Bringing Emotion into B2B Marketing
During our conversation with a panel of marketing experts, we explored the power of emotional marketing strategies in B2B campaigns. We delved into the benefits of employee advocacy and the potential of individuals taking on dual roles as both consumers and business representatives to promote products within their social circles. Our discussion also covered the significance of integrating multiple platforms to optimise marketing efforts and the impact of AI on the future of digital marketing.
Host
Joaquin Dominguez, was joined by marketing experts to discuss the topic.
Guests
Agustina Caprino, Digital Marketing Senior Lead, BCG
Cheryl Jadav, Senior Media Associate, Bain & Company
Ying Wang, Digital Marketing Manager, Vodafone
Emotion-focused employee advocacy strategy increases seven times the engagement likelihood
Agustina Caprino, Digital Marketing Senior Lead at BCG, shared her experience leading the employee advocacy program that effectively leverages emotions associated with relationships, resulting in higher engagement from prospects when content is shared by a familiar person rather than a generic account. This strategy taps into the fact that individuals are seven times more likely to take action when recommendations come from network connections, friends or acquaintances.
Individuals taking dual roles as consumers and business representatives
Agustina explored the relationship between employee advocacy and direct consumer marketing techniques, highlighting Avon cosmetics as an inspiring example. This approach involves individuals embracing dual roles as consumers and business representatives, sharing product recommendations within their social circles. Initially, Agustina had different perceptions of Avon's approach, but she soon recognized its remarkable effectiveness when adapted to the digital landscape, especially through platforms like LinkedIn. She continues to be amazed by how this strategy thrives in B2B companies like SAP or BCG. However, she cautions that the transition to emotional marketing can be gradual and often necessitates compelling data to persuade senior management.
Innovative Strategies for B2B Audience Engagement
Cheryl Jadav, a Senior Media Associate at Bain & Company, stresses the significance of innovative marketing strategies that allow businesses to stand out in a crowded market. She cites influencer marketing and user-generated content as examples of effective ways to reach audiences authentically. Additionally, Cheryl illustrates the importance of adapting marketing strategies to specific needs and preferences by sharing her experience at Oracle. For example, they featured Vodafone's Chief Operating Officer in communications targeting supply chain audiences, which helped to build trust and reliability. This approach resulted in stronger engagement and, ultimately, business growth.
Effective Emotional Marketing Approach in Connecting with Consumer and Business Audiences
Ying Wang, Digital Marketing Manager at Vodafone, highlights the effectiveness of leveraging emotional touchpoints in marketing campaigns for both consumer and business audiences. This approach has been successfully used in collaborations with major handset manufacturers. She suggests that B2B marketing can learn from B2C marketing by experimenting with emotional elements to create more dynamic and engaging campaigns.
Integrating Platforms
Cheryl highlights that B2B marketers often work in siloed environments, with limited interconnectivity between different platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook. She believes that in the future, successful marketers will need to adopt a more integrated approach, understanding how to leverage various platforms and audiences effectively. This would involve determining the most impactful platform depending on the audience's journey. Furthermore, Cheryl emphasises the importance of testing, learning, and optimising marketing strategies for individual brands, taking into account the rising costs of advertising and the longer lead conversion times in B2B marketing.
Emotion-based AI
According to Agustina, the rise of AI will have a significant impact on the future of digital marketing. As AI is already being integrated into many marketing tools, she believes that new AI-based marketing tools will emerge, making the technical skills of marketers more crucial than ever. Emotion-based AI may drive the evolution of marketing, accelerating the pace of change and requiring marketers to adapt quickly to stay ahead of the game.
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