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The Five Rules for B2B Branding Success: Unlocking the Power of Memory
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The Five Rules for B2B Branding Success: Unlocking the Power of Memory

Being able to attend LinkedIn’s first B2B Marketing conference, B2Believe was a real privilege and amazing experience. Hearing from the wealth and depth of B2B marketing and business expertise that exists within LinkedIn was equally informative and inspiring. One of the presentations that really stuck with me was about the power of Memory for B2B branding.

In the fast-paced world of B2B branding, standing out from the competition and being remembered is crucial. In this blog post, I will share the key rules for effective B2B branding, drawing insights from a presentation by Mimi Turner, Head of EMEA & Latin America, The B2B Institute at LinkedIn.

I think we can all agree that by understanding the power of memory and leveraging strategic techniques, B2B businesses can gain access to the untapped opportunities in brand building. Here’s a summary of the five essential rules Mimi shared that can help shape your B2B branding strategy.

Rule 1: The 95/5 Rule – Understanding the Buying Cycle

One of the fundamental insights revealed in Mimi’s presentation was the 95/5 rule. I’ve heard Ty Heath also talk about this concept. It states that at any given moment, only 5% of B2B buyers are actively in the market, considering a purchase. The remaining 95% are not actively engaged in the buying process. This highlights the need for two distinct strategies: one for in-market buyers and another for out-of-market buyers. By recognizing these two groups and tailoring approaches to each, businesses can effectively capture attention and create brand recall.

Rule 2: The Power of Memory and Consideration

Memory plays a pivotal role in B2B branding. To be considered during the decision-making process, a brand must be remembered by potential buyers. Research indicates that buyers often start with a shortlist of familiar vendors when making a purchase. Therefore, being part of the consideration set is critical. Building memory structures through storytelling, colors, codes, and even catchy jingles can enhance brand recall and increase the chances of being selected.

Rule 3: Emotional Context in B2B Decision Making

Contrary to the belief that B2B decisions are solely rational, emotions and social considerations heavily influence the choices made. B2B purchases have far-reaching consequences, impacting teams, bosses, and job security. Acknowledging the emotional and social dimensions of these decisions allows brands to connect with buyers on a deeper level. By understanding the context and motivations of B2B decision-makers, brands can develop messaging that resonates and fosters stronger relationships.

Rule 4: Reach Maximization vs. Reach Minimization

B2B and B2C branding strategies exhibit distinct differences. B2C brands tend to adopt a reach maximization approach, utilizing a wide range of channels and creative strategies. In contrast, B2B brands often adopt a reach minimization approach, narrowing their focus to specific channels and emphasizing informational and educational content. However, to truly stand out and reach potential buyers, B2B brands can benefit from adopting a broader reach maximization strategy, effectively leveraging various channels and creative techniques.

Rule 5: Building Strategic Assets

While many B2B brands focus on short-term, response-driven campaigns, the true opportunity lies in building long-term strategic assets. These assets are ideas or campaigns that are committed to over time, maximizing reach, and creating lasting brand recall. Surprisingly, only a small percentage of B2B marketers focus on these strategic assets, presenting a significant opportunity for businesses that embrace this approach.

AJ Wilcox, Mimi Turner, Lee Odden at B2Believe

Making B2B Marketing memorable with AJ Wilcox and Mimi Turner at B2Believe 22

As you can see, B2B branding success can depend a lot on understanding the rules that govern the memory and decision-making processes of buyers. By embracing the 95/5 rule, optimizing for memory, recognizing the emotional context of decisions, adopting a reach maximization strategy, and building strategic assets, B2B businesses can position themselves for success. The untapped potential in B2B branding is vast, and those who take a proactive and strategic approach can differentiate themselves and leave a lasting impression in the minds of buyers.

Connect with Mimi on LinkedIn and The B2B Institute here.

The post The Five Rules for B2B Branding Success: Unlocking the Power of Memory appeared first on B2B Marketing Blog – TopRank®.

1 Luglio 2023
AI & Creativity: Key B2B Marketing Insights From The 2023 Cannes Creative B2B Lions
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<div>AI & Creativity: Key B2B Marketing Insights From The 2023 Cannes Creative B2B Lions</div>

As more B2B marketers than ever gathered recently for the Cannes Creative B2B Lions at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, it’s natural to wonder — just what are the key insights that emerged, and how can B2B marketers best put them to use?

Although the event celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2023, it was only the second year where B2B marketers had their own special section of the festivities in the form of the Creative B2B Lions, including an array of B2B-specific marketing award categories.

Let’s jump right in and examine some of the key themes and trends from this year’s second-annual Cannes Creative B2B Lions.

AI Top of Mind & Poised To Touch Every Aspect of Marketing

Generative AI continued its run as 2023’s centerpiece topic at Cannes just as it has in nearly all segments of society, as marketers in B2C and B2B have continued grappling with how to best use the technology while maintaining — and growing — brand authenticity and trust.

“AI has the potential to revolutionize every single part of marketing,” Marie Gulin-Merle, global vice president of ads marketing at Google, suggested after presenting curing Cannes.

