Zaheer Dodhia, CEO of Logo Design, is an entrepreneur who’s launched multiple startups, including ZillionDesigns, PCStore, CashforUsedLaptop
These days, small business is big business, and it’s especially true in business-to-business markets. It’s often said that as much as 20% of startups fail within the first year, so it’s worthwhile paying close attention to anything that might make the difference between success for your business—and closing your doors.
Like any other endeavor, it’s worth the time to look at those who have blazed the trail. Here are five unique branding strategies that a startup owner can learn from a few B2B solution providers.
Recruit by referrals.
The best advertiser for any company is a satisfied customer. The happier someone is with a business, the more likely they are to talk it up to others. Add in a reward for doing so, and the enthusiasm skyrockets.
Referral rewards are nothing new, but it’s important that you learn how to do it right and build your brand in the process. After going through the referral program of a well-known provider that helps businesses simplify workflows and collaboration, I saw that it offers a small incentive to a user when new referrals are made. But it isn’t just the use of a referral system that made it great branding; it was the effectiveness of the system itself. The process was simple and gave customers an idea of what they could expect when using the company’s services.
What we learn: Referral systems can work—and they work best when they’re well-crafted along with your branding strategy. Having defined branding guidelines, open communication channels and dedicated resources for referral help offers your referrer easy access to the brand.
Make yourself stand out.
In some industries, particularly those that are highly regulated like financial services, one B2B platform often looks much like another. With many of these solutions blending into the background, creating a brand that stands out as something other than “boring” can be a challenge. Oxygen, a financial services platform, is an example of a company that took the challenge to heart by “pushing the envelope.” It focused not only on the look of the platform but also how the user experience made people feel, the brand’s creative director explained in a company blog titled “Oxygen Creative Director Sani Gad on How to Create a Brand.”
What we learn: For small businesses, keep in mind that your platform doesn’t have to be just a matter of necessity; it can be designed to feel exciting, modern, bold and unconventional. Don’t settle for doing what everyone else does or what’s expected of your type of business. Aim to evoke emotions with your branding, and don’t be afraid to stand out.
Give customers what they want.
Especially when it comes to B2B, giving the target audience what they want can bolster a brand’s personality and drive sales. For example, Bell and Howell, which provides automation solutions, was in a rough spot. The company chose to work with an outside provider, Corevist, that conducted focus groups to learn what customers wanted out of an e-commerce platform, according to a Bell and Howell case study published on Corevist’s website. As a result, Bell and Howell could create a portal customers used.
What we learn: Develop a platform where your customers can have access to you (or at least your marketing team) for open communication. To measure customer satisfaction, a net promoter score survey is a good start, or you can use similar tools to measure if your customers are getting what they want. And if you don’t have in-house resources, refer to external help.
Create engaging content.
The more you can get a potential customer engaged with your business, the more likely they are to actually follow through on becoming a customer. An example of this is Dribbble, a platform for creative professionals, which provides workshops in relevant topics and skills. This can not only help customers maximize value but also provide lead generation and foster ongoing engagement.
What we learn: Added value goes a long way in inviting consumer investment, as well as building the reputation of your brand. Begin with an informative newsletter with tips, and gradually work up to a section of your website dedicated to educating your customers on issues that can augment your product or services.
Don’t overlook social media.
Research has found that as much as 75% of B2B consumers rely on social media to help them make big purchasing decisions. Facilities management company Sodexo is an example of a platform that employed social media to boost employee engagement and brand promotion. According to the Hootsuite blog “How to Create an Employee Engagement Social Media Strategy: Tips and Tools,” by using thought leadership and the executive team to launch employee engagement campaigns, Sodexo managed to add value and reach a vast network of stakeholders.
What we learn: Social media is a resource not to be overlooked for a small-business B2B, but choose your platform wisely, and use both internal and external social media opportunities.
Boosting Your B2B Brand
With so many B2B businesses, both small and large, there’s no shortage of competition in the business world. More startups join the crowd every week, and it’s never been more important to nail your branding strategy from the get-go.
By learning from these and other successful B2B companies, you can give your own startup the best chance at a long and well-branded life.
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