There are many myths in marketing. Things like “more traffic = more sales”, “prospects that don’t respond immediately aren’t interested”, “younger audiences only respond to TikTok now”, etc, etc.
And B2B marketing has its own brand of marketing myths that have bedded in over the years. Just like marketing jargon, we can’t ever seem to shake them.
We might roll our eyes, but myths can be incredibly damaging. Businesses start to believe they’re true, even when there’s plenty of evidence to suggest they’re not. This may mean that business decisions are based on misinformation, assumptions are made about a target audience, businesses even *gasp* use the wrong channels to communicate with customers.
As bad as this sounds, help is at hand. We’ve selected the worst culprits and explained why they’re not worth believing – even if, like Father Christmas, you still kind of want to believe they’re real.
Consider this your sign to assign mythical status to these five particularly pointless B2B myths.
1. Unlike their B2C counterparts, B2B buyers only think rationally
Apparently once you’re in a business setting, decisions are based purely on facts and figures. Humanity is left at the office door. Everything is transactional, humourless, and best served in that ubiquitously awful combination of white font on a corporate blue background.
But (and it’s a big but) B2B buyers are still human. They make decisions based on trust, emotion, and risk avoidance. Probably more so, because they’re not deciding what food to give their cat, or whether they’d prefer more upmarket toilet paper. Business decision makers have more at stake, so of course they’re going to be more personally invested.
That’s not to say the selling points around your business’ products or services aren’t important – they are. But they don’t have to come at the expense of engagement. In fact, dialing this up will probably enhance the decision-making process for prospects.
Because who doesn’t want to be both informed and entertained (particularly while they’re at work)?
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Nobody cares about the B-word
Yes, your audience really does care about Brand, and those that say they don’t are telling porkies.
If B2B buyers only cared about products and pricing, big corporations would not be big as they are. People buy into branding, because even subliminally, it reinforces the idea that they’re making a good business move.
Good branding doesn’t mean sticking lurid logos everywhere or turning everything you’re selling a particularly shocking shade of pink. Good branding is your business at its most confident. Businesses wanting to invest in your products and services will see the professional way they’re presented, the consistency in your communications, and they’ll react positively. Think of good branding as the shop window to your wares – if you showcase your products and services well, your customers will respond well.
On the flip side, bad branding will work against you. If customers don’t recognise your brand or think it’s credible, they’ll just look elsewhere.
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More leads means better marketing
A particularly stubborn one this.
The belief that acquiring as many leads as possible is better than the quality of those leads, does your business no favours. Mainly because the hundred leads you’re hoovering up are probably as useful to you as a chocolate teapot.
No business has a target audience of everyone (unless you’re the government, or maybe Amazon). If you’re trying to target the world and their dog, you’re targeting no one. You’re just diluting your brand’s message to the point of insignificance.
Focus on quality leads, and pinpointing your target audience, before sending them relevant and personal information they’re going to want to hear. That way, you can expect to get a handful instead of hundreds. But my goodness, you’ll create far better business opportunities with that smaller amount of well-nurtured individuals.
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Print is dead
Print isn’t dead, it’s just been ignoring your emails, or scrolling past your social posts.
B2B decision-makers are wading through more digital content than ever. Their inboxes are overflowing, their LinkedIn feeds are busier than a motorway service station on a bank holiday, and every message is competing for a sliver of their attention.
That’s where print comes in. A well-designed printed piece stands out simply because it’s so unexpected. Make it personal, and it gives your emails and social activity a helping hand, so your brand is already familiar when your next message lands.
Digital is brilliant at getting your message out fast. Print is brilliant at making it stick, often lingering on desks and coffee tables for weeks, maybe even months.
We’re not saying ditch digital. Far from it. Just park the belief that print has had its day. The most effective B2B marketing doesn’t pick sides, it combines channels. Digital brings speed and scale, print brings memorability and trust, and together they’re far more powerful than either one alone.
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My product/service should speak for itself
