The past few years have been interesting ones for those of us in the B2B marketing community.
We’ve seen the adoption of social media, where now many – if not most – B2B companies consider it an integral part of their strategies.
Lately, we’ve even seen some companies go so far as to invest in influencers to help draw eyes to their brand.
In 2019, expect to see more businesses also realize that one of the best investments they can make in their B2B marketing strategy is infusing it with effective storytelling.
3 Ways to Make Storytelling Part of Your B2B Marketing Strategy
That’s right.
If your B2B marketing strategy currently lacks the compelling nature of a good story, you’re probably losing leads you would have otherwise converted.
Now’s the time to start thinking like a storyteller and implement the following changes to your current strategy.
1. Keep People at the Center of Your Stories
Many experts named 2018, “The Year of Human-to-Human” marketing.
Whether or not that was the case, it’s probably too soon to tell.
However, the reason the idea caught on was that, despite the many digital elements of our lives, humans crave human connections.
This is often easy to forget when you’re marketing to B2B buyers. Instead, you focus on the benefits you have to offer (more on that in a minute), but you’re offering them to a company – not a person.
No one wants to hear a story about a business. They want to hear a story about the business owner or their employees.
When you’re creating your marketing collateral, be sure it tells a story about people.
If you utilize account-based marketing, this doesn’t necessarily mean using employee’s names at the company you’re targeting. That might be a bit weird. Instead, think about the people at that company, what they’re trying to accomplish (their story), and how your business can benefit theirs.
2. Sell Vivid Benefits Not Features
You have probably heard some version of the sage marketing advice that tells you to sell features, not benefits.
In other words, no one cares about the engine of a vehicle. They care about the benefits of the engine of that vehicle (e.g., it allows you to go faster, saves you gas, etc.).
Take things a step further, though. Throughout your B2B marketing strategy, remind your leads of what their future will look like once they are enjoying the benefits of your product or service.
Think about how an author makes a scene vivid. They don’t skimp on the details. They do everything possible to make it a reality in their readers’ minds.
You have the benefit also leveraging case studies, videos, and other marketing collateral, so strategically utilize each to bring your lead to the incredible future that awaits.
3. Dramatize Every Chapter of Your Buyer’s Journey
There’s no easier place to add storytelling to your B2B marketing strategy than with your buyer’s journey. After all, the Hero’s Journey is among the oldest types of stories, one that shows up in every culture ever discovered.
This is good news for B2B marketers who understand how to leverage it. Your leads want to go on a journey, and they want to be the hero. So, throughout every touchpoint of your company’s buyer’s journey, give them this opportunity.
For example, as they get closer to conversion, ramp up their level of excitement. Now is the time to really make vivid the idea that they’re about to “save the day.” Show them case studies of other heroes who have done the same, including lots of details about all the people who benefited because they made the right choice.
Also, stories aren’t always happy. Check out how BLP used fear in their video advertisements, “The Heist – Cautionary Tales” to nudge leads towards converting.
What Every Story Needs for a Successful B2B Marketing Strategy
What does every good story need?
A satisfactory ending.
We all know the feeling of following along with a compelling story only to feel like the end let us down.
Don’t let this happen with your B2B marketing strategy. Make sure you stick the landing by utilizing the power of Hushly.
Our platform was developed to make your preexisting content more powerful. It’s increased landing page conversions by over 51%, improved content engagement by more than 305%, and has done both while actually cutting costs by a third!
Does that sound too good to be true?
Then let us prove to you it’s nonfiction. Contact us today, and we’ll give you a free demo to see for yourself what Hushly can do.
