You’d think there would’ve been more people like me at the Brand Innovators “mega-trends” in digital marketing conference. In fairness, the event was targeted at top digital marketers who work at leading consumer brands and agencies. So what was a B2B marketer like me doing there?
I wanted a glimpse into the future of B2B marketing.
I know what you’re thinking, “When it comes to marketing isn’t B2B different than B2C?” There’s no question pitching technology software is worlds apart from promoting laundry detergent. The B2B buying process is far more complex and involves a number of decision makers. On the other hand, who’s doing the buying?
It’s people like you and me.
And we want authentic and helpful content that breaks through the “me-too” marketing messages that we’re inundated with every day. We want to engage with vendors where and when it’s most convenient for us, not them. We like to hear about the products and services that our friends and colleagues recommend.
Guess what?
These are the same issues facing brand marketers, and they’re starting to figure this out in a way that moves the dial with target audiences.
B2B marketers? Not so much.
We’re still struggling with implementing the basics of content marketing and social media. Our “Holy Grail” is NOT to emotionally connect and inspire customers where and when they want, it’s to successfully implement “best practices” on our terms … even though you can never win by doing best practices alone.
