Getting your B2B marketing message in front of contractors, technicians, installers and other types of trades presents a unique marketing challenge. Amongst the many ways in the past that may have worked, we have noticed some approaches that have reached a certain level of success with millennials.
1. Create ongoing Video
Videos that introduce your company, explain your product, and provide training are all now expected and demanded from millennials and post-millennials. People now want immediate access to training videos online to all products, no matter how simple they may seem. The iPhone pioneered the User Interface and User Experience model – no one reads instructions anymore and no one from now on ever will.
2. Develop and maintain online Feedback Communities
Allowing millennial customers to play a role up front with feedback for new ideas, and afterwards in the form of open and honest product reviews is now critical to success. Millennial consumers are used to playing a role in the design of new snack foods, beers, and FMCG, it is only fitting that they would demand the same of their B2B suppliers.
3. Embrace Community building (with philanthropic edge if possible)
Demonstrate your company’s role in supporting the community (either the physical neighborhood the company is located in, or the industry “community”, all with a philanthropic emphasis. People like to know they are making the world a better place, and many of their consumer brands are doing just this. Naturally, it makes sense that B2B millennial customers expect the same kind of global perspective as their consumer brands, such as Warby Parker, who donates one pair of glasses to the needy for each pair that it sells.
4. Move quickly
All marketing efforts must get quickly to the point, especially when the content is now much more likely to be viewed on a mobile platform. No one, not Baby Boomers, not X’ers and certainly not post-millennials has time or patience to sit through long drawn out marketing or support messages. Injecting humor into your efforts also has proven to make marketing go viral, such as the Dollar Shave Club promotional video.
5. Adopt mobile technology with all marketing
Becoming mobile first with marketing also extends to ensuring that your app provides an excellent resource for your millennial customers. The fact is, the more time you can get them using your app to interact and learn about your product, the better your chances in up selling and cross selling them into other products.
While many of these marketing tactics apply to all generations, the twist of philanthropy, speed, humor, and mobile all make your current marketing efforts more relatable to younger generations, reduce fear in purchasing and help create a more friendly purchase driver environment.