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Explore the latest trends in B2B solutions with Brunner.

Explore the latest trends in B2B solutions, where we recognize that B2B customers are just like everyday consumers. Discover insights on how to adapt your marketing strategies to meet evolving customer expectations and drive meaningful connections in a digital-first landscape.

B2B Solutions Content and Perspectives: Trends and POVs | Brunner

b2b solutions

Gain valuable insights and perspectives to build your business and respond to market changes from Kristen Taggert, VP of Integrated Marketing Communications.

Perspectives from Kristen Taggert | Brunner

Vice President, Integrated Marketing Communications

Kristen Taggert

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As a B2B brand, your target account list could fall within a variety of buying phases. Some accounts might be in market, ready to make a purchase decision. Some might be out of market, happy with their current partnerships. Some accounts might not be in your list but you’re in theirs.&nbsp;&nbsp;So, how do you identify the stage that these audiences are in and focus your efforts?&nbsp;Account-based marketing (ABM).&nbsp;&nbsp;An ABM approach is focused on the buying stage of your target accounts and the personas involved with that account. ABM programs are not new, but they are getting more sophisticated. By using the right technologies, ABM programs help businesses connect with their most engaged prospects through by using intent data that influences customized buying experiences resulting in better relationship-building and business growth.&nbsp;<h2>What is ABM?&nbsp;</h2>Account-Based Marketing (ABM) is a strategic approach that aligns marketing and sales to a set of prospective accounts. Unlike traditional marketing, which focuses on broad segments, ABM treats each prospect as a market of its own by identifying high-value accounts, understanding their needs, and creating personalized campaigns to engage and convert them.&nbsp;Core components to a successful ABM program:&nbsp;<ul><li>High-value accounts agreed upon by both sales and marketing&nbsp;</li><li>Understanding the account’s buying group and individual personas needs&nbsp;</li><li>Personalized campaigns to engage, further segment and drive desired actions&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>Strong measurement and lead scoring frameworks across tactics and tools&nbsp;</li></ul>Once campaigns are in market, the focus will be on identifying the most “engaged” accounts, ensuring that all efforts are highly targeted and consistent, leading to greater ROI and improved customer loyalty.&nbsp;<h2>Why is it Essential for B2B Brands to Adopt an ABM Strategy?&nbsp;&nbsp;</h2>Meet Your Audience’s Expectations: <a href="https://www.brunnerworks.com/perspectives/to-reach-todays-business-buyers-brands-must-embrace-brands-for-humans-marketing" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Today's B2B buyers</a> expect personalized experiences and content that speaks directly to their needs and pain points, just like they do as a general consumer.&nbsp;ABM enables companies to deliver highly valuable messaging based on who they are and where they are in their buyer’s journey, increasing engagement and conversion rates.&nbsp;Scale Internally: Focus your resources on high-value accounts, resulting in more efficient and effective marketing efforts, and a more strategic allocation of resources on prospects with the highest potential to convert.&nbsp;&nbsp;Alignment Across Sales, Marketing, and Customer Experience Teams: A successful ABM program requires close collaboration between sales, marketing, and customer experience teams. By aligning these groups, companies can ensure a consistent and seamless experience for their target accounts, leading to improved customer satisfaction, retention, and loyalty.&nbsp;Measure Impact on Business Goals: ABM provides a more accurate way to measure marketing's impact on business goals. By focusing on specific accounts, companies can track the progress and success of their campaigns — and attribute revenue and other key metrics directly to their marketing efforts.&nbsp;View the Full Customer Lifecycle: By tracking interactions and engagement at the account level, businesses can gain valuable insights into the entire customer life cycle, so they can optimize their strategies and drive better results.&nbsp;<h2>5 Steps B2B Brands Should Implement Before Diving Into ABM&nbsp;</h2>To launch ABM successfully, companies need to prepare their teams to ensure a smooth implementation. Here are five key steps to follow:&nbsp;1. Know your target audiences: Developing in-depth knowledge of your target accounts is crucial for ABM success. Create your ideal customer profile, including firmographic information and industry context. Identify buying groups within your target accounts, as well as individual account personas to help tailor campaigns to meet their specific needs.&nbsp;2. Align your sales and marketing teams: To effectively implement ABM, your sales and marketing teams must align their approach and efforts. This includes developing and agreeing on a lead management process, a lead scoring model, and aligning on desired outcomes.&nbsp;3. Manage your customer data: Conduct a thorough audit of customer data. The audit should determine the key customer data you need, evaluate existing data formats, and identify any gaps. ABM platforms can help open doors for campaign attribution by providing additional insights about your customers.&nbsp;4. Evaluate and adjust your technology stack: Having the right technology is important for ABM success. Evaluate your existing tech stack to understand its capabilities and ensure you can integrate across platforms. Consider investing in a CRM system to house all account-related data. In addition, a marketing automation platform will allow you to operationalize campaign efforts and connect key marketing channels.&nbsp;5. Enlist your company’s top leaders as ABM champions: Buy-in and advocacy from your company’s top leaders will provide a strong foundation for a successful ABM implementation and commit to the necessary resources and process changes.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>Ready to Begin Preparing for ABM?&nbsp;</h2>Account-based marketing offers B2B companies a powerful strategy to focus and personalize their marketing efforts to drive better business outcomes. If your company is ready to get started, the Brunner team can help. We’d love to hear about your business objectives and marketing challenges. Please reach out so we can help with your ABM needs.&nbsp;

Discover the five essential steps to kickstart your Account-Based Marketing (ABM) strategy and drive more meaningful business results with ABM platforms.

Five Essential Steps for Getting Started with Account-Based Marketing

From campaign tips to influencer collaborations, discover perspectives from our team.

Discover perspectives from our experts on influencer marketing, where influence meets strategy. Explore insights on how to effectively partner with influencers to enhance your brand's authenticity and connect with your audience.

Influencer Marketing Content and Perspectives | Brunner

influencer marketing

From brand messaging to social media tactics, our communications team shares meaningful insights to enhance your connection with key audiences.

