… and do the heavy lifting for your tactical activities.
ROI. It’s an intangible reference point for B2B marketing.
According to Mark Ritson, who is in my humble opinion, one of THE most intelligent marketers on the planet, the split for B2B businesses should start at around a 60/40 split. Dependencies on industry of course.
➖ 60% allocated to long term brand building.
➖ 40% dedicated to tactical activations
Start with that, tailor it to your specific category, stay the course, and build long lasting competitive edge and long-term ROI.
Let’s break it down further.
What are the brand-building activities?
They can include:
➕ Consistent brand messaging and positioning. Being crystal clear what you do, who you do it for, what you stand for.
➕ Executions that reinforce this – advertising that tells your story, that connects with your target market
➕ Humanising the brand – showing the people behind the business
➕ Thought leadership and content marketing – pieces that inspire and education, not sell
➕ Reputation management – awards, PR – to build credibility
➕ Sponsorships, strategic partnerships – creating alignment with other entities
➕ Employer Branding – telling external customers the story of your internal customers, your staff
➕ Regular newsletters – sharing information, helpful tips, not selling
These things build trust.
They build connection.
They help you be the one that they think of when they are ready to buy.
What are the tactical executions?
They can include:
➕ Digital Advertising – based on an offer for immediate action
➕ Sales promos and discounts
➕ Webinars – can be either long term or short, depending on the offer
➕ Tradeshows – again, can be long term or short, depending on the strategy
There’s more – as I said before, it depends on the industry.
But in B2B, where there is typically a higher price point, people take longer to buy. Longer to decide. Longer to research. Longer to trust.
My point is that brand building is not just a ‘nice to have’ for B2B organisations.
It’s a no brainer necessity.
