By Lee Odden

The pandemic driven digital transformation of B2B marketing to digital first has created all new levels of competition for time, attention and trust. In this environment, the importance of building credibility is essential in order to deliver stand out customer experiences. But how?

B2B brand Thought Leadership certainly plays a role and as the trends in trust focus more on individuals over companies, the opportunity to optimize content experiences through executive thought leadership and influence are growing. The more influence B2B brand executives have, the more credibility the brand has.

But how? How can B2B marketers build awareness, credibility and influence of their key executives with content? Here are a few tried and true tactics that continue to work in today’s digital B2B environment:

• Client Testimonials – The customer success story is often one of the first things that catches the eye when looking at potential vendors. Common mistakes include testimonials that are too enthusiastic or those that are benign but packed as if they’re something special. Testimonials should reflect issues of interest to the target audience and also include supporting quotes from key B2B brand executives.

• Case Studies – For deeper consideration, B2B brands want to drill down into the specifics of how a company does what it does and the results achieved. Case studies present a picture of a company’s breadth and depth of ability to solve a variety of issues and insights about the story from key B2B executives adds credibility to the study and to the brand.

• Industry Awards – Getting recognized by a respected third party can mean a quick trip to the credibility club. However, such awards are only as meaningful as the credibility of the entities giving them out. Whether a B2B brand is receiving or giving out the awards, key executive should be involved and cited.

• Being Quoted by the Press, Blogs – Being cited as an authority on a particular topic in a high profile publication can be instrumental for building a key executives reputation and credibility and by proxy, the trust and influence of the brand. Relevant media pickups should be curated on the brand’s newsroom or on brand social which is another opportunity to highlight relevant brand executives.

• Influencing the Influencers – It has become a universal truth that buyers trust people more than brands. As a result, there is a significant growth in influencers within various B2B industries. B2B brands can tap into influence by collaborating with individuals that have the trust and attention of customers as well as by building the influence of existing employees. Influencer status could be a consideration when making certain new hire decisions as well.

• Speaking at Industry Events – While most events in the B2B world are now virtual, there are more of them, which presents a great opportunity for key B2B executives to showcase their individual expertise as well as the thought leadership of the brand. Not everyone gets to start …read more

  Source:: Top Rank Blog

        

  

  Author: Aaron