Discover how our communications team can elevate your brand through powerful storytelling and strategic messaging. Explore our insights on messaging strategies and tactics that will help you connect with your audiences in a meaningful way.&nbsp;

Communications Content and Perspectives: Trends and POVs | Brunner

communications

Imagine you run a company that makes electrical components used in residential construction. To market those products, you need to reach electricians. Your marketing team can run campaigns on traditional channels, or you can try something new — influencer marketing.&nbsp;&nbsp;Your brand could partner with a well-known electrician who owns a company, works residential jobs, knows the right electrical components for each project, and has built a huge following on social media by sharing insights, how-to lessons, product reviews and more, all for a loyal audience of electricians.&nbsp;You may think of influencer marketing as tactic for consumer brands and lifestyle sectors, but it has huge potential as a compelling and effective option for industries like construction and building supplies, too.&nbsp;<h2>B2B Influencer Marketing to Reach Target Audiences&nbsp;</h2>B2B influencer marketing involves partnering with individuals who have authority, expertise, and a substantial following within particular industries, like construction and building supplies. These B2B influencers can be seasoned pros, bloggers, or social media personalities. In the home construction world, for example, influencers might be architects, construction managers, builders, interior designers, and even technical experts focused on construction technology.&nbsp;By teaming with these influential voices, you can boost your brand’s awareness, build trust, and generate leads in ways traditional marketing might not be able to match.&nbsp;<h2>The Value of B2B Influencers for Construction and Building Supplies Brands &nbsp;</h2>B2B influencers in the construction and building supplies industries offer specific benefits for reaching potential customers.&nbsp;<ul><li>Credibility and Trust: The building supplies industry relies heavily on trust and credibility. Influencers, with their established reputations, can provide this assurance. When an industry expert endorses your product, other businesses are more likely to trust that recommendation and choose your brand.&nbsp;</li><li>Targeted Reach: B2B Influencers have built substantial followings within their industries. By partnering with influencers whose followers are predominantly industry professionals, you can ensure your message reaches potential customers most likely to benefit from your products.&nbsp;</li><li>Engagement and Education: Influencers can create engaging content that not only promotes your products but also educates potential customers on uses and benefits. Their content can include product demonstrations, how-to guides, and case studies that highlight real-world use.&nbsp;</li><li>Niche Expertise: Home construction is a specialized field. Influencers in this category possess deep knowledge and expertise that makes their recommendations highly valuable to construction pros. Influencers can share insights into the latest industry trends, innovative materials, and cutting-edge construction technologies, helping businesses and pros stay ahead of the curve.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>Authenticity: In an industry where relationships and reputation matter, the authenticity of influencer endorsements can be more persuasive than traditional advertising. Influencers can share genuine experiences and honest reviews, which resonate more with their audience.&nbsp;</li></ul><h2>B2B Influencer Marketing Campaign Drives Consideration with Plumbing Pros&nbsp;</h2>The Brunner team has partnered with B2B influencers to drive success for several construction and building supplies clients. For a B2B client in the water heater industry, we partnered with four influencers who are well-known among professional contractors and plumbers. Those four created compelling video content to debunk common misconceptions about tankless water heaters.&nbsp;The campaign saw impressive results, driving over 1.7 million impressions and a cost per video view of $0.18, while spreading our client’s key messages around tankless hot water heater benefits and new products.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.brunnerworks.com/our-work/rinnai-influencer-case-study" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Read the case study</a>.<h2>Ready to Explore Influencer Marketing for Your B2B Strategy?&nbsp;</h2>Incorporating influencer marketing into your B2B strategy can provide a powerful boost to your brand’s visibility, credibility, and sales in the building supplies industry. By partnering with influential voices, businesses can build trust, reach new audiences, and stay ahead of industry trends. As the landscape of B2B marketing continues to evolve, embracing influencer marketing can help you stay ahead of the curve and achieve long-term success.&nbsp;&nbsp;We’d love to learn more about the challenges you’re facing and offer some thoughts about how we can help. Please feel free to get in touch!

Influencer marketing for B2B is important in reaching key audiences. Discover how B2B influencers are transforming the construction and building supply industry.

Impact of B2B Influencers for Construction and Building Supplies Brands

Unlock the Impact of B2B Influencers in Marketing for Construction and Building Supplies Brands

Discover valuable web and digital perspectives from Rick Gardinier, Partner and Chief Digital Officer, with over 30 years of experience.

Perspectives from Rick Gardinier | Brunner

Partner, Chief Digital Officer

Rick Gardinier

Hear from our web development experts and stay ahead in the ever-evolving world of web platforms.

Stay at the forefront of the ever-evolving web landscape with insights from our web development experts. From responsive websites to custom applications, explore the latest innovations in CMS and learn how we build digital experiences that not only perform exceptionally but also leave a lasting impression.

Our Perspectives on Web Development | Brunner

web development

Stay updated, enhance your digital presence and learn about ADA website considerations with Brunner’s UX web design content.

Whether you're looking to enhance your website's functionality or create a captivating mobile experience, our insights will guide you in crafting digital spaces that engage users and drive results. Stay informed on ADA website considerations, usability testing, and user-centered design principles to ensure your digital presence meets the highest standards.

Our Thoughts on UX Web Design | Brunner

UX web design

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When prospective B2B customers hear a mention of your brand, what’s the first thing they do to check out what you offer? Chances are that rather than making a phone call to a salesperson, they will spend time on your website as their first step to see if your products are a fit. After that, it’s a split second — 0.05 seconds according to <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01449290500330448" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">one study</a> — before they’ve formed an impression of your business.&nbsp;&nbsp;For B2B companies, your website is your most important marketing channel, from building brand awareness to generating leads. Your site needs to make a stand-out first impression, offer engaging and helpful content, and make it easy for potential customers to engage with you, plus tie into your CRM system to help turn site engagement into revenue.&nbsp;Over the years, I’ve learned that no matter what industry your company focuses on, there are a few critical success factors that every B2B website should follow.&nbsp;<h2>Determine the Primary Business Goal of your B2B Website&nbsp;</h2>Defining your number one business goal seems obvious, but you’d be surprised how often this step is missed.&nbsp;Are you looking to generate leads? Build awareness of your brand?&nbsp;Drive offline or online sales? Or provide a great post-purchase experience?

Your B2B website is your ultimate marketing channel where you can streamline your business, connect with B2B buyers and drive sales with tailored content. Learn more.

Your B2B Website Is Your Most Important Marketing Channel 

From Strategy to Revenue, Your B2B Website Is Your Most Important Marketing Channel 

Stay informed with the latest updates from Brunner.

Stay informed with our latest updates, where our commitment to being good people drives everything we do. Explore insights that highlight how our collaborative approach and rich experience empower us to deliver innovative marketing solutions while nurturing lasting client relationships.&nbsp;

