When most people think about brand-building campaigns, viral videos, and PR stunts, they tend to think about the examples from businesses in the B2C industry. This could be because companies in the B2C industry have shown that their consumers matter to them, or because those companies need to stand out from the competitors and become memorable.
On the other hand, in the B2B industry, the purchasing decisions of the consumers tend to be largely influenced by longevity and return on investment (ROI), instead of on trends and statements. Nevertheless, the core purchasing beliefs are the same with both types of audiences - consumers prefer to spend money with brands that they trust and like. That’s why companies in the B2B industry should be investing in establishing a unique brand image. For many, the professional image they’ve had for years seems to be coming to an end.
Competitor Brand Images
As with most other marketing strategies, a vital part of creating effective campaigns is competitor analysis. There’s a lot of honesty and self-reflection that’s required for executing a competitor analysis so that businesses can look at the websites of their competitors and figure out their similarities and differences. While every business has its own unique selling point (USP) and tone, the overall website themes that are used by companies in the B2B industry tend to be consistent.
There should be a header that contains a pain point from the consumers, a professional-toned copy, and use cases presented as the potential consumer scrolls down the website. But when consumers are researching solutions, those things aren’t going to stand out in their eyes, simply because most businesses utilize the same website themes and layouts. To stand out, companies can either be using technology, such as AI or using a completely unique website theme and layout.
Chatbots
One of the easiest ways that companies in the B2B industry can stand out from their market competitors is by using chatbots on their websites. In the past, chatbots could only respond to a handful of consumer queries, but they’ve evolved a lot since those days, which means they come with a number of features that businesses can use in their promotional efforts.
"A great example of how far chatbots have come since their creation is the full-page chatbots that can be used on landing pages. Instead of businesses hoping that consumers will read every sentence of carefully-crafted copy on their landing page, with a chatbot, consumers can be gently guided through the page.", says 5WPR CEO Ronn Torossian. They can also opt to see only information that’s relevant to them, and there are plenty of personalization features that companies can use too.
Social Media
It’s not always easy for B2B companies to get the reach and engagement they want on social media, especially in comparison to their B2C counterparts. Fortunately, there are certain strategies that B2B businesses can use for success on social media. These strategies include using a chatbot on (Facebook or Instagram) that will engage potential customers.
Companies can also include specific CTAs in their Facebook or Instagram Stories that prompt consumers to message the business. Then, a chatbot can pick up that conversation and guide them through an immersive and personalized conversation.
