“People who succeed in b2b PR are ambitious and excited at the prospect of understanding how companies operate. They are shrewd analysts with a desire to be challenged every day...”
It takes a certain type of animal to get involved in b2b PR and communications - someone with a real passion for getting under the skin of your business, so if you’re looking for b2b specialist support, here’s what to look for and importantly what to expect…
Specialism & loyalty
B2b by its very nature attracts specialist communication practitioners, as opposed to generalists. B2b comms is certainly not for someone who is easily seduced by 'glitz' and 'shine' or the lure of working on the lastest Coca Cola campaign for example. Die-hard ‘B2b-ers’ are loyal and thrive on channelling their inner 'geek'. They are in it for the long-haul, they persevere and relish the process of understanding the organisation and task in hand.
Not for the faint-hearted
With multiple decision makers to influence, b2b has greater complexity than b2c and requires a specialist approach. The route to market is not always straightforward, buyer cycles and journeys can be quite protracted and lead times are longer. Unlike b2c, where campaigns are often quick and dirty and results more tangible and immediate, b2b communications may take longer to tune-in and make an impact. But when they do, and are timed to perfection, they are worth the wait.
As rare as hen’s teeth
B2b communication specialists are often the unsung hero of the marcomms world - and the good ones are hard to come by, but if you do your homework and look carefully, you will find a stalwart community of experts in their field, who are worth their weight in gold.
Experience is garnered from years in similar and complementary client businesses. They have often worked across diverse industry sectors and bring with them huge amounts of real and gritty business insight as a result. This can be applied to new and emerging sectors too. And because of their detailed sponge-like approach to understanding the organisation, its constituent parts, and the supporting media landscape - their knowledge often goes well beyond the business in hand. By default, they are able to comment and advise on the nuances of the supply chain too.
Cost effective 'all-rounders'
Due to the multi-faceted and changing pace of b2b PR communications, on-the-job skills-sets are far-reaching and often varied, thus providing significant added-value to the client. The very opposite of a one-trip pony, a dedicated b2b PR practitioner is an extremely cost effective and valuable resource to have on board - especially if your marketing budget is limited and needs to work hard.
A solid b2b PR expert is a flexible beast and as such is willing and able to turn their hands to many parts of the marketing mix, working independently or as part of a larger sales and marketing team. In addition to providing strategic campaign planning and direction - an effective and creative command of the written word is a prerequisite. From the humble media release through to writing industry awards, technical papers, case studies, e-books, blogs, keynote presentations and web copy, to name but a few.
If your business is struggling to be heard amongst the cacophony - and you need some help finding your b2b voice, drop us a line, we’d be only too happy to chew the cud with you…