Chapter 05:
The rise of Business to Human (B2H) marketing
Business to Human (B2H) marketing was introduced by Anthony Kennada, the founding CMO of Gainsight, in his book Category Creation. Anthony has a deep belief that the worlds of B2B and B2C marketing are converging, ushering a new era for business that must focus on the humans that sit behind the logos we are targeting.
At one level, marketing programmes which focus more on the needs of individual buyers, rather than their organisations are those such as the initiatives outlined earlier by Ashish Babu at TCS, Diana Buxton of Cognizant and Navin Rammohan of Infosys. Whether they be entertainment, learning or networking, all these focus primarily on appealing to the needs and aspirations of individuals rather than their organisations.
Digital has given us many more touchpoints with the customer and avenues to build the brand, and people follow your brand online and see what you stand for. As marketers, we’re able to create and take in human opinions and sentiments in real-time. Your plan and approach has to become very human-centric. There’s no way for the human element not to creep in there.
On another level, the habits and expectations we have developed as consumers, such as making instant and convenient purchases and accessing any information immediately, are increasingly becoming relevant when marketing to business buyers. “B2B is definitely becoming more like B2C,” agrees Samrin. “Digital has given us many more touchpoints with the customer and avenues to build the brand, and people follow your brand online and see what you stand for,”
The key principle underlying B2H marketing is that technology companies must build programmes which address the needs of individuals, helping them solve problems, develop knowledge and in some cases simply provide a fun and memorable experience. This approach is the underlying logic to Network Sunday’s TechPros.io enterprise community brand. Participants in our thought leadership programmes find the interview experience stimulating, the insights of their peers revealing, and are attracted by the opportunity presented for personal brand awareness, says Tim Bond, Founder and CEO of Network Sunday and TechPros.io.
B2H marketing isn’t something cybersecurity companies have always done very well to date, says Sellers. “When you look at how this sector engages buyers, it’s pretty boring, sometimes even pretty bad. Everyone’s saying the same thing – ‘we are the trusted solution’ and it gets meaningless,” he says. Ping Identity has been working on creating content with influencers to create a more playful, personalised type of connection with customers. “Leveraging the community and storytelling is very powerful because at the end of the day you’re selling to a person. Whether they’re part of a buying committee or have sole purchasing authority, you need to connect with them, and storytelling is a powerful way to do that,” says Sellers.
“B2H is definitely the way that the technology industry is moving”, agrees Neil Berry of Atos, “but actually it is really Human to Human (H2H). With the pandemic, organisations have had to humanise brands and realise that their people are what makes them unique. It’s very powerful if you can bring your people to be the representation of your brand and tell your story in a far more human-connected way that appeals to individual buyers, and makes people want to partner with your business.”
Since we are marketing to humans, how we present our organisation to individuals becomes important in all sorts of other ways, says Marisa Jansen van Vuuren, Senior Vice President: Brand and Major Projects at NTT Ltd. Appealing to the values of individuals is of increasing importance. “Brands really encompass the purpose of the organisation, and that’s increasingly linked to making a positive societal impact and limiting damage to the environment,”
Brands really encompass the purpose of the organisation, and that’s increasingly linked to making a positive societal impact and limiting damage to the environment. Buyers factor in that purpose in terms of decision making and it’s also critical from the perspective of talent retention and attraction. People are five times more likely to stay with a company if they identify with your purpose. It’s about being relevant to the people you’re looking to serve.
she says. “Buyers factor in that purpose in terms of decision making and it’s also critical from the perspective of talent retention and attraction. People are five times more likely to stay with a company if they identify with your purpose. It’s about being relevant to the people you’re looking to serve.”
Marisa Jansen van Vuuren
Senior Vice President: Brand and Major Projects, NTT Ltd
The Measurement Challenge