7 Refreshing tips from your favourite B2B marketing agency
Our Seven Upp series looks to provide B2B marketers with clear, simple and practical ways to get better results from their B2B marketing. This week, we're taking a look at how businesses can make their B2B campaigns work harder.So, you’ve nailed the idea, your copy is on point, the design’s a dream and your multi-channel strategy is practically a work of art... this B2B campaign is a guaranteed home run, right? Well, not quite. The way you share your campaign with the world has to power to make or break it. But as a B2B marketing agency with over 20 years of experience, we'd like to share a few simple creative principles that will help make sure that not only do your campaigns look great, but they also connect, convince and convert those tricky B2B audiences.
Tip 1 Craft a compelling proposition
A creative idea is one thing, but if it’s not backed by a clear, compelling message, then it probably won’t get you far. Audiences need clarity, so make sure your proposition comes through loud and clear in every single one of your touchpoints (and not just your landing page). That’s what sets the best B2B marketing agencies apart.
Tip 2: Use clear and persuasive CTAs
Your call-to-action is absolutely critical to conversions on your landing page. So, they deserve a little extra thought and attention. They need to be short, direct and very action focused. Clearly stating the benefit to the customer can be much more effective than using generic copy like "Submit" or "Download". Instead, consider using phrases like "Get Your Free Ebook" or "Request a Demo Now".
Tip 3: Design across devices
People don’t live behind laptop screens... even B2B audiences, so chances are, your audience will view your campaigns on their mobiles too. Think creatively about how your design and content will adapt to screen sizes and make sure the experience is seamless across all. Before your campaign goes live, test your content on various devices to ensure it loads quickly, and all elements are easily accessible and readable. This step can save you a lot of hassle later on.
A creative idea is one thing, but if it’s not backed by a clear, compelling message, then it probably won’t get you far. Audiences need clarity, so make sure your proposition comes through loud and clear in every single one of your touchpoints (and not just your landing page). That’s what sets the best B2B marketing agencies apart.
Tip 2: Use clear and persuasive CTAs
Your call-to-action is absolutely critical to conversions on your landing page. So, they deserve a little extra thought and attention. They need to be short, direct and very action focused. Clearly stating the benefit to the customer can be much more effective than using generic copy like "Submit" or "Download". Instead, consider using phrases like "Get Your Free Ebook" or "Request a Demo Now".
Tip 3: Design across devices
People don’t live behind laptop screens... even B2B audiences, so chances are, your audience will view your campaigns on their mobiles too. Think creatively about how your design and content will adapt to screen sizes and make sure the experience is seamless across all. Before your campaign goes live, test your content on various devices to ensure it loads quickly, and all elements are easily accessible and readable. This step can save you a lot of hassle later on.
Tip 4: Add a little social proof
Even the most creative campaign needs credibility, and building trust is so important with B2B audiences. After 20 years as a B2B marketing agency, we've seen just how powerful including some social proof is at boosting confidence in potential customers and evidencing genuine authority in your field.
Customer testimonials, case studies, logos of companies you've worked with, trust badges, industry certifications or security seals are all great ways to show this credibility.
Tip 5: Strip it back Webpages, copy, visuals... sometimes less really is more. Creativity in B2B is often about distilling the message to its simplest form. Overloading your audience with too much copy, images or form fields is the fastest way to lose their interest. Cut the copy to focus on the benefits that really matter, and give your design space to breathe so the key message shines through. By removing distractions, you’re amplifying what’s left. And that’s what really makes your campaign memorable and impactful.
Tip 6: Design your creativity to convert Remember that every creative choice should ultimately serve a purpose. This is a rule that you should hold any B2B marketing agency to. From headlines to hero images, keep in mind that everything should be benefit-led and fixed on driving conversion. It will bring up some tough questions: does this headline make the benefit crystal clear? Is this image supporting the message or just filling space? Is this copy persuasive enough to nudge the reader closer to a decision? The golden rule is if a creative choice doesn’t help the audience to understand, trust or take action, then it’s probably getting in the way.
Tip 5: Strip it back Webpages, copy, visuals... sometimes less really is more. Creativity in B2B is often about distilling the message to its simplest form. Overloading your audience with too much copy, images or form fields is the fastest way to lose their interest. Cut the copy to focus on the benefits that really matter, and give your design space to breathe so the key message shines through. By removing distractions, you’re amplifying what’s left. And that’s what really makes your campaign memorable and impactful.
Tip 6: Design your creativity to convert Remember that every creative choice should ultimately serve a purpose. This is a rule that you should hold any B2B marketing agency to. From headlines to hero images, keep in mind that everything should be benefit-led and fixed on driving conversion. It will bring up some tough questions: does this headline make the benefit crystal clear? Is this image supporting the message or just filling space? Is this copy persuasive enough to nudge the reader closer to a decision? The golden rule is if a creative choice doesn’t help the audience to understand, trust or take action, then it’s probably getting in the way.
Tip 7: Make it clean, simple and user friendly
Last, but not least. Sometimes, great creative is as much about what you leave out as what you put in. And B2B campaign landing pages aren’t the place to sacrifice clarity for creativity. Clean, uncluttered layouts with direct messaging reduce the risk of confusion or frustration that will inevitably reduce conversion rates. As a B2B marketing agency, we advise avoiding long sections of prose where possible. Instead, use headings, subheadings and bullet points to break down content and make it easily scannable. Use high-quality images and relevant visuals to liven things up a little, but don’t let anything become too distracting from the message. It’s also very important to make sure that your call-to-action stands out prominently. If your prospect thinks they want to get in touch, you don’t want to lose them because they can’t see where to do it.Chris Banner
Creative Director
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The best tip is to partner with a great B2B marketing agency
These tips give you a small taste of what we can bring to your business as a specialist B2B marketing agency. But ultimately, there's no substitute for partnering with creative experts who bring energy to your brand and your projects. If you'd like to see how we can help you, please get in touch.
