Daniel Owen is CEO of The Armstrong Partnership, an independent B2B marketing agency that works with leading industrial brands.
I recently spoke with Daniel about his role, how B2B marketing has evolved since the pandemic. Therefore, and how brands can best harness new technologies and storytelling trends within the sector.
Tell us about your role (and a typical day for you)
I’m CEO of The Armstrong Partnership and I’m still heavily involved with our clients’ brand strategies. Where I work alongside our Chief Creative Officer, Matt Casey to identify a point of difference. Therefore, proposition and key message before any creative development starts. I tend to stay close to the initial development of work to ensure the creative supports the proposition.
How did B2B marketing evolve during the pandemic and which changes do you think will be permanent?
The most prominent and lasting impact of the canada email address list pandemic has been the shift from traditional face-to-face marketing, like exhibitions and factory visits, to a digital-first approach. For B2B brands this has been monumental – digital marketing has always come second to in person interaction. When all face-to-face meetings were axed, B2B brands were forced to look at other channels and mediums to deliver presentations, remote demonstrations, and product overviews.
This process also forced them to look properly at their materials and assets and for many these were severely lacking.
How can B2B brands best harness the powers of new technologies in their marketing?
Most of the businesses we work with produce very technical pieces of equipment, so real-life demonstrations can take two to three hours. With video and animation, we can share the same information in a matter of minutes. The time saved on demonstrations alone is vast but when you also consider the repeatability of that animation and the ability to control a very specific message, this becomes incredibly beneficial for B2B brands.
Another key consideration now is that people expect information to be readily available. That type of consumer behaviour is seeping into B2B marketing all the time. The pandemic accelerated the shifting trend and the brands that are lacking will frustrate their key audiences.
What are the key trends in B2B storytelling right now and why are they successful?
Across all the sectors we work with, these are three key stories being tolds: sustainability; skills; and automation.
The circular economy is exceptionally high on the agenda and the ability to live more sustainably through changing behaviours like reducing travel and cutting emissions are no longer optional but very much expected. B2B brands are focusing hard on producing materials with high recycled content, alternative energy production and so on. This is the most significant trend in B2B storytelling, and it will continue to be substantial as we move forwards to a post-pandemic world.