Push and pull marketing have long ruled the B2B industry, but the ongoing digital transformation of the B2B world is now changing the rules of engagement. As the percentage of Millennials and Gen-Zers in the workforce continues to rise, a new paradigm is emerging – one of participatory marketing.

Having grown up in the age of social internet, younger B2B customers have a different outlook about customer engagement than previous generations. They prefer self-guided digital experiences, are hyperconnected with other users and don’t hesitate to recommend (or condemn) products and services. Rather than one-way product advertising, they expect marketing to be a two-way conversation between peers. One where audience members can participate as buyers, influencers, collaborators, and innovators.

The notion of participation marketing (also called engagement marketing) is new ground for many of us. But to thrive in the long run, B2B organisations need to put human experience at the centre of their marketing efforts. Doing so requires that we shift our mindset and think beyond selling products or services to other businesses.

We need to learn how to market with our audience instead of at them. To make connection, rather than lead generation, the goal of our digital experiences. 

B2B Customers Want to Connect

B2B companies have struggled with the fact that modern audiences are shifting from passive consumers to active consumers. They don’t want to be converted, they want to connect. B2B decisions makers want to work with vendors who demonstrate their empathy with customers and view them as partners in creating a solution.

In a 2020 study by Forrester Research, more than 60% of B2B buyers now say that providers who are ‘knowledgeable and address their needs’ have the most positive impact on their purchase decisions. The desire for contentedness extends beyond a one-to-one conversation with a brand representative. In the same report, Forrester highlights how in modern B2B buying ecosystems, third parties, not vendors, are becoming preferred sources of buyer information.

The shift towards third-party conversations is partly because B2B digital experiences are notoriously lacking. Brand communication channels are filled with obstacles (from impersonal, jargon-heavy messages to long, difficult to fill contact forms) that impede meaningful engagement.

These deficiencies are further highlighted in the minds of B2B buyers when compared to the polished, innovative experiences they enjoy as private consumers. They get rich and engaging opportunities to participate in B2C. They want those same open, connected, intuitive, and immediate experiences in B2B.

In ‘How to Future-Proof Your B2B Marketing Strategy’, we discuss how organisations can adapt to this new participatory paradigm through building Platforms, Presence, and Productivity (the three Ps). Where the focus is on creating value for organisation and clients alike by designing scalable systems to support collaborative relationships. This is accomplished by aligning automation, content marketing, customer service, sales, etc., to turn brands into a place where valued relationships can flourish.

The growing demand for engagement marketing is advantageous for companies who are restructuring their approach using the ‘three Ps’ model of creating value. Encouraging audience participation:

• creates space for collaborative relationships and networks that create value (platform),

• enriches how we show up and creates engaging brand experiences (presence),

• provides feedback in the form of data that we can use to optimise and refine, richer more engaging experience has the potential to accelerate the B2B buying cycle (productivity).

A participative marketing mindset demonstrates that B2B brands empathise with and are committed to their customers. Contentedness creates lasting partnerships by facilitating more peer-to-peer conversations, focusing on customer needs, and fostering buyer-seller collaboration.

What Does Participation Marketing Look Like?

In his article on building marketing flywheels, Rand Fishkin provides examples of marketing flywheels (such as a SEO+Content flywheel, a Freemium (or Free Trial) Product Flywheel, etc). What would a participation flywheel look like? 

When we look at highly successful B2C brands, such as Amazon, Redbull, Netflix, or Starbucks, we see that they are their own media. In other words, they act as a channel of communication. Instead of trying to find target audiences, they create them by enabling participation in something meaningful: a conversation, an experience, an occasion or event, a transaction, the use or consumption of something.

When done correctly, participation articulates an idea and creates a shared identity in the minds of participants. Such ideas are powerful. People rally around them. They inspire creativity, expression, action, engagement. By investing in participation marketing these brands are better able to leverage the power of the consumer.

For B2B to follow suit, we need to evolve our approach and create a participation plan at every stage of the customer journey. Currently, a majority of B2B marketing strategies still depends on the ‘broadcast’ approach prompted by the needs of the company. Instead, we should flip this around and make our marketing efforts customer-focused.

