Comments from K2 Global Communications

Know the pros and cons before you dive in

Like any endeavor, B2B collaborative marketing has its up and downsides. It’s up to the partner-brand companies to strike a good balance. Before we dive too deeply into B2B collaborative marketing pros and cons, definitions are in order because a few related terms, such as co-branding, co-marketing, and brand partnership are often bandied about and may cause confusion.

Topics: Content marketing, Marketing, Social media, Brand, Customer communications, Integrated marketing, Collaborative marketing

Collaborative marketing is a must-add to your overall B2B marketing strategy. It means building connections, networking, and establishing formal partnerships among related, non-competitive businesses to increase brand awareness, gain new customers, and boost sales.

Topics: Content marketing, Content, Brand, Customer communications, Integrated marketing, Collaborative marketing, Email marketing

 

Understanding the role of market research and up-to-date intelligence

Many companies are overlooking the critical importance of market research and fail to use it to get actionable insights about their customers. With unpredictable markets, up-to-date intelligence from effective research can help B2B marketers stay on top of customers’ evolving needs to clearly understand what they want or don’t want, knowledge that can inspire truly customer-centric messaging.

Topics: Market research, Customer communications, Message, Messaging, B2B, Marketing strategy

The best version of collaborative marketing drives success for everyone involved: sharing channels to present complementary solutions strengthens both brands while increasing leads.

1) Select the type of B2B partnership you need

• Strategic partnership: Align with non-competitive companies that offer products or services that complement yours, for example, a healthcare provider and a health data platform that offers remote access, can help both brands reach into each other’s markets to expand their customer base and grow revenue.

Topics: Content marketing, Content, Customer communications, Corporate communications, Account-based marketing, Collaborative marketing, SMART Goals

B2B messaging should clearly explain the unique value and selling propositions (UVPs/USPs) and myriad advantages of your solution to everyone participating in purchasing process. Sometimes, that just isn’t achieved.

Fail 1: The “too-broad” B2B messaging

General marketing blah-blah is not appreciated. Technology products are very rarely designed for general use, and the more specific you message to your ideal customer profiles (ICPs)/personas, the better. Messaging must make it immediately apparent who benefits from your product and how.

Topics: Persona, Customer communications, Message, Messaging, B2B

Hmmm…should this be a blog or rant?

We’re constantly amazed at the number of companies who’ve been around for years and don’t have a cohesive messaging document (MD).

While I understand the aversion: MDs are difficult to execute, with various stakeholders within the company trying to get their voices heard, a well-conceived MD creates a virtual paint-by-numbers scenario, where all of your unique value propositions/unique selling propositions (UVPs/USPs) are well defined for audiences across the purchasing chain, smoothing the account-based marketing process.

Topics: Marketing, Brand, Customer communications, Message, Messaging, Corporate communications, Client relations, Integrated marketing

Today’s B2B buyers and their buyer’s journeys have changed, and that’s why integrated marketing matters.

Topics: Marketing, Brand, Customer communications, Account-based marketing, Influencer, B2B, Customer journey, Integrated marketing, Influencer marketing

  All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved. - Sun Tzu, The Art of War

Topics: Marketing, Persona, Brand, Customer communications, Audience, Sales, Planning, Marketing strategy, Tactics

In the “change is the only constant” department, we’re seeing B2B marketing evolve in approach, philosophy, and focus - with new opportunities and technologies promising to impact businesses for the long-run. Some of these come from the increasing sway of B2C marketing, others from emerging technology, like ChatGPT, etc., and still others that have continued to be normalized after the pandemic. Whatever their provenance, these will keep B2B marketers on their feet so they can stay ahead of the competition.

Topics: Content, Marketing, Brand, Customer communications, B2B, Marketing qualified leads (MQL), Sales qualified leads (SQL), Sales funnel, Trends, Customer journey

No other tool drives reputation management more effectively than public relations.

What Is Reputation Management, and How Does It Drive Investment Decisions?

Corporate reputation refers to what people think of your brand, company, or product. Reputation management deals with the efforts to influence and burnish such public perceptions - critical to your business’ survival and success. It has become pivotal in its impact on investor relationships, confidence, and, ultimately, decisions. The same goes for rapid, open response when there’s a problem or a crisis – the response immediately effects your reputation.

Topics: Content marketing, Social media, Brand, Customer communications, Corporate communications, Marketing qualified leads (MQL), Sales qualified leads (SQL), Corporate social responsibility, CSR, Investor relations