There are many brands out there that are typically associated with their consumer products, but their heritage actually lies within the B2B market. In most scenarios, the consumer side of the business has grown so big, that it can easily be forgotten that they also sell to a business audience too!
GPS specialist and smart watch developer, Garmin, is a great example of this. As a Garmin watch owner myself, I was surprised to learn that the company’s first customer was the US Army in 1991. And, in the early days, its GPS technology was developed for aviation and marine professionals. Its portfolio then evolved to include everything from automotive to sonar fish finders. Yet, it’s a brand that has become popular due to the type of products it sells to consumers like me; amateur trail runners and bike riders who want to record every stat available when out ‘adventuring’.
This story is similar to one of my well-known clients, Miele. As a leading white goods manufacturer, Miele sells its domestic appliances to households all over the world. Washing machines, ovens, refrigerators, dishwashers, and vacuum cleaners. Most people hear the name Miele and immediately think “that’s the premium washing machine company, right”. However, in its beginnings, Miele actually produced cream separators and butter churns for dairy farmers. It’s commercial arm has grown immensely since then, and it now provides its professional solutions to care homes, hotels, restaurants, laboratories, dentists, and medical facilities.
Do some further digging and more B2B brands that made the transition to B2C are revealed. Did you know that automobile brand, Jeep, was developed for army use in WW2; and WD-40 created its famous lubricant to prevent rust and corrosion on missiles (I didn’t).
To get back to the point, there are some brands out there that are so well known for their consumer products, the B2B side can be left in the dark. In my best film trailer narrator voice, “Imagine a world where B2B is left on its own to fight for sales as more and more of the marketing budget is stolen by its B2C brother. Where the PR is stripped back to company financial updates and product releases. And ‘thought leadership’ is a distant dream (or memory) that is barely spoken about. The horror!”.
Rather than relying on the ‘big’ brand name alone to encourage B2B sales, it’s essential to look at other ways to connect and foster trust with a business audience as the sales cycle is much longer than B2C. B2B decision makers will take their time to consider their options, learn about the product and service, compare it with competitors, and sit and think about their potential purchase before buying. It could take one month – or one year! This is why talking to your audience in a meaningful way is important. One way to do this is to leverage the insights of the experts within your business to create content that addresses the specific challenges of your audience and then map this back to your PR strategy.
By identifying the media publications that your audience is reading and securing coverage both online and in print, your experts can inform, educate and influence audiences on behalf of your brand, helping to leave a lasting impression. Do this once, and you are starting to build trust; twice or more, and you are fostering relationships. Audiences will see you as a go-to source in their sector, so when it comes time to buy, you will have put your business in the best position to be one of their preferred solution or service providers. This strategy is much more effective than sharing product update announcements that don’t provide the depth of valuable information that your audience requires.
If you’re looking for support building a PR strategy that facilitates trusted relationships with your B2B audience, don’t hesitate to get in touch. We will use our experience to find the key stories within your business that will resonate the most with audiences, no matter what sector they trade in. After all, at Skout, we’re B2B by name, B2B by nature.
