Communicators across the board face many of the same challenges regardless of the type of company they work for. We create and refine the structure through which information flows and support effective dialogue internally and externally. The foundational principles of Communications behind our work – stakeholder-centric communications, communicating to influence stakeholder behavior – don’t change, but the CEC team often gets questions around a common set of B2B communications activities.
B2B companies face unique challenges, primarily stemming from product complexity and the number of stakeholders involved in a purchase decision. B2B communicators blur the line between communications and marketing activities in Sales-driven organizations and communicate in conservative or regulated industries where proprietary information is the norm.
Here are the top resources for the challenges the CEC team often hears about from B2B members:
1. How do I establish our company as a thought leader in our industry?
Rather than meaningfully differentiating the company or product, most though leadership content merely informs customers of performance and benefits.
- B2B Thought Leadership Content Strategies and Webinar Replay
- Leveraging Social Networking Sites in Marketing Communications
- Principles for Social Media Success in Highly Regulated Industries
2. How do I position our products and company to customers?
Awareness of a company and products isn’t enough to drive customers to purchase—Communicators need to look deeper into customer challenges and motivations.
- Drive Demand For Product Through Smarter Positioning
- Engage Customers Through Product Launch Communication
- Creating Commercial Teaching Narratives for B2B Product Launch Communications
3. How do I plan strategically and measure Communications value to the business?
B2B companies face unique challenges with customer communication, primarily stemming from product complexity and the number of stakeholders involved in a purchase decision.
- Communicating in a B2B Environment: Member Benchmarks
- Integrating PR and Marketing for Better Business Results and Webinar Replay
4. How do I deepen my understanding of our customers?
Building an understanding of customer helps you develop communications that will be more effective in delivering on business objectives.
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