Ep 151. Rerun: People do business with people, not brands

Emma Drake:
Hello, and welcome to this episode of Communication Strategy That Works, with me, Emma Drake.

Emma Drake:
Hi, everyone. I hope everyone is doing okay today. I wanted to talk to you today about the importance of fostering business relationships in business to business, especially when you’re building your brand from scratch. I reveal why this approach is not just for big consumer brands. So, I wanted to start off by saying that public relations is as much about getting people to tell your story for you as it is about telling your own story, and getting people to tell you story for you, it’s just a really powerful way to build trust and credibility.

Emma Drake:
It’s tough when you’re starting out, right? Because no one knows you and you may be new in a market or have some new way of doing things or competing in a very established industry. So, I’m going to cover with you today, why you should use business relationships and key influencers to help you build your brand and how this can form part of your overall strategy. So let’s dive in.

Emma Drake:
So what are brand advocates? Well, brand advocates are loyal people who actively promote your brand through things like positive reviews, recommendations, and so on. So while traditional influencers can also be advocates, advocates usually come in three forms. So number one is loyal customers. Quite an obvious one, individuals who buy into your brand and have a genuine affinity for your products and services.

Emma Drake:
Number two is opinion leaders. So these are influencers who are experts in their respective fields, so they may post trustworthy and authentic content and sometimes they have a larger, highly engaged audience as well, which also helps. And the third is employees. So members of your brands organization, or by the supply chain who are passionate about your products and services. So I’m going to cover number two on this list, really, which is about key influences, or opinion formers, in business to business public relations, as these people can help you grow and become trusted.

Emma Drake:
So whilst there are similarities with influencer marketing, this group is different and requires a slightly different approach. And one of the challenges here, is it can seem like, you know, like established companies have already got the know like trust factor down. You know, they know it inside out, they know what they’re doing. And in B2B, most industries can be a little bit incestuous in that it can seem like everybody knows each other, and you’re the odd one out when you’re starting out. Sound familiar?

Emma Drake:
Okay. So I can relate to this as well, and I’ve worked with businesses that are startups and growing businesses, and it’s a common trait actually. So, you know, you’re not alone and everyone has to start somewhere. So the thing is getting to know people can actually be very beneficial for you and being strategic about who you can pick even more so. You know, relationships matter in business and this statement is no different in our business than it is in our daily lives.

Emma Drake:
People that we trust with information are really close to us, and we often manage those that are not, and we’re really careful with information we share with both groups, even if it’s subconsciously. But here’s the thing, every business needs brand advocates. So whether you’re getting referrals or whether it runs deeper than that, corporates and fast-growing businesses alike have important business relationships that can affect the success or the failure of their business goals. So you need people that can fight your corner and be a critical friend when you need them and sing your praises for you. And they can help to widen your reaches as your brand ambassadors as well. And this is particularly relevant where business development is also face-to-face, for example.

Emma Drake:
So the first step is to identify these people and organizations and work out how to engage them in your product and service. And the number and type can vary from investors to regulators, to delivery partners or affiliates, business partners. You know, everyone can think of the obvious ones, but it’s worth drilling down and really doing the research here. You then need to connect them with your brand. And this is about giving them as much as you possibly can and listening really hard so that they have a say, and it’s about telling them your story, but also about understanding what their needs are and what their ideas are and opinions on the industry that you’re in.

Emma Drake:
We want to create valuable conversations surrounding your products and services at this point that support your overall brand story and will foster the creation of a really loyal customer base eventually. It’s then a case of managing these relationships and having regular contact such as inviting them in to brief them, having affiliate links with them, or having them in your inner circle of trust. You know, this is a give and take relationship, and actually you need to give a bit more than you’re taking for sure.

Emma Drake:
So I’ve discovered there are three main blockages as to why this doesn’t happen in businesses. The first one is around process, so a lack of process for managing relationships and knowing who is part of your network and why, or who should be. Number two is around skills, so the inability to be able to leverage knowledge about people and relationships or build and manage relationships, or research those effