Storytelling That Resonates With Real People
While there are differences in B2B vs B2C marketing, it all really boils down to human connection. People make decisions based on emotions, experiences, and personal values, not just logic or corporate goals. When all things are equal, most choose to go with the brand or person they feel the most connection and chemistry with. Today’s marketers and communicators need to embrace B2H (business to human) for more impactful storytelling.
In this blog I’ll discuss how brands can break through the noise by telling authentic, relatable stories that resonate with real people, and offer key elements of human-centered storytelling to bolster your strategies and support connections.
Traditional B2B Marketing
B2B marketing typically focuses on selling products or services to other businesses. The target audiences are polished executives and decision makers. Brands must work hard to educate, create value, and nurture relationships through education and thought leadership. These assets come in many forms, including industry reports, white papers, and case studies. And most importantly, brands must communicate the business impact and ROI. This all makes sense. Yet…
Shifting to a B2H Mindset
It’s easy to forget or omit the role human emotions play in decision making. Storytelling is still just as important in B2B marketing. The right narrative can educate, build trust, nurture relationships and invoke emotions from decision-makers. After all, brands don’t make decisions. Humans do. If you’ve done your job correctly, decision-makers can both make a decision based on emotions and have logic to back it up.
Crafting Stories That Connect
It’s no secret (or it shouldn’t be) that narratives and stories that feel human, relatable and meaningful resonate more than content that is too polished or “corporate.” Brand stories need to go beyond product features and tap into emotion to create lasting impressions and stand out in the market.
Stories that truly connect share certain characteristics. They use real-life experiences that are relatable to their audience. The narratives evoke emotions like comfort or excitement, feelings people will remember. And the messaging isn’t generic or industry jargon. It sounds human, authentic and features real people, from customers to employees. The creatives and visuals are part of the story, helping to make it more engaging, memorable and unique. And finally, a great story seamlessly highlights a problem or challenge and offers a solution to overcome it.
Whether through customer testimonials, behind-the-scenes brand stories, or mission-driven messaging, crafting stories that connect isn’t just about selling—it’s about creating genuine human connections that drive loyalty and trust.
How B2H Can Transform Your Marketing Strategies
If you are interested in transforming your marketing efforts from B2B to B2H and turning prospects into customers, here’s how to get started:
Human-Centered Storytelling: Focus on human-centered storytelling and tap into the emotions that truly drive purchases, rather than just listing features and benefits.
Personalization and Relationship-Driven Marketing: Move away from generic messaging and towards meaningful engagement by using data to tailor messaging, creating content that feels personal and authentic, and building long-term relationships and long-term loyalty.
Trust and Authenticity: Showcase people and not just products. People want to engage with companies that share their values, show transparency, and provide value. This helps a brand feel more relatable.
Digital Experiences: Drive engagement through immersive and interactive marketing, from social media to self-service portals to games.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, whether you’re in B2B or B2C, marketing isn’t about selling to businesses or consumers—it’s about connecting with people. B2H can help businesses stand out from competitors by cutting out the mind-numbing corporate-speak and elevating human emotion. Feelings. Relationships. Personal experience. Trust. This is where B2H shines, and by embracing it, companies can create marketing strategies that resonate across industries and connect with people as individuals, not just job titles or customer segments.
I’d love to chat about how I can support your marketing strategy.