THE B2B MARKETER'S TOOLKIT

THE MODERN B2B MARKETER’S TOOLKIT

WELCOME TO THE MODERN B2B MARKETER’S TOOLKIT. The B2B marketing industry is changing, and the drive of researchers such as WARC, The B2B Institute, a LinkedIn think tank, and the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute are testament to this. So as we move into this new dawn of B2B, our understanding of what it takes to achieve real effectiveness in B2B requires an updated toolkit.

We need a toolkit that focuses on the importance of reach across a multitude of exploding channels as well as fame-making, emotion-generating creative work that builds B2B brands and drives growth.

You’ll find just that in this guide.

AIM FOR BRAND FAME

While functional messaging will always have a part to play in the funnel, it is becoming increasingly evident that we have to use brand advertising to get into buyers’ consideration.

Creating work that stands out from the category norms can drive brand fame and increase mental availability.

1.0

0.7

Without long-term thinking, you neglect all of your future buyers; the ones you want to ensure are thinking about you when they are ready to buy.

1.5

0.9

B2B marketers tend to lean towards short-term activation for instant results that keep their CFOs happy; campaigns that focus on lead-gen activation. While a hyper-targeted approach does produce results, it’s crucial to have a balance.

2.0 1.6

Research from ‘The 5 Principles of Growth in B2B Marketing’ by the IPA & The B2B Institute revealed that actual effectiveness in building a brand is found in fame.

2.5 2.2

Mental Availability: The extent to which a brand easily comes to mind in a purchase consideration.

Number of very large biz fx. reported

How do you grow in B2B? You need a strong brand.

The importance of mental availability and brand fame

0.5

0.0

Fame

Awareness

Other brand goals

Activation goals

Primary Campaign Objectives

Source: The 5 Principles of Growth in B2B Marketing, Binet & Field, The B2B Institute, 2019

RATIONAL MESSAGES ARE 7X LESS EFFECTIVE The tragedy of this is that B2B’s ineffective advertising comes from continuing to treat decision-makers as robots, rather than real human beings who feel things.

1.4

1.4 1.2 1.0 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2

0.2

B2B decision-makers are under a lot of stress and so B2B purchases can never be just purely rational. They’re emotional decisions because the stakes are high.

1.6 Average no. very large biz fx.

Binet and Field’s research for the IPA revealed that B2B marketing tends to focus on rational advertising.

B2B Campaigns

0.0 Rational

Emotional

Source: The 5 Principles of Growth in B2B Marketing, Binet & Field, The B2B Institute, 2019

THE CREATIVE OPPORTUNITY FOR B2B

System1’s ad-ratings database found that 75% of B2B ads fail to drive meaningful growth and score only one star on their five-star spectrum.

Along the buyer journey, buyers want more communication with brands. They want to know they can trust you, and when they’ve made a purchase, they want assurance that they’ve made the right choice.

Once again, it’s all about balance. The buyer’s journey is complex, but through emotional brand building and rational financial evidence you can assure them that they’re not making a costly mistake.

It’s not about showing a stock image of a group of people laughing or a father working from home with a small child. It’s about evoking an emotional response when someone engages with your communication.

The most powerful reponse being making someone feel ‘happy’ (humour works well here) or making people feel surprised. So always view your creative ideas through this lens.

Connection is at the core of all of our interactions as people. B2B purchases aren’t so different.

75% of B2B Ads score 1-star or less 80

B2B Categories

70 60 50 40 30 20

Ad Ratings Database

10 0 1

2

3

4

5

+0%

+0.5%

+1%

+2%

+3%

Star Rating

Source: System1 and The B2B Institute, 2021

Profitable Growth Prediction

The positive news is it takes very little to stand out in B2B, or to rock the boat and create a response in a category saturated by the same creative messages and bland concepts.

What is ‘emotional messaging?’

% of all ads achieving each star status

There’s a creative crisis in B2B. That’s good news for you!

CREATIVE CASE STUDY

: ROCKWOOL THE 7 STRENGTHS OF STONE

“ IT’S ABOUT SURPRISE, DOING THINGS THAT YOUR COMPETITORS AREN’T… IT’S GOING TO MAKE YOU DO THE KIND OF ADVERTISING THE CATEGORY IS NOT FAMILIAR WITH ” – Peter Field.

THE 7 STRENGTHS OF STONE: TEST SERIES

400% 1.8 M INCREASE IN PRODUCT PAGE DWELL TIMEDWELL TIME

FACEBOOK PAGE ENGAGEMENTS

11,641 326% MARKETING QUALIFIED LEADS

INCREASE IN WEBSITE TRAFFIC

BRIEF In a highly commoditised market, we needed to improve brand competitiveness and resonance, by raising awareness and knowledge of ROCKWOOL’s product differentiators, ‘The 7 Strengths of Stone’ – helping to build brand fame, affinity and engagement amongst its core audiences in the construction industry.

EXECUTION The superior performance of ROCKWOOL products is what sets them apart. So our strategy was to dramatise the capabilities of The 7 Strengths of Stone with a video series that would tell the story of each strength in a way which would surprise and delight. After all, seeing is believing.

