8 Ways to Build a Resilient B2B Brand with Sustainable Marketing
Authors
Gaurav Roy
A passionate and innovative professional encompassing excellence in B2B marketing industry. Develop and manage integrated programs including content strategy, Lead generation approach, Digital and social media strategy.
In this article
Introduction
Economic uncertainty confronts even the most experienced CMOs, demanding a constant supply of fresh marketing strategies to maintain brand relevance and customer loyalty. What can you do beyond your time-tested options of increasing spend to seize market share, highlighting cost-savings and efficiency in your messaging, offering flexible pricing models, and more?
It’s sustainable marketing, which aligns your B2B brand with social and environmental causes. It’s no longer a “nice-to-have.” Purpose-driven marketing initiatives are a proven way to inspire your customers, strengthen your partnerships, and build resilience for your brand during uncertain times.
Today, B2B buyers are more socially conscious than ever and actively support brands that lead with authenticity and values. Embed sustainability into your marketing strategy to weather a recession but also to position your brand as a trusted partner in building a better future.
Here’s how you can build a more resilient B2B brand.
What if Your Brand Could Flourish in a Downturn as a Force for Good?
Recent data shows the increasing significance of purpose-driven initiatives in B2B. A 2024 survey by AMA-NY found that B2B buyers are increasingly socially conscious, with 72% of them more likely to buy from companies that perform well on social issues they consider important.
These B2B buyers’ priorities show that brands have an open opportunity to align with customer values beyond the context of product offerings.
Inspiring customers and collaborating with business partners on sustainability goals can create lasting impact and strengthen relations and partnerships, even – perhaps especially – during economic downturns.
Build Trust Through Authentic Alignment
While public trust in many institutions is dropping, B2B buyers tend to look to brands as changemakers. Successful B2B marketing campaigns are now so much more than product promotion, focusing instead on the positive impact brands have on communities and the environment. have on communities and the environment.
This shift means you and other CMOs must consider augmenting your plans with sustainable marketing. Many of the same strategies for building a strong go-to-market brand identity apply here, of course, but there are two significant ones:
- Authentic and tangible actions are crucial – so-called “green washing,” or simply appearing to support social or environmental causes is not enough. In the end, it’s destructive to your brand.
- Alignment with your brand’s purpose is necessary. You’ll confuse your customer base if you support causes that don’t fit naturally with their perceptions of your brand.
Though your sustainable marketing should adopt a multi-channel approach, you may find your social media strategies offer a primary channel to appeal to your customers’ personal preferences with your sustainable marketing messages.
Top 8 Causes for B2B Sustainable Marketing
When evaluating sustainable marketing initiatives, you can view them according to their scale of impact – from fostering an engaged workforce to uplifting communities and protecting the planet. With this framework you can align your efforts with your internal priorities while you extend outward to create meaningful change across partnerships, society, and the environment.
Based on studies and current trends in B2B marketing, here are some of the most impactful social causes you might consider for your brand messaging to align with:
Internal Impact: Build a Resilient Workforce
Prioritize the initiatives that directly benefit your employees and internal stakeholders.
1. Employee Wellbeing
Being a good employer is the top social purpose companies should address, according to 34% of respondents in a recent survey. During economic uncertainty, your focus on employee support and wellbeing can be particularly memorable.
2. Education and Skills Development
Supporting education and skills development programs can help address underemployment and support career advancement during recessions.
Direct Partnerships: Strengthen Business and Community Networks
Collaborate with external stakeholders for shared success and resilience.
3. Support for Small Businesses
During a recession, your B2B brand can make a significant impact by supporting economic resilience for small businesses and vulnerable communities within your supply chain or customer base.
4. Technology Access
As digital transformation accelerates through society, B2B tech companies can improve access to technology and digital skills, especially for underserved communities.
Community Engagement: Uplift Society Through Purpose
Engage with your broader community to address pressing societal needs.
5. Corporate Citizenship
Giving back to the community ranked as the second most important social purpose (27% of respondents). Your B2B brand can engage in local community initiatives or support broader causes relevant to your particular industry.
6. Mental Health and Wellness
With increased stress during economic downturns, providing meaningful mental health initiatives can be a valuable cause for B2B brands to champion.
7. Disaster Relief and Crisis Response
Crisis communication can have a significant impact through supporting disaster relief or crisis response that fits with your company’s core competencies and the needs of your communities and supply chains.
Environmental Responsibility: Help Build a Sustainable Future
Protect the environment and drive systemic change.
8. Sustainability
Environmental causes ranked third (24% of respondents) and remain vital even during economic challenges. For B2B companies that can include reducing your environmental impact or developing sustainable solutions.
How to Create Sustainable Marketing Opportunities in Your B2B Strategy
When you choose social and environmental causes to align with, consider several criteria. Select causes that align well with your company’s values and capabilities and offer useful and sustained impact even during difficult times.
To effectively align your B2B brand with causes:
- Apply core competencies: Use your company’s unique skills and resources to address social or environmental issues.
