At Movéo, we believe strongly that B2B brands matter more than B2C. As we wrote in our white paper by that title:
“Brands matter because the B2B marketing communications world is characterized by numbing sameness, commoditized feature wars and laundry-lists of product benefits. … Branding today is a strategic tool that helps the supplier cut through the morass of the market, get noticed and connect with the customer on many levels and in ways that matter. A strong brand becomes the customer’s ‘shorthand’ for making good choices in a complex, risky and confusing marketplace.”
Well, a customer can’t use that shorthand to choose your organization if they’ve never encountered your brand before. And that’s where brand awareness comes into play.
Relative to the average B2B buying cycle, most B2C purchasing decisions are made quickly. For B2C brands, brand awareness is about being top-of-mind for consumers who might make a purchase at almost any time. Building a strong reputation is important to B2C brands that want to have ongoing success and drive customer loyalty, but these brands also have the opportunity to build reputation and loyalty through interactions during each short-term purchase.
For B2B organizations, the purpose of brand awareness is different. Think of it this way: a breakfast cereal consumer gets the chance to switch brands of cereal every time they go to the grocery store; a business technology purchaser may make one decision that affects their organization for years to come. As such, the stakes for a B2B brand’s reputation are different. Purchases are less common, but carry far more weight. In order to acquire new customers, B2B organizations must invest in brand-building campaigns that make an impression even with those who are not yet ready to buy. These awareness campaigns may even be aimed at those who are not yet in a decision-making position, but who are on track to be so.
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