Why B2B Branding Research Is Essential

Unlike consumer-facing brands, companies that focus on business-to-business (B2B) have added complexities in driving brand equity. The role of the sales team plays a much more influential role. The purchase journey is often influenced by the relationship the customer or prospect has with their salesperson.

As the media mix has become more complex, and companies produce substantially more content than ever before, the relationship between sales and advertising is even more intertwined. Firms need to consistently monitor and evaluate sales and advertising’s role and their impact on the acquisition and retention rates.

Furthermore, COVID-19 adds additional complexity to this process, as salespeople do not necessarily meet with their clients in person anymore. 85% of companies will be working from home or virtually now. In addition, 55% of the workforce expects to continue to work from home going forward, at least partially due to the pandemic.1

Branding does matter in the B2B and plays a critical role beyond driving awareness. It differentiates you from your competition, drives consideration, and ultimately creates a relationship with the brand beyond the sales team.

 

B2B Branding Research is Essential for Standing Out from the Competition

Measuring brand equity and evaluating the decision-making journey allows B2B Brands to understand its role in the sales process and the influence of the sales team. Utilizing brand equity as a KPI metric will enable companies to improve different aspects of the sales journey. Depending on the specific need, businesses can conduct qualitative or quantitative research to help answer the objectives.

As organizations do not operate in a bubble, competition plays an essential aspect in impacting sales and retention rates. Evaluating the competitive landscape can help understand what the brand is doing better than other firms and determine areas that need improvement.

 

Critical Elements to Consider Before Starting Research

The B2B consumer sales journey is significantly more complicated than the consumer buying process. When conducting research that evaluates branding in the B2B space, a few “musts” need to be considered. Assessing these aspects of your company and the competition prior to conducting B2B research will allow for a methodology and questionnaire or discussion guide design that provides more actionable results.

 

Rationally Driven.

The B2B audience is often more rationally driven by logic and relationships, while consumers tend to be emotionally driven. Companies first need to prove their expertise before building an emotional connection with the brand. When designing a survey or guide that evaluates the purchase journey, it needs to consider this complex decision-making process and the different influences.

 

More Complex Product Offering.

Products/services may be technical, and prospects need to be educated before making a purchase decision. Research should evaluate how long the education process takes, how buyers go about it, as well as determine the ease of the process. In this evaluation process, it is critical to decide how the B2B brand differs from the competition when marketing the product offering.

 

Slower Decision Process.

There are several decision-makers in the process. The procurement department and budgets often influence and slow down the process. When questioning participants, make sure you understand the role of all influencers involved in the decision-making and setting budgets.

 

Gratification Not Instant.

Satisfaction with the product or service may take longer, as it may be designed to meet long-term business objectives. When evaluating the brand, make sure you understand the length of the customer’s relationship with the company, how will this impact satisfaction and perceptions.

 

Different Marketing Channels.

Usage of advertising channels differs as they most likely exclude advertising on television, Facebook, YouTube, or radio. Conferences, brochures, and sales calls are examples of traditional B2B channels. Digital channels may include email, paid and organic search, content marketing, and LinkedIn. Regardless of the marketing channel, a firm must understand its significance in influencing the consumer sales journey. It may be surprising to learn what drives awareness and consideration.

 

The Role of Sales.

Do not ignore the role of the sales team when evaluating brand equity. The sales team is a personal channel directly delivering the brand’s benefits. A company needs to know its sales force’s strengths and weaknesses and its impact on its brand equity. Ensure there is buy-in from the sales team in the early stages of the research process to be cohesive on the action plan for marketing and sales departments.

 

Understanding the Competitive Set.

Make sure that you do not just evaluate the giants in your industry, but also learn what is happening with up & coming brands. As the adoption of technology is quick, new players may be an unrealized threat.

 

Once these aspects have been analyzed, the brand and research company can determine the best research methodology and target audience to achieve the objectives and ultimately how to enhance the B2B brand equity.

1.“B2B: Do Employees Plan to Work From Home Forever?,” Provoke Insights. June 2020. https://provokeinsights.com/2020-trends/

 

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