In order for business organisations in complex selling to not only stay competitive in the future, but to achieve growth in markets where customer needs are constantly changing, a strong marketing function that is digitally capable is a necessity, writes Veolia’s Jason Gow.

In the world of complex selling, where multimillion-dollar opportunities are a slow burn and where buying decisions are made by a handful of people, B2B marketing has traditionally been perceived as a support function to business development.

I however, have always been a firm believer that marketing functions within B2B organisations should have the same level of importance, if not greater, as other functional business lines such as finance or human resources, or as they do in B2C companies.

Many B2B organisations are yet to see value in doing this, being unable to understand the bottom-line benefits marketing can potentially deliver. But in those companies that do recognise marketing as having the same level of importance as other internal functional lines, the CMO function can truly embed itself and achieve optimal, customer-focused business outcomes.

Having been in B2B marketing for close to 10 years now, I can sincerely say that marketing is a driving force for growth within an organisation, playing a critical role in matching market needs with company solutions through many forms of strategic and persuasive communications.

Through multiple channels and touchpoints, an effective marketing function influences the handful of decision makers that must be targeted throughout the B2B buying cycle. Measuring this influence in B2B marketing, however, has been difficult.

Thankfully, this is now beginning to change as we welcome a new era for B2B marketing through digital enablement.

Brand building in a business environment

From a branding perspective, there are many things leading B2B companies can and have adopted from the world of consumer marketing. And there are examples of B2B organisations that have built strong brands for the exact same reasons B2C companies have done so.

Companies such as IBM, Boeing, GE, Siemens, Veolia and Salesforce.com, which are all involved in complex selling, have embraced a B2C approach in building brand equity through storytelling that attempts to make an emotional connection with the audience. These companies often employ multiple channels to deliver branded content through print and online advertising, trade shows, customer focused forums, and more recently, social media platforms such as LinkedIn.

As a result, these organisations are reaping the rewards of having a strong brand. Among these are fast-tracking the buying process, linking the buyer need with the seller’s solution, providing better access to potential clients for the sales function to pursue as the brand is known, gaining a competitive point of difference, and communicating a promise or commitment on the service or product to be delivered.

Thanks to the value communicated, all of these companies can charge a premium. The perception of quality is also greater, and for the organisation as a whole, this means a higher stock price and stronger balance sheet.

Content strategies employed by these companies are akin to the likes of a Nike, Apple or Starbucks in that they’re highly creative, emotive and focus on promoting brand attributes. This is about things that make up a brand’s identity. Nike’s ‘Last’ and GE’s ‘Childlike Imagination – What My Mom Does at GE’ provide great examples of storytelling that resonate regardless of whether you’re in a B2C or B2B environment.