Sexiness & B2Bs don’t have to be strangers
It takes a little more work for B2B brands to develop that je ne sais quoi, but it can be done
Successful B2C companies usually have brands with a certain je ne sais quoi. B2B firms can be sexy, too, and there are sound business reasons to make the effort.
To be clear, by sexy I mean compellingly attractive, not underwear-model sexy. Conveying that is all in how you tell your brand story. But what does it take to elicit an “I want that” reaction? We’ve boiled it down to the HELIX code: Humor, Emotion (or Empathy), Looks, Intelligence and the X-factor.
Businesses that incorporate these elements effectively in their marketing are more memorable and likable, and have more dedicated fans. (More on decoding that DNA here.)
B2Bs can use the code as successfully as B2Cs. It may take a little more imagination, but sustainable businesses have an advantage here, since they’re inherently smarter and more innovative than others in their market. The three approaches that follow can help B2Bs make their products and services irresistible.
Build from the core
Start with your primary message — the distillation of what you do, how it’s different and why it matters. (Don’t have one? Then messaging is your first step.) What’s smart about that or intrinsically cool? How can you emphasize it using humor, emotion and design?
Have fun
Having a sense of humor doesn’t mean you’ll sacrifice credibility. And it doesn’t have to mean jokes — you can just be playful. MailChimp, for example, built its brand on not taking itself too seriously. From its goofy mascot to its chatty blog to its behind-the-scenes Instagram feed, MailChimp’s marketing makes a functional tool fun. And that’s one reason MailChimp has the largest share of its category.
Borrow some allure
Sexiness doesn’t have to come from within — not when we’re talking about marketing, anyway. One way to increase your appeal is to associate your brand with something else that’s considered sexy or cool.
We turned to drink for the Silicon Valley finance consulting firm RoseRyan, creating a campaign based on custom cocktails for the firm’s 20th anniversary. We commissioned gorgeous drinks from a happening restaurant, gave them finance names and voilà — press coverage for a milestone that normally wouldn’t have rated a second glance from media.
Remember, robots don’t buy things (yet). Humans do. We’re always going to be more receptive to something desirable than something merely practical, whether we’re looking at a brunch menu or comparing services. B2Bs that realize that and build a sexy brand have the advantage whether they’re first movers or competing in a crowded field.
