October 26, 2016 | less than a minute read

The Currency of Differentiation

Passle

Claire Mason Man Bites Dog makes a very good point here. Virtually every single B2B brochure website out there is the same. We are X, we do Y and we solve Z problem with our super unique product/services.

B2B companies that are lucky enough to have loyal advocates can't rest on their laurels. The modern consumer is curious and banking on the trust of your audience is risky. As Claire says in the below, insights are the new currency of differentiation. And it's not just the marketers that need to act accordingly, it's the entire organisation. Too many B2B businesses' shop windows are populated with the insights of their marketing department. I'm of the mind that today's buyer looks for authentic communications from the niche-experts when making a purchasing decision.

Trust has been the aspiration of B2B brands for decades. But times have changed. Not only is institutional trust harder to achieve in these unblinkered post-crisis times; trust is no longer enough to drive preference in the B2B buying process. The reason? From the outside, B2B businesses all look and sound the same. Brands make the same superior claims about their people, products and services, with so-called USPs closer to Standard Selling Points. Brands need to do more than keep their promises to stand out in this sea of sameness. But there is an answer. Buyers of complex, long-term products and services are more interested in what you know than what they know about you. Ideas and insights are undoubtedly the new currency of differentiation, and it’s time for marketers to act accordingly.