Agency Updates | Brunner

agency

<h2>Brunner Joins Demandbase Partner Program&nbsp;</h2><a href="https://www.brunnerworks.com/b2b-solutions/brands-for-humans-insights" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Modern B2B buyers</a> behave like B2C consumers and expect a similar purchase experience. Over 90% of B2B brands are currently out of market, and over 50% of those in market make a decision about your brand or your product without ever speaking to a sales representative.&nbsp;&nbsp;Yet it continues to be important for B2B marketers to balance the effort of keeping their brand top of mind and zeroing in on an in-market buyer.&nbsp;&nbsp;So, how do you achieve both while avoiding wasting resources?&nbsp;&nbsp;Enter account-based marketing solutions like <a href="https://www.demandbase.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Demandbase</a> — the leading AI-driven account-based go-to-market platform. These solutions are gaining momentum due to their ability to target based on intent signals and streamline workflows to move audiences through campaigns as they progress in their buying journey.&nbsp;&nbsp;I am thrilled to announce Brunner's partnership with Demandbase. As a provider of B2B marketing services, we recognized a growing need from clients for more sophisticated ABM solutions. We wanted to have a trusted partner who shared our values to offer clients. Demandbase stood out not just for their technology, but for their focus on service throughout the entire client relationship.&nbsp;As an agency with a roster of B2B clients and success stories, Brunner continually assesses marketing solutions to help clients reach the modern in-market B2B buyer. This partnership will allow us to provide best-in-class ABM solutions for our clients who need them.&nbsp;<h2>Demandbase’s Market Focus and Reputation Align with Brunner’s Vision&nbsp;</h2>In addition to executing ABM programs through Demandbase, we will gain access to:&nbsp;<ul><li>Exclusive online resources like trainings, in-depth insights, and event opportunities to keep us up to date on the latest in ABM tech advancements and help us guide our clients who use Demandbase.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>A community of like-minded professionals dedicated to transforming the B2B experience.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li></ul>“We’re thrilled to welcome Brunner to our Partner Program,” said Vanessa Willett, vice president of partnerships at Demandbase. “We really value Brunner’s deep knowledge of the B2B marketing space as well as their data analytics and management capabilities. We’re excited to grow this collaboration to mutually benefit each other’s clients.”&nbsp;While the opportunities with Demandbase are vast, we’re perhaps most excited about their use of AI. From seamlessly identifying your audiences and optimizing campaign performance, to targeting enhancements and predicting which accounts are going to be the most successful for your business, there’s so much opportunity this opens up for clients. We’re excited to see how this partnership will help us deliver more targeted, effective, and efficient campaigns.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>Ready to Learn More About How We Can Deliver B2B Solutions?&nbsp;</h2>When you’re ready to get started with ABM solutions, feel free to contact us. We’d love to learn more about your brand and how we can effectively reach your target accounts.&nbsp;

Brunner partners with Demandbase to provide ABM solutions for B2B brands. Learn more about this strategic partnership.

Brunner and Demandbase: A Strategic Partnership for B2B Success 

Brunner and Demandbase: A Strategic Partnership for Accelerating B2B Success 

Captivating content is key to engaging your audiences. Stay updated with insights from our team to enhance your content strategy and drive results.

At Brunner, we believe that captivating content is the heartbeat of audience engagement. Explore insights from our experts on how to enhance your content strategy and create valuable connections with your target audiences.

Content Marketing Content: Industry Trends and POVs | Brunner

content marketing

<h2>Use an Audience-First Approach to Create B2B Content That’s Valuable, Relevant and Helpful for B2B Buyers</h2>As a B2B marketer looking to build awareness, generate leads or drive sales, it’s essential that you know how your prospective customers navigate the buying process, especially what information they need to get to “yes.”&nbsp;&nbsp;Today’s business buyers take an increasingly stealthy approach by doing their own research long before they get in touch with you — if they ever make contact. Did you know:&nbsp;<ul><li>75% of business buyers prefer a sales experience that does not include a sales representative (<a href="https://www.gartner.com/en/sales/insights/b2b-buying-journey" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Gartner</a>)&nbsp;</li><li>71% of B2B buyers consume multiple pieces of content, such as blog articles, videos, white papers and e-books, to help them make a decision, and they share that content with colleagues on the buying team (<a href="https://www.demandgenreport.com/resources/b2b-buyer-s-survey-economic-uncertainties-renew-buyers-focus-on-price-functionality/7938/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">DemandGen Report</a>)&nbsp;</li><li>84% of B2B buyers say the winning vendor’s content had a positive influence on their purchase decision (<a href="https://www.demandgenreport.com/resources/2022-b2b-buyer-behavior-survey-orgs-must-remain-agile-as-buyers-conduct-self-service-anonymous-journeys/7456/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">DemandGen Report</a>)&nbsp;</li></ul>To win the attention of business buyers, you need high-quality, relevant, and valuable B2B content they will rely on to inform their buying decision. To create that content and get it in front of this audience, you need a well-researched B2B content strategy.&nbsp;At Brunner, we develop audience-first content strategies for a wide range of B2B clients. Our B2B content strategies give clients a roadmap for unified, consistent messaging and storytelling that’s integrated across their marketing channels, all to get their target accounts to “yes.”&nbsp;Here’s our approach.<h2>Research and Really Know Your Target Audiences</h2>

Having an effective strategy for connecting with B2B audiences through compelling content is crucial. Learn how we establish B2B content strategies for our clients.

Brands Need a B2B Content Strategy to Connect with Business Buyers

Brands Need a B2B Content Strategy to Connect with Stealth Business Buyers

Discover valuable perspectives from Patrick Culhane, Director of Business Strategy and Development, with 21 years of agency experience.

Perspectives from Patrick Culhane | Brunner

Vice President, Brand Strategy

Patrick  Culhane

When your company buys goods or services from other brands, what’s the top influence on your decision?&nbsp;Features and benefits? Price and value proposition? Reviews and testimonials?Or maybe it’s the brand’s identity and reputation?Research shows a brand’s values increasingly drive purchase decisions, especially as millennials and GenZers move up the ranks as business buyers:

Discover how putting brand values at the heart of B2B marketing can drive authentic connections, foster customer loyalty, and enhance business growth.

5 Ways to Put Brand Values at the Heart of Your B2B Marketing

Explore key strategy insights from our team.

Discover valuable insights from our strategy experts as we explore essential marketing principles. From defining your brand position to understanding your audience, our insights will help you create effective strategies that drive results and growth for your business.

