How to Increase Brand Awareness in B2B

Defining your brand identity, engaging in thought leadership, leveraging social media, exhibiting at trade shows, creating engaging content, and partnering with influencers are some of the key ways to increase brand awareness in B2B.

1. Define Your Brand Identity

The first step to increasing brand awareness in B2B is to define your brand identity.

• Your brand identity should reflect your company's ideology, vision, and mission.

• Create an identity that is easy to recognize and impactful enough to represent your company's offerings.

• Develop a unique brand logo, tagline, and messaging, keeping in mind your target audience.

Slack, for example, is one of the most popular B2B companies, and it has developed a distinct brand identity through the use of an eye-catching logo, a catchy tagline, and playful messaging.

Another B2B business that has built up a unique brand identity is Mailchimp, which is a tool used to automate email marketing

It has done such a good job of building its brand identity that it has become the go-to for email marketing automation for businesses of all sizes.

2. Thought Leadership

Another effective way to increase brand awareness in B2B is to create thought-leadership content.

• This type of content showcases your company's expertise and knowledge in the industry and can help establish your presence as a credible source.

• Creating thought-leadership content also helps you build trust among potential customers, which will ultimately lead to increased brand awareness.

One famous example of a thought leader in the online marketing space is Neil Patel, who is a well-known digital marketer and entrepreneur.

His valuable insights on SEO, content marketing, social media, and online advertising have earned him a reputation as one of the industry's go-tos for online marketing strategy.

3. Leverage Social Media

Social media is a powerful tool to boost brand awareness by reaching out to a wider audience.

Social media platforms help: 

• Share informative content

• Engage with your target market

• Develop a loyal following

When you're working on building a social media presence, it's best to choose one or two platforms to specialize in.

This will help ensure you can reach your target market in the most effective way.

For example, if you're a B2B software company targeting young professionals, LinkedIn would be an ideal platform for you, as it is the world's largest professional networking site. 

In fact, 80% of B2B marketing leads from social media come from LinkedIn.

On the other hand, if you're running a B2B e-commerce business, Instagram might be a better option, as it is the most popular social media platform for millennials and Gen Zers.

Twitter is also a great platform for reaching audiences as a B2B business. It has a strong user base and allows you to share content in a short, concise, and engaging way.

60% of marketers use both Instagram and Twitter.

4. Exhibit at Trade Shows

Participating in industry trade shows is another excellent way to raise brand awareness.

• Trade shows can greatly contribute to B2B brand awareness through targeted audience engagement, face-to-face interactions, and product demonstrations.

• They provide networking opportunities with industry peers and influencers, which helps significantly with brand reach.

• The physical presence and branding materials at trade shows create brand exposure and recognition.

• Thought leadership opportunities through speaking engagements position brands as industry experts.

For example, Salesforce organizes Dreamforce, an annual event that focuses on cloud computing, customer relationship management (CRM), and sales and marketing automation.

It offers educational sessions, product demos, and networking opportunities for businesses leveraging Salesforce's platform.

By participating in events like this, you can grow your knowledge about the tools in your niche while connecting with like-minded individuals and establishing yourself as a major player within the industry.

5. Create Engaging Content

Content is one of the most powerful tools for building brand awareness in B2B.

• Creating content that is informative, interesting, and engaging will help you attract the attention of your target audience.

• 65% of buyers attribute their final purchasing decision to the B2B business’s content.

• It should also be optimized for search engines in order to reach a larger audience.

• Focus on developing topics that are relevant to your industry and target market when creating content.

• You can also include visuals such as infographics and videos to make your content more appealing.

• Lastly, don't forget to include keywords in your content so that it can rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs).

• This will increase traffic to your website while positioning you as a reliable authority.

Building up your content is essential, as buyers report reading an average of 13 pieces of content before they make a final decision on their purchase. 

6. Partner with Influencers

Working with industry influencers to endorse your brand is an excellent way to enhance your brand's visibility.

• Collaborating with influencers that have a strong following can help you reach your target audience quickly and in a more authentic manner.

• 74% of marketers have reported success with customer relations using influencer marketing. 

For example, IBM, a global technology company, partnered with Brian Solis, a digital anthropologist and author.

Brian creates content and thought leadership pieces on the future of technology, digital transformation, and customer experience.

His insights and expertise in understanding the impact of technology on business helped IBM establish thought leadership in the B2B space.

The Importance of Brand Awareness in the B2B Space

Many people believe that B2B companies do not require brand awareness in the same way that B2C companies do.

However, brand awareness is vital for B2B businesses.

• Businesses are much more picky about the brands and companies with which they partner because it has a direct impact on their reputation.

• If they choose the wrong company to work with, they may have a lot more to lose in the long run once their credibility is tarnished.

Wrapping Up: How to Increase Brand Awareness in B2B

Increasing brand awareness in the B2B space is paramount to the success of your business.

The following strategies can increase your chances of establishing yourself as an authority: 

• Defining your brand identity

• Engaging in thought leadership

• Leveraging social media

• Exhibiting at trade shows

• Creating engaging content

• Partnering with influencers

Combining strategies and tracking your progress creates a solid foundation for brand growth.