Stiles Says: Actually, the B2B audience is even easier to win over because they aren’t used to hearing organic and human voices in the communications they get, so it stands out. I just hope your CMO lets you be organic and human.
It’s a refrain that has been looping through marketers’ heads for a while: you can’t sell anymore; you must delight. In an increasingly cluttered digital space, the constant interruptions from traditional advertising are being ignored. Companies need to stop giving consumers information they don’t want and, instead, start adding value to their lives – without the immediate expectation of getting something in return. We’ve seen big B2C companies do this with great success, but what about B2B companies, especially those on a smaller scale? Can they still delight their consumers? My answer: A resounding, scream-it-from-the-rooftops YES.
As a quick reference on what I mean by “delighting” your audience, let’s take a look at a rather large B2C company that’s kicking arse at it: Coca-Cola (please, just hold the condescending “duhs” for just a moment and humor me). In the company’s latest marketing effort, the global brand delighted its Indian and Pakistani consumers with “small world machines” that worked to fill a valley of tense relations and form connections with geeky dance moves and smiles.
Can I get a collective “Aww.” (Or
#AHH.) It’s hard to argue that this kind of marketing is anything short of delightful, but you don’t have to try and end world peace to be successful at marketing that the consumer actually finds value in.
The key for B2Bs, especially SMBs, to delight their consumer is by producing, say it with me: content. But, you can’t just throw out content that only serves to clutter an already polluted digital space. It must be delightful. It must give your consumer information and education that they actually want and need. Abigail Posner, Head of Strategic Planning And Agency Development at Google, has some great advice when it comes to delighting the consumer: “Create content that reminds us of our own capacity for excitement, happiness, and vivacity so we want to share in it with others.” That’s delight, folks. How might a B2B do that? Just like a B2C would.
Let’s talk about it:
Be your most authentic self. In an increasingly cluttered world, where everyone is asking the same questions about how to better connect, your brand must produce content in a voice that is all your own. Providing accurate content is a must, but a business, no matter what they sell and to whom they sell, must adopt a unique presence in their content that leaves no room for question about who is producing it.
Engage. To delight is not to solely talk about your ideas and turn off your listening ears. We learned this in kindergarten, people. (Well, at least most of us.) Delighting your consumer, whether you’re a B2C or B2B, means listening to your audience. They are your biggest resource. Use your social media channels to connect with your consumer. Ask questions, reply to ALL consumer feedback, and involve your brand in on conversations happening in your industry. Then, only after you have listened, offer your own content based on issues or problems that you have heard. That’s the kind of relevant content that adds value; that’s the kind of content that delights.
It’s obvious that not all B2Bs are the same. A big cry for help that comes from smaller B2Bs is “How do I do this if I’m not a fancy, sexy company like DropBox?” The key is that delighting consumers does not just come from flashy graphics and the latest-and-greatest websites. Rather, the key is being human. That means being honest and interested in your communication to your consumer, and whether you are a B2C or a B2B, your consumer is ultimately people.
And humans want to feel valued and loved, so go on and get delighting.
