A critical element that is still missing in B2B marketers’ approach is creativity. They are known for staying the course and following ‘in-the-box’ techniques. However, to gain a competitive edge in their business marketing model, they must add a touch of creativity and create opportunities that can engage prospective customers.
Creativity can be defined as an inventive or imaginative use of skills to portray a concept through original ideas and intellect. Creative marketing is not just about creating interesting content but it is the ability to think outside the box and tread new waters. It is all about creating a unique experience for the audience in a meaningful manner. Creativity makes one stop and think, it is something that sells and produces traceable results.
Why is B2B considered ‘Boring’?
A typical B2B marketing process can be pretty monotonous and dry. There isn’t much scope for emotional interaction when working on business technologies and services. This greatly reduces the social engagement. Though nobody is at fault, this has been the way B2B marketing functions.
What should B2B marketers keep in mind while embracing creativity?
In the present-day scenario, without including the element of social interaction, it is impossible for B2B brands to leave an impact. There are a few things that every marketer should remember to provide their customers with a memorable experience. Let’s take a look:
Creating something out of the ordinary increases brand value: Creativity will give their business a competitive advantage and help them differentiate their brand while adding to the brand value
Sharing real life case studies can build trust: These case studies bring a feeling of reassurance and trust towards a band and capture the customer’s attention in an effective manner
Taking one step at a time is of paramount importance: They should focus on one aspect at time and complete it properly. When a big idea is told in a simple manner it remains imbibed in the customer’s memory
Who is responsible for creativity in B2B marketing?
Creativity is the collective responsibility of all the people involved in the business. In fact, creativity is the only tool that can actually help a brand differentiate themselves in the hyperactive marketplace.
Majority B2B marketers are still hesitant to embrace social engagement or online marketing tools in their strategy. They are still using conventional means and do not look outside the box to market their products or services.
Whereas, those who have the wisdom and willingness to look outside the box have realized the success that innovative thinking can bring them. They are constantly improving existing opportunities and at the same time creating new ones.
B2B marketers need to understand that innovation and creativity will lead to more sales and that it is a good idea to combine traditional practices with new age solutions. It is time to leave behind the dry marketing and dive into a more interactive world filled with creativity.
What are the areas to showcase creativity?
Blogging: Thousands of businesses across the globe are selling their products through blogs. However, traditional marketers do not consider business blogs a reliable tool and thus do not put in the effort needed to maintain one.
Those who have found ways to leverage this platform are engaging customers regularly through their blog posts and converting them into clients. Marketers need to understand that by educating their prospects they increase the chance of converting them into regular customers. In a nutshell, blogs lead to better sales figures.
Social Interaction: Having a presence online is not enough. Marketers need to interact with prospects across multiple social platforms if they want to sell their products and services. The key activity here is to engage them and educate them through blogs and articles.
Creating and Sharing Content: Text is not the only form of content out there. Today, it expands to various forms like audio podcasts, video podcasts, infographics, e-books and more. Marketers can post this content on their company’s website and create a directory where prospects can explore the knowledge base.
While creating quality content is important, sharing it can be a decisive factor in its success. Asking customers to spread the word can be tricky but it is not impossible. Marketers should double check that there is an option to share the content on different social networking sites embedded within the post itself.
Often considered to be the stepchild of creativity, B2B marketing can be improved significantly with creativity. Yes, it does have restrictions on how the products and services need to be sold but it can function similar to other markets as well.
At the end of the day, marketers and customers, both are humans. Let us take a look at some ways to add the element of creativity in a B2B marketing strategy:
Videos: The fastest way to market a product is to create a video for it. This is the reason why a large number of companies are investing more in video marketing. With revenue growth of nearly 49%, video solutions offer an opportunity to impart brand experience to prospects in a far better and interesting manner.
Special Access: Finding something exclusive makes a person feel special. When fans visit a concert and get to meet the performing stars backstage, it adds to their experience. Similarly, providing prospects with exclusive scoops or things like behind-the-scene access can help brands in giving their customers a unique experience which they will share ahead creating a word-of-mouth publicity cycle.
Knowledge Base: There is no denying the fact that ‘Knowledge is Power’. Educating a customer about a brand’s products and services is the need of new age marketing. It gives prospects freedom of learning at their own convenience and also helps organizations save money. Creating knowledge bases that consist of webinars, videos, e-books, articles, blogs, and FAQs to help customers learn more about the brand is a great idea.
Effective Use of Humor: Adding sensible and in-context humor into a marketing campaign can enhance creativity to a whole new level. Everybody likes to have a good laugh and if marketers can do so within their promotion strategy, they have won half the battle. All marketers need to know is that the humor shouldn’t offend anyone on the basis of race, sex, religion etc. Effectively used humor brings in much-needed awareness to a brand and allows customers to spend more time exploring what they have to offer.
Transform Old Processes: Turning traditional marketing processes into a more user-friendly and game-like process in order to attract more customers. Often considered a tool for B2C businesses, gamification has a special role in B2B as well. For example, if a brand wants users to read their knowledge base, they should give them reward points on successfully going through every piece of content. They can let them redeem these points during their purchases for positive reinforcement towards the initiative.
Takeaway
B2B marketing has moved far beyond the confines of PowerPoint presentations and boring spreadsheets. Infusing new ideas into marketing campaigns will bring a much-needed jolt of creativity that will set organizations on a path to success. It is time be creative and start marketing in the new way.