By this, we don’t mean just answering their questions or anticipating their needs. Rather we mean creating a platform for two-way conversations that encourages consumers to become brand ambassadors and collaborators. The same principle applies to the product lifecycle as well.

Instead of presenting a fait accompli, we need to create space for the consumer to become part of our brand, shape our story, and lead innovation. It might start with simple touches like encouraging customers to leave reviews, talk about a brand online, or share hashtagged social media content.

As participation builds, focus could shift to deeper co-creation. For example, encouraging followers to innovate and support them in creating in-depth or original content. Or inviting users to participate in the development of new B2B products and services (an engaged community is an incredible resource for market research).

Adobe Creative Cloud is a great example of a B2B platform brand that provides a rich participative experience. For example, people can join the MAX conference and engage on Adobe Live Daily on Behance. Adobe also uses its YouTube channel and creates campaigns like #HonorHeroes to showcase content from their community.

They recognise the importance of getting user feedback throughout the entire design process to improve their brand experience. They have created a platform where customers can interact with the Adobe brand, fellow community members, and other entities. For instance, businesses seeking to hire freelance creatives can do so on Adobe’s marketplace.

Building a Participation Strategy

A good participation marketing strategy is rooted in mutual interests, open negotiation and cooperation. However, incorporating all of these elements into your marketing strategy can seem overwhelming at first. But you don’t have to implement everything all at once. Rather, you can start small and gradually incorporate participation initiatives until they exist throughout all levels of your marketing plan.

As you get started building your participation marketing strategy, here are five things to keep in mind:

1. Know Your Story: What makes your brand unique and how can you tell that story through audience collaboration?

2. Areas of Participation: Where in your organisation does it make sense for you to engage co-creators? Where does it not? Are there any barriers that will prevent your audience from participating fully?

3. Relationship Building: Who are your customers and in what ways are they most likely to participate? How will you build trust with potential co-creators?

4. Content Amplification: How will you spread awareness of your participation opportunities? What channels will you use? What types of content are co-creators most likely to share with their own audience?

5. Performance Optimisation: How can you build a stronger participation marketing platform? How will you measure your participation efforts? What tools will you use to gather information?

In considering the above points, you build a basic context of who, what, why, and how to initially launch your engagement marketing efforts. But take care to not over-plan things. In order to truly flourish, the direction of your participation strategy must be partially informed by the other co-creators. It’s like an improv show, where instead of merely watching events, the audience itself takes part and influences the direction of the performance.

The Role of Martech in Participative Marketing

It’s no coincidence that today’s most successful B2B brands – Adobe, Microsoft, Accenture, Oracle – have all transformed themselves into digital platforms. Marketing automation and AI technology play an integral role in successful participation marketing. To create the desired flywheel effect, you need a scalable platform for reaching an ever-growing audience. This is accomplished using tools such as conversational marketing chatbots, automated workflows with conditional behaviour-based branching, dynamic website content, personalised email, social media amplification, segmented targeting and retargeting, etc.

However, these technologies must be used responsibly in a way that maintains people’s trust. The same information we use to encourage participation – personal interests, location, buying habits, political leanings, etc. – can also be used to exploit people. As marketers, we have a duty to ask permission to gather personal data and explain how we will use it. 

Marking technology must be employed in a way that makes the digital experience more, not less, human. B2B decision makers are human beings, with complex motives and emotional needs. A poorly designed experience that tries to force everyone down the same path will not work.

Rather, you need a flexible system. One that enables people to take the lead when they so choose, while still offering customised suggestions on how they can accomplish their task. 

Get the Conversation Started With 1827 Marketing

At 1827 Marketing, will help you find imaginative ways to keep participation flowing. Our experienced team of B2B marketing and sales consultants will help you build a community around your brand. We’ll help you articulate your ideas and turn your brand into a platform where ongoing conversations between your clients and peers. In addition to strategic planning and content creation, we also provide the social amplification and marketing automation tools necessary for managing a scalable, participatory digital experience.

Request a demo to learn more about our services and platforms!