How to use neuroscience for breakthrough B2B Marketing
The following document, "Adzact Collaborations," distills insights from a conversation between B2B marketing experts and Dr. Carmen Simon, a cognitive neuroscientist. It explores how neuroscience can enhance B2B marketing strategies by predicting future behaviours and improving engagement. The discussion covers the challenges of capturing attention, effective personalisation, the role of complexity, cultural responses, storytelling, and motivational strategies.
Host
Joaquin Dominguez and Tom Gatten were joined by marketing experts to discuss the topic.
Guests
Dr Carmen Simon, Stanford Professor and Chief Science Officer at Corporate Visions
Scott Stockwell, Senior Brand Strategist at IBM
Liqian Lim, Senior Product Marketing Manager AI/ML, Snyk
Natasha Lockwood, Senior Integrated Marketing Manager at Tealium
Stephanie Mills, Director of Corporate Marketing at Matillon
Edvin Pauza, Demand Marketing Manager at Yapily
Guy Oakley, Marketing Director at ADP
Applying Neuroscience to B2B Marketing
Dr. Carmen Simon provides a nuanced understanding of neuroscience in B2B marketing. She defines neuroscience in her research as the integration of four specific signals:
EEG Signal: Monitors brain electrical activity during exposure to stimuli like sales presentations.
Electrocardiogram (ECG) Signal: Captured via electrodes on the chest and wrist.
Galvanic Skin Response (GSR): Detects changes in skin conductivity, indicating physiological reactions.
Eye Tracker: Measures where and how long participants look at stimulus elements, providing insight into attention capture.
However, she notes a critical challenge in applying neuroscience to marketing—the difficulty in surpassing the "beige wall." This metaphor describes the baseline level of brain activity observed when participants stare at an unstimulating, plain beige wall. In her studies, Dr. Simon often finds no significant difference between the brain's response to this baseline and its response to actual marketing content, suggesting that much of the business content fails to engage the brain effectively.
This observation raises a pivotal question for marketers and content creators: How can they develop marketing materials and sales pitches that not only capture attention but also stimulate the brain more effectively than the "beige wall"?
Effective Personalisation without overwhelming
Tom Gatten, CEO of Adzact, initiated the discussion by illustrating the effectiveness of personalized ad campaigns that specifically mention job titles at the beginning. He noted the increased engagement these ads receive, attributing it to the brain's egocentric nature, which favors content that resonates on a personal level.
Dr. Simon's research corroborates and expands upon this concept by demonstrating how minimal personalization—such as simply stating names and job titles—significantly impacts cognitive engagement and response during virtual meetings. She reveals that this level of personalization, though minimal, can effectively stimulate the default mode network of the brain, a network involved in processing self-relevant information. This subtle nod to the individual's professional identity not only enhances engagement but also improves content retention.
This observation underscores the effectiveness of strategic personalization. While deep personalization may overwhelm, Dr. Simon's study suggests that a lighter touch, which acknowledges an individual's professional identity, can maintain attention and motivation without leading to cognitive overload. This nuanced approach can make marketing content more relatable and impactful, significantly improving how it connects with and engages the audience.
"Personalised ad campaigns that mention job titles at the beginning see increased engagement due to the brain's egocentric nature." Tom Gatten
The Role of Complexity in Cognitive Engagement
The challenge of capturing and maintaining the interest of technically oriented audiences, such as engineers and lawyers, presents a unique dilemma in B2B marketing. Liqian Lim raised a pertinent question regarding whether brief, catchy hooks are sufficient to sustain engagement or if deeper, more detailed content is necessary to hold the attention of such critical and detail-oriented audiences.
Dr. Simon responded to this inquiry by recounting an incident from a neuroscience conference where a participant remarked that cultural differences might influence preferences for complex versus simplified information. This interaction spurred Dr. Simon to delve deeper into whether simplicity truly aids understanding and retention, or if complexity could offer greater benefits.
Dr. Simon's subsequent research indicates that complexity, when properly managed, indeed fosters greater cognitive engagement. She explained that for audiences naturally skeptical and inclined to probe deeply, such as engineers, complexity can be particularly compelling. These audiences tend to appreciate detailed, intricate content that challenges their intellect and satisfies their analytical tendencies.
