10 Guidelines to B2B Branding

Branding is more important than most B2B companies realise, and that doesn’t mean only the logo but also strong brand management. A strong emphasis should be put on brand strategy and style.

Here are 10 guidelines to successful B2B branding:

1. Plan ahead

You need to define your goals and decide how you want your business to grow. Your business strategy needs to correspond with your branding strategy, and any areas that need attention to reach your goals need to be addressed.

2. Define your purpose

Knowing what your business stands for, and what your purpose is will help in making decisions and give a clear vision. If a business cannot summarise who they are and what they want to accomplish in a few words, their customers won’t know either. Branding creates an image and mission for B2B companies and is vital to becoming successful.

3. Stand out from the crowd

Your brand needs to be distinctive and unique and meet your customers’ needs. Many companies advertise their products or services but don’t truly know what it is their customers’ wants or needs are. Branding needs to be looked at from three perspectives so these questions need to be asked:

• What are you most passionate about and really good at?
• What makes you different to your competition?
• What do your customers truly want?

4. Sum up your brand in four words

When it comes to branding, less words are better than more. Having a few words sum up your business will be more effective than using 20 words for example. Besides focusing your mind, it will focus your whole business too.

5. Identify your virtual signature

Brand identification is what will make you different to your competition. Having a unique brand that is easily recognisable is vital for the success of your business. If the logo is covered up, your brand still needs to stand out and be easily identified by customers.

6. Be different

In the business world the competition is stiff, so really standing out is vital to getting recognised and being considered by customers. Being different and thinking outside the box is what will determine the success of your business. Branding and marketing are key to doing just that.

7. Consistency is key

Richard Branson said that branding needs to continually evolve with the times. As your B2B marketing and branding evolves, make sure to not change the essence of your brand. Your branding must always represent your business in a consistent way that will always be recognised across all marketing platforms.

8. Create a positive experience

Customer service and experience is what customers crave in a world where personal relationships in business are scare. Creating an online positive experience will keep customers satisfied and help build a long-term business relationship with them. Addressing and delivering on what your customers’ needs are is a sure way to build success.

9. Inspire and invest in your employees

Employees are the backbone of every company, so building your brand from the inside out, starting with your people will ensure your growth and success. Investing in training and an environment where they can grow and learn as well as letting them contribute in various ways to new ideas etc. will strengthen your brand and ensure your staff stay loyal to you.

10. Invest in a brand marketing specialist

More often than not, you can be so focused on your business it is difficult to see if from an outside view.  A marketing specialist will help in looking at your brand from a professional angle and identify possibilities you are not able to see for yourself. Their expertise can help with a new website, a new marketing strategy, a new campaign or maybe a game-changing product that can launch your brand forward. Sometimes it is a good idea to take a step back in order to move forward with precision and success.