Our Perspectives on Strategy: Industry Trends and POVs | Brunner

strategy

B2B marketing leaders from all types of industries shared insights, examples, and light-bulb moments about the latest in B2B thinking at this year’s <a href="https://www.ana.net/content/show/id/ms-b2banc-jun24" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ANA Masters of B2B Marketing Conference</a> last week in Naples, Fla.&nbsp;Here are some key takeaways on hot topics, including C-suite alignment, brand-to-demand, AI tools, and the growing importance of Latino audiences.&nbsp;<h2>For Impactful Marketing, Build Alignment across the Org Chart</h2>Several speakers reinforced that for marketing to be most effective, all levels and departments must be aligned. In his talk, Jeff Lowe, chief commercial officer at SMART Technologies, zeroed in on his C-suite peers as essential allies and collaborators, more so than the marketing team. At SMART Technologies, all members of the C-suite share the same organizational goals and understand each other’s role so fully they can stand in for each other at presentations.&nbsp;For Northwest Mutual, integration meant viewing marketing and sales as collaborative in the brand-to-demand process, according to CMO Lynn Teo. She highlighted the importance of a CMO starting out by understanding what drives sales activity.&nbsp;Brunner POV: If you do not have a fully aligned C-suite and are not including your CFO in your marketing conversations, find a partner or agency that can provide a roadmap to get you there, including how to get buy-in to the concept.&nbsp;<h2>To Brand or Not to Brand, That Is the ‘Brand-to-Demand’ Question</h2>From presentations to hallway conversations, the phrase “brand-to-demand”&nbsp;became a frequent topic across all three days. Brand-to-demand is the insight that your buyer is not in the market for your product 95% of the time. During this stage, brands need to stay top-of-mind so they’re in consideration when the buyer moves in-market and needs your product or service. At this point, you move to marketing that drives conversion. Speakers shared several funnels to bring this approach to life.&nbsp;Lou Aversano, chief brand and marketing officer at The Cigna Group, offered a distinct perspective on the role “brand” plays in your marketing.&nbsp;He was the only presenter who expressed the viewpoint that brand is never a separate activity. Brand, he said, should be built into all marketing.&nbsp;&nbsp;Brunner POV:&nbsp;The word “brand” has taken on several meanings within an organization. The brand should clearly define your organization’s strengths, your profitable target customers’ needs and passions, and the white space you want to own or defend from the competition. Then, every campaign or communication should focus on the strength that matters to the customer in that part of their journey, in a way that continually separates you from the competition.&nbsp;<h2>AI Tools Are Essential But Should Make Us Even More Human</h2>Unsurprisingly, many presenters discussed the role of AI tools and their impact on marketing.&nbsp;For example, did you know it is now possible to research virtual B2B buyers to get campaign insights? The overall message from speaker after speaker was that brands that are not using AI tools and solutions&nbsp;will lose out to those that are.&nbsp;David Edelman, senior lecturer of business administration at Harvard Business School and former CMO at Aetna, shared the most holistic approach to using AI in your marketing. This five-step process recommends considering how AI can help each customer:&nbsp;<ul><li>Empower me. With 75%+ of in-market research now done independently by buyers, how can you make that process easier for them?&nbsp;</li><li>Know me. Throughout the buying process, how can AI help you show that you know the individuals within your target audiences and take personalization to the next level?&nbsp;</li><li>Reach me. Can AI tools find the triggers that allow you to reach out when it matters most?&nbsp;</li><li>Show me. How can you create an experience, powered by AI, to show solutions specific to that buyer?&nbsp;</li><li>Delight me. Moments of surprise and delight give brands a competitive edge and drive incremental sales. How can AI help create experiences that help you stand out in your category?&nbsp;</li></ul>Brunner POV: If you are not considering how AI can help you holistically, find a partner that understands how to build buyer-centric CX and have a team focused on the ever-changing AI landscape.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>Latino Audiences Need More Than a Translation</h2>The Latino audience is driving small business growth. This group opened 82% of new businesses last year, and their businesses grew 10x faster than the national average. If they were a country, U.S. Latinos would be the fifth largest economy in the world.&nbsp;Eric Miller, marketing leader–home centers for Owens Corning, showed how the company is winning with the vitally important Latino audience:&nbsp;&nbsp;<ul><li>Represent the Owens Corning brand through the Latino audience&nbsp;</li><li>Invest in Latino communities&nbsp;</li><li>Transcreate, not translate&nbsp;</li></ul>Brunner POV: We apply these principles for a range of clients, including Owens Corning, Church’s Texas Chicken, and Dairyland. The Latino audience is a growing force that values brands that genuinely represent them.&nbsp;<h2>What Was Missing: The Modern Business Buyer</h2>A key B2B topic that didn’t receive attention is&nbsp;the growth of millennials within business buyer positions. Brands that know what drives this audience will better understand why the points raised in the conference matter. You can learn more about this modern buyer by watching our recent presentation with Rob Pongonis, CMO of Great Southern Wood Preserving (maker of YellaWood lumber products), where we cover what drives this audience. <a href="https://www.brunnerworks.com/b2b-solutions/brands-for-humans-insights" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Learn more.</a>

Learn about the key takeaways from the ANA Masters of B2B Marketing, focusing on C-suite alignment and the impact of AI.

C-Suite Alignment and AI Impact Shine at ANA Masters of B2B Marketing

C-Suite Alignment and AI Impact Take Center Stage at ANA Masters of B2B Marketing

If you lead marketing at a B2B company, how do you describe your customers? Do you list off the businesses that purchase what you sell?Or do you talk about Joshua, Jessica, and Javon — the people who buy from you?In today’s rapidly changing marketplace, your B2B customers are not your parents’ customers. Increasingly, today’s buyers are millennials, born between 1981 and 1996, and they bring a very different set of expectations to the buying experience. To win their business, brands must connect with millennials on a deeper level, as people first.At Brunner, we work with business brands like <a href="https://www.brunnerworks.com/our-work/yellawood" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">YellaWood</a> on marketing to hearts, not businesses. Instead of B2B, it’s now B4H — Brands for Humans.&nbsp;We start from a deep understanding of current business buyers.<h3>The Rise of Millennials: A New Generation of B2B Buyers</h3>Today’s business customers increasingly bring their emotions, desires, and unique perspectives into the workplace. They expect employers and brands to meet their needs like never before. Their workplace and living space are blurred, and so are the communication channels they use. They are happy to FaceTime a family member, switch to a Teams meeting, and then catch up on a social trend — all in less than an hour.The behavior shift is generational. Today, <a href="https://www.forrester.com/press-newsroom/changing-b2b-buying-behaviors/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">millennials make up more than half of business buyers</a>, according to Forrester. Zippia estimates that the <a href="https://www.zippia.com/director-procurement-jobs/demographics/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">average age of a procurement director is 46</a>, which millennials are about to reach. In 2021, <a href="https://solutions.trustradius.com/vendor-blog/millennial-b2b-buyers-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-new-wave-of-decision-makers" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">millennials made up 60% of all buyers in the B2B tech market</a> with that number expected to grow in the coming years, according to <a href="https://solutions.trustradius.com/vendor-blog/millennial-b2b-buyers-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-new-wave-of-decision-makers" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Trust Radius</a>. And millennials are a growing proportion of small business owners, up from <a href="https://www.guidantfinancial.com/2023-small-business-trends/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">12.9% in 2023</a> to <a href="https://www.guidantfinancial.com/small-business-trends/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">16% in 2024</a>, according to Guidant’s annual Small Business Trends report.&nbsp;<h3>How to Resonate with Millennial Business Buyers</h3>As millennials take the procurement reins, their expectations and behaviors are reshaping the B2B landscape. Business marketers need to understand and act on these key trends.1.&nbsp;Personalization is an ExpectationMillennials are online natives.&nbsp;They are&nbsp;<a href="https://solutions.trustradius.com/vendor-blog/millennial-b2b-buyers-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-new-wave-of-decision-makers" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">twice as likely as older generations to discover products through online searches</a>, Trust Radius found. Their predecessors relied on traditional channels, but millennials use search engines, social media, and digital platforms to find solutions. They expect their business searches to be as intuitive and personalized as their Amazon searches.<ul><li>Takeaway:&nbsp;Business brands must optimize and personalize their online presence to provide a level of self-service for this tech-savvy audience.</li></ul>2.&nbsp;Customer Reviews Matter More than EverMillennials trust their experiences with a product, free trials, product demos, and user reviews more than any other resources when researching products. According to the Trust Radius study,&nbsp;<a href="https://solutions.trustradius.com/vendor-blog/millennial-b2b-buyers-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-new-wave-of-decision-makers" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">80% of millennials won’t purchase without reading a review</a>.<ul><li>Takeaway:&nbsp;Brands should encourage customer reviews, make it easy for a customer to provide one, and leverage those reviews as powerful, authentic social proof.</li></ul>3.&nbsp;Purpose-Driven Brands Win HeartsMillennials gravitate toward brands that align with their values. One study found that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2022/10/24/why-millennials-in-charge-are-making-a-difference/?sh=625e969f4172" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">91% of millennial consumers are willing to switch brands</a>&nbsp;to one associated with a cause. Purpose-driven marketing resonates with this audience. It’s not just about selling a product; it’s about knowing a purchase helps make a positive impact.<ul><li>Takeaway:&nbsp;Brands that champion social causes, environmental sustainability, and ethical practices create a deeper emotional connection with millennials.</li></ul><h3>How Brands Can Pivot to Brands for Humans Marketing</h3>To thrive in this new era of Brands for Humans marketing, business brands must take proactive steps:<ul><li>Invest in Data Analytics: Understand your audience’s behavior, preferences, and pain points. Leverage data to create targeted campaigns.</li><li>Prioritize Personalized Self-Service: Excellent online self-service is non-negotiable. Prompt responses, clear communication, and personalized assistance go a long way.</li><li>Educate and Empower: Provide valuable content that educates and empowers your audience. Be a trusted, credible resource, not just a seller.</li><li>Humanize Your Brand: Shift from a transactional mindset to a relational one. Show empathy, engage in conversations, and build lasting relationships with customers.</li><li>Embrace Purpose: Define your brand’s purpose beyond profits. How do you contribute to a better world? Communicate this authentically and show how your company is making a difference.</li></ul><h3>Winning Hearts Is Winning Business</h3>As marketers, we must recognize that behind every business decision lies a human being who is driven as much by their heart as their head. Brands that connect emotionally with people, address real needs, and champion authenticity will win customers.Remember: It’s not about selling widgets; it’s about touching lives. Meaningful connections drive success.<h3>Ready for Brands for Humans Marketing?</h3>If you’re ready to energize your B2B marketing, let’s talk. Just like we’ve helped YellaWood, we can help your brand connect with business audiences. Contact us to talk through your challenges and ways your brand can win the hearts of business buyers.

