B2B CMOs strive to create differentiated brand and product messaging that motivates buyers to act. Most messaging focuses on business value and functional benefits. But on this #Hashtags, we explore how this approach fails to account for a major factor in B2B decision-making — the way buyers feel.
In this episode of #Hashtags, Gartner analyst Rick LaFond discusses how to create compelling value propositions and marketing communications that address the emotional side of B2B buying. Conventional wisdom suggests that while B2C buying might be emotionally charged, B2B buying is highly rational. However, B2B buying is heavily driven by emotions, and buyer perception of “personal value” from a brand is nearly 3x more strongly associated with positive brand outcomes than perception of “functional value.”
Rick LaFond is a Gartner Senior Director Analyst for Gartner for Marketers. He leads Gartner's B2B customer acquisition & account growth research. As an analyst, Rick supports Gartner's clients with insights and guidance on various marketing topics, including demand generation, digital marketing strategy, sales enablement, content marketing and account-based marketing.