Because of the AI innovations 2023 has seen, Guilin-Merle called this an exciting time for marketers. “Marketing is about connecting brands and products to people,” she noted. “The ‘what’ remains the same. The ‘how’ is changing again. Marketers, we can finally get back to marketing,” she observed, while offering up a list of some of the AI tools that Google’s own marketing teams are working with, including:

  • Bard experimental conversational AI service
  • Imagen and Phenaki text-to-image and text-to-video tools
  • PaLM API for generating social media copy
  • Gmail and Google Docs “Help me write” feature

“AI has the potential to revolutionize every single part of marketing. The ‘what’ remains the same. The ‘how’ is changing again. Marketers, we can finally get back to marketing.” — Marie Gulin-Merle @MarieGulin
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Our own CEO Lee Odden recently delivered a keynote about AI’s impact on B2B marketing, presenting “Human vs Machine: The Future of B2B Content Marketing” during the BtoB Summit Paris 2023 conference.

Lee began his presentation explaining how generative AI essentially “makes you more of what you already are,” with poor content simply being turned into even more sub-par content if that’s what a marketer brings to the AI table, while those who instead present creativity and imagination to AI tools will be rewarded with even more quality B2B marketing content that is creative and imaginative.

As the team at Think With Google recently looked at as its weekly “big topic,” it’s more a matter of AI plus creativity, and not AI versus creativity.

As a hot topic at Cannes, AI and how it can best be used by B2B marketers is an issue we’ve spent considerable time effort to explore here on the TopRank Marketing blog, including the following pieces:

Creativity Drives Profitability And Pushes Boring B2B Aside

Creativity is playing an even more important role in B2B marketing in the age of generative AI, simultaneously helping to increase brand awareness and drive profitability — all qualities that surfaced time and again during Cannes.

The Creative B2B Lions event and awards were established in 2022 in conjunction with the B2B community — most notably The B2B Institute — the industry think tank by LinkedIn* that researches the future of B2B marketing and decision making.

Tyrona Heath, director of market engagement at The B2B Institute at LinkedIn, shared some of the many ways that creativity adds value to today’s B2B marketing efforts, in “B2B advertising doesn’t need to be boring: why creativity is a key driver of profitability.”

“Creativity plays a significant role in building and expanding your brand size,” Heath explained.

“It leads to increased brand recognition, differentiation, customer loyalty, and ultimately having a larger market presence. And investing in creativity has a positive impact on financial performance because it serves as a multiplier,” Heath added.

As Cannes wrapped up, Heath further reflected on the increasing power of creativity.

“In this second year of the Creative B2B Lions, I am inspired by the caliber of work we encountered. Imagining what the future holds, I can’t wait to see how B2B creativity will continue to evolve 5, 10, and 15 years from now,” Heath — who served as a juror during the event — noted.

“In this second year of the Creative B2B Lions, I am inspired by the caliber of work we encountered. Imagining what the future holds, I can’t wait to see how B2B creativity will continue to evolve 5, 10, and 15 years from now.” — @Tyrona
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During Cannes Lions the LinkedIn Collective broadcast live from the event, with a variety of LinkedIn Live sessions exploring the trends and challenges surrounding AI in B2B marketing, now available on-demand in, “AI-Powered B2B Marketing: Trends & Dangers,” and a lively conversation about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within the B2B marketing landscape, in “Prioritizing DEI in B2B Organizations.”

B2B marketing is undergoing significant shifts, if not an outright renaissance, as Tom Stein, chairman and chief growth officer at Stein IAS and Creative B2B Lions jury president, noted that, “This is B2B’s decade. It started on stage in Cannes last night.”

“This is B2B’s decade. It started on stage in Cannes last night.” — Tom Stein @Tom_Stein
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As another of the key trends at Cannes this year, the rising power of creativity in 2023 has been the subject of several articles we’ve recently published, including:

Use AI & Creativity To Elevate B2B Marketing

Generative AI and creativity may initially appear as two altogether different endeavors, however as our take-aways from Cannes have shown, both offer compelling justifications for B2B marketers to use, especially when each is factored into the other’s strategy.

The future of B2B marketing is poised to feature a uniquely human touch optimized with AI for creative storytelling.

“The future of B2B marketing is poised to feature a uniquely human touch optimized with AI for creative storytelling.” — Lane R. Ellis @lanerellis
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We hope that the Cannes insight we’ve shared here will help you in your own efforts to elevate B2B marketing throughout 2023 and beyond.

To learn more about B2B marketing imagined by humans and optimized by machines, be sure to catch our CEO Lee Odden presenting during B2B Ignite London on Thursday, June 29, 2023 at 2:00 p.m., with a presentation entitled, “The New Kingdom of Content in 2023 and How to Wear the Crown.” Get the full details — including Lee’s list of eight must-see sessions during the event — in “The New Kingdom of Content for B2B Marketing – TopRank at B2B Ignite London.”

Kingdom of Content for B2B Marketing in 2023 Presentation

More than ever before, creating award-winning B2B marketing that elevates, gives voice to talent, and humanizes with authenticity takes considerable time and effort, which is why more brands are choosing to work with a top digital marketing agency such as TopRank Marketing. Reach out to learn how we can help, as we’ve done for over 20 years for businesses ranging from LinkedIn, Dell and 3M to Adobe, Oracle, monday.com and many others.

* LinkedIn is a TopRank Marketing client.

The post AI & Creativity: Key B2B Marketing Insights From The 2023 Cannes Creative B2B Lions appeared first on B2B Marketing Blog – TopRank®.

1 Luglio 2023