Connecting with B2B customers presents greater hurdles than before. How can you achieve this? Through personalized, human-centric marketing. Learn more.

To Reach Today's Business Buyers, Use Brands for Humans Marketing

To Reach Today's Business Buyers, Brands Must Embrace Brands for Humans Marketing

Tony Ezell strode to the ANA conference stage and posed a provocative question for marketers: “Are B2C and B2B marketing and brand evolution really any different?”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bd.com/en-us/about-bd/our-company/ezell-tony" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ezell</a>, executive vice president of North America and chief marketing officer of <a href="https://www.bd.com/en-us" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Becton, Dickinson and Company</a>, delivered a resounding “no” in his presentation at the <a href="https://www.ana.net/content/show/id/ms-anc-oct23" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">ANA’s Masters of Marketing</a> event last month in Orlando.&nbsp;During his talk, Ezell told the story of how BD, a global medical technology company, realized during the COVID-19 pandemic that it needed a more unified approach across hundreds of BD brands, both B2B and B2C. That pivot meant moving away from independent brand strategies and campaigns to a more consistent brand purpose, with two primary goals: driving growth and delivering value to customers.&nbsp;&nbsp;Ezell shared the successes BD has had due to its more unified B2B/B2C approach and an integrated brand architecture strategy. In addition, research from various sources backs up that same viewpoint — that B2B and B2C principles are the same.&nbsp;<h2>The Fundamental Similarities of B2B and B2C Marketing&nbsp;</h2>Ezell explained that Becton Dickinson recognized that B2B and B2C approaches require similar insights and approach:&nbsp;&nbsp;<ul><li>a deep understanding of the target audience, their needs, and their pain points.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>a clear value proposition that resonates with the target audience.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>a strong brand identity that differentiates the company from its competitors.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>a comprehensive marketing strategy that includes a mix of channels such as social media, email marketing, and content marketing.&nbsp;</li></ul>Taking a B2C approach to their B2B marketing helped the BD team redefine their business, revamp their product communication, and reshape their marketing plan. Those steps and strategic shift resulted in improved business performance, Ezell said.&nbsp;

Understand why it’s time to blur the lines between B2B and B2C marketing for more effective strategies, as discussed at the 2023 ANA's Masters of Marketing event.

It’s Time to Stop Thinking B2B and B2C Marketing are Different

Masters of Marketing 2023: It’s Time to Stop Thinking B2B and B2C Marketing are Different 

Hear from Senior Specialist in Communications, Kimberly Watterson, who has more than six years of experience in social media and influencer campaigns.

Perspectives from Kimberly Watterson | Brunner

Senior Specialist, Communications

Kimberly Watterson

Gain valuable insights from Lindsay Motta, Senior Manager of Communications with over 12 years of experience in social media and influencer marketing.

Perspectives from Lindsay Motta | Brunner

Senior Manager, Communications

Lindsay  Motta

When you think of influencer marketing, you probably picture trendy teens on social media showing off their latest fashion finds, beauty products, or tech gadgets. But the power of influencer partnerships isn’t just for B2C companies looking to connect with customers. B2B companies in all types of industries can team up with influencers to boost their growth and drive impactful results.&nbsp;Influencers can help B2B brands by providing a unique point of view that resonates with target audiences — and builds both brand awareness and credibility. According to a recent Forbes article “Businesses must uphold the importance of influencer marketing in B2B. They must embrace this marketing tactic to increase their brand’s visibility, reputation and sales since consumers highly trust influencers.” (<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2023/04/17/the-need-to-leverage-influencer-marketing-in-b2b/?sh=69368c5b40f8" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">forbes.com, April 2023</a>).&nbsp;<h2>How Can B2B Brands Benefit from Influencers?</h2>B2C brands often team up with influencers to drive awareness or sales. Using this same strategy, B2B companies can reach decision-makers or thought leaders in their industry. Having a well-known and trusted influencer who is a professional in their specific niche gives B2B brands the opportunity to build a professional relationship with customers and establish credibility, while also growing their business.&nbsp;The Brunner team used this approach with a B2B client in the hot water heater industry. We collaborated with four influencers who are well-known among professional contractors and plumbers. These B2B influencers created a series of videos debunking some common misconceptions about tankless hot water heaters. All in all, they produced 70 assets that the client now owns or licenses for paid, owned, and earned media.&nbsp;This content not only spread our client’s key messages but also drove impressive results.&nbsp;Over one year, content from the four influencers racked up:&nbsp;&nbsp;<ul><li>1.7M impressions&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>1M video views; $0.18 cost per view&nbsp;&nbsp;</li></ul><h2>Keys to Success for B2B Influencer Marketing</h2>By including influencer voices in their marketing plan, B2B companies can amplify their brand’s reach and establish credibility in a world where trust is key with customers. Here are the most important steps to follow for making influencers part of your company’s marketing mix.&nbsp;<ul><li>Set clear campaign goals and objectives: The goals set at the outset of a campaign will determine how you navigate the messaging, channel mix, product priorities, and influencers you select. By setting clear goals and KPIs, you can track the campaign’s effectiveness and optimize as needed.&nbsp;</li><li>Choose the right B2B influencers: Research influencers who have a sizable following and influence within your industry, are passionate about what they do, and have a track record of producing high-quality, engaging content.&nbsp;</li><li>Create mutually beneficial partnerships: While there is a transactional component to an influencer partnership, the value should extend beyond the compensation and deliverables. It’s important to work together to create content that is authentic and engaging. This could mean extending an invitation to the influencer to visit your headquarters and meet your team. Another option is having your team on-site during a video shoot to see how your influencer creates engaging and authentic content.&nbsp;However you choose to engage with your influencers, it’s vital to build a strong relationship that benefits them, as well as your brand, to ensure long-term success.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li></ul>By leveraging real people to help tell your brand’s story, you’ll be able to elevate your content in an engaging and authentic way that drives impactful results.&nbsp;<h2>Getting Started with B2B Influencer Marketing</h2>By leveraging influencers as real people who can help tell your brand’s story, you’ll be able to elevate your content in an engaging and authentic way that drives impactful results.&nbsp;&nbsp;If you’re ready to explore influencer marketing for your B2B company, please get in touch. We’d love to chat!&nbsp;

