BRAND CONSULTING

When developing an international brand, B2B brand consulting raises two questions: Are we actually talking about a brand? What makes a company or product a B2B brand? Brands are perceived differently and above all generate an emotional connection. This needs to be established and maintained.

More profile, visibility and market success.

Questions are the introduction to B2B brand consulting. At the beginning it is about figuring out where your company stands and where your problem areas are. The situation is different in every company and project, multi-layered and challenging. For sustainable brand consulting, we need to understand your company in depth. We approach this with an entrepreneurial perspective. Always with the goal to find pragmatic and effective approaches.

Brands can boost success. With strong B2B brands, industrial companies can realize over 10% higher EBIT margins in the long term. Stringent brand management can lead to lasting trust and strong loyalty through brand profiling in the competitive environment and the brand experience on the customer side. Sooner or later, this results in a monetarily measurable value that increases profitability.

The brand is a value-adding factor.

Brand consulting begins with questions about the current brand strategy and brand architecture. The strategic considerations in the field of tension with the market, competition, customer, employees and relevant social environment are a first starting point. Another topic are the questions about the current and future positioning. Successful companies have a clear, understandable positioning with differentiating statements and clear guidelines. The coherent brand strategy and the unique positioning make the B2B brand a beacon of orientation with which goals can be achieved.

Brand processes change the company, move it forwards.

By working on the B2B brand, a process of change usually starts within the company. It takes courage to change and openness to transformation. At all levels of management and among the employees. This is challenging, because everyone has to be taken along on such a journey. Success in the market, in customer loyalty and customer acquisition can only be achieved if each employee sees themselves as a brand ambassador and embraces this role with motivation.

In the B2B brand consultancy, it is important for us to combine the emotional and rational aspects of brand development and brand management. Because one thing is certain: in the end, working on the brand also has to generate profits.

Structured B2B brand consulting

Brand management, as many other disciplines, follows certain underlying techniques. In order to achieve a defined goal with solid results which is pursued by all parties , we proceed step by step:

Step: Analyzing the as-is and to-be situation
Step: Definition of corporate and marketing goals
Step: Development of the brand identity and brand strategy
Step: Positioning, USP and brand essence
Step: Action plan and time frame
Step: Implementation in corporate design, corporate communication and corporate behavior
Step: Implementation in product development, sales, service, purchasing, recruiting and HR processes …
Step: Ongoing measurement and success monitoring
Step: And constant optimization

Employees, customers and trends – relevant aspects of brand analysis

With B2B brands in the industrial and technology environment, the aim is to be perceived internationally as a brand by the right target groups and stakeholders. It’s about the myth of the B2B brand and the pre-trust that is attributed to the brand as a result of hearsay, previous impressions and ongoing positive experiences. In the brand consultancy, we work with you to precisely identify this for your international B2B brand.

One focus is on the sales market and the decision-makers in those markets. These include developers, product managers, buyers as well as teams in the buying center, and depending on the market, can be as few as 100 or 500 people in key positions. Emotional ties to a brand are only one part of the decision-making process for them. Price, performance, availability and service play an important role. That is why it is essential in holistic brand consulting that your international B2B brand also conveys aspects of comparative competitive advantages. Effectiveness should be perceivable and meaningful for the decision-makers. Efficiency in terms of performance-specific and economic factors must be reinforced by the brands’ messages.

The labor markets are of great importance as well. Competition to attract employees, managers and potential applicants is fierce worldwide. Your profiled B2B brand, which appears with authenticity, clearly communicates its values and consistently pursues its goals, is at an advantage. On an idealistic level, it provides security, which is increasingly in demand today. Regarding the internationalization of companies, appropriate localization is recommended in certain cases. Other cultures and mentalities may require a different weighting and emphasis of values and core messages.

All markets at a glance

Opinion markets and financial markets are likewise part of holistic brand consulting. They are important multipliers for your brand. These target groups must be addressed with suitable messages.

The goal of brand consulting: Trust and loyalty

Our B2B brand consulting aims to strengthen the markets’ trust in your brand and to increase loyalty for your brand. Ultimately, the aim is to attract and retain the best employees, bind customers, earn money and build loyal supporters for your B2B brand. Targeted and holistic investment in the brand is the prerequisite for building a basis of trust that pays off in the long term – also financially.

What are the distinctive characteristics of B2B branding?

For B2B brands, in B2B brand consulting we have to move away from the image of the global brands. As a company and with their products and services, they address broad target groups worldwide in their overall communication. They live from their strong presence, characterized by brand name, trademark, quality of the brand object as well as availability and desirability. And in B2B brand consulting, we also need to detach ourselves from the image of branded goods, in which the marking serves the function of indicating the origin, differentiation, protection, guarantee and advertising, in order to generally differentiate from other providers.