Think about the brands you love. Why do you love them? What about them makes you follow them or remain loyal?
When it comes to your B2B brand, it’s important to remember that it’s not simply a mission statement written on a website or company policy book. Rather, your brand is the living, breathing essence behind your firm’s products or services.
What does it take to build a brand your clients love?
Be Authentic
The first step is to be authentic. Be who you are, not who your competitor is. IBM never tries to be like HP. Microsoft never tries to be like Apple. Your B2B branding should reflect who you truly are and there is a good reason for this. You can’t be everything to everyone.
Offer Value
Anyone can build a brand, but it takes effort and perseverance to create a B2B brand that clients love. The main thing you can do to create a brand that clients love is to offer value to them. What matters most to your ideal clients? What problem are you solving with your products or services?
For many B2B firms, they simply need to complete this sentence:
Our company was founded to ________ (fill in the blank).
Relate to Your Audience
In order for your brand to be loved, your B2B marketing and branding must be relatable. Clients must feel like they connect with your brand. The best way to accomplish this is to really understand who your audience is and perform research on what they want and don’t want.
The biggest issue we see with this is that B2B firms make assumptions about their clients. Ask your audience what they like and don’t like about your products or services. What you discover may surprise you.
Get Feedback on Your Brand Promise
You know what your brand promise is, but do your clients and prospects?
We advise against relying solely on your sales team. Rather than rely on anecdotal evidence (which is often proven wrong), rely on statistics and direct feedback from clients. Perform research using survey tools like Survey Monkey.
Surveys are a great way to find what clients understand about your brand, what they like, what they don’t like, and what they might have missed. All this input is great to re-evaluate your B2B brand and craft a brand that your clients love.
What’s your secret to building a brand clients love?
