Chapter 02:
Brand building for the future and longevity
What most technology companies have realised as we emerge from the pandemic, is that customers care about brands. Even in a B2B technology market, customers want to do business with brands they trust, brands they feel align with their own company’s values, and brands that put their customers at the heart of the business.
“When we approach a potential customer, if we just jump into a discussion around their challenges, it's very difficult to get the conversions that we're looking for, because there's got to be that level of trust first,” says Kate Blatner, Senior Product Marketing Manager, UST.
Building trust takes time. Buyers want to ensure their suppliers are credible and reliable before entering into a relationship. Buyers and sellers need time to court, to get to know each other, to like each other. Investing in relationships before an explicit need is identified can lead to increased revenue over the longer term.
In the LinkedIn report, Les Binet and Peter Field draw attention to the fact that there are many more buyers ‘out of market’ than ‘in market.’ There may be 20 companies buying today but 200 companies over the next 2 years - if you build relationships with these 200 companies and nurture them over time, when they are ready to buy you are well positioned to influence the outcome.
Kate Blatner
Senior Product Marketing Manager
UST
Conversely, if efforts are only focused on the ‘in market’ companies, you are more likely up against buyers who have already built deeper relationships with your competition.
Kevin Sellers sums it up perfectly below.
So does Juveria Samrin, Director of Marketing at ColorTokens: “Today’s brand building needs to resonate with potential customers who might not know your brand or even be thinking about making a purchase yet. It’s about building a reputation, so that you can connect with potential customers and continue to engage, educate and add value until they’re ready to buy. In the cybersecurity industry, we have other challenges that we consider while building our brand – how is our brand addressing the skill gap and the gender gap that is prominent in this industry, and how is a company like ColorTokens fortifying efforts to bridge them.” Zensar Technologies has recently worked with Carnegie Mellon University to create digital assets. “To promote these, I have to spend on digital marketing to get them in front of people, but that’s not meant to sell, it’s meant to educate over time,” says Abhishek Vanamali, Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Partnerships at Zensar Technologies. “There is a middle section where brand meets demand. It’s not just opportunistic selling, it’s communicating a point of view, which invokes trust. And trust is the most important commodity, I believe.”
Brand building often focuses on values, and showing who you are as an organisation, says Neil Berry, Head of Global Account & Deal Based Marketing for FSI at Atos. “We are absolutely looking at how we can best represent our brand, along with looking at how we can utilise our brand to further expand upon our customers' current understanding of our organisation,” says Neil Berry. At Infosys, the company has tried to partner with social causes that they feel will resonate with future customers, says Navin Rammohan, Vice President, Segment Head Marketing - Business Verticals, Europe Mktg, Sponsorship & Events at Infosys. This can be of benefit in terms of values and practical knowledge, in some cases. “Infosys has a huge Foundation in the UK and India that works with a lot of charitable organisations related to education, water and sustainability,” he says. “If a client is really interested in sustainability, we already have some knowledge because of the work we are doing in that space.” According to Shikhar Vishnoi, Head of Marketing for Banking, Financial Services and Insurance at Zensar Technologies, “It is challenging to differentiate between offerings of B2B technology businesses. Marketers need to rely on creating cohesive brand experiences across diverse customer touchpoints, by leveraging thought leadership initiatives and communication strategies designed to build perception. The last few years have seen acceleration in adoption of new ways to market and to position your brand in the IT services context. I see this as an opportunity to build strong narratives that reflect a brand’s ethos, culture and intrinsic value proposition. Changing the mindset and building trust is critical to stand out in a crowded marketspace; at Zensar we bring together smart, digital strategies that are aligned with our core brand value of creating outcomes and bringing speed to market for our global clients. What matters the most is that we create experiences and relationships that lead to a sustainable brand.”
I see this as an opportunity to build strong narratives that reflect a brand’s ethos, culture and intrinsic value proposition. Changing the mindset and building trust is critical to stand out in a crowded marketspace; at Zensar we bring together smart, digital strategies that are aligned with our core brand value of creating outcomes and bringing speed to market for our global clients. What matters the most is that we create experiences and relationships that lead to a sustainable brand.
Shikhar Vishnoi
Head of Marketing for Banking, Financial Services and Insurance Zensar Technologies