B2B Marketing Communications: 'Becoming' to lead the industry and serving the need!
Thoughtcom
Award-winning internal communications and B2B focused digital marketing agency. We get your message delivered. #YesWeDo
The B2B industry is growing. And thus, is growing the need of better and evolved communication practices in the domain to enable sales, generate demand, building a favourable narration, to grow the business.??
But who will grow it? People?
And, where are the people who know the art???
The chosen ones are building 'themselves' as of now!
B2B marketing communications domain is not for the light-hearted. It is for the ones who enjoy being in the elite list of a few! Few who take pride in owning the niche skills and expertise in the industry, where it is hard to become experts and replace one.? ? ?
B2B deals with technical products and unfortunately, owing to the expertise required and low client retainers, the industry is struggling to create the talent pool that is ready to add value to the domain. ? ?
So, how can the B2B CMOs build a strong function that contributes to the company’s growth, creates industry case studies and builds the talent for the industry? ? ?
Till the time you schedule a call with us at [email protected], here are a few things that you should know before embarking on the B2B adventure.
B2B pre-requisites
#1 B2B Vs B2C: B2B is more intellectual work – every talent that wants to be part of it – should know the difference.??
While B2B is a newer and evolving domain, B2C is an age-old practice. Unlike B2C, there are no tried and tested methods in B2B, and it has only a limited number of experts.?
Let’s take the example of a creating a campaign to sell a toffee vs a campaign to bring awareness for SD-WAN based product (Software-Defined Wide Area Network) to understand this better.??
A toffee is already known to the masses, and when you talk about its texture or flavour, it is easily comprehendible. Contrarily, an SD-WAN is a technical product and requires understanding of the domain, products and the challenges of the clients using it. If you don't understand these yourself, you will not be able to curate simple messages for an audience that is far more mature and knowledgeable than retail prospects.??
Think about it this way - you might have bought a toffee at some point in life and can use this experience to put yourself in the shoes of prospects. But there is only a remote possibility that you would buy a product as technical that involves understanding of SDWAN. Thus, you should be equipped with specific knowledge and skills to create a strategy appealing to the top management.??
#2 Mindset of building?
We all have heard about the Wright brothers who invented the airplane. Their years of research created history and built a powered flying vehicle that connected the whole world over time. In addition to simplifying travel, their story teaches going all the way with the mindset of building to develop unmatched expertise.??
The first challenge in developing in B2B Marketing Strategy is the ability to have patience with oneself, commitment towards the domain that trumps the initial disappointments and failures, confidence to make mistakes and readiness to make friends with the technical understanding required to communicate in that domain.??
A mindset of building is nothing but looking for learning opportunities, sharpening existing skills, and developing new abilities. It is defined as the zeal to learn from failures and constantly evolve.? ? ?
#3 Agency partnerships?
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In the words of Steve Jobs, “Great things in business are never done by one person, they’re done by a team of people.”??
However, in B2B there is one more condition to make teamwork work - a culture of collaboration and learning within the team and between client and an agency. Why? ? ?
Because, unlike B2C Marketing Communications domain, practices in B2B domain are still evolving. The talent that creates campaign is still busy building familiarity with the technical knowledge and experimenting. B2B Marketing heads and their team members will have to spend time in raising the collective average of efficiency and expertise of the unit.??
Agency partnerships are all about taking shared responsibilities to create experimental strategies for finding what works best in each situation.??
Also, an agency should never underestimate the creative thinking of its clients, clients should also not undermine an agency’s ability. Both should bring to the table their diverse skills and unique perspectives to create a bespoke B2B plan, without overburdening either with unrealistic expectations.??
#4 Talent grooming??
Once you accept the technicalities involved, you will appreciate the expertise needed even more and start investing in talent and skills.???
In addition to in-house courses, the team leaders should encourage their people to read more and enroll in external courses to better their abilities and understanding. Also, every skill deserves due monetary and non-monetary acknowledgment. Industry cannot expect exemplary work from agencies at prices that binds them in creating a roadmap for growth for their talent. ?
Thus, if companies good work in a domain that is more technical than a retail business, they will have to be ready to shelve out a respectable sum of money too. Right talent will remains scarce in the B2B landscape for sometime to come.??
#5 Personal learning???
From the world’s first computer that filled a room to a compact laptop for a desk, technology has been changing rapidly and so has B2B dynamics.??
The skill set needed yesterday differs from the skills needed today and will surely differ tomorrow too. After all, each business cycle presents newer challenges and demands different expertise.?
In addition to product knowledge, keep an eye on market news. Read, research, and partner with experts to understand why a particular trend is shaping up and which way it is expected to go.??
#6 Industry level efforts???
Technical complexities are the inherent challenges of the B2B Marketing Communications domain. However, B2B leaders can simplify the overall narrative by forming an industry-level association.??
The association can serve as a common platform to exchange ideas and co-learn. It can be an open forum for B2B participants to share their concerns and learn from the experiences of others. It can also serve as a knowledge platform for learning the latest trends and developments.??
Additionally, being a part of an association could foster the feeling of oneness and encourage B2B participants to identify and work towards larger goals.???
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To conclude, B2B marketing plays an instrumental role in fuelling business growth and holds immense potential. However, never compromise on technical knowledge and the ability to create simple yet effective messages. Together, they go a long way to create a structured and less complex B2B ecosystem.??