So, you've decided to dust off your tools and create a new B2B marketing campaign. There’s only one problem: You're not sure which marketing tactics will work with your target audience.
There are an endless number of channels today, and each requires its own degree of specialty in order to execute well. You have limited time and resources and need to place some “big bets” in order for your campaign to be effective.
To get some inspiration, you decide to check what other agencies are doing, only to find yourself no better than before.
The truth is, while there are a myriad of business-to-business marketing campaigns, only a few stand out. Why? Because many B2B companies recycle the same old strategies.
But, not to worry. We've cut through the noise to bring you some of the best B2B marketing campaigns of our time.
What we'll cover
Table of contents
What makes a successful B2B marketing campaign?
Every successful marketing campaign has that unique factor that makes it stand out. But, if you were to look closely, you'd find that they have some similarities, too:
Clear objectives and goals
Clear, measurable objectives and goals are a key part of any marketing campaign, as they guide strategy and execution — they help you maintain a clear focus and consistent messaging. If your goal is to increase subscriptions by 10%, you'll know to create a campaign that revolves around getting more people to subscribe to your service.
Beyond setting goals and objectives, successful marketing campaigns prioritize regular reporting. This allows marketing teams to identify successes and areas that need improvement, facilitating well-informed strategy adjustments.
It's worth noting, however, that reporting can be challenging because of attribution and cookie limitations. The B2B buying journey is often complex, so it can be difficult to attribute conversions to a single strategy. This, combined with the increasing use of cookie-blocking technologies and privacy features from browsers, makes it all the more difficult to track customer interactions.
Still, monitoring conversions and comparing them against set objectives is crucial — you can even use simple, first-party data collection options like feedback forms to get information directly from your customers.
Deep understanding of the target audience
Creating a campaign without understanding your target market is like throwing darts blindfolded. You’re pretty much guaranteed to miss your target.
Take time to understand everything about your target audience so you can tailor your campaign effectively. What are their needs, preferences, and pain points? How can your product or service meet any of them? When you get these answers, you'll be ready to go.
Strong value proposition
Successful B2B campaign managers understand one key thing — there are many companies already offering what they offer. So, simply highlighting general products or services in marketing efforts doesn’t guarantee customers will choose them.
Success comes from identifying your value proposition. Communicating the unique benefits your products or services offer tells customers why you'd be a better choice than one of your competitors.
Integrated multi-channel approach
"Don't put all your eggs in one basket" applies to more than just your investment decisions.
You need to adopt a multi-channel marketing strategy to reach and engage with a broader audience. This can boost your conversions.
For even more impactful results, integrate all your marketing channels. Doing so ensures consistent messaging, which can help build trust with your audience.
However, it’s important to note that you need to invest in the channels where your customers are and give yourself permission to ignore the ones where they aren’t. For example, if you find that your customers aren’t on X (formally Twitter), then it wouldn’t make sense to use your already limited resources on crafting a Twitter campaign, regardless of how well it’s put together.
It might seem obvious, but too often marketing teams spend too much time in places where their customers aren’t when they could be investing that energy elsewhere.
Effective and consistent branding
Maintaining consistent branding bolsters brand credibility, recognition, and trust. So, use branding elements that align with your business across all marketing materials and channels, including your website, print media, and social media platforms.
8 top-notch B2B marketing campaigns creative teams can learn from
As promised, here are eight of the most impressive B2B marketing campaigns — in no particular order — to get your creative spark going:
Adobe: "Click, Baby, Click"
Adobe's "Click, Baby, Click" campaign is one for the books. The ad features a company that sees an increase in clicks on its ads and immediately increases its encyclopedia production to meet the sudden demand. The twist? The ad clicks are from a child playing with their iPad.
The video ad ends with Adobe asking, "Do you know what your marketing is doing? We can help." This strategy positions the brand as the solution for business owners who need more information before making critical decisions.
Key takeaways for creative teams
The most obvious takeaway from this campaign is that B2B marketing doesn't have to be boring — you can't help but laugh at the major twist at the end of the video. Using emotions, and more so, humor in a B2B campaign, is a breath of fresh air.
Another takeaway is the value of information. If you take action without first collecting information, like the encyclopedia company, your campaign will likely be ineffective.
Slack: "So yeah, we tried Slack"
If you're a fan of "The Office," you're in for a treat with Slack's sitcom-inspired "So yeah, we tried Slack" campaign. The short mockumentary features Sandwich Video, a company that's initially reluctant to use Slack but eventually gives it a try.
The result? Everyone, from the founder to the office manager, loves Slack because it streamlines communication and collaboration in the office — they all explain the specific features of Slack that they love.
But, the Sandwich team doesn't give testimonials as you would expect them to do in a typical B2B campaign. They deliver them in a fun way that's sure to get a few laughs out of you.
Canva: "What Will You Design Today?"
