Why B2B Manufacturers Should Care about Brand Storytelling

More and more, manufacturers are realizing the measurable effect of storytelling for their brand. Successful B2B marketing strategies no longer rely solely on data, technical processes and logic. What they are realizing is the power of storytelling to win over buyers at an emotional and psychological level.

Storytelling may seem more difficult to pull off in the B2B world, but it’s no less effective. After all, 50% of B2B buyers are more likely to make a purchase if they connect emotionally to a brand (source).

When you think about the size of the organizations you are selling to, consider the scale of your customers’ responsibilities. For B2B purchases, the buying decision affects the entire business, so more effort goes into the decision-making process. Thus if you are a B2B seller, you need to tap in to the emotions that are of value to your customer. Will this decision save them money? Improve their business’ efficiency? Move more product? Build on brand loyalty?

You can communicate your product more effectively through brand storytelling. The act of reading or listening to a brand story creates an experience, which can affect how buyers think – especially when it comes to making a decision. It can bypass the need for the hard sell.

B2B marketers are making a shift to appeal to emotions through subtle storytelling rather than assaulting their targets with self-promotional tactics. All kinds of manufacturers are now investing in creating core stories about their brands. They are quite literally attracting prospects through the value of a strong brand story.

The Benefits

Here is a snapshot of the significant benefits that storytelling could have for your brand(s):

• It allows your customers and prospects to connect with your brand(s) on a more personal level. Good storytelling creates a brand personality that helps your brand feel more relatable and cuts through the clutter of your competition.
• It can strike an emotional chord with your customers and prospects. This, in turn, transforms them into loyal customers and your brand advocates. Telling real stories that evoke feelings forms lasting bonds and fosters engagement and appreciation for your brand.
• It encourages word of mouth marketing. When your customers and prospects come back for more, it not only can increase profitability – it can increase conversion rates of prospects. When stories your brand tells are engaging, customers become loyal and are happy to spread the word.
• It humanizes your business. You can prove and talk all day long about the stats and data benefits of your product, but at the end of the day, if there is an emotional disconnect, your customers and prospects will lose interest.

Key Considerations

Here are some key considerations for building your brand story:

• Express your brand’s self-identity. Focus on what’s uniquely ownable by your brand. Consider your company history and culture, or innovations at the product level that only your brand can deliver.
• Know your audience. You can’t tell a good story if you don’t know who you’re talking to. It’s most effective to connect your brand to your audience’s pain points. How can you make their lives better, or their businesses more successful? Sometimes your audience is the hero of your brand’s story.
• Narrow your expertise. It’s that intersection of what’s unique about your brand and what your audience craves. Remember that products have features and benefits, but brands have a unique promise. Articulate what your brand can promise to your customers and build a narrative from there.
• Keep it simple. Does your story incite emotion? Does it solve a problem and if so, how? Keep the Single Most Important Thing for your brand top of mind, and communicate it clearly.

Brand storytelling does so much more than tell a story. It creates waves of conversation and builds movement for your brand and product. Once you have shared a compelling brand story, your audience will remember who you are, develop empathy for you, and ultimately care about you and your brand.

What is your brand really saying?
Contact the experts at NK and start benefitting from effective brand storytelling.

Sources
blog.zoominfo.com/b2b-brand-storytelling
marketinginsidergroup.com/content-marketing/importance-b2b-storytelling
youngupstarts.com/2016/06/14/why-every-marketer-needs-to-be-a-great-storyteller