Who said that B2B Marketing had to be boring!!!
There are beautiful examples of B2B Marketing which are just out of this world. One of the best is General Electric and what they are doing under the leadership of their CMO Linda Boff.
It is no coincidence that General Electric is among the Top 10 brands worldwide according to most rankings (e.g.: Interbrand)
If you are in the B2B Marketing field, I’ll very much recommend you read an interview with Linda in the Huffington Post by Sharif Khalladi from which I’m summarising the key takeaways for me:
POSITIONING:
► ”positioning GE as the preeminent digital industrial company, leading the industry with software-defined machines and solutions that are connected, responsive and predictive.
ATTITUDE:
► “A 125-year-old start-up, a company that is perpetually focused on creating a better way. That goes back to our founder Thomas Edison and is just as relevant today.”
► “I believe that you can’t read about new platforms, you must jump in.”
VALUE PROPOSITION:
► “connectivity – the teaming of hardware, software and analytics to unlock, collect and deliver insights – has huge potential impacts on productivity and efficiency gains for both GE and our customers.”
BRANDING:
► “releasing a sci-fi podcast like “The Message”, an innovative video series like “The Unimpossible Mission” or the “Periodic Table of Emojis” – you’re proving time and time again that B2B content doesn’t have to be boring at all.”
► “I don’t think of marketing in terms of B2B or B2C. I prefer the idea of B2H – Business to Human.”
► «Above all, brands need to know their audience and tell stories that resonate with them.»
ADVICE FOR MARKETERS:
★ «First, start with your audiences. Who do you want to reach and what do they care about?»
★ «Second, think about the experience of the person on the other end. Look to reduce friction.»
★ «Third, creativity matters a lot. In an era of algorithms and data, a truly great idea still breaks through.»
★ «And finally, surround yourself internally and externally with people who bring cognitive diversity.»
Absolutely delicious food for thought for B2B marketers willing to make a difference embracing new platforms, messages and leveraging their audiences.
NOTE: This is an excerpt from the original interview made by Sharif Khalladi (Digital Transformation Expert, Former CMO Podio (Citrix), Ex-Cisco, HootSuite) in Huffington Post
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