How B2B brands approach their work is changing. The biggest shift? They’re using more creativity and emotion to make otherwise technical topics way more human. And it’s paying off: “creative” B2B ads on LinkedIn get 53% more viewing time and 61% more likes than those that aren’t. Today, we’ll look at some simple ways to help your B2B content connect with your audience on a deeper—and way more fun—level.
TLDR: By using humor, emotional storytelling, and consistency, successful B2B brands are moving towards a more H2H (aka Human-to-Human) approach.
Tactic #1: Bring on the laughs.
Differentiate your brand by incorporating humor into your work. Today, Gen Z and Millennials make up 71% of B2B buyers, bringing new expectations to the purchasing process. So it’s no surprise that 41% of Gen Z pay more attention to brands that use humor or satire in their marketing, with 35% saying that humor makes them like a brand more.
Want more? See how your team can add some yucks to your content by checking out our February edition of The Bolt.
Tactic #2: Pump up the emotional storytelling.
Storytelling isn’t just a B2C thing. Showing how your product or service can provide valuable solutions in an emotional, human way will always be more relatable than a technical approach—especially when you want that emotion to be “buy.”
“P is for Performance,” Pinterest’s action-packed B2B creative, uses a moviemaking style and a high-action storyline to connect with viewers. Communicating how Pinterest can help viewers reach their KPIs in a fun way that educates the audience through the lens of beloved action movies from childhood.
Tactic #3: Keep it creative throughout the purchase cycle.
As the B2B purchase cycle continues to lengthen with more stakeholders involved, it's crucial for brands to maintain idea-driven work throughout the whole customer journey. Workday's “Rockstar” campaign, launched during the Super Bowl, is a great example of this, as it has continued to stay top of mind amongst buyers through clever, funny twists on the global campaign.
The days of the dry hard sell are over. No matter who you’re talking to or what you’re talking about, humor and emotional storytelling work.
STRIKING STATS
️️️69% of B2B marketing leaders agree that B2B purchasing decisions are just as emotionally driven as B2C. (Source: The Drum)
️️️55% of B2B marketers worldwide agree that short-form social videos produce the highest ROI. (Source: eMarketer)
️B2B ads are 29% less effective if they don’t have a clear message. (Source: Social Media Today)
LIGHTNING ROUND
️️️Ammunition ranked #1761 on Inc. Magazine's #Inc5000 list. We’re proud to be #81 in ATL, #86 in GA, and #167 in Advertising & Marketing.
️️️Lee Haraway (4), Marena Galluccio (2), and Stephanie Van Meter (2) celebrated their Ammoversaries in August.
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️The Ammunition team launched its new branding—starting with our website. Check it out here.
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