B2B marketing is about more than just data and analytics — it’s about reaching the people at the heart of every company.
Businesses are made up of people. That’s not groundbreaking news in itself, but you’d be surprised how many B2B marketers forget that. They’re too focused on the details of the data instead of looking at the larger picture, which includes how to reach and persuade the people behind each business.
What’s more, meeting expectations and using the right keywords are no longer enough. To form deep connections and deliver outstanding experiences that actually persuade buyers, you’ll have to harness the true power of a human-centric approach to marketing.
Humanizing a B2B Brand Through Your Website
Most people inherently love making connections — and leveraging design to humanize your marketing and communicate your industry leadership can be a game-changer when it comes to tapping into prospective buyers’ emotional sides.
To create a website that inspires human emotion and connection, pay attention to these key areas.
Your Blog
If you don’t already have a blog on your site, it’s time to create one. Blogs are an effective way to let your target audience get to know you more personally, and writing about the latest trends in your industry can help form deeper connections and establish yourself as an authority figure in the space.
Perhaps the greatest benefit of featuring a blog on your site is that it offers you a chance to provide potential customers with the resources they need and instill a sense of trust. By placing more value on education and information, you communicate a much more customer-centric focus and lay the groundwork for a long-term relationship with your buyers.
Your Tone
Ever sat through a presentation by someone who mumbles, won’t make eye contact, or piles on the jargon? If so, you know that how you say something is almost as important as what you say — and your website copy is no different.
Check that your tone matches the image you’re trying to project, and keep your customers in mind as you write. Using industry terms to target enterprise buyers might give you more credibility, but if your ideal buyer works for a new startup that’s making waves, bright and informal language will make your business seem like a better fit.
Above all, keep things interesting! No one wants to read a string of tedious, uninspiring paragraphs, which are not only bland and unmemorable, but also fail to do anything to humanize your brand. In other words, don’t be afraid to speak like a human rather than an SEO-driven marketing robot!
Your Visual Identity
Similarly, a strong visual identity consistently applied to your website shows you understand your customers and can help you stand out from the competition. For example, a streamlined, minimalistic site with a blue-centric color palette (AKA the most trustworthy of colors) makes sense for an established investment bank. However, a more colorful and playful visual identity might better serve a tech startup.
By letting the findings of deep user research guide your company’s visual identity and website architecture, you can create a genuinely human-centric experience that’s engaging, informative, and aligns with your audience and their needs.
Your People
Your company is also made up of people, so why not showcase that? After all, humans connect best with other humans. Or think about it another way: How can you expect people to feel confident investing in your product or service if you come off as an anonymous, faceless company?
When it comes to your website, feature your team and your culture through photos and fun facts to humanize your organization and add a more personal touch. A well-crafted About Us page that sheds light on your company’s history and who your employees are can actually convince sales prospects to reach out.
How Thunderfoot Helps B2B Brands Create Human Connections
Plenty of consumer brands do an exemplary job of building human-centric websites and making connections with their customers. But they’re not the only ones! Thunderfoot has helped many B2B-focused companies better connect with their buyers, including a Fortune 1000 investment bank’s institutional group, a Series B cybersecurity firm, and a managed IT services provider.
Want to see more? Check out our portfolio of transformative design work to better understand what we can do for your brand and your business.