Guide to master the art of B2B brand storytelling
Many people believe that it is quite easy to think of the great examples of B2C (business-to-consumer) brand storytelling. The list of B2C companies that grasp the concept of storytelling to engage with their customers is expanding rapidly.
Tuesday September 18, 2018 , 6 min Read
The percipience in a lot of B2B (business-to-business) companies is that it is relatively convenient to grab the attention of the customers through the story when you’re selling running shoes with a significant amount of dosage of ‘Just Do it” motivation. Then, there is also a major factor that perturbs in B2B about giving rational arguments for the resources and calculating the return on investment (ROI) in brand storytelling to the stakeholders.
In real life, effective B2B marketing strategies are not just directed towards logical reasoning, technical aspects, and facts but the world has reached to an understanding that it is about connecting with the audience/customers on an emotional or psychological level.
According to a research conducted by Google partnering with Motista and CEB, fifty percent of the B2B buyers are more likely to buy the product or service if they are able to link emotionally with the brand. It usually starts with few aims and objectives like business goals, objectives, mission and vision. If a B2B buyer notices that there’s a mutual connection with the brand, it generates a sense of confidence between the two parties.
Another study suggests that, seventy-one percent of the B2B buyers normally purchase the product when they perceive personal value in the business. Also, nearly sixty-eight percent of the B2B who were probed are reluctant to pay a hefty price to do business with the brand they are emotionally or psychologically connected with. But the real question arises that what does “Personal Value” actually mean in the B2B marketing?
To simply put, it is known to be the professional, social and emotional comfort that you encounter in addition to the actual product.
Customer Emotions in B2B Storytelling
Dan Hill believes that most of the customers in the market feel before they imagine any product or service. Let us contemplate the possibility of the authority of the customer. In B2B buying process, it is quite probable that the decision will not just influence the buyers, but the business as a whole, therefore, more attempt and time gets in the process of decision making. This result means that most of the B2B buyers need a higher and more distinguished worth than their B2C equivalent.
There are plenty of mediums you can look into to know more about your target audiences, like social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter), surveys, phone calls or even a simple questionnaire in an email. With this action, one can get a considerate amount of knowledge from the source itself. No one can have more insight about the customers than the consumer itself. An important tool for a victorious B2B storytelling is the constructive listening. The key is not to ignore what the customers are trying to say, rather pay attention to them before and after the execution. The best thing is to go back after each and every assessment and chalk out the areas that need improvement.
Elements of B2B Storytelling
So, how is storytelling seamlessly integrated into B2B marketing strategies? Some of the important factors highlighting them are as follows:
Conflict
Conflicts can be worked out by thorough research and understanding of the customer, based on the journey the customer takes. In order to resolve any ongoing conflict, the best thing is to focus on each and every element in detail. Chalking out clients’ weak points and using it as an innovation for a thought-provoking B2B story. The main goal is to take ample amount of time in the research, because if the story is misinterpreted, it may create a conflict between the client and the company. Compelling B2B storytelling is done in a deal with each element taken care of.
Climax
After recognizing the customer’s conflict, the time has arrived to address it accurately with a result which the company will provide. Once the customer’s problems are dealt in a professional manner, the moment surely is exciting for both the customer and the company. This is the point where business becomes the center of attention by rectifying the issues that the client was facing through storytelling.
Resolution
As usual, the brand must create a perfect ending to the story. Describing how the life of the customer changed after opting for your services or the product. Going into detail is required to give in-depth knowledge to the other potential clients and people.
As mentioned above, these are the three main important processes that create a unique and memorable customer experience. It promotes the most common process of attracting the brand to an unforgettable and enhancing one.
Most Successful B2B Stories
The following companies are great examples of how B2B storytelling is done correctly and how it can help the brand effectively:
It is commonly known as the site which holds out job to various parts of the world. Previously the company used the potential of storytelling through their campaign called “Picture Yourself” which created influencing stories about their members and their experiences.
CISCO
Humor and jokes go a long, long way and one simply cannot imagine the fact that a giant tech company would chose humor as the main genre to portray their story through the concept of B2B storytelling. But one can accept the fact that humor plays an important role in the branding as it connects the customer from the product or the service.
KICKSTARTER
Kickstarter’s B2B storytelling techniques revolve around the accomplished stories of the businesses they have served. This could be summed up in a manner that the users of this famous platform provide for the storytelling of this company.
INTEL
Whenever we hear computers, we hear Intel. This company has found a way to make technology more compatible. Intel partnered up with Toshiba and took storytelling to the next level by making a series of short films called “The Beauty Inside.” The interesting character of the film provides an opportunity to the audience to play the main character in the story, making it quite simple to grasp the content which is exactly why it was given so much recognition over the internet with seventy million views worldwide ever since it was released.
Conclusion
B2B storytelling provides the opportunity for a brand to get closer to its targeted audience. A decent story gives the customers a platform to know about the brand, its products and services and creates a path for the business and its consumers. There was a time when B2B storytelling technique used to be a sentimental technique to grab the attention of the customers towards the products and business. Today, B2B storytelling technique has transformed into a large tactic used by almost everyone in the content marketing.
B2B Brand Storytelling