We created a Bond-style ‘test lab’ in the ROCKWOOL Innovation Factory, casting the actual Head of R&D as our lead ‘Q’ character who would conduct a series of extreme live product tests that would entertain with a light touch of wry Scandinavian humour.

See more here: https://www.trueagency.com/7sos-test-series

“I’M IN LOVE WITH THIS VIDEO! ROCKWOOL GROUP ROCKS!” IRENE GARCIA

“THIS VIDEO IS LIT LITERALLY” M’GAMES UK

“NOW THIS IS HOW YOU DEMONSTRATE A PRODUCT’S BENEFITS”

“WOW!!! IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND ANOTHER WAY TO DEMONSTRATE THE FIRE PERFORMANCE OF ROCKWOOL”

JONATHON SANTIAGO

ANGELINA PATSI

CREATIVE CASE STUDY

: ACORA LONG LIVE THE XLA

BRIEF Acora, an unknown IT services provider, embarked on a mission to reimagine their category and create a new normal for their industry. We needed to create a brand platform that set Acora apart from their ‘faceless’ competitors.

EXECUTION For Acora to win market share in a crowded market, the traditional way of doing things wouldn’t suffice, so we changed the rules in our favour.

We launched Acora’s Experience Level Agreement (XLA), unlocking the true power of IT services by focusing on the end user experience. Long Live the XLA became a call-to-arms for professionals to stand up against sub-par SLAs (Service Level Agreement) and demand more from their IT service providers.

See more here: https://www.trueagency.com/long-live-the-xla

£4.7m 108% 140%

Uplift in sales revenue in just 4 months

Increase in share of search

Increase in search volumes for Acora

THE B2B MEDIA REVOLUTION

Online video and digital audio are key in tech and telco How do you expect your company’s investment for B2B marketing in the following channels to change in 2021?

The media landscape has changed, and COVID-19’s impact and progressive ad tech have created a boom in multi-channel approaches. This embracing of a multi-channel approach also allows B2B marketers to experiment with creativity and brand stories.

54% of B2B marketers are increasing the number of channels in their media mix.* Video and audio are the future of B2B. A balance of these engaging mediums across channels can create a more personalised and curated experience for buyers and dramatise your brand story.

2%

3%

25%

31%

6%

3%

35%

41%

11%

3%

40%

53%

13%

100%

75%

50%

50%

25%

66% 73%

59%

56%

49%

Podcast

Out of home (OOH)

44%

37%

0% Online video and display

Digital audio

Increase

*Source: Changing Channels in B2B, WARC and Spotify, 2021

TV

Stay the same

Terrestial radio

Decrease

Source: Changing Channels in B2B, WARC and Spotify, 2021

Print

THE POWER OF PARTNERSHIPS It is time to say goodbye to tired, old whitepapers and the same traditional case studies and instead find a way to personalise your content and story to buyers – grab their attention by doing something interesting and ensure they remember you.

Communities are on the rise in B2B also. And a great way to build communities and showcase support for your buyers is through partnerships. You can elevate your brand name to buyers in certain communities and become front of mind through alliances.

B2B marketers are increasing budgets in partner marketing and influencers

100%

75%

9%

11%

42%

41%

49%

48%

Partner marketing and sponsorship

Influencers

50%

Increasingly, marketing budgets are put towards powerful partnerships and influencers to expand reach.

25%

0%

Increase

Stay the same

Decrease

Source: Changing Channels in B2B, WARC and Spotify, 2021

CREATIVE CASE STUDY

: MONDI CATCHING FEELS

A BRAND PARTNERSHIP THAT WAS GREAT ON PAPER BRIEF In the face of significant market decline, a global pandemic, and one of the most unstable economic climates ever, Mondi, one of Europe’s largest paper manufacturers, needed a strategic campaign that would ensure their survival. We had to create an initiative that would build awareness of PERGRAPHICA, their premium paper, and increase sales through channel partners and printers to win market share.

EXECUTION While digital has democratised access to media, we’re disconnecting with creativity on a physical and emotional level. We saw an opportunity to turn the paper market’s enemy into a strategic brand advantage by partnering with digital creative giant, Adobe – extending campaign reach and aligning to modern digital design culture.

Our fully integrated campaign “Catching Feels” centred on a hero asset, a “look book”, that united contributing artists and photographers from Adobe Stock’s premium collection with the superior quality and performance of PERGRAPHICA paper. Supported by a suite of high-quality, aspirational marketing tools the campaign became an interactive analogue to digital experience which took our creative audiences on a sensory journey from print to screen, raising awareness and brand reputation.

See more here: https://www.trueagency.com/catching-feels

87% 68% 85% 13%

Increase in sales enquiries

Increase in project win rate

Increase in sales volume

26%

Doubled market share from 13% to 26%

“THIS IS AN INSPIRING CAMPAIGN – WITH THIS MONDI IS MUCH BETTER THAN MUNKEN. YOU WILL GET A LOT OF INTEREST FROM DESIGNERS”

“VERY INSPIRING CAMPAIGN THAT MADE ME FALL IN LOVE WITH PERGRAPHICA AGAIN”

EUROPAPIER

IGEPA

THANK YOU Freddie Marsh Client Manager

freddie@trueagency.com M +44 (0) 7875 155 158