Starting up your own B2B brand can be daunting. What do you need? Where do you start? It can seem like an insurmountable task, but it doesn’t have to be. By using the 5 W’s of brand – who, what, why, where and when – you’ll be more than ready to create a clear image and strategy for your B2B business.
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Who
When starting a new business, it’s essential to consider your brand’s ‘who.’ It makes up what you are, why you’re different from your competitors, and why clients should use your services. Make clear and definitive strides towards what you want your brand to do, what you want to provide and who you want your customers to be.
How to do it:
- Scope out the market with in-depth competitor analysis to ensure you’re providing a product or service that is valuable to your target audience.
- Figure out your value proposition and define it as succinctly as you can. In just a sentence, if possible. You want to depict how you want your target audience to feel and what you want a client to get out of your products or services.
- Make sure your brand is recognisable from a glance. Create a brand pack and be meticulous with your consistency across all channels. Consistent brand presentation is essential for creating a professional tone and fostering trust in your audience and has been seen to increase revenue by 33%.
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What
Your brand’s ‘what’ defines your products or services. As the line between B2C and B2B become increasingly blurred, it’s important for any B2B brand to productise their services to provide the most clarity to their clients. Check out our blog post on productisation for an in-depth guide, but for now, here’s a basic definition to get you started:
‘In short, productisation is transforming your skills and services into marketable products. Whilst it does not necessarily require the creation of physical goods, it does help to create an almost tangible offering; one which is so clearly defined, your client will feel as though they are receiving a perfectly packaged product.’
How to get started:
- Select the service you’re planning on productising and ensure your offering is as clearly outlined as possible.
- Keep your clients in mind. Make sure that you’re providing value to them with your offerings.
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Why
It’s a question every brand should be able to answer, but few can: ‘Why did you start your business? And why should anyone care?’ The answer shouldn’t be about profit or the services you’re providing. In an age of social change, people care more than ever about the brands they’re buying from. 89% of clients stay loyal to brands that share their values. Your brand vision and values are a key reason why a customer would choose you over a competitor. It’s the first step towards building trust and loyalty.
How to get started:
- Map out your brand values and what your business stands for. Make sure they’re more than just fluff content on your website. Ensure they’re embedded into everything your business does.
- Define your strengths as a brand and outline what your business does better than anyone else.
- Get specific about your business’ vision and what impact you want to have on the world. How will the business actually make its part of the world, no matter how niche, a better place? What charitable initiative will it partner with? What thought leaders will it help to promote? Make it actionable.
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Where
If the digital world seems overwhelming, we’ve got some advice: go where your target audience already is. You should be basing your brand’s ‘where’ around the channels that have your potential customers on them. Make sure you’re as easily accessible as possible so your clients can easily locate your business.
How to get started:
- Invest heavily into your own website and mailing list. These are the only two channels that you entirely own. Work on improving your SEO (and find out how with our Ultimate Guide to SEO) and nurture your mailing list at every opportunity (and, what do you know, we have another Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing for you!)
- Research your target audience and identify what social media platforms they occupy. For example, if you want to reach people aged 50-65+, you wouldn’t want to start posting content to TikTok. You’d be more likely to use Facebook as a platform.
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When
Ever heard of the ‘7×7’ factor? It’s widely known as the cardinal rule of advertising. Research shows that a potential customer has to view an ad (or a piece of content) 7 times before they invest in the brand. This is where your brand’s ‘when’ comes in. Keep your brand in front of your customers (and potential customers) to ensure they’re well acquainted with your brand.
- Be consistent with your content creation. Ensure that all content is high-quality, fully branded and posted regularly.
- Don’t limit yourself to only using digital marketing. There are so many ways to market your brand! Think outside the box with your offline and print marketing.
If you’re looking to boost your B2B brand with expert digital marketing and brand services, contact us today for a free consultation.
