The B2B marketing trap: going rational over emotional

Traditionally, few marketers set out in their careers looking to work in the B2B space. It can be seen as less sexy, less creative and in some cases have smaller budgets. However, my experience is that this perception is dated, and lacks an understanding of the current market. 

Whilst B2B marketing has a very different buying process to B2C, it is ultimately people who make the decision to purchase, and people, whether in a business capacity or a personal capacity are influenced by how something feels to them - the emotion behind their purchase.

Let's dive into this a bit more.

Many of you will be familiar with Simon Sinek's Start With The Why. If you haven't seen his Ted Talk, I highly recommend it. Sinek uses easy-to-understand examples (Apple and Dell) to explain that people buy the why of a business, the belief that that business proclaims and demonstrates. That emotional connection to purchasing stands true even when purchasing in a professional space. Because ultimately many believe that the decision-making part of our brain is emotional, not rational - you can read a bit more about rational vs. emotional decision-making here.

So why is the B2B arena seen as a different beast from B2C?

Well, the B2B decision funnel is different, and more complex because it's seldom one person's decision. Meaning, as a marketer you're not just trying to transition someone from awareness to purchase, you're trying to convert others around them as well - every time. The decision-making process is longer, and likely has more alternatives thoroughly reviewed, as let's be honest, a lot of B2B purchasing can have high stakes.

But, what lots of marketers fail to see is the cross-over of marketing between the disciplines. Channels may differ, but theory, creativity and emotional connection between business and their potential purchaser remain the same.

How do we inject more emotion into B2B?

Remember ultimately the person writing the cheque is human

That means that they need the emotional assurance that your brand delivers as they would do buying something in their own home. They need to see the outcome of what your business will do for their business/ team, not a list of rational capabilities. Think long-term, not just immediate challenge.

Put yourself in your client's shoes

B2B purchases can have significant impacts, a change in a supplier or a new SAS can create positive and/or negative ripple effects throughout the business. They need support and certainty that your solution/ product or service is ready for their business and their business challenge. Putting yourself in your client's shoes, and looking at their landscape and what their worries could be will help your messages connect with meaning.

Don't be afraid to stand out

Creative matters. Perhaps you are the Corvonia of your world, purposely ungraceful, perhaps you are the Sage of the world and you need a brand refresh to show you're modernising, or perhaps you're somewhere in between, but don't be afraid to zig against the zag of your industry and differentiate (if that's right for you, your clients and your offering). 

No one wants to be sold to, but people want to learn and be seen as experts by those around them

In B2B, content can (often!) be king. Not selling, but enriching. When selecting a business to partner with, the buyer behind that may have interests beyond the immediate service they're buying, they want to learn, enrich their own knowledge, and become experts. This a great opportunity for you to show off what you're great at through content and connect with them and their needs. Think white papers, think podcasts, think long and short form blogs, videos, infographics - however your potential client will most connect with what you're saying, push for content.

Want to check out some great emotion-driven B2B campaigns? We’ve listed some of our favourites below:

Check out Sage’s approach to ‘Bossing' your accounts.

Apple’s Escape from the office.

Squarespace - The Neighbours Will Talk and Everything to sell dreams

At Marketing With Passion we have a huge wealth of creating real connections between B2B brands and their customers, get in touch if you think we could help.