Canadian Marketing Blog

B2B Branding: Internal Branding a Key Factor to Success

Much has been written in the past few years on the topic of B2B branding. I find it the most rewarding aspect of branding and marketing planning, when it is done right.

Last week, I had the opportunity to moderate a panel on the topic of B2B branding; what does it take to win. I have to say that the quality of the panelists' discussion was top notch in terms or insight and expertise. The discussion lasted over 2 hours and easily could have gone on for several more…

A couple of first-hand observations that I took away from the panel include: 1) the agency turnout was stronger than client. This likely reflects the newness of the topic and the desire for greater expertise. 2.) The importance of internal branding was cited over and over again by the panelists (using a range of terminology) as the key factor for success in B2B branding. Considerations with internal branding and the connection to B2B branding success or failure included:(i) building trust with and through your employees in their one-to-one relationship with customers; (ii) the power of developing one voice through consistent internal and external communication; (iii) the absolute necessity to consistently delivering on the brand promise (key benefit) that you make through your people; and (iv) the importance of gaining buy-in from your CEO as you develop and refine your organization's B2B brand. Employee communication and education as well as connection to performance management systems were discussed in detail.

Several examples were provided by the panel and the audience of B2B brands failing to keep their promises and the tremendous opportunities presented when you get it right.

Has your organization had experience recently with B2B branding success or failure that relates to your internal brand?

By Patricia McQuillan, Brand Matters

What a great article!

I first read this article on my phone and then read it again when I got to the office. The message is quite clear. Take the time to listen and asses what the clients needs are and work together to find a solution. I believe some times the message gets lost when the client gets handed down and down the line. Consistency is the recipe of success it builds trust, loyalty and customer satisfaction. Not only is the message lost but if nobody wants to deal with the problem and work to find a solution soon the client will end up being frustrated and leave. Take the time to listen and get it right!!!

Thanks for the article.

This is a very insightful article, which has made me realize our internal branding practice is much more advanced than our external branding communications – room for improvement! We have found success through extensively training our employees who directly work with our clients. Our key employees are trained by our CEO and executive team and our philosophy and brand value is consistently communicated to our team. We also support continued education and professional development and have implemented a quantifiable performance management system.