Brunner supports B2B brands with influencer marketing to boost their growth and drive impactful results. Read on to see what B2B influencers can do for your brand.

Having Trouble Telling Your B2B Brand Story? Influencers Can Help

CRM and marketing automation streamlines your business connections with powerful tools to manage customer relationships and drive sales. Hear from our experts.

Discover how CRM and marketing automation can streamline your business connections and drive sales. Explore insights from Brunner's experts on maximizing your platform investment and delivering personalized content that keeps customers engaged.

Our Perspectives on CRM Marketing Automation | Brunner

crm marketing automation

Unlock the power of your data with insights from Brunner’s data management and analytics team.

Unlock the power of your data with insights from Brunner’s data management and analytics team. Explore how we transform complex data into actionable insights that drive informed decisions and uncover new growth opportunities.

Data Management and Analytics Content and Perspectives | Brunner

data management and analytics

In an era defined by data-driven decision-making, marketing intelligence is the cornerstone of strategic success. Discover insights from our team.

At Brunner, marketing intelligence is the foundation of data-driven decision-making. Explore our insights to learn how to leverage data effectively, target your audience, and stay ahead in a competitive landscape.

Our Thoughts on Marketing Intelligence Solutions | Brunner

marketing intelligence solutions

Digital marketing transformation continues to be a hot topic, and its acceleration has continued to increase exponentially. Businesses are implementing systems to better market to their customers; enable sales to understand, prioritize and react to leads that fuel opportunity; to manage the lifecycle of customer engagement; and at the end of the day, to hopefully tell a value story for marketing impact on sales opportunity and ultimately, revenue.&nbsp;&nbsp;So why do so many organizations struggle to get to that state of nirvana? There are certainly a lot of factors that contribute, but here are 3 guide rails to rally around that can lead to&nbsp;success.&nbsp;<h2>1. Always&nbsp;Start with Your Customers</h2>&nbsp;To be successful, everything you do must be keenly aligned to your customers. Who are they? What do they care about? How are you meeting their needs along the entire journey of becoming a customer? Who are decision-makers and influencers? What are the customer touchpoints along that journey that will not only allow you to win that business but to maintain that relationship long term?&nbsp;<h3>Start with&nbsp;Definition&nbsp;</h3>As&nbsp;marketers, everything we do serves&nbsp;and supports&nbsp;the customer experience.&nbsp;UX exercises such as empathy mapping and persona development can help define&nbsp;customer&nbsp;demographics&nbsp;and&nbsp;psychographics&nbsp;to&nbsp;better&nbsp;understand&nbsp;their&nbsp;needs,&nbsp;mindset,&nbsp;and behaviors.&nbsp;These simple&nbsp;exercises&nbsp;put&nbsp;you&nbsp;in the mindset of the customer and help&nbsp;you&nbsp;understand who&nbsp;your customers&nbsp;are, what they need, and even&nbsp;how your product or service can alleviate their specific&nbsp;pain points.&nbsp;When combined with supplemental&nbsp;primary&nbsp;and&nbsp;secondary research&nbsp;and analytics,&nbsp;organizations&nbsp;can&nbsp;sharpen their focus on&nbsp;defining&nbsp;customers&nbsp;which should&nbsp;in turn&nbsp;refine&nbsp;marketing strategies.<h3>Focus on Customer Experience and the Journey</h3>Having defined your customer, start thinking about what content&nbsp;and touchpoints&nbsp;are&nbsp;relevant to&nbsp;them at each step in their journey.&nbsp;Keep in mind, this isn’t just about awareness. It’s about&nbsp;a&nbsp;360–degree&nbsp;view of&nbsp;customer&nbsp;experience. From awareness and conversion to loyalty,&nbsp;the goal is to engage, win, and&nbsp;retain.&nbsp;Starting with simple activities such as journey maps can help&nbsp;sharpen your&nbsp;marketing and&nbsp;content&nbsp;strategy and&nbsp;develop relevant messaging across the customer lifecycle. There will be multiple touchpoints along the way, with different organizations within the business involved. Make sure to&nbsp;not only&nbsp;identify&nbsp;marketing and&nbsp;content strategy but&nbsp;other touchpoints along the customer lifecycle that should be considered. Those areas may include&nbsp;sales&nbsp;enablement,&nbsp;customer&nbsp;support,&nbsp;procurement, and even brick and mortar experience. It’s inasmuch about your&nbsp;marketing/sales&nbsp;experience as it is about your overall Brand experience!&nbsp;There are plenty of frameworks out there to leverage; but start&nbsp;simple,&nbsp;test&nbsp;and learn, and evolve quickly. The beauty of digital is that it allows us to do just that as marketers. Where you start with your strategy can and will evolve – and should be a natural progression of continuing to refine your customer strategy. And to better know,&nbsp;and serve,&nbsp;your customers.&nbsp;<h2>2. Focus on Your Data&nbsp;Model&nbsp;Early</h2>Data is often overlooked, and&nbsp;it’s&nbsp;a critical key to success—both&nbsp;at the system and customer level. Knowing that your business will more than likely have multiple systems in place that focus on customer data can add to that complexity. Not just for maintaining a single master record of the customer, but also how to standardize key pieces of information across systems. It can be a tough challenge, but one that can be&nbsp;realized. Here are some key considerations to think about&nbsp;along the way…<h3>Define&nbsp;and standardize&nbsp;your marketing data model</h3>Your marketing data model will typically consist of two types of information: demographic and behavioral.Both will have significance in how you develop and drive your content strategy, your ability to test and learn, and how you empower your Sales organization to assist with the sales process.Demographic data will help with your segmentation strategies, while behavioral data will give insight into interaction (or lack thereof). Both will play a key role in how you continue to Market to your customers and how a qualified lead is defined through marketing activities (lead scoring models). Thinking about the different types of information you’ll be collecting and standardizing within your marketing and sales systems is essential for success.<h4>Start with demographic data</h4>Your demographic data can include simple things like Title, Industry, Role, and even things we take for granted like State and Country. These tend to be very structured types of data and help to define who a customer is. As a marketer it’s important to identify that type of information; to tightly define it (including data types); share it with key stakeholders in the business for alignment (sales, customer support); and to develop a cross-system integration strategy. And don’t forget to develop your business rules around data management – this includes how data enters your systems; whether through website/3rd party integrations, imports, or manual entry. It’s important to define those rules to maintain data integrity – that, at the end of the day, will allow you to report on marketing’s impact on opportunity more easily and empower your marketing efforts along the way.<h4>Apply&nbsp;the same definitions exercise&nbsp;for your behavioral data.</h4>Most, if not all, Marketing Automation and CRM systems will come with out-of-the-box fields you can leverage with the ability to define custom fields and to omit fields you don’t want. While the behavioral model may seem daunting, there are simple things to think about that can help. Establishing a strong UTM model across ALL your marketing channels can be a starting point. Don’t overlook things that sit outside of digital marketing where UTM’s are traditionally considered; remember, data can enter your system in many ways and your UTM model can be a gateway to first/last touch attribution and reporting. And one that you can easily roll out across all your marketing channels and be captured at the system level. Finally, think about measurable touchpoints that might be gathered outside of your UTM strategy; understand where that information is stored at the system level, what that data looks like (don’t forget to work on standardization!), and how that might play into your behavioral model.Once you have both established, think about systems standardization and engage key stakeholders. That may include Marketing Automation, CRM, ERP and other systems. Remember, it’ll be important to make sure key stakeholders outside of the marketing organization are involved to understand and agree upon data definitions that extend beyond marketing. And to also give those organizations insights into other types of customer data that may not have had prior visibility.<h2>3. Operational Readiness</h2>The last&nbsp;area to consider, and one that may&nbsp;actually be&nbsp;the most challenging, is operational readiness. It’s important to ensure cross-organization alignment as you start to implement your&nbsp;marketing strategies.&nbsp;Here are some general questions to consider that can help gain organizational alignment and streamline efforts for both short-term implementation and long-term business value.<ul><li>How defined is your customer data model across the organization? Do all groups understand what types of information&nbsp;are&nbsp;being collected?&nbsp;Where&nbsp;and&nbsp;how&nbsp;is&nbsp;that information stored?&nbsp;What&nbsp;is the&nbsp;structure of the&nbsp;data? And how it can be leveraged to support the customer experience?&nbsp;</li><li>Are&nbsp;the right team structures in place to support&nbsp;modern&nbsp;marketing and customer experience&nbsp;needs?</li><li>Have you defined&nbsp;and selected systems that focus on empowering the business to meet the need of the customer vs. and inward-focused&nbsp;strategy?</li><li>Have key stakeholders agreed upon the value of data and marketing efforts? And how that&nbsp;equates to&nbsp;empowering&nbsp;sales efforts and ROI?</li><li>What&nbsp;governance rules have been established for systems&nbsp;usage&nbsp;and integration;&nbsp;including data management, access, automated workflows, and how systems interact with one another?&nbsp;</li></ul>There is a lot to think about as a modern marketer, especially as systems become more advanced and businesses continue to evolve and drive demand for better customer experience (and ROI reporting!).&nbsp;Remember –&nbsp;start simple,&nbsp;test,&nbsp;and learn, and continue to&nbsp;refine&nbsp;your overall&nbsp;strategies. These&nbsp;three guide rails&nbsp;don’t work independently of one another, either.&nbsp;But when&nbsp;they start to&nbsp;align, they&nbsp;can be a powerful gateway to drive&nbsp;modern&nbsp;marketing and&nbsp;sales success.&nbsp;