The "What Will You Design Today?" campaign is a global initiative designed to showcase the versatility of Canva's design tools. The campaign features global organizations like Fast Company, Zoom, UNHCR, and YouthTopia as they use Canva's templates to create designs. It also highlights some of Canva's client stories, which are showcased on social media, TV, audio channels, and outdoor billboards.
This campaign has helped increase Canva's brand awareness, particularly regarding its broad application. By featuring real companies with varying initiatives, it not only shows that Canva is accessible but also that it can meet your design needs regardless of your industry.
Key takeaways for creative teams
A key lesson from this campaign is that real user stories are valuable in B2B marketing. By featuring users from brands like Zoom, the campaign feels authentic.
Canva's campaign also highlights the value of multi-channel marketing. By using a mix of channels to communicate its message, it enhances brand reach and engagement.
Salesforce: "No Software"
The "No Software" campaign was groundbreaking for Salesforce. Launched at a time when people would spend hours installing and maintaining CRM software, this campaign popularized Salesforce as an easier-to-use solution compared to what was available at the time.
The campaign featured a strong visual element — a red circle with a slash through the word "SOFTWARE" — now known as SaaSy. Right off the bat, you knew exactly what Salesforce was offering when you saw the logo — a software-installation-free solution that could save your enterprise a lot of time.
Key takeaways for creative teams
This campaign highlights the importance of stating your value proposition in marketing. By presenting itself as a software-free tool, Salesforce stood out from the other CRM providers at the time.
It also shows that you don't always have to go overboard with messaging, designs, or visuals in your marketing collateral. Sometimes, something simple (like "No Software") can be impactful as long your message is undeniably clear.
IBM: "Every Second Counts"
IBM's "Every Second Counts" campaign highlighted the importance of a cyberattack recovery plan. It featured a series of videos that depicted the impact of cyberattacks on businesses through creative storytelling.
It also incorporated GIFs and social tiles on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and LinkedIn, which directed audiences to IBM's landing page. There, they would watch the full videos and submit their contact information for further discussions with IBM on the value of risk management.
The campaign resulted in millions of impressions on social platforms and an estimated 17% site engagement rate.
Key takeaways for creative teams
This campaign reminds us of the impact of social media marketing and the value of storytelling. These tactics can broaden your reach and help you build connections with customers. Reach plus connections equals conversions.
Shopify: 'Let's Make You A Business' campaign
Focused on putting Shopify at the forefront of entrepreneurs' minds, the "Let's Make You A Business" campaign showed that traditional media can be effective in modern marketing — when used creatively, of course.
The campaign featured numerous creative messages, like "Let's make you the business you wish existed" and "That business you think could be huge could be here" across out-of-home media, TV ads, and social media. This resulted in more eyes on Shopify as a solution for aspiring e-commerce business owners.
Key takeaways for creative teams
A key takeaway from this campaign is that multi-channel marketing is valuable for B2B brands. Use everything from digital marketing to traditional media to get your message across, as you never know where potential customers are.
It also highlights the value of understanding your customers' pain points and tailoring your messaging to address them.
HubSpot: "Make My Persona"
HubSpot's "Make My Persona" marketing campaign is a little different from what you'd expect. It's centered around a free online tool that enables you to create buyer personas for your brand.
The tool asks a series of questions about your typical customer and generates a persona profile to help you create more effective marketing campaigns.
Key takeaways for creative teams
Understanding your customers' needs can't be overstated. HubSpot identified the need for a user-friendly tool to help people create buyer personas quickly and provided it for free. This is a worthy sacrifice as it encourages more people to look at the brand's other products and solutions.
Expensify's Super Bowl Ad
Expensify's "Expensify This" was a one-of-a-kind campaign that showcased a music video featuring 2 Chainz and Adam Scott and a 30-second ad during the Super Bowl. But that's not all. The expense tracking brand added a little twist to the ad — it included receipts in the video and asked the audience to snap them with the Expensify app to win prizes.
With millions of people watching the Super Bowl every year, this strategy undoubtedly enhanced Expensify's brand awareness. Further, the ad's use of high-profile individuals and interactive features generated a lot of buzz around the company.
Key takeaways for creative teams
This campaign highlights the value of thinking outside the box. The high-profile event, celebrities, and interactive elements helped Expensify stand out from its competitors.
We know what you're thinking — small businesses don't have the budget for the Super Bowl… or 2 Chainz. But this shouldn't stop you. You can adopt more budget-friendly tactics like working with influencers who align with your budget and showcasing ads during events like trade shows or conferences.
Learn more about boosting your creative team's productivity and workflows
B2B campaigns don't have to be dry. In fact, they shouldn't be — not when competitors are already looking for ways to capture your customers. Follow the best practices that make campaigns great (discussed above), but don't hesitate to add a little spice. Tug at your audience's emotions, add interactive features to your ads, share compelling case studies, etc. — anything to make you stand out.
Whatever your choice, Ziflow can help by streamlining your creative process. With our platform, you can centralize all creative workflows and collaborate with your team on your next campaign under one roof. This means greater visibility on creative assets, faster feedback, and more efficient campaigns.
