At our B2B web design agency, we’ve worked with countless clients on various aspects of branding, from naming a company or service, to creating a tagline, to designing a logo, to completing an entire website rebrand. There is no one-size-fits-all brand strategy for B2B firms. There are, however, B2B branding best practices and general tips that are applicable to various industries and firms.
What Are General Branding Tips for B2B?
Pick the Right Name
To start with, the name of your company should not be an afterthought. If you are in the process of founding a new company or completing a complete rebrand of an existing company, the B2B brand name should set the foundation for your overall strategy. It’s easy to use a boring or safe name for your brand. However, if you want to create an impactful, inspiring brand, you need to choose a name that reflects those attributes.
Check out Avoid the Boring: Naming Your B2B Brand for helpful information on creating the right name for your brand.
Choose a Strong Logo
A logo is just a pretty design to put on your letterhead and email signature, right? Wrong!
With the extensive reach of digital media, your logo essentially becomes how prospects and clients identify your brand. Think about it: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Websites, Email Signatures, Printed Collateral – they all feature your logo. It’s one of the major visuals that ties all these pieces together.
Your logo sets the stage for your brand, but its creation can cause a huge debate internally. Learn more about How to Choose a Logo to get the scoop on what to consider when designing a new logo for your B2B brand.
Create a Tagline that Means Something
The tricky thing with a tagline, or slogan, is that it needs to be brief but also encapsulate your company values. How is that even possible? Let’s look a few examples of impactful taglines for B2B brands:
- Citrix: Empowering You to Work Better, Live Better.
- Apple: Think Different.
- Microsoft: Be What’s Next.
- IBM: Building a Better Planet
- GE: We Bring Good Things to Life.
- Fedex: The World on Time.
In seven words or less, each tagline communicates the values of the brand. Complicated values like innovation, building better lives, timeliness, and inventing new products are all communicated in simple, straightforward, easy-to-understand language.
You can’t afford to ignore your tagline or create a tagline that doesn’t clearly communicate your brand. See Why You Can’t Afford to Ignore Your Tagline to get the skinny on creating a successful tagline.
Live and Breathe Your Brand
Your B2B brand should answer the question, “Who are you guys?”
By laying the foundation with a brand that clearly answers this question, you create a clear image of what your company represents and values. Once the brand name, logo, and tagline are created, your work as a B2B marketer is not over. In order to have an effective B2B brand, your entire marketing strategy must center around that brand. You and everyone in your company must live and breathe your B2B brand.
How to Get Brand Buy-In
The easiest way to get brand buy-in internally is to communicate the brand message openly and honestly.
Explain to every member of your organization, from receptionists to IT to customer service to senior management, what the values of your brand are and how it should be portrayed. Clear communication of a B2B brand strategy is one of the major components of a successful marketing strategy and is often the most overlooked or ignored. At Bop Design, our brand values are clearly communicated in writing and are hung up in a spot where every member of our team can see them on a daily basis.
Don’t worry. You don’t have to go it alone. We’ve got plenty of resources to help you out as you navigate the B2B branding process. Check out our B2B Branding Quick Reference Guide and our blog for everything you need to know about branding or rebranding your B2B firm.
