around government operations. It’s about one company fulfilling the needs of another. That means your marketing needs to reflect that dynamic.
>> Get excited by success with B2B marketing from Content Nation <<
Getting it right in B2B means showing value
Content Nation has worked closely with key clients throughout B2B industries, from global consultancy firms offering expert B2B services such as Boston Consulting Group to leading technology firms such as Samsung.
The key lesson from industry, clearly demonstrated in our own experience, is that delivering business to business marketing success means a focus on showcasing value and results. Remember, when it comes to B2B, it’s not just the first person you need to convince to say yes – it’s every decision maker along the way.
So does showcasing value mean you have to keep it dull? Not when this rodeo comes to town. By aligning your marketing efforts with concrete benefits and clear, data-backed outcomes, you can captivate key decision makers and build lasting partnerships.
Excitement in business to business marketing
Like many situations in life, with B2B marketing it’s important to remember who you’re trying to excite. A video of a kitten dressed as a unicorn and attempting to operate your new ultra-high-tech printer system is going to make for some gold-star shareable social media content. It’s unlikely to stir the passion of an IT buyer for a Fortune 500 company however. But reveal to them that your shiny new printer can reduce operational expenditure across their global footprint by 5%, saving the company US$50 million a year in electricity alone, and you’re probably talking their language.
Is a multimillion dollar saving revolutionary product exciting? You better hope it is, otherwise you’re in the wrong game. The important thing is—it’s certainly exciting for decision makers responsible for buying your products. Those are the people you need to remember. There’s nothing boring about delivering marketing that converts a major lead into a major contract for your clients.
Exciting examples of B2B marketing
So hey, we get it, you’re sitting there thinking ‘you just redefined what exciting means, not proved that B2B is exciting!’ – congratulations, welcome to marketing. But fair enough, we can argue this another way too. How about we show you some great, innovative and exciting B2B campaigns that really worked? Don’t mind if we do.
Getty Images – Nosferatu, the Nonsilent Film
Getty Images is perhaps most well-known for its impressive range of stock images. So how does a business famed for imagery promote the opportunity that its extensive audio library can also provide to customers? It retrofits an iconic 1920’s silent movie, complete with its own sound effects. The result is a mesmerising, but not boring, recreation that clearly highlights the value that customers can derive from Getty Images’ extensive audio library.
This is a great example of a creative solution to showcase value for a creative B2B market. It’s about what they want, and what you can do for them. That’s what demonstrating value to your audience really means.
Volvo Trucks – Look Who’s Driving
Is your business trucks? Then you probably want a truck that gets business done. Volvo’s ‘Look Who’s Driving’ campaign is an exceptionally eye-catching way to demonstrate the rugged appeal and high quality build of the company’s Volvo FMX model. It demonstrates that Volvo understands what you need, and has built a model to deliver on it. It’s about creating the spark to channel attention down that all important marketing funnel.
Was it boring? Sure, if a 4-year old driving a remote-controlled truck through a breeze block building is boring.
MailChimp – Did you Mean MailChimp?
MailChimp is a leading B2B software company, providing user-friendly email marketing services for customers around the globe. Expanding that global footprint requires some innovative marketing ideas. That’s where the ‘Did you Mean MailChimp?’ campaign came in.
The company cleverly played on the common mispronunciations and misspellings of “MailChimp,” creating quirky and memorable variations like “MailShrimp” and “KaleLimp.” These playful iterations were showcased across a series of unique marketing videos, events, and advertisements. The humor and creativity captured audiences’ attention, sparking curiosity about the brand.
This campaign raised the profile of the company in a truly ingenious way. Not only did it offer a diverse range of eye-catching marketing videos and events, it helped channel the resulting interest by identifying and capturing search engine traffic through unique search terms integral to the campaign.
That clever ploy not only raised brand awareness and amplified brand recognition, it was also an extremely smart way to show prospective users how good they are at the kind of digital manipulation and expertise that forms the foundation of the B2B service they offer. And as evidenced by this chuckle-worth video – not boring.
