“It’s easier for Virgin to be innovative, because you’ve got a sexy consumer facing brand.”

I hear this all the time.

Well guess what? That’s not 100% true.

We do a lot of marketing directly to the trade (e.g. travel professionals, financial advisers, HR and benefits executives etc).

And in all this Business to Business communications we don’t check our “Virginity” at the door.

I believe people are people.

Whether they are at home, at work, or at play.

They don’t change their personalities, lose their senses of humor or abandon the brands they admire as soon as they walk into their offices.

Certainly not all of our B2B efforts are successful.  We’ve had our fair share of failures. But usually this is driven by specific market pressures rather than any mistakes we make in communicating to these audiences.

In Business to Business branding, just like consumer branding, you’ve got to go in with a point of differentiation, connect with your audience, and deliver superior value and experiences.

Here’s 5 Quick Tips for Helping B2B Brands Break Through

#1. Say it with Style

I think a lot of brands think they have to speak in a “corporate” tone of voice when communicating to trade targets. I don’t get this. I don’t know anyone who likes to be spoken to like a robot.
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