In the world of business-to-business (B2B) marketing, making a promise to the customer is a strategy that can yield significant rewards. A recent white paper published by WARC Advisory in partnership with The B2B Institute and strategy expert Roger Martin delves into the effectiveness of customer promise campaigns in the B2B space. This new report, titled ‘Making a promise to the business customer: Why Customer Promise campaigns are even more effective in B2B than B2C’, builds upon last year’s analysis of B2C campaigns to provide valuable insights for B2B marketers.
The report is based on an analysis of 700 global B2B campaigns from various regions, featuring brands like Amazon India, Procell, Workday, and Sage. It highlights the importance of placing a clear customer promise at the core of B2B marketing strategies, emphasizing the need for promises that are memorable, deliverable, and valuable. The findings of the report reveal that B2B campaigns that make a customer promise are significantly more likely to drive increases in market share and brand health compared to those that do not.
Paul Stringer, managing editor at WARC, emphasizes the importance of customer promises in making brands stand out and resonate with customers. He notes that customer promises can simplify decision-making processes by clearly articulating the value that a brand delivers to its customers. Despite the work involved in crafting and communicating a clear promise, the benefits are evident in the success of B2B campaigns that prioritize customer promises.
Jann Martin Schwarz, founder of The B2B Institute at LinkedIn, underscores the significance of brand promises in B2B marketing, stating that a clear promise of value to customers is essential for building a strong brand. The research findings indicate that B2B customer promise campaigns are more likely to deliver meaningful impacts on key brand health metrics such as consideration, preference, purchase intent, and perceived quality.
Interestingly, the report highlights that only a small percentage of B2B campaigns actually make a promise to the customer, despite the proven effectiveness of this strategy. This presents a unique opportunity for B2B brands to differentiate themselves and gain a competitive edge by incorporating customer promises into their marketing efforts.
Moreover, customer promises in B2B marketing offer advantages for scale-up brands and businesses with limited marketing resources. The research suggests that B2B customer promise campaigns are particularly effective at lower levels of creative commitment, making them a valuable strategy for organizations with smaller budgets.
In conclusion, the importance of making a customer promise in B2B marketing cannot be overstated. By clearly articulating the value that a brand offers to its customers, B2B marketers can drive brand awareness, reputation, and commercial success. As Roger Martin aptly puts it, making a customer promise in a B2B campaign is not just important—it is essential for achieving success across all dimensions of performance.