No matter what industry you’re in or what product or service you sell, you want your company to be seen as the expert. Customers come to you with a need – maybe even a problem – and they want to feel confident and secure that you know how to (and can) help them.
This is especially true in the B2B world, when so much is riding on one single customer relationship. With B2C companies, you’re merely talking about the purchase of one small product or service. With a B2B brand, you’re talking about a purchase that could impact hundreds, thousands or even millions of other customers once all is said and done. And because of that, B2B buyers take their decisions very seriously.
They don’t want to buy products from just anyone. They want to buy from the best – and only the best.
So B2B brands have a unique challenge in that they don’t need to just stand out from the competition. They need to establish themselves as above, beyond and better than the completion in whatever way possible.
Obviously, though, that’s easier said than done. Sure, advertising and marketing campaigns help. But if you really want to set off your brand as the resident go-to expert in your field, there’s actually a much more affordable way to do it: Focus on thought leadership instead.
What do I mean by that? Let’s dive in:
- Show customers you know your stuff. Don’t just offer your customers products and services, offer them information too. Enlighten them with new ideas and expose them to strategies and data they might not have heard of before. You can do this through blog posts, ebooks, white papers, email newsletters, even brochures at your next trade show booth. In fact, do all five! The more information you can offer them, the better.
- Help customers be better and stronger. Give your customers the tools they need to be better than their competitors. Don’t just focus on what can make YOU better. Show your clients how they can use your products and services to stand out, make a splash and come out on top in their marketplace as well.
- Give it away for free. You charge your customers for products and services, but don’t charge them for information. Make your thought leadership offerings easily and readily available via your website, and don’t require them to make any sort of payment (other than maybe entering an email address) to get them. The main goal here is to show that you’re the expert, not to bring in more cash. Do the former, and the latter will come naturally!
- Get the whole team involved. Everyone on your team has something to offer, whether it be sales tips, marketing advice or intricate knowledge of how your products are built and manufactured. Get the whole team involved in creating thought leadership offerings, and give your customers a comprehensive education in the things that matter most to them.
Have you put any effort into thought leadership at your company? If you’re a B2B brand, you certainly should. Contact Haley Aerospace today, and our B2B branding experts can help.
