October – Niche & Proud in B2B

This is our regular ICYMI round-up for B2B marketers who target niche audiences. We share thought leadership, announcements and research that matters – particularly for those working in the industrial, professional services or technology sectors. We focus on four areas. How to:

• Lead in your niche with a strong brand?with high awareness and market preference
• Earn customer trust and loyalty?by always delivering value for customers
• Maximise revenue and create demand?from customers, prospects and channel
• Operate a high-performing marketing function.?Run an efficient, effective and respected team

Starting life as an internal resource for the Velo team, now, anyone is welcome to subscribe! Guest edition edited by Paul Crabtree .

How to build trust to grow market share

Trust is everything. Hard to win, easy to lose. Certainly what my Mum used to say when she let us go off with our friends as kids. Like with many things in life, she tends to be right, so in this article, Helena Phillips (who is not my Mum) explores how to build trust in your B2B comms by examining the signals you should provide in your company and your team to push up trust. She was home in time for tea, so my Mum was happy. Trust comes from small positive steps as she always said.

According to Forrester, the average B2B customer retention rate is 78%. Building trust should be everyone's priority to grow.

Is quality drowning under a growing sea of crap in B2B marketing?

"We’re going to kill marketing effectiveness if we don’t get a grip"

At risk of triggering spam filters, Paul Crabtree has a passionate point to make about the importance of quality in B2B comms and pleads that this lesson is not forgotten in the growing use of AI. So passionate that it wasn't allowed on our site. Our AI Policy is, however, which we're hoping will inspire others in their approach to AI.

What are the marketing secrets of B2B category leaders?

Is marketing an art or a science? Lottie O'Donoghue explores the principles that hold when planning effective marketing that suggests the former. How much to spend? Where to spend it? What to say? B2B marketers can follow the data so it is a secret no more.

In other news

Make sure you didn't miss:

Audience & Sector Insights

• McKinsey’s latest research on how to drive growth in B2B - No doubt this research will be quoted in your next meeting as it highlights growing buying unit size and complexity.
• Dentsu study - buyer behaviour adds more colour, with more insight into the technology, manufacturing and Professional Services sectors.
• Rates of growth in sub-sectors to help you prioritise your markets - these findings will be superseded by more macroeconomic volatility but a useful comparison while they last.
• McKinsey too has things to say on sector prospects.
• EIU’s Sector Trend insights including manufacturing and technology - The world is changing.?Again.

Campaign effectiveness

• Gated versus non-gated content – what is the right approach? Well, it depends on your objectives. Obviously.

Optimising creative

• What makes a great social video in B2B? and What makes a creative b2b ad? Some lessons from our team as to what works.?And what doesn’t. Perfect for those designing campaigns in-house.

?Powerful B2B Branding

• Powerful B2B Branding – industry survey on challenges and winning tactics and Differentiating your B2B brand – lessons from HSBC and Deloitte - We’re big believers in the power of branding. Like most sensible people in B2B.

Building your own team in-house?

• Insight into AI tools - New tools emerge constantly so this article considers most of the major ones so that you do not have to.

Until next time!

About Velo

Velo is a specialist B2B marketing agency that’s built on recommendation

Focusing on reaching niche audiences, we craft marketing to be proud of for clients in the technology, industrial, and professional services sectors.

By composing emotive brand comms, savvy integrated marketing campaigns, and powerful storytelling, we help our clients to be at the top of their game.

As an award-winning team of specialists like you, we thrive on finding new ways to rise to the challenge of B2B marketing to a niche audience, driving results we’re as proud of as you are.

To find out more, or for more articles, visit: www.velo-b2b.com