In her exploration of complexity, Dr. Simon introduced the concept of the "cauliflower analogy" to elucidate how complexity should be structured. She described how a cauliflower maintains the same pattern from the whole vegetable down to each minuscule floret. This fractal nature illustrates how complex ideas can be broken down into smaller, digestible parts that still reflect the overall structure. By maintaining consistent patterns within complex information, the brain finds it easier to process, engage with, and remember the information.
However, Dr. Simon noted that while complexity holds the brain's attention, it must be balanced with moments of synthesis where the core message is clarified. This balance ensures that the content is not only engaging but also digestible, allowing the audience to grasp the essence of the information without feeling overwhelmed.
"Complexity, when properly managed, fosters greater cognitive engagement. For detail-oriented audiences, intricate content challenges their intellect and satisfies their analytical tendencies." Dr. Carmen Simon
Cultural Responses to Complexity
Scott Stockwell raised an insightful question during the discussion, probing whether different cultures or job roles might exhibit varying responses to complex versus simplified content. This query is particularly pertinent in global marketing strategies where understanding cultural nuances can significantly influence the effectiveness of a campaign.
In response, Dr. Simon elaborated that her research indicates well-managed complexity has the power to engage universally, crossing cultural and professional boundaries. She emphasised that the brain's response to complexity is more about how the information is structured rather than the complexity itself. By ensuring that complex content is presented in a clear, organised manner, it becomes accessible and engaging to a diverse audience, regardless of cultural background or professional field. This universality suggests that marketers can implement complex strategies effectively worldwide, provided they maintain clarity and structure in their messaging.
"The 'Sparkline' and 'Pixar' story formats, which alternate between problems and solutions, engage audiences on an emotional journey, making content more relatable and impactful." Scott Stockwell
The Impact of Storytelling in Neuroscience-Driven Marketing
Natasha Lockwood initiated the discussion by examining the effectiveness of using pain points as hooks in advertising to captivate the audience. Building on this, Meta Karagiani and Stephanie Mills emphasised the importance of contextual storytelling. Karagiani highlighted that understanding the buyer's journey—from identifying a need to making a decision—provides an essential framework for developing compelling narratives. This structured storytelling approach not only captivates but also educates the audience, offering a complete picture that aligns with their decision-making process. Edvin Pauza brought up the impact of emotional engagement in marketing. He noted that campaigns with an emotional core could transcend conventional data-heavy approaches, particularly in sectors like asset management. Mills elaborated on this by describing her method for crafting customer success stories that begin by identifying a challenge and culminate in demonstrating the solution's impact, effectively showcasing the solution's value.
Campaigns with a strong emotional core can significantly outperform traditional data-heavy approaches, capturing and sustaining audience interest far more effectively. - Edvin Pauza
Responding to these points, Dr. Simon stressed that both positive and negative emotions significantly influence the audience. However, she noted that the key to successful emotional engagement lies in the intensity of the emotional experience conveyed by the story. In today's media-saturated environment, where individuals are often desensitised to stimulation, it is crucial to deliver a potent emotional stimulus. Dr. Simon encouraged marketers to be daring in amplifying emotional content to create a lasting impact.
Scott Stockwell introduced the "Sparkline" and "Pixar" story formats, where narratives dynamically alternate between problems and their solutions. These storytelling techniques engage the audience on an emotional journey, rendering the content more relatable and impactful. Stockwell demonstrated the effectiveness of these methods with a campaign that connected the plight of polar bears to supply chain issues, effectively using analogies to make complex topics accessible and engaging. He explained, "This is important for supply chain because something happens here which has an impact," illustrating how interconnected events can resonate with audiences. This narrative strategy not only boosted viewership but also significantly enhanced audience engagement.
Dr. Simon further emphasised the necessity of balancing factual content with emotional appeal in storytelling. She pointed out that while facts are essential, focusing exclusively on them can render narratives too narrow and overly technical. Instead, integrating emotional elements ensures the story deeply resonates, making the narrative more effective and memorable. This balance is crucial for stories that are not only heard but also felt and remembered, thereby fostering deeper connections and driving more effective marketing outcomes.
"Crafting customer success stories that begin with identifying a challenge and culminate in demonstrating the solution's impact effectively showcases the solution's value." Stephanie Mills
Enhancing Conversion Rates Through Neuroscience-Driven Motivation
Liqian Lim highlighted a prevalent issue in cutting-edge sectors like blockchain and AI: audiences demonstrate strong interest but are slow to progress to purchase. She illustrated a scenario where, despite active engagement, the decision-making process is prolonged, with potential buyers often waiting for peers to initiate action. This hesitation prompted her to explore strategies that could accelerate the transition from interest to concrete action.
