Branding: To B2B Or Not To B2B
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If I had 100,000 bucks for every prospective B2B client who told us branding wasn’t important to them because they weren’t “customer facing”, I’d be retired and sipping margaritas on a beach by now. Unfortunately for me and my early retirement plan, we aren’t always successful at convincing clients that branding and design can supercharge their business. When we do convince them, however, magic happens.
A B2B client recently approached us to “redesign just their logo” and followed up with, “We don’t want to waste time, money or effort on anything more.” I’ve been doing this for two decades, and this is usually my cue to explain to the client that a logo by itself means very little. A logo by itself isn’t solving any problem for the client. What they really want is a “brand identity,” a “brand strategy,” a “marketing strategy,” etc. They need to first identify what their problem is, and then we need to figure out the best solution to that problem (of which the logo can be a small but essential part).
However, this particular client stood firm. They insisted, “Just give me the new logo. We’re a B2B business, so we don’t need to invest in a full branding exercise.” Of course, we eventually showed this client the light, and we’re currently building them the brand they thought they didn’t want but are now just as excited about as we are.
Over the past 14 years at the helm of TWO Design, I’ve had these conversations with clients so often that I figured I should write it all down—for posterity and the next generation of creatives, who will no doubt be met with these same challenges.
First things first: Just because you’re “business-to-business” doesn’t mean humans aren’t in the loop. The decision to work with you—whether as a partner, investor, or employee—will always be taken by a human (at least until our AI overlords become sentient and come for all our jobs, but that’s a post for another day).
There are plenty of other B2B branding myths I’d love to dispel. The biggest is the difference between a brand and a logo.
BRAND VS. LOGO
I’m often called upon to explain the difference between a brand and a logo. I find the following metaphor very effective: Imagine your business as a person at a networking event. Your logo would be the name tag the person has on. It’s a quick and easy way to identify them and their name.
A brand, on the other hand, is everything that makes that person who they are. It’s how they’re dressed, how confident they are, how funny they are, how they speak, and their body language. But it’s also how everyone else at the event thinks of them — their reputation, the stories everyone tells about them, and how they make everyone around them feel. And that’s what branding is all about—making someone have a warm, fuzzy feeling about you.
This aspect of branding remains true regardless of whether your business is consumer-facing or business-facing. If people interact with your business at any stage, congratulations, you’re a brand. The question is, are you a brand those people have an emotional reaction to? Are you a brand they can connect with? Are you a brand they are drawn back to repeatedly? Essentially, are you a brand they love?
Let’s look at a real-world example. Slack—the global benchmark for business communication. Does Slack have the best UI, UX or features for a B2B communications platform? Arguably not, there are many better options out there. Is Slack the cheapest communications platform? Not by a long shot. But, their customers are happy to pay the premium because they love being associated with the Slack brand. All the cool B2B kids are using Slack, and you want to be part of that gang. (Besides, reading their app updates and release notes will brighten your day – a solid example of great brand thinking at the most granular level.)
THE POWER OF B2B BRANDING
So why is B2B branding an oft-neglected, not-so-glamorous niche in our industry? While many agencies would turn up their noses at B2B brands because of a perceived lack of creative potential, it’s quite the opposite for us. We’ve done some of our most creative work for passionate B2B brands that don’t tick the traditional “creative client” boxes. For example, it isn’t easy making glass manufacturing seem sexy, but we found a way to do just that with SAGlass. (Check out the case study here.)
A well-designed brand is not just a visual identity; it’s a powerful tool that can unlock various benefits for your business. Let’s explore what we call the 4 Ps of B2B Branding that could significantly enhance your business value and even translate into higher profits (ka-ching!).
Projecting Trust: Building credibility into your image
Prominent Presence: Standing out in a saturated market
Perception to Profit: Increased perceived value translates to real profits
People Magnet: Attracting the highest calibre talent, partnerships and investors
THE 4 Ps OF B2B BRANDING
1. Projecting Trust: Building credibility into your image
One of the most crucial aspects of business is establishing trust, credibility, and, eventually, loyalty. There are many ways to inspire trust, but none are as quick as a well-designed brand. That hit is instantaneous — you experience a brand and feel, immediately, in your bones, a sense of reassurance. Any other trust-building exercise pales in comparison and takes a hell of a lot longer. Additionally, since B2B relationships usually involve longer sales cycles and often multi-year partnerships, not to mention significant resources and investment, these relationships should never be taken lightly. You need to be consistent.
2. Prominent Presence: Standing out in a crowded market
The disadvantage of the B2B industry is that 98% of companies don’t value branding or design. The advantage of the B2B industry is also that 98% of companies don’t value branding or design. That means that just by focusing on building a great brand, you’re already positioning yourself in the top 2% of the market. When you stand out from the competition, you’re at the top of your audience's mind. Hello, distinction!
