How do you compare your B2B branding strategy with industry leaders?

Don't become a copycat. Instead, take the initiative to define your core values, goals, and passions and match them with stakeholders' needs and wants. Engage with stakeholders, understand their concerns and priorities, and incorporate their feedback into your strategy. Their insights offer a goldmine of information, helping you tailor your branding strategy to resonate deeply with your target audience. This personalised approach not only sets you apart but also builds authentic connections and trust. The power of differentiation lies in embracing your distinct identity and embracing what genuinely matters to your stakeholders. By doing so, you propel your business forward with purpose and conviction, leaving imitation far behind.

Customer feedback is the best way to know what gaps exist and to figure out if or how your product stacks up in fulfilling those needs. I have always found it helpful to visit competitor pages with reviews and go straight to the 1 star or below 3 stars to know where product fell short. Before looking at the 5 star to know how product was used that worked. .... then promote the hell out of that with my messaging, visuals and any creative direction you consider following. Competitor monitoring is a great way to know where your comps are playing and how much impact they are having there but it shouldn't be copy and paste. Otherwise you're just walking in your competitors all too big shadow

Do your research and spend as much time and effort as possible to lay the foundation. By deeply understanding your target audience's needs, pain points, preferences, and behaviors, you can identify gaps in the industry and work on a solid strategy to address them.

If you want to understand the industry, you've got to talk to customers. Many customers are the best. They'll tell you about their needs, who else they see in the market, and what's next. And they'll point out competitors you probably haven't had on your radar. Don't be afraid to talk to customers! Most customers are happy to tell you about their experiences, even if you don't come from their industry or have their expertise.

Quick TIP ??: You're in B2B? Put the word HUMAN into your brand identity, and you will stand out among 99% of your competitors. ?? Look around - yes, it's THAT BAD. Be the change you want to see and all that. ??

Additionally, I would highlight the importance of being very clear on which type of function or person you are targeting, what issues you are solving for them, what you want to change in their current mindset and what reaction you are hoping to achieve. If you can find a robust method to measure the reaction you have a really strong KPI you can use to improve your approach over time

In the B2B market space, value drivers outside of price and technical specification are often overlooked or neglected, especially when dealing with customer purchasing and procurement departments. These could be aspects like safety stock levels in warehouses close to the customer locations, demand forecasting capabilities, service levels, order time windows, lead time management, supply chain integration. A well run customer experience organisation providing excellent customer journey and service is a strong asset often underrated, just like training, technical workshops is a real value contributor.

VALUE - CHAIN is a word everyone should get super comfortable saying in all aspects of product/service delivery. It is important to be mindful of the consumer experience from start to finish (value chain). - From conceptualization of your product, - to whom its meant to serve, - how its meant to serve - all the channels you want to use to convey that message to the audience - Sales and after sales service too .... because you do want them to come back and feel good telling others to do same. Having a great product with poor messaging will kill your efforts. Same way having a bad product with top notch messaging would only fool customers half way through their purchase history, then word of mouth will do the rest. -/+ you decide