B2B companies, especially engineering firms, have traditionally used print advertising, direct mail, and cold calling to build a business. Usually, the print ad is a summary of the company overview. Many firms in the B2B space, mistakenly, do not feel the need to build a brand presence. Whether your business is B2B or B2C, branding increases the value of a company; providing employees with a sense of direction and making the acquisition of new customers easier. Branding serves as a memory aid to remind your customer about what the company stands for. B2B marketers are realizing that developing brand awareness among their customers can capture a larger share of the market and build loyalty that can protect them against lower-priced competitors.
Below are some of the tools that a B2B Company can leverage to build its brand value
ADVERTISING – THE FACE OF THE COMPANY
Let’s face it, most B2B advertising is just boring. It is content-heavy and monochromatic. Many executives consider advertising in the B2B sector a complete waste of money. Unlike advertising to the general public, the choice of media for a B2B campaign is limited. The B2B market consists of experts and the purchase is a corporate deal, not a personal one. And yet, they can’t escape the fact that they’re also human. It is people in the corporate that run the company and effective advertising and better brand recall influence the decision making.
TRADE SHOWS – TARGETING YOUR CORE AUDIENCE
Trade shows are a great opportunity to showcase your business. Traditionally, your sales representative will get a couple of minutes to create an impression on the industry visitor. However, the engagement can be intensified with a visual brand presence at the stall and at various points of the show. An interesting physical takeaway like a USB stick with the company logo or an intellectual puzzle will help echo the brand recall.
SOCIAL MEDIA – ENCOURAGING DIALOGUE
Social media is not a fad or something that young people do when they aren’t playing video games. Social media is the place where you cultivate your brand in the new space. Besides having a presence on social media giants like LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook, it is often technical forums and blogs which establish your expertise in the domain area. Social media gives you an inside view of your customer’s minds.
CONTENT MARKETING – THE CORE OF B2B DIGITAL STRATEGY
Content marketing is the art of communicating with your customers and prospects without selling. It is non-interruption marketing. Instead of pitching your products or services, you are delivering information for the buyer to make an informed decision. The essence of this content strategy is the belief that if we, as businesses, deliver consistent, ongoing valuable information to buyers, they ultimately reward us with their business and loyalty. For instance, a civil engineering company can create a series of white papers about interest projects they may have completed to showcase it’s unique skills.