How B2B brands can take cues from B2C Marketing

by Miriam Khan | Aug 6, 2018

As consumers, we may think about marketing through a B2C lens. What is admirable about B2C brands is their ability to make us feel something, and many of us demonstrate brand loyalty for our favorites. Wearing a pair of Nike sneakers might make us feel as though we can run that extra mile. Eating an Oreo cookie might make us feel nostalgic, reminding us of afternoon snacks as a child. Many of these feelings are rooted in the way we are advertised these products.

That sense of connection is common with many B2C brands, but is that the case for B2B brands? B2B brands usually take a conventional approach to marketing and often trail behind the marketing of B2C brands in terms of creativity and storytelling.

Should B2B brands take marketing cues from B2C brands to find a deeper connection with their customers? Will this instill a greater sense of customer loyalty, and ultimately, aid their business overall?

Business to business enterprises are all around us. Did you know that Google is a B2B marketer? How about LinkedIn? Studio Pax is a B2B company as we work directly with other companies to help shape their identities. You likely either work for or with a B2B currently or may in the future.

What B2B customers want

The decision making process on the end of the B2B buyer is complex. Because B2B involves two entities and not an individual consumer, the budget for the purchase will be larger than an average consumer budget and the decision may include a group of people made up of different specialties from a company versus an individual consumer. B2B purchases typically involve longer decision making processes (or sales cycle) than B2C purchases. The B2B client, or buyer, may be considering proposals and bids from a number of companies.

Above: The Bain & Company B2B Elements of Value™

So what are clients looking for when choosing a business to partner with? Let’s break down the Bain B2B Elements of Value pyramid to explore this question.

Above: Table Stakes

At the bottom are the table stakes, these should be a no brainer when extending an offer. Without these values, chances are, potential clients will turn to another business to fulfill their needs. Say a pool toy distributor is trying to build a partnership with Costco. If they secure the giant, it is likely to be a large sale. Costco relies on providing low prices to their customers, so if the pool toy distributor cannot offer them an acceptable price, the deal is unlikely to move out of even the early stage of negotiations.

Above: Functional Value

Next is the functional value of an offering. How might we increase revenue for our buyer’s company and offer them an improved top line? Studio Pax client Jonathan Ashton, marketing executive and Founding Partner of Ringer, speaks to this:

“I had a client once, many years ago, [for whom we worked on] the leasing function for locomotives, airplane engines, and rail cars.

There aren’t too many people searching for options to lease an airplane engine. But, every time somebody searched that, it was a multi-million dollar opportunity for [the client] and we built a plan. We built content in a way that [was optimized for] Google and we earned [the client] millions of dollars.”

Above: Ease of Doing Business Value

As we move up the pyramid, we need to consider how easy we make it for the client to do business with us. Can we make our business practices straightforward, even seamless? American Express does this through maintaining strong relationships with their members by offering expertise through their Open Forum site. The site provides a platform for members and experts to network, share ideas, and get advice relating to small businesses. This not only allows members to feel valued by the company, but also gives them access to information even when they may not be able to speak with their contact at American Express directly.

Above: Individual Value

Closer to the top we must start to consider how we can impact the individuals of the business we’re trying to serve. Personal reward and creative initiatives can help differentiate your services from your competition. When Adobe launched its Creative Cloud and Creative Suite 6 products, they hosted two scavenger hunt events: one in San Francisco where participants found puzzle pieces around the city and brought them back to the Adobe headquarters and one online in which participants searched for hints on Adobe websites and social channels. The winner received a monetary prize as well as a lifetime Creative Cloud membership. What may be the most important takeaway is that the activity drove over three million visits to the Adobe website leading to 13% of Creative Cloud subscriptions and 4% of purchases of other Adobe products showing that adding fun and rewarding touches to your marketing strategy can really pay off.

Above: Inspirational Value

However, to really capture clients for the long haul, you must have each of those building blocks and one more: inspirational value, the pinnacle of Bain’s pyramid. This is having a purpose and being able to help your client discover theirs. Look for the “why” a company does what they do. Can you help your client dig deeper and share their story?

General Electric is one B2B company that has mastered storytelling. Their GE Reports initiative shares video and written accounts of how GE has impacted individuals, innovation, and society at large from testimonials of WWII GE engineers to accounts about the amount of electricity it takes to power West Africa, all through thoughtful narratives.

Ashton states:

“[A lot of] B2B marketing is [centered] around, ‘Well, my left-handed, corrugated, widget splitter is 6% cheaper than the competitor’s. Wanna buy a widget splitter?’ That’s the core drumbeat of [most] B2B marketing.

[But] when you see a B2B marketer like GE, for instance, who has just fundamentally changed their perspective on what the role is of marketing: to build momentum for the whole company, not just to sell the next widget, then you can get into some really exciting places.

GE is a Mount Everest, but every business, small or large, has an interesting story to tell and the B2B marketer needs to be able to figure out ‘Why in the world I [the consumer] should care, even if I’m a perfect customer for this company?’ ‘Why should I care to purchase from these guys over some outsource that I can get from China?’”

GE is consistently ranked one of the top B2B brands each year, a leader in their industry, and a recognizable household brand with strong customer loyalty. The storytelling method that GE uses is one of the same strategies that consumer brands use to encourage emotional investment in a brand. GE is able to offer the basic characteristics of Bain’s pyramid, but what sets them apart from their competitors is their ability to showcase inspirational value and make connections with their consumers creating a sense of customer loyalty not often seen in B2B.

So what can we, as B2B marketers, take away from B2C marketing, Bain’s B2B Elements of Value, and the practices of GE? Lay your foundation through functional and practical attributes, but then search for your “why” and project that to your customers. Use storytelling to let your customers know the meaning behind your work and they will keep coming back for more.

Miriam Khan

Writer / Content Development & Marketing Intern

Miriam is an undergraduate at Northwestern University pursuing a degree in Communication Studies with a focus in Integrated Marketing Communications and Design Innovation. She is passionate about learning about people and finding new ways to problem-solve.

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