{"id":13209,"date":"2017-10-13T18:36:29","date_gmt":"2017-10-13T18:36:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/ca\/?p=13209"},"modified":"2025-03-26T10:12:43","modified_gmt":"2025-03-26T14:12:43","slug":"part-3-focusing-brands-b2b-content","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/directiveconsulting.com\/ca\/blog\/part-3-focusing-brands-b2b-content\/","title":{"rendered":"Focusing Your Brand\u2019s B2B Content (Part 3)"},"content":{"rendered":"

How does your audience perceive your B2B brand?<\/span><\/p>\n

The answer to that question will determine the success of all of your marketing efforts.<\/span><\/p>\n

Research shows<\/span><\/a> that B2B buyers have a hard time differentiating between vendor offers when the market is cluttered.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Sales tend to go to the company with the best value. But true value in a B2B market has less to do with a nicely-branded logo and a well-crafted catch phrase.<\/span><\/p>\n

Value is about perception.<\/span><\/p>\n

Your brand needs to be seen as the most valuable option out there. To do that, you need to reevaluate not only the basics of your branding but the value you\u2019re adding to your customers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why B2B Brands Need to Focus on Value<\/b><\/h2>\n

B2B buyers are more than <\/span>5x as likely<\/span><\/a> to consider, 12x as likely to purchase, and 30x as likely to pay a premium for products with high-value branding.<\/span><\/p>\n

But what does high-value branding look like?<\/span><\/p>\n

In the past, B2B branding (if that term is used at all) has stayed mostly in the realm of \u201cvisual representation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Brands have developed marketing strategies with the assumption that buyers are completely logical with how they make purchasing decisions.<\/span><\/p>\n

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If you give them the right information, they should recognize your value, and they should buy.<\/span><\/p>\n

So you might hear things about logos or website landing pages or social media accounts, but nothing is said about emotional connection.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the end of the day, it\u2019s your emotional connection to your audience that will drive sales, not your logo.<\/span><\/p>\n

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So how do you drive emotional connection?<\/span><\/p>\n

First, you have to understand what emotions drive your audience.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to<\/span> Harvard Business Review<\/span><\/a>, there are hundreds of emotional motivators that affect buying decisions.<\/span><\/p>\n

They list ten emotions that B2B companies should leverage in their branding:<\/span><\/p>\n

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Understanding these emotions will help you craft marketing messages that connect. In the B2B world, this message is usually called a \u201cvalue proposition.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But it\u2019s about more than having a catchy slogan.<\/span><\/p>\n

You need to remain consistent in how you talk about your brand and how you relate to your audience.<\/span><\/p>\n

How to Craft an Emotional Value Proposition<\/b><\/h2>\n

How does a B2B business create an emotionally driven message?<\/span><\/p>\n

Business value propositions tend to place a stronger emphasis on the financial value of an offering, like reducing costs or growing revenue, rather than the emotional value.<\/span><\/p>\n

The best approach is a combination of the two.<\/span><\/p>\n

A<\/span> Quantified Value Proposition<\/span><\/a> (QVP) is one of the best ways to combine financial motivation and emotional motivation for B2B buyers.<\/span><\/p>\n

QVPs are like regular value propositions except they focus on verifiable facts that are personalized to the individual buyer.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s an example of QVP from HubSpot:<\/span><\/p>\n

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While not an outright statement, this could easily be turned into a QVP because the benefits are quantifiable. \u201cWe help customers convert 3x the average monthly leads.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Compare this to the traditional value propositions they have on their homepage:<\/span><\/p>\n

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Both work well as value propositions because both play on emotion (a desire to generate leads, hope that the business will grow, etc.).<\/span><\/p>\n

But the QVP shows tangible results, which can appeal to B2B buyers on another level.<\/span><\/p>\n

HubSpot knows this, which is why they include an entire page dedicated to case studies with headlines written like QVP\u2019s:<\/span><\/p>\n

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This is both an emotional <\/span>and <\/span><\/i>valuable way to show your buyers that you\u2019re the best option out there.<\/span><\/p>\n

The key is to take it a step further by creating unique QVPs for each of your <\/span>audience segments<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Value propositions can be used throughout your branding to signify to specific audiences that you understand their key concerns.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Key Characteristics of a Valuable Brand<\/b><\/h2>\n

Building value takes time, patience, effort, and strategy.<\/span><\/p>\n

You have to understand the audience you\u2019re marketing to, where they go, and what the best message is to grab their attention.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are some essential tips that can help you build a reputable and valuable brand over time.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Research your audience<\/b><\/h3>\n

You exist to serve needs, so you have to find out what those needs are in order to create value.<\/span><\/p>\n

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You shouldn\u2019t assume you already know the need just because you occupy the same space as your audience (or your competitors).<\/span><\/p>\n

If you understand your audience, you can craft an emotional, branded value proposition that tells them you\u2019re not like the competition and that you can do what you say you can do.<\/span><\/p>\n

This builds trust in a way that other types of marketing simply can\u2019t.<\/span><\/p>\n

Spend your time doing audience research to clearly identify key demographics,<\/span> firmographics<\/span><\/a>, and buyer personas.<\/span><\/p>\n

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This will give you a better idea of how to craft a value proposition as well as an overall brand message or mission statement.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Craft a unique message for your QVP<\/b><\/h3>\n

The benefit of using a QVP over a traditional proposition is that you can define why your product or service is the ultimate solution.<\/span><\/p>\n

Instead of saying, \u201cWe\u2019ll get you results\u201d you can clearly show how you actually <\/span>get results<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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This will set you apart from the competition, even if you\u2019re up against \u201cthe big guys\u201d because you can demonstrate real value from your offerings.<\/span><\/p>\n

But you also want to tap into the emotions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Using<\/span> power words<\/span><\/a> in your QVPs will help you do this.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Power words are those that provoke a strong psychological response.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some examples would include words like:<\/span><\/p>\n