By Amy Derksen on in Strategy
Execs are people, too: Don’t fall for these 4 B2B marketing myths
I don’t recall how the subject came up, but recently (in a social setting—not bagging on any clients here) I noted that all marketing needs to speak to humans as humans. Even when they’re at work. One fellow at the table disagreed vehemently, suggesting that his well-educated audience was too smart for conversational English and preferred a “sterile” voice.
Needless to say, I doubt he will have much success with that. And I’d like to save you from the same fate by debunking a few myths that just won’t seem to go away.
David Ogilvy got it right—you can’t bore people into buying.
Myth 1: Smart people want to read smart-sounding copy.
While I’ve had projects that required a third-grade reading level for very broad audiences, most B2B copy wants to aim a bit higher. This post, for example, is written at the 8th-grade level—comfortable and engaging for most American adults. If I thought it was going to be read by a largely non-English audience, I’d bring it down a notch or two.
You certainly don’t want to talk down to anyone. Even small children recognize condescension. But nobody wants to work at a 12th-grade or higher reading level. You need to know the audience’s language, but overloading buzzwords or industry lingo can be tiring or make you look like you’re posing. The smarter and more advanced in their careers they are, the less time and effort prospects will be willing to give you. And if you’re proposing a partnership, conversational language lets people know you’re someone they might enjoy working with.
Myth 2: Humor isn’t appropriate for B2B.
B2B may not be the place for soda-out-your-nose funny. But do you stop laughing when you get to work? Me neither. We’ve talked before about a campaign to CTOs and tech directors that turned in a 29% response. What we didn’t mention was that we opened the door by mailing grown-up, high-six-figure executives a Lego astronaut minifig. A $5 toy. For our catastrophic insurance client, we built a Godzilla attack into the quoting tool to give brokers a smile.
Humor, especially when it comes out of a product or audience insight, is a great way to get people’s attention and get them to like you, no matter how high up the ladder they’re perched.
Myth 3: Professionals are motivated by what’s best for the company.
We can argue tomorrow about whether altruism exists. But be careful about ignoring self-interest when it comes to your marketing messages. Think about what your solution will do for each member of your audience as an individual. Sure, reliable tech is great for the company—but they may care more about getting their weekends back. Will your new product make them look good to the boss? Avoid a governance disaster? C their A?
If the right thing for the company is the wrong thing for the audience, forget it. And if it happens to be the right thing for the company and the reader? Lucky you. Make sure you point it out.
Myth 4: It’s the XXX industry. We should show XXX.
That lab coat pic may be new to you, but it’s been seen at least 3,000 times by your healthcare audience. This week. Best case? They ignore it. Worst case? You show a stock photo of someone getting it wrong. (Old but still funny—#badstockphotosofmyjob.)
A technology manager is never going to get excited about a server room. A lawyer doesn’t need to see another gavel. Rather than showing people the scenes they see every day, put in the extra effort to find something they care about or that brings the idea to life. Seek out another way to make your story interesting. Not that he needed me to ratify anything he said, but David Ogilvy got it right—you can’t bore people into buying.
For a fresh perspective on connecting with B2B audiences—from startups to the C suite—connect with FATFREE. We can help you take full advantage of the emerging and established digital strategies that make sense for you.
