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B2B companies are up against some significant communication challenges. The media landscape is more fractured than ever and capturing the attention of buyers is increasingly complicated. Too often, B2B brands rely on one mode of communication, one silver bullet approach, throughout the entire awareness-to-adoption journey. Our point of view is that B2B organizations can drive their brand forward by taking a more strategic, integrated approach to their communication.
Want a better answer? Ask a better question.
It sounds simple, but we’ve seen a lot of communication campaigns start without first defining what success looks like. In order to avoid this common pitfall, begin by asking a lot of questions such as: Who are we? Why do we exist? Where do we need to go? What’s our purpose? Asking even the obvious questions about your brand, your buyers or your objectives will lead to much clearer communication goals.
Next, flip that line of questioning to your buyers: Who are they? What do they want? Where are they today and how do we want them to perceive our brand or product? Really, REALLY, understanding your buyers and their actions is essential to crafting a communication campaign to reach them – especially when moving beyond building brand awareness.
Having a better sense of your key stakeholders (and their motivations) will provide insight into the types of channels you can leverage to reach them. For example, 85% of business buyers say they frequently encounter business related content on social, but these channels are quickly shifting to paid platforms for brands. By implementing a paid media and targeting strategy into your social content mix you can expand your reach and more directly target your desired audience.
The beauty of a hyper-targeted content approach is that brands can craft their message for different sets of buyers with different behaviors or actions. But it’s not possible to achieve this level of precision by relying on singular channels in a complex and expanding media landscape.
Business communicators are often relying on too few or not the right communication channels to reach their buyers. By first creating a clear story, identifying goals and defining your key stakeholders, your business can implement a multi-channel communication program that will advance your brand – and your buyers – forward.
Ready to learn more? Download Padilla’s full guidebook: “Are You Forcing Your Brand to Carpool?”
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