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The 'I Understand You' Approach to B2B Marketing

The 'I Understand You' Approach to B2B Marketing

+ From Facts to Fascination: Mastering B2B Storytelling

Vivek Nanda
January 26, 2024

Hello and welcome to the 100th edition of Fresh Salmon.

Gather around the digital campfire, and I will tell you a tale about the world of B2B marketing and its dance with artificial intelligence.

There has been a buzzword that has been echoing through the halls of marketing like a catchy tune that cannot be ignored: personalization.

Personalization is not a new concept. It has been around since the days when email marketing was the newest toy everyone wanted to play with.

There is one catch, however: despite all the buzz and excitement surrounding personalization in marketing, it has been jogging on a treadmill - moving a lot but not really going anywhere.

We have all been told that personalization is the golden ticket, the magic potion that will transform your marketing from a pumpkin to a carriage.

However, in reality, it has been a lot like putting your name on a coffee cup - nice, but not particularly revolutionary.

People in the marketing industry tend to view personalization as a detective game. It is all about collecting every scrap of information about you - your job, your company, your favorite color - and then waving it in your face like an award. 'Look how much I know about you! Aren't you impressed?"

But here is where the plot twist begins.

It is not about how much data you can attach to your sales pitch like glitter to a greeting card. It all comes down to context, my friends.

An effective message goes beyond simply stating, "I know you" and instead states, "I understand you."

Let's take the example of a cold email. According to the old school of thought, personalization involves adding a few facts like your job title or company name to the message. But that would be the equivalent of reading the summary of a book and claiming to know the story.

The essence of true personalization is weaving a narrative that resonates with the person on the other end without making obvious statements.

The goal is to create a message that is so unique, so tailored, that it has the effect of speaking directly to the individual reading it, and not just selling to them. It is about making them think, "Wow, this person really gets me."

In the grand tale of B2B marketing and artificial intelligence, let's not get swept up in the glitter and fluff. Ultimately, it is all about making a genuine, human connection.

And sometimes, the most profound connections are made not by shouting the loudest, but by whispering the right words in the right ear at the right time.

That is the true art of personalization in the digital age.

From Facts to Fascination: Mastering B2B Storytelling

When it comes to storytelling, B2B Marketing has always struggled. Ask about a story, and a B2B Marketer will start naming features and talk about value propositions.

You know what I'm talking about, right?

In a sense, they are like the neighbor who cannot stop talking about his new lawnmower's horsepower at your neighborhood barbecue. While he has facts, figures, and features galore, he is lacking the magic ingredient - a story.

Likewise, B2B companies bombard us with details about their products, but it's like listening to a robot recite the phone book. What they are missing is the secret sauce, the spice which transforms a bland meal into a feast - the story.

However, it is not just any story.

In my opinion, a compelling story is one that grabs you in the first five seconds, ignites your eyes, and makes you lean in, whispering, "Tell me more." It is similar to digging through a cereal box in search of the one toy at the bottom - the prize that makes the whole box worthwhile.

Stories are more than just fairy tales or lullabies for bedtime. They are the operating system of our humanity. We use them to decode the stock market's ups and downs, navigate our in-laws' labyrinth, and remember every word to our favorite 90s sitcom theme song, but they also assist us in finding our keys.

Our stories are a vital part of how we feel, connect, and yes, even how we sell a lawnmower without putting anyone to sleep.

To all the B2B marketers out there, listen up: It's not about the horsepower of your product. This is about finding that defining moment, that 'why should I care?' moment. This is where your story lives and breathes. This is where you make a connection, not as a seller to a buyer, but as a human to another human.

Once you have found the heartbeat in your story, you will be able to not only sell, but also create something memorable, something that will resonate with the audience. This, my friends, is telling a profound story in the B2B arena.