Probing into the critical minds of B2B buyers and tapping their psychology the right way is the key to successful marketing. It takes all – from identifying their pain points to delivering the solutions and from understanding their working environments to satisfying their need for knowing.
Consumer psychology helps you to know your buyers and tells the underlying reasons why they make a purchase. However, with a huge shift in the ways business decisions are made in this digital age, it is rather daunting for many B2B marketers to comprehend what triggers the psychology of a B2B buyer the most.
The claim is, not all the marketers are psychologists and the good news is, you don’t have to be. Here’s how you can begin.
1. Maneuver Social Influence
As per the data asserted by Influitive, 84% of B2B buyers start their buying process with a referral.
Like e-commerce buyers, business-to-business consumers, too, are more likely to believe what their peers recommend. This is called the social proof that impacts their psychology profoundly. Be it your existing customers or potential buyers; social influence is a must to maneuver.
Start with a well-structured plan. If you don’t have one, build a social media presence. Learn more about social networking channels your prospects use. Create accounts on those channels. Join the groups they use to find information or to ask questions. Use these platforms to connect with them.
Second, leverage the power of online reviews. Online reviews affect 67.7% of respondents’ purchasing decisions. Remember that if positive reviews can turn those prospects into leads, negative reviews can cost you your potential customers. So, focus on providing value in services that can generate positive reviews.
2. Offer the Proof of Credibility
B2B buyers are difficult to persuade, not just because of a lengthy buying process but also because of their application of rational as well as irrational in the buying decisions. It becomes more complex when you stagger to identify which is more in proportion– rational or irrational.
A disruptive hack to simplify this is to give them credibility – to let them know that they are communicating with an expert in the industry.
One of the best ways to do it is through the content. Create blog posts, whitepapers, videos, other pieces of content and give authority sources to establish credibility. If you want to let your buyers believe you, give them the reasons.
Cite statistics and quotes from authentic sources. You can also collaborate with well-established authors or marketing experts to create different types of content. Or you can ask any of the professionals in your industry to interview with you. You can publish that on your company’s website, or you can generate summarize content pieces out of that interview.
3. Build Emotive Responses through Storytelling
Emotion will always play a significant role in driving our decisions, be it professional or personal, and the best way to generate emotive responses is through the art of storytelling. This is the reason that B2B brands like Cisco, Intel and Motorola are incorporating storytelling to evoke emotions.
If you want your prospects to gain interest in what you offer, communicate with them through content that tells an informative story. This story should address to their needs and pains. Get yourself clear on the below things:
- What are the pain points of your buyers and how your services can provide solutions to the same?
- What are their past user-experiences? Remember, what didn’t work in the past, might not work in future, too.
Answers to these questions will help you perceive the emotions that appeal them the most and come out with stories. These can be success stories of customers or well-credential professionals.
4. Persuasion with the Right Colors
The psychology model concerned with colors determines to which kind of marketing messages do your customers respond based on the use of colors. Colors create psychological effects (to name a few) on the viewers:
- Red – signifies intensity and excitement
- Black – symbolizes power and authority
- Blue – shows trust, productivity and is widely used in businesses
- Yellow – might bring positivity as well as anxiousness
- Green – a calming color symbolic of greenery, organic products, health or money.
Among the top 100 brands, 33% use the color blue in their logo.
All colors foster positive as well as negative feelings in the viewers depending upon how they are used and B2B buyers are not the exception. The human brain tends to processes visual information 60,000 times faster than plain text. Before absorbing anything on the website, their minds respond better and quickly to the colors – visual impact of logos, website design or imagery.
Thus, pay close attention to visual impact.
Implement a color scheme as per the color preferences of your buyers. Keep in mind:
- Gender – as color choices vary so does the responses
- Call-to-action – clear CTA button with attractive color engages more
- Design – should be appropriate to the user’s needs and the information that is being provided on the landing page of the website
5. ‘Pricing’ Factor of Psychology
In B2B marketing, the whole concept of pricing is different than the pricing models of e-commerce industries. B2B buyers have a typical trait of risk-aversion. They might not always get impressed by the lowest pricing that you offer. In fact, it can create a sense of distrust and cautiousness in them regarding the authenticity of your services.
Pricing matters to them, but the value comes first. Instead of preferring lowest pricing at the first step, they focus more on how your services or solutions are helping them meet their purposes.
So, instead of concentrating on prices lower than your competitors, build a pricing strategy based on the value your brand provides. If what you offer satisfy their needs, they rarely care about how much they have to spend.
Bonus Hack
Controversy causes conversation, and when used in a small and healthy amount, it can trigger the psychology of your B2B buyers. You can use headings that are controversial or might not be acceptable to every business professional out there in your target audience. It can be a great way of beginning a conversation. But, always do it in a little amount. Content with excessive controversy can drive your prospects away.
The Bottom Line
From applying the right marketing approach to turning the prospects into leads, a proper grip on the consumers’ psychology is vital for every B2B marketer. The more you get ‘into their minds,’ the better you can connect with them emotionally. Moreover, the more emotionally connected they feel with you, the better will be the chances of closing a lead.
