![\"most](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/pasted-image-0-5-1024x542.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nWorking to create a marketing campaign that knocks the socks off your target audience, but unsure how to go about it? It\u2019s okay to feel uninspired. We all have those days.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Thankfully, a little inspiration can go a long way, putting the creative gears in your brain to work. We reached out to experts and asked them to share the best B2B marketing campaigns they\u2019ve seen, and exactly why their chosen campaigns are so effective.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
To begin with, we asked our survey participants to vote for the most important marketing elements.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Three elements turned out to be close winners: messaging, positioning, and voice\/tone.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Let\u2019s look at each campaign element individually.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
![\"messaging:](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/pasted-image-0-2-1024x540.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Based on the responses we got, messaging was mentioned as the most crucial to creating outstanding B2B marketing campaigns (rated 4.5 out of 5).<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Messaging is pretty self-explanatory. It\u2019s the message you want to share with the world. Want to tell your target customers it\u2019s easy to start their own business? Tell them. Want to send a message that project management is a breeze with your software? Go ahead and convey it.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
![\"positioning:](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/pasted-image-0-3-1024x540.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
The second most important element for B2B marketing campaigns (rated 4.4 out of 5) is your business\u2019s USP or unique selling proposition. In other words, it\u2019s what differentiates you from the rest of your competitors.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
For instance, Zappos has a reputation for great customer service. It\u2019s what separates them from others in their industry.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
What\u2019s your unique positioning? Ease of use? Friendly staff? Whatever it is, write it down, then show it off in your B2B marketing campaign.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
![\"Voice\/tone:](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/pasted-image-0-7-1024x543.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Our respondents also think voice\/tone is almost equally important (rated 4.3 out of 5) for the success of your marketing campaign.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Not only does it help show your business\u2019s human side, a unique voice helps you stand out and leaves a memorable impression on your audience.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Once you have your voice nailed down, be sure to write your campaign\u2019s script in that voice.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
![\"Emotional](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/pasted-image-0-1-1024x541.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
We also inquired about the significance of leaving an emotional impact with your campaign. It turns out, leaving an emotional impact is important (rated 4.05 out of 5).<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Why? Because we\u2019re all emotional beings at heart and like it or not, emotions play a critical role in helping us make decisions<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Similarly, the marketing channels you use to distribute your campaign carry a lot of importance. The marketers in our survey give it equal importance to emotional impact (at 4.05 out of 5) when it comes to the success of a B2B marketing campaign.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Not to forget, visual elements always play an important role in marketing (rated 3.9 out of 5). Strong visuals communicate your message quickly, so it\u2019s a good idea to pay close attention to how your campaign looks.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Lastly, your marketing campaign\u2019s slogan stands somewhere between \u201cleast crucial\u201d and \u201cmost crucial\u201d according to our marketing experts (rated 3.45 out of 5). While it plays an average to important role, it\u2019s also something to keep in mind when creating your B2B campaign.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Now that you know what elements make a stellar marketing campaign, it\u2019s time to see some of the best campaigns in the B2B sphere that check off these elements.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The first on this list of best marketing campaigns is IBM\u2019s campaign.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Crediful\u2019s\u00a0<\/a>Lucas Robinson talks about it: \u201cThe mixed media approach [this campaign takes] helps to direct users to their landing page, and also gives the customer someone more interesting to look and interact with. The films were really poignant to the campaign, and something different than the usual image format.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The take-home message? Robinson points that out for you: \u201cUsing more than just images helps for the audience to have a very engaging experience with a campaign, and social media is a great way to push content forward.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cSpotlighting individual people makes the roles at the company more human, and makes sure customers see every individual role at the company as a person who works there with a face and life, rather than just seeing the company as one,\u201d notes Ethan Taub from Debtry<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The lesson learned from this employee advocacy program<\/a> is simple: \u201cIf you want to make people the center of your company, make sure they are in every part of your content, too,\u201d outlines Taub. \u201cIf they are the forefront of all campaigns, customers know they will always be in mind.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Thomas Glare from Smallbizdaily<\/a>\u00a0applauds WeWork\u2019s video campaigns. Glare writes: \u201cThis is a creative company whose most recent campaign shows to be a good example of how to crush every bit of usefulness from your video investment.