- Integrate purpose into products: Develop or promote products or services that directly address societal or environmental challenges.
- Collaborate with clients: Partner with your B2B clients on sustainability initiatives, creating common purpose and shared value.
- Maintain long-term commitments: Stay consistent in your purpose-driven initiatives, even during economic downturns, to build trust and resilience.
- Engage employees: Involve your employees in your corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts to boost morale and retention.
Learn from Successful B2B Sustainability Initiatives
Several B2B brands have successfully implemented sustainable marketing strategies:
- Salesforce: Integrated Philanthropy Model: Salesforce’s 1-1-1 Model, which pledges 1% of its equity, 1% of its product, and 1% of its employees’ time to philanthropic causes, has proven resilient even during economic downturns.
- IBM: Technology for Social Good: IBM’s World Community Grid initiative allows people to donate their unused computing power to help researchers tackle global problems, demonstrating how B2B companies can leverage their core competencies for social good.
- Microsoft: AI for Earth: Microsoft’s AI for Earth program provides cloud and AI tools to organizations working on environmental challenges, maintaining this commitment even during economic uncertainties.
Measure the Impact of Your Purpose-Driven B2B Campaigns
You can effectively measure the impact of sustainable marketing through a wide variety of strategies and metrics:
Internal Impact:
Metrics that reflect the organization’s internal alignment and workforce engagement:
Employee Engagement and Attraction
- Monitor employee satisfaction scores and retention rates. Improvements can indicate stronger internal alignment with brand purpose.
- Track the quality and quantity of your job applications to identify changes in your brand’s attractiveness to more high-quality candidates.
Financial Resilience
- Analyze your sales data during economic downturns. Your purpose-driven brands may show more stability during challenging times.
- Compare your financial performance to others in your industry, especially during times of market volatility.
Brand Perception:
Metrics that capture how the brand is viewed by external audiences:
Brand Awareness and Recognition
- Track the volume of your brand’s mentions across various platforms to gauge shifts in awareness and engagement with your initiatives.
- Monitor your brand’s online presence score using readily available marketing tools. You’ll gain insights into your brand’s visibility and how often it comes to mind for your customers.
Brand Sentiment and Trust
- Analyze sentiment trends in brand mentions. Positive sentiment growth can indicate increased trust and alignment with your brand’s values.
- Measure your Net Promoter Score (NPS). Improvements in NPS suggest that your customers are more likely to trust and recommend your brand.
Brand Salience
- Assess top-of-mind awareness in your category through customer surveys. Improved brand salience can reveal stronger resilience against inroads by your competitors.
- Track your brand’s Online Presence Score, to determine how visible and memorable your brand has become online.
Market Influence:
Metrics that track the brand’s influence and standing within the industry:
Share of Voice and Media Coverage
- Measure your share of voice in relevant conversations. An increasing share can indicate growing influence and resilience in your markets.
- Analyze the quality and quantity of media coverage. Purpose-driven brands often attract more positive and sustained media attention.
Customer Connection:
Metrics that measure the strength of relationships with customers:
Customer Loyalty and Retention
- Track your customer retention rates and Customer Lifetime Value (CLV). Higher retention and CLV can indicate stronger emotional connections as a result of your purpose-driven initiatives.
- Monitor repeat purchase behavior. Frequent buying is a strong sign of loyalty, potentially influenced by alignment with brand values.
Purpose-Driven Outcomes:
Metrics that evaluate the tangible impact of sustainability initiatives:
Social and Environmental Impact Metrics
- Develop and publish specific, measurable goals for your chosen causes. For example, if you are focusing on sustainability, measure reductions in your carbon footprint or increases in your sustainable product lines.
- Communicate your brand’s progress transparently to your stakeholders and measure their engagement rates with these communications.
By integrating many of these metrics into your regular brand audits, you’ll have a broad view of how purpose-driven marketing affects your brand resilience.
Of course, some metrics like brand mentions or sentiment can show immediate changes while others like customer loyalty or financial resilience may take longer to show meaningful results. For that reason, commitment to consistent measurement is vital.
Sustainable Marketing Is a Strategic Priority for B2B Brands
Build a powerful brand narrative using storytelling to resonate with your value-driven B2B buyers, support their loyalty, and separate your brand in a crowded marketplace.
The data is clear that B2B buyers support brands that have genuine commitment to sustainability, even in a difficult economy. As a CMO, your opportunity is to lead authentic, purpose-driven campaigns that showcase your products and demonstrate your brand’s positive impact on society and the environment.
Position your B2B brand not just as a provider of goods or services, but as a partner in creating a better world.
Quick Start: 5 Steps to Purpose-Driven Marketing
- Audit Your Brand Purpose: Ensure your values and mission align with your customers’ priorities.
- Choose One Cause to Pilot: Focus on a single, meaningful initiative tied to your brand’s expertise.
- Engage Employees and Partners: Collaborate internally and externally for greater impact.
- Promote Across Channels: Share your story consistently on social, digital, and direct platforms.
- Measure and Share Results: Track impact and transparently communicate progress to your stakeholders.
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