Explore three key guidelines that can help ensure success in your B2B marketing efforts.

3 Guide Rails to Consider for B2B Marketing Success

In the not-so-distant past, CMO’s were able to take a formulaic approach to support their sales teams.&nbsp;Product brochures that highlighted features and benefits, a press release or trade show effort to support product launches, and likely some product-focused web site pages with static data sheet specifications were all that was expected.&nbsp;Some may have also built a CRM database that would primarily be used for untailored email communications.&nbsp;B2B sales after all are really driven by face-to-face, personal relationships, right?Over the past few years, the B2B buyer has started acting more like a consumer who might be making a highly considered purchase.&nbsp;They conduct a lot of online research, follow industry influencers on Twitter, engage online via text and chatbots, and prefer to get pricing estimates on their own flexible schedule.&nbsp;And now given the pandemic, even the nature of face to face relationship selling has likely been changed forever.Consequently, the already blurred lines between sales and marketing have become even cloudier.&nbsp;In a recent article, Korn Ferry suggests that the CMO is going to become the ‘digital change leader’ that drives digital across the enterprise.&nbsp;Given that so many organizations are hyper-focused on the digital customer experience these days, that makes sense.The conversation around Customer Experience (CX) is pointing everyone to rapidly invest in digital engagement tools like CRM, Conversational AI, and even augmented reality.&nbsp;However, the rush to digital engagement runs a risk – potentially leaving human-to-human interaction behind.&nbsp;And that could be a big mistake in the long run.Investing in digital sales tools should absolutely be a priority.&nbsp;But there are fundamental things that can be done to make sure that while you are busy supporting your sales teams, you don’t leave your customer behind in the process.<ul><li>There will be a temptation to move toward all online service. It’s less expensive and yes, many customers expect always on service.&nbsp;But don’t fall into the trap of not allowing for easy connection to a human.&nbsp;&nbsp;As a consumer, don’t you hate getting stuck on a web page with just a form to fill out – with no phone number or email address or text number?&nbsp;Well, B2B buyers will hate that too.&nbsp;Always provide a clear and concise way for people to get ahold of your sales team directly.</li><li>Live conversations matter. Video content to support sales teams will continue to be a prime tactic.&nbsp;But resist the urge to shift to all on-demand videos.&nbsp;Consider live-streaming key product announcements or press events.&nbsp;Think about creating a physical experience center where you can create podcast content, or stream an announcement.</li><li>Many marketers are getting better at creating engaging content in a more rapid fire, and cost effective, manner. Creative automation tools are getting better all the time.&nbsp;But resist the temptation to templatize too much which will result in a one size fits all ‘sea of sameness’ that will make it hard to distinguish your brand from your competitors.&nbsp;It’s worth the extra effort to create content that comes from a human centered insight.</li><li>Continue to invest in marketing automation to nurture the sale. But be careful to not get mired in making the models too complex.&nbsp;It’s easy to get lost in the weeds by getting too granular too fast by creating complex lead scoring algorithms and automation workflows.&nbsp;Start simple and evolve and ALWAYS allow for a human connection within your automated communications.</li><li>The focus on ROI and Results has driven many to focus on lead generation activities – which makes sense as they are easy to measure, and easy to connect to sales. But I would advise to not put all of your eggs in one basket.&nbsp;There is still a need to engage and drive conversations.</li></ul>Ultimately, the shift towards digital platforms and automation are needed.&nbsp;But if these tactics are the entire focus of your sales support efforts, you will run the risk of living in a sea of sameness with all of your competitors.&nbsp;The opportunity to become memorable with breakthrough creativity is there, which in turn gives people – your buyers – something to talk about. And brand recognition along with emotional and personal connections are, after all, the ultimate sales tools.