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cFor small businesses to drive forward their office space, this company has created a series of 30-second videos. The videos can be cut to 15 or even six seconds and still gets the message across, proving to be a good utility of this marketing campaign.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n The takeaway? \u201cFor B2B and B2C marketing campaigns videos are must for every brand,\u201d in Glare\u2019s words. And, of course, it\u2019s important that you deliver your message in as short a time as possible just as WeWork\u2019s videos get the message across even when cut to six seconds.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n This campaign \u201chelps anyone to believe they can have their own business. And with the help of the company, you can grow your business and be a success,\u201d observes Daniel Foley<\/a>.\u00a0The campaign \u201chelps those who have a business show they can do better without much effort \u2013 it is just about using the right platform,\u201d adds Foley.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Brand24\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0Mike Sadowski also notes: \u201cAimed at new potential business owners, Shopify decided to get their message through various channels. They used internet ads, TV ads, billboards, and other mediums.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cWhat they wanted to achieve,\u201d continues Sadowski, \u201cis to keep their advertising visible at any part of daily life. Be it on a walk, driving your car to walk, watching TV with your family, or scrolling the internet by yourself; they aimed for their message to stay in your mind.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Summing up, Aaron McWilliams from 1Dental<\/a>\u00a0calls Shopify\u2019s campaign \u201cone of the most creative B2B marketing campaigns I have seen before.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n By using various marketing channels to get their message to new and small business owners, McWilliams highlights \u201cit established the idea that Shopify is a place for entrepreneurs to make their business ideas come to life.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n For marketers, the \u201cLet\u2019s Make You A Business\u201d campaign leaves us with a few knowledge bites including:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Source<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cIn terms of the most creative B2B campaign, for me the hands-down winner is Cisco,\u201d comments Jack Zmudzinski of Future Processing<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cI\u2019m a senior associate at Future Processing and am\u00a0constantly conducting A\/B testing with our marketing campaigns to see what works best. Through trial and error, I\u2019ve come to the \u00a0 conclusion that it\u2019s all about strong messaging which resonates with potential clients, followed closely by positioning and reputation.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n And when it comes to all these pointers in Zmudzinski\u2019s list, Cisco\u2019s campaign meets them all, leaving us with an interesting takeaway of how boring information can be presented in a creative way.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n In Zmudzinski\u2019s words: \u201cWanting to teach people about cybersecurity, Cisco did away with the idea of a dry but informative campaign and, instead, produced a graphic novel \u2013 complete with a superhero. Honestly, it really doesn\u2019t get much better than that!\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Source<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Anu Ramani from Isoline Communications<\/a>\u00a0thinks, \u201cThis comic was a great piece of content that elaborated on highly complex concepts in simple, accessible terms. Beautifully detailed, perfectly pitched, and addresses all the key questions developers might have about the browser.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cTech B2B does not have to be all about words on a page!\u201d as Ramani puts it. \u201cDon’t be afraid of exploring different and creative mediums in your work.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Source<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Linkody\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0Francois-Louis Mommens shares this old campaign as one of the best marketing campaigns. \u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Mommens observes, \u201cXerox went for very targeted advertising. It started with emails sent twice a week that were divided industry-wise. These emails would then send the prospects to websites that were associated with their industry.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cThen, Xerox partnered with Forbes\u00a0to create their own publication platform called Chief Optimist. They wanted to reach not only the executives, but all employees involved with decision-making. I believe it was so successful because of their unique approach to marketing. Moreover, personal touch in advertising is a great practice.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cThe primary takeaway to learn from this is to keep things personal in your campaigns,\u201d concludes Mommens. \u201cPeople value that because it shows you care about them and want to help them develop by providing useful content about their industry.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Xerox didn\u2019t only keep things personal in the emails, but also launched a whole magazine where they focused on particular needs. Furthermore, Xerox decided to conduct seminars all over the US to further promote themselves.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n This ad is a suggestion by David Cusick of House Method<\/a>. The reason it works is simple: \u201cMonday.com\u2019s ad is visually attractive and demonstrates clearly what it can do to help businesses manage their workflow and project management more efficiently.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Put simply, \u201ca business owner looking at it can easily imagine their business using the app.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n This leaves us with an important message: \u201cEffective use of visuals can make a campaign simple yet punchy and effective in capturing a target audience\u2019s attention,\u201d Cusick summarizes.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cThe most creative B2B marketing campaign I\u2019ve seen is the Slack mockumentary video with Sandwich, Inc.,\u201d opines Naveed Ahmer of Keka HR<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cSandwich, Inc. is a video creating agency<\/a> that are customers of Slack. The video showcased the journey of Sandwich from not using Slack to using Slack.\u201d The best part? \u201cIt explained how they bundled multiple communication channels in the organization under one platform. The video was funny and sarcastic, and didn\u2019t bore the viewers.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n So what\u2019s the message here? Try a video case study that\u2019s engaging.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n As Ahmer says: \u201cThe video was a real case study and also from a client\u2019s perspective, which added legitimacy and made the application seem more genuine and useful. They strategically highlighted the challenges that organizations generally don\u2019t even realize and how to resolve them.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Source<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Better Proposals\u2019<\/a>\u00a0Petra Odak says, \u201cit\u2019s really hard to be provocative nowadays, but [Hey] managed to pull it off and get the attention of the entire SaaS community around the world. Their promise of finally \u2018solving\u2019 email and getting rid of spam once and for all.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n In short, Odak shares, \u201cthey just created a landing page with some really good copy and a signup form \u2013 and that\u2019s all it took. News outlets picked up the story and it spread like wildfire in just a few days.\u201d And that\u2019s exactly what you should aim for if you\u2019re looking to replicate the success of Hey\u2019s campaign.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cThe most creative B2B marketing campaign I\u2019ve seen is the way Sweet Fish Media, a podcasting company, structures its podcasts to market to other companies in its target market,\u201d comments Stacy Caprio from Growth Marketing<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cOne way they structure their podcast campaign to get more B2B clients is to invite their ideal clients on their podcast,\u201d Caprio explains.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \u201cThis allows them to be a client attraction vehicle. Even if they don\u2019t get tons of listeners, they are still getting to talk directly to their ideal clients by inviting them to talk on the podcast, which makes the campaign incredibly effective.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Want to try out this marketing approach?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n Caprio ties it altogether in one solid lesson: \u201cLearn to target exactly who you want to buy from you in your campaigns. When your targeting is super specific and precise, you won\u2019t need to have hundreds of thousands of site visits or campaign views to start getting sales and revenue.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThe medium you select is equally important<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
![\"Medium](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/pasted-image-0-6-1024x540.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nVisuals communicate your message quickly<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
![\"Visual](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/pasted-image-0-4-1024x539.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nAnd don\u2019t forget a solid campaign slogan<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
![\"slogan:](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/pasted-image-0-1024x537.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThe 12 best B2B marketing campaigns<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
1. IBM\u2019s “Every Second Counts”<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
![\"IBM-Every-Second-Counts\"](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IBM-Every-Second-Counts.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\r\n2. Drift\u2019s employee advocacy campaign<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
![\"Referral-rock-drift-best-marketing-campagin\"](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Referral-rock-drift-best-marketing-campagin.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n3. WeWork\u2019s video campaign<\/h2>\r\n
![\"WeWork-videos\"](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/WeWork-videos.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n4. Shopify\u2019s “Let\u2019s Make You A Business” Campaign<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
![\"RR-shopifys-marketing-campaign\"](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/RR-shopifys-marketing-campaign.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
5. Cisco’s “SuperSmart Security Graphic Novel”<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
![\"cisco-b2b-marketing-campaign\"](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/cisco-b2b-marketing-campaign.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n6. Google\u2019s comic for the launch of Google Chrome<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
![\"google-chrome-b2b-marketing-campaign\"](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/google-chrome-b2b-marketing-campaign.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n7. Xerox\u2019s “Get Optimistic” campaign<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
![\"Chief](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/chief-optimist.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n8. Monday.com\u2019s quick explainer video<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
![\"Monday.com](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/monday-video-1024x678.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n9. Slack’s mockumentary video with Sandwich, Inc.<\/h2>\r\n
![\"So](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/slack-sandwich-video-1024x664.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n10. Hey\u2019s launch campaign (a new email product created by founders of Basecamp)<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/hey-b2b-marketing-campaign.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n11. Sweet Fish Media\u2019s podcasts<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
![\"sweetfish-b2b-marketing-campaign\"](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/sweetfish-b2b-marketing-campaign.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n12. Oracle\u2019s “Digital Bank of the Future” research campaign<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
![\"oracle-b2b-marketing-campaign\"](\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/oracle-b2b-marketing-campaign.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n