Why B2B Marketers should focus their message on customers - not on Themselves.

I’ve read that publishing a provocative point of view that runs counter to common thinking helps you stand out from the crowd.

Spoiler alert: this article is meant to be one of those as it aims to challenge B2B vendors to see their business, and marketing activities, differently ;-)

As you may know…or not, I’ve spent most of my career working in the online gambling space and it is therefore logical for me to have paid ICE a visit, last week.

ICE London is the leading global gaming and gambling event that services the entire industry. It brings together, each year, solution providers and gaming professionals across all key verticals (betting, bingo, casino, lottery, social gaming, esports, payments,….).

The 2023 edition that is just over, was the largest so far, as it attracted +35000 world-wide attendees and +650 exhibitors.

As I was navigating the web of exhibitors’ stands, I couldn’t stop thinking that it is very easy to feel lost and overwhelmed by the sheer amount of technical solutions on offer and that, they can all start to look very similar.

If booths vary in size and style, all vendor claims sound and look almost identical with the use of superlatives being the norm.

From the outset and based on their marketing messages, it is as if each supplier were a leader in their category, had the most innovative, the best performing, the most flexible solution,…well… you get it… they all claim to be the best.

For a customer obsessed marketing guy like me, those messages come across as very ‘inside out’ as opposed to be customer ‘outside in’. Indeed, I believe vendors should better focus their message and content on customers - not on them – and why buyers should care in the first place.?

I feel this is a huge missed opportunity in a time when B2B buyers behaviors are changing and are challenging many popular and traditional business strategies, models and practices of B2B marketers.

As B2B buyers access critical information about vendors easier than ever before, they’re more in control.

Also, as millennials’ role in B2B buying continues to increase, so does their skepticism towards vendor claims and preference for peers’ validation instead. This applies to any industry, but it definitely does to the online gambling sector too.

As I was discussing all of this with the senior executive of a renowned sport betting solutions provider, his main question was logically: ‘ok, so how do we stand out from the crowd?’

As always, I don’t think there is a simple answer to this question or a panacea to solve this challenge.

But if, for the sake of this article, we stick to how vendors go about their marketing content, I could come up with a couple of ideas, putting myself in the shoes (or rather the mind) of a prospective buyer.

As a prospect, I’d like to hear and learn from peers.

I for sure would like to learn from customers’ experiences and their business results. Vendors could facilitate more peer-to-peer conversations and provide customer references. Content wise, they could build credible and authentic customer stories and redouble their customer advocacy efforts. In contrast, why haven’t I seen one single NPS, CSAT score, either at the journey or touchpoint level, or customer review being mentioned?

As a prospect, I’d like to learn about solutions without being overwhelmed by the typical industry jargon.

I would bet that not all buyers are gambling experts and that building educational information about the purpose and importance of your solutions to buyers unfamiliar with the technology using plain language, would come a long way. Again, based on my own experience, there is some room for improvement among gaming solution providers.

At the ‘explore’ stage, I’d like to be able to compare competitors’ solutions easily.

I haven’t seen any supplier including explicit comparisons to competitors’ products in their sales materials and content to help prospects establish the right criteria by which to compare alternatives.

I could carry on….

I’m not taking a hit here at the online gambling industry, per se, as I’m sure my comments could apply to any B2B vendor in any single industry.

The main point is that, in the age of the customer, B2B marketers need to move away from producing content that focuses on what they do and should start showing customers that they understand their problems and can help solve them.

B2B customer experiences aren't as different to B2C as we think – they both involve buy in decisions, loyalty, and emotions. We’re all humans after all!