Discover why going digital is crucial for your sales team, while maintaining the essential human touch to foster genuine connections and drive success.

Prioritize Digital for Your Sales Team Without Losing the Human Touch

Going Digital Should be a Priority for Your Sales Team – but Don’t Lose the Human Touch

As you know the Millennial cohort (born between 1981-1996) is a focal point for almost all B2C marketers. They have developed new buying behaviors and influence other generations to follow suite, forced change on go-to-market strategies, and essentially determine the fate of most brands. However, they shouldn’t just be a priority for B2C. They should be front and center for B2B organizations as well.How Well Do You Know Millennials?In 2020, Millennials became the dominant force in the workplace, making up more than 50% of the U.S. workforce. In a recent Demand Gen survey, 56% of Millennial respondents held director-level positions or above, and another forty-two percent held managerial positions. Twenty-one percent of the respondents were vice presidents or held C-suite positions – and this number will only increase.According to the <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/03/16/how-millennials-compare-with-their-grandparents/#:~:text=1%20Today%E2%80%99s%20young%20adults%20%28Millennials%20ages%2021%20to,Silents%20or%20Boomers%20did%20when%20they%20were%20young." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">PEW Research Center</a>, Millennials are the most educated generation ever. They are also the most socially connected generation ever; they have grown up with cell phones, social media, and have an on-demand mentality. According to a joint study between Cone Inc and AMP, these two factors have Millennials feeling more empowered than previous generations, specifically more confident in their ability to effect change.However, with empowerment comes a sense of responsibility. Seeing their parents “sold to” during the ‘80s and ‘90s, Millennials are skeptical when it comes to marketing messages. According to Forbes magazine, they mistrust all one-way communication. And with growing up post-recession they place value on experiences vs things, celebrating the small, meaningful moments.So what does this mean for you who needs to needs to sell to your modern customer? It means that you need to focus on the aspects that this generation embraces. Here are a few suggestions:<ol><li>Be Authentic. <a href="https://www.brunnerworks.com/what-we-do/strategy/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Get to know your emerging audience</a>. Create personas that embrace their behaviors, their pain-points, their desires, and their ambitions. Then create content that matters to them.</li><li>Be Consistent. Millennials want to care about your brand, but they want you to be a brand worth caring about. Ensure that you have a <a href="https://www.brunnerworks.com/what-we-do/marketing-strategy/brand-strategy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">brand strategy</a> built from a solid foundation based on your ‘why’ and that all content supports this message.</li><li>Be Empowering. Millennials are far more likely to do independent research than seek the advice of a sales rep. That may be why B2B researchers in large organizations skew Millennials. They grew up learning all they needed to know through Google or on platforms like YouTube. So make learning about your product as simple as possible and consider providing free trials where possible.</li><li>Be Ready. 69% of Millennials prefer that you reach out electronically while they are in the research phase. Almost as many will have shortlisted your brand before contacting you. Think about your <a href="https://www.brunnerworks.com/what-we-do/crm-marketing-automation" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">contact strategy</a> and how you use e-mail and messaging platforms to stay in touch and provide clear reasons for Millennials to contact you.</li><li>Be Responsive. 82% of Millennials say mobile is a crucial research tool. Mobile matters for two reasons; optimize everything from your e-mails to your website for the mobile customer experience; your audience expects answers at their fingertips, so consider the use of artificial intelligence and bots to provide immediate engagement.</li></ol>By 2030, Millennials will make up 75% of B2B buyers, and the things that matter to them today will be even more vital to the success of your brand tomorrow. Increasing your focus on this audience now will deliver long-term sales benefits. Working with a partner that understands both Millennials and your needs as a B2B brand will get you there even faster.

Explore the traits of today's modern buyer and learn how to adapt your marketing strategies to meet their ever-changing needs.

Now Is The Time To Get To Know The Modern Buyer

For over 12 years, I helped sales teams from the strongest challenger brands to the world’s most recognizable brand names sell their products to retailers of all sizes. After sitting through hundreds of B2B sales presentations, the number one piece of advice that I can offer is that it is never about your brand.Far too often, I watched as the salesperson fired up their well-designed presentation and then spent the next 20 minutes solely focused on demonstrating their brand’s success, influence and unique qualitities. Then, without skipping a beat or a moment to pull their audience in, the seller would move into the ‘how we want to work with you’ section, where they’d present a series of fully completed ideas without room for dialogue on how and if the concept can easily be adopted by the retailer. With every minute passed, the buyer looked increasingly disengaged and is left wondering about the sales team’s definition of, “working together.”This is why I always start my consulting conversations with B2B sales teams by saying, “it is never about your brand.” Retail buyers see hundreds of ‘look at my brand’ presentations every year. The fact is, most buyers do not care about your brand. They only care about their brand and how you can help them. So why spend 20 minutes talking about something they don’t care about?<h3>Here is a structure of an effective B2B retail sales presentation:</h3><ul><li>Put yourself in the retailers’ situation. What are their pain points, their needs, the new news, and where can sales and profits come from? Once you have answered these questions, it then creates a checklist for the rest of your presentation. A structure that will help the buyer see that you understand their world and have answers to their problems.</li><li>Tell a single partnership story. No, not your brand story, and stay away from empty partnership clichés. Instead, find a unique angle that aligns your brand with the retailer’s needs. For example, are you more flexible and responsive than other brand’s in your category? Can you be nimble and therefore, can work more easily with the buyer’s needs? Get this right, and it will be the thing the buyer remembers most once you’ve left the room.</li><li>Have a logical flow. Every story has a set-up, a catalyst for change, a middle, and an end. Set the buyer’s expectations by sharing the presentation’s journey upfront. An example narrative can go as follows, “trend research shows your customers want more connected experiences. Through this transition, your sales will decline. However, we have several ideas that we could develop together to overcome declining sales and still exceed customer expectations. Here’s the idea. As a result, you can expect to bring more customers in-store, delivering profitable cross-category sales.” Get this right and you’ll have buyers nodding along.</li><li>Look the part. Remember, this is not about your brand. Reflect that in both what you say and how you say it. Don’t just put the retailer logo on the front page of your presentation. Use their brand colors, their iconography, incorporate their lexicon, and use images of their customers. Get this right, and it’ll be easier for the buyer to share your ideas internally to gain buy-in.</li></ul>It will feel counter-intuitive at first, but based on 12 years of experience, the moment your sales team starts talking less about your brand is the moment retailers will start talking about you more.If you would like a free assessment of your current sales presentation, or if you would like to know more about how to create retailer-specific solutions, contact Patrick Culhane, VP, Brand Strategy.

Understand the key principles of selling to retailers and why focusing on their needs is crucial for success. Read more.

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