A business-to-business strategy is a company’s beacon of light in a crowded marketspace. It’s where every business effort starts and ends, and what entices loyal customers.
In this guide, you’ll learn the ins and outs of B2B branding and how to build a strategy of your own.
Do you need a branding strategy?
The most well-oiled marketing machines all need a blueprint that details a business’s operations. Without a plan, it’s challenging to track progress against goals, create accountability, and know where your company brand is headed long-term.
Companies that lack a brand strategy might encounter difficulty in making core business decisions that can have a lasting impact. On a smaller scale, an inconsistent tone of brand voice can leave an audience confused by its content. More significantly, a major business decision that’s misaligned with a company’s values can lead to distrust among employees, stakeholders, and the customer base.
TLDR? Every business needs a strong brand strategy.
What is a B2B brand strategy?
Yes, a B2B brand strategy is at the root of all your business and marketing efforts, but how, exactly?
A brand strategy answers who, what, why, and how for your business. It’s an all-encompassing game plan that defines what your brand stands for and why, plus how you plan to make a difference for your customers.
Integral to this strategy is brand positioning, which focuses on finding a strategic advantage in the market and differentiating your brand from competitors. This involves not just a single statement but a comprehensive approach to communicating your unique value to customers, ensuring your brand’s external messaging effectively resonates and stands out.
Using this plan, your company has a clear path for business decisions like digital marketing campaigns, sales, new product launches, or even a rebrand. Every effort ultimately ladders up to this strategy and helps to create a consistent and recognizable brand that stands out in a crowded industry.
4 Steps to build your B2B brand
To begin creating a B2B brand strategy, assess your current marketing strategy and ensure it includes the following.
1. Align your values with your brand’s mission
Every brand strategy is built on a “why.” In other words, what does your business stand for and why should your customers care?
To answer this, think about what you first set out to do with your company. Maybe your purpose is solving a common problem that makes business operations run smoother, or perhaps you’re passionate about making your industry more sustainable. Whatever motivates you most is your why.
Next, elevate your brand story beyond the “why” to make it inclusive not only of your customers but of your internal teams, too. Weave your values into everything you bring to the table to build a foundational brand mission.
2. Know your target audience
If you haven’t conducted target audience research lately, you’re not alone. Recent findings show that just 42% of marketers know basic demographic information about their audience. Even less than that know which social causes their current or prospective customers value, or even their general interests.
Without knowing exactly who your audience is, you’re broadcasting your message to the abyss and hoping for something to resonate with whoever’s on the receiving end.
To define your target audience, conduct regular research via focus groups and enlist the help of a performance marketing team to help analyze your data and build a specific customer persona.
3. Demonstrate value and explain why your business matters
In today’s market, it’s crucial to articulate your business’s value proposition, emphasizing the unique benefits and solutions your brand offers to its target audience. It’s not enough to show potential customers what your business offers. You must also tell them.
Through pointed messaging and carefully curated content, make it clear to your customers why they should care about your business. Tell them through your website content, send emails that aren’t destined for the spam folder, and meet them on your social media channels to tell them once more.
You are your biggest brand advocate, and your goal is to make what sets your brand apart from the rest well-known and easily identifiable. Write content that explains exactly what you do and why you do it and solidify the message with tangible examples that prove your value.
4. To B2B and beyond
Although your strategy should be business-centric, don’t forget the faces behind the companies in your audience. Whether you’re marketing for a B2B or B2C brand, it all boils down to B2H – business 2 human.
While a B2B strategy that ticks all the boxes is great on paper, strategies that adopt a “human” element will take you further. Behind the suits and c-suite titles lies real people. And along with being key decision makers, these people scroll through TikTok in their downtime, listen to cheeky podcasts, and can appreciate a good social media trend when they see one.
The perfect marketing mix strikes a balance between executive and exciting by touting your authentic brand identity in engaging ways. After all, B2B marketing isn’t boring, it’s boundless.
Creating a B2B brand strategy is tough, and building one that effectively differentiates your business from the competition is even tougher! Think you could use a helping hand? Get in touch with our team of brand strategists and marketing professionals – we can’t wait to partner with you on something great.