Dr. Simon responded by exploring the neuroscience behind motivation, emphasising dopamine’s critical role in moving individuals from initial curiosity to definitive action. She introduced the concept of 'intermittent schedules of rewards,' a strategy involving varying the intensity and frequency of engagement to sustain audience interest. For instance, an impactful initial presentation could be followed by smaller, less frequent engagements, interspersed with periods of minimal contact. This unpredictability in rewards helps maintain interest and engagement by preventing the brain from predicting when the next reward will occur.
Tom Gatten shared an anecdote from training his puppy, which underscored the effectiveness of intermittent rewards. This method, akin to the dynamics of gambling, keeps individuals engaged by introducing uncertainty about the timing and occurrence of rewards. This strategy is potent in maintaining long-term engagement without saturating the audience’s interest.
"In high-tech, groundbreaking sectors like blockchain and AI, audiences often show strong interest but are slow to progress to purchase, often waiting for peers to initiate action. This requires strategies to accelerate the transition from interest to action." - Liqian Lim
Guy Oakley discussed the application of marketing technology (martech) strategies to better nurture leads. By closely analysing how potential customers interact with content—such as downloading comprehensive reports—marketers can fine-tune their engagements. Utilising marketing automation tools to score these interactions allows for more personalised and effective follow-ups, enhancing the likelihood of conversion.
Dr. Simon emphasised the need to understand and leverage the audience's intrinsic motivations. While extrinsic rewards like giveaways or discounts can initially attract attention, their impact tends to be fleeting. For lasting engagement that leads to conversion, marketing strategies must resonate with the audience's deeper, intrinsic interests and needs.
By understanding and leveraging the complex interplay of intrinsic and extrinsic motivations and employing intermittent reward strategies, marketers can more effectively move potential buyers through the sales funnel, from initial interest to final purchase.
"Utilising martech strategies to closely analyse customer interactions with content allows for more personalised and effective follow-ups, enhancing the likelihood of conversion." - Guy Oakley
Harnessing Social Proof in Advertising
Natasha Lockwood introduced a novel feature on LinkedIn that capitalises on social proof to enhance advertising efficacy. This feature informs users how many of their connections have interacted with an ad, such as by downloading a resource or indicating plans to attend an event. Lockwood provided an example where this tool was used to promote an upcoming event by showing potential attendees that their industry competitors were also participating. This strategy leverages the fear of missing out (FOMO) to create a sense of urgency and compel action. Preliminary results from testing this feature indicate that ads displaying social proof yield significantly higher engagement, as potential customers are influenced by the actions of their peers.
"The new LinkedIn feature leveraging social proof enhances advertising efficacy by showing users how many of their connections have interacted with an ad, creating urgency through FOMO." - Natasha Lockwood
Scott Stockwell raised an insightful question about the role of group dynamics in individual decision-making within B2B contexts, where purchasing decisions are commonly made collectively. He was particularly interested in understanding how individuals' brain responses might differ when they are alone versus when they are aware that a group is collectively moving toward a decision.
Dr. Simon responded by introducing the concept of "hyperscanning" in neuroscience. This technique involves simultaneously scanning the brain activity of multiple individuals to observe how the brain activity of one person can align with and influence others in a shared context. She explained that the presence of others could significantly enhance an individual's brain activity through a phenomenon known as "inter-subject correlation." This finding underscores the impact of social presence in environments where decisions are influenced by group dynamics. Dr. Simon stressed that in B2B settings, where decisions are seldom made in isolation, recognising and harnessing these social dynamics can profoundly affect the decision-making process. She highlighted the critical role of neuroscience in understanding and leveraging these dynamics to facilitate more effective marketing strategies and accelerate business decisions.
Conclusion
The insights from Dr. Carmen Simon and B2B marketing experts provide valuable strategies for enhancing engagement and decision-making in B2B marketing. By integrating neuroscience, effective personalisation, structured complexity, emotional storytelling, motivational techniques, and social proof, marketers can create compelling content that captures attention, stimulates the brain, and drives action. These strategies offer a pathway to more effective and influential marketing outcomes.
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