B2B product buyers are living in a world awash with breakthrough consumer creative, and they want their B2B buying journey experience to be just as engaging. But according to new research from creative, marketing and advertising agency firm WHM, most B2B marketing isn’t reaching buyers where it counts.
The survey, commissioned by WHM in September 2018 and conducted by Propeller Insights, tapped into some surprisingly strong opinions:
- About half (48 percent) of B2B purchase decision makers find B2B advertising boring
- Half (49 percent) also feel most B2B websites are not as interesting and creative as consumer websites
- A vast majority (82 percent) wish B2B advertising had the creativity associated with B2C advertising
- Only 22 percent of respondents say the advertising they see often prompts them to take a next step towards making a purchase
And perhaps most striking—81 percent of business buyers believe they’d make better decisions if B2B advertising did a better job of engaging them.
“It’s hard to sell something if you’re boring people to death,” said WHM partner Audrey Merritt, in a news release. “So much B2B marketing falls flat because it doesn’t make the audience feel something. Of course, we understand why tech companies get excited about pushing the features of their product—and there’s a time and a place for that. But the truth is, the vast majority of buying decisions are emotional.”
“Customers want to know who you are and what you can do for them before you tell them how your product works,” added WHM partner Thomas Whalen, in the release. “These survey results reveal a tremendous opportunity for B2B enterprises willing to take a fresher approach to marketing—an opportunity not just to better engage their customers but to better serve them.”