3. Perception to Profit: Increased perceived value
When you’re in the B2B landscape, there’s often very little separating you from your competition. Eventually, it comes down to what your perceived value in the market is. Are you perceived to have the best quality product? Are you perceived as the undisputed leader in your industry? The intangibility of these qualities is exactly why they’re first a branding problem before anything else. If you project an image of trustworthiness, reliability, high quality, and value, that’s the kind of business you’ll attract. And you can command a higher premium for your products and services. That’s what made the founders at Slack multimillionaires.
4. People Magnet: Attracting and retaining top talent
Let’s face it: in today’s competitive corporate environment, you want to seem like a company that’s cool, cutting-edge, fun, and stable. Employees who believe in their company brand and ethos are far more likely to resist jumping ship. And there’s no doubt that the truly great brands have thousands of the most qualified applicants lined up at their doorstep. If a recruiter at Apple called you right now and offered you a job interview, there’s only a handful of professionals in the world who’d turn that down. Why do you think that is?
If your business, offerings, technology or systems have evolved far beyond their original foundations, but somehow, your brand feels stuck in the 1980s, you need to rebrand your business
UNITING GIANTS: THE HLE GLASCOAT CASE STUDY
At this point, you’re probably wondering what this means in practice. Here’s a recent real-world client example that should help.
A couple of years ago, HLE approached us to rebrand their business. It was a pivotal moment in the history of this industry pioneer because they were joining hands with Glascoat, another global leader in the glass-lined industrial manufacturing space.
They realised that what they needed wasn’t a simple logo redesign – they needed a new image that celebrated these two giants and communicated the strength and power of the combined entity. It had to transform into a brand that held its own on the global stage, head and shoulders above the competition.
So that’s exactly what we built them. We spent months speaking to their leadership and their workers. We shot some gorgeous photographs of their plants and factories. And we gathered information, insights, stories — we got to the bottom of what made them great. And only then did we begin designing their brand. Of course, this included a gorgeous new logo, a mountain of corporate branded collateral, a website, and facility signage. But the win was seeing the smiles on the faces of not just the CEO and senior leadership but on the faces of the most junior employees as they showed off their brand-new uniforms. That’s what it’s all about.
When the new brand did launch, to much fanfare and industry acclaim, it was a declaration that a new behemoth had entered the global arena. Almost overnight, their stock shot up, their sales skyrocketed, and their employee ratings reached record highs.
Since their partnership rebranding announcement in 2021, the company’s revenue has almost doubled. Have we covered “ka-ching” already?
WHAT A REBRAND ENTAILS, AND SHOULD YOU DO IT?
Rebranding a B2B company (or, if you’re lucky, building a brand for a new B2B company) is no small, easy task. It shouldn’t be. You’ve built your company over decades, sometimes generations, putting your blood, sweat, and tears into making it great. You want to treat this brand with the care and attention it deserves.
I’ll be honest — when done right, a rebrand could take months, cost a pretty penny, and involve a significant resource commitment. So, it should not be done on a whim or impulse. But really, the question shouldn’t be, “How expensive is it?” It should be, “Is it worth that investment?”
The answer is a resounding “Yes!” for all the reasons we’ve already covered. But here are some more that might resonate with you if you’re a B2B business owner.
If your company is over five years old and you have never invested in a professional branding exercise, you need to rebrand your business.
If you feel a twinge of embarrassment when promoting your business, products, or services in a public forum like a conference or industry convention, you need to rebrand your business.
If you’ve struggled with employee morale or retention and nothing seems to excite your workforce about working for you, you need to rebrand your business.
Finally, if your business, offerings, technology or systems have evolved far beyond their original foundations, but somehow, your brand feels stuck in the 1980s, you need to rebrand your business.
WE CAN HELP
If you’re a business leader with a B2B business and you’ve read this far, chances are you’re already halfway convinced that your business needs a rebranding.
Remember, help is available! A branding agency like TWO Design (shameless plug, but this is our blog!), with decades of experience and scores of B2B clients, would be a happy guide on this journey of brand discovery.
Once you’ve found a trusted agency partner, we recommend an in-depth brand review to identify the current challenges and opportunities. Then, the real, exciting work begins — crafting a brand we can all be proud of.
Want to learn more about TWO Design and how we can help you with your branding needs? Email us or, better yet, set up a 15-minute, no-BS, no-strings-attached brand review call with our Creative Director, Vikram Bhalla, at this calendar link.
We can’t wait to go on this journey with you!