B2B decision makers are bored.
The advertising they are getting is lackluster, and they wish it was more like the creative they see in B2C, according to a study from WHM, a Bay Area-based agency, conducted by Propeller Insights.
Of the buyers polled, 82% wish B2B had the creativity associated with B2C. That has to include creative delivered within the email marketing channel.
In addition, 48% find B2B advertising boring. And 49% feel B2B websites are not as interesting or creative as consumer sites.
These attitudes can have a dampening effect on sales. Only 22% feel that B2B advertising prompts them to take the next step in the purchase funnel.
Moreover, 81% feel they would make better decisions if B2B advertising was more engaging.
"It’s hard to sell something if you’re boring people to death,” said WHM partner Audrey Merritt. “So much B2B marketing falls flat because it doesn’t make the audience feel something."
Merritt adds: “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.”
Traditional direct marketing wisdom supports the idea that buyers want to first know what a product can do for them. But it doesn’t help to get bogged down in technical details.
“Customers want to know who you are and what you can do for them before you tell them how your product works,” states WHM partner Thomas Whalen.