Is Your Marketing Creating Customers for Competitors?

B2B branding and marketing are usually undistinguished. Brands look alike, talk alike, and act alike.

We're aware of this problem, but we keep doing it anyway.

This topic is often discussed purely in terms of brand and the need for B2B branding and marketing to stand out. But there’s another perspective not mentioned nearly enough.

And it’s actually very important, not only in itself but also because I think it a more salient motivator than any fuzzy notions about B2B brand and authenticity. And the perspective is this.

When branding and marketing blends in with competitors, not only does it fail to distinguish your brand, it may actually benefit competitors, especially the market leaders.

LinkedIn has recently drawn attention to how branding elements play a role.

B2B brands and industries tend to rely on similar stylings and colors.

If you’re a non-leader brand in this situation, you run the risk of your brand or marketing campaigns and assets being mistaken for a competitor’s (usually one of the leaders), doing their work for them.

A mistake non-leaders can’t afford to make.

This won’t be an issue for every non-leader, of course. And it is somewhat flattering when you, as a non-leader, get mistaken for a leader (since it means you don’t look like amateurs).

But I’m afraid the bad news runs much deeper. And this next part is the big one in B2B.

Demand generation, as widely practiced, often drives the proliferation of a LOT of emails, blog articles, and other types of content intended to create demand for what you sell.

But there are two flaws with this approach.

One, most B2B content is text on a page and nothing more, with no logo or brand name in the audience’s field of vision (except maybe off in one of the corners of your website navigation menu), with the brand colors are often confined to the periphery as well, if they’re even present at all (I get a lot of text-only sales emails).

And two, you’re rarely the only brand selling what you sell. So even if a prospect learns your name and remembers it after consuming a piece of your content (which often won’t happen with TOFU), even well-made and relevant demand gen may still create future customers for your competitors instead of you.

Have fun attributing that.

How Can B2B Brands Do Better?

If a distinctive rebrand isn’t in the cards, you’ll need a two-pronged approach.

One, and I’ve advocated for this before, is distinctive branded assets. Whether it’s content, advertising, whatever. Assets in your colors, with your name and logo in plain sight. So when prospects consume it, they know it’s from you (even during demand gen).

This may sound challenging, but it’s mostly a matter of money.

The second thing you need is a distinctive point of view, which is harder, because it requires original thoughts and stakeholder agreement on them.

This point of view must run through, or at least support, all your content and advertising. With your brand preferably having a style and voice that reflect it.

So when your brand speaks, people recognize you — and your words.

If your content can be copied and pasted by a competitor onto their website, without your content seeming like it doesn’t belong, you don’t have this.

Neither does your content have much competitive advantage of any kind.

The good news is that, if you’re a non-leader, crafting a point of view is relatively easy.

With fewer stakeholders to muddy things up and water things down, it’s easier to speak with a single, distinctive voice (often the founder’s voice).

If you’re a non-leader, that’s your advantage. Use it.

But before you rush in, it helps to have a clear picture of who you are as a brand first.

Are you a challenger? Innovator? Pioneer?

This identity will help shape your point of view and how you approach content. What you say. How you say it. What tone you use.

So look in the mirror and figure out what you see there or want to see.

Because who you are is where a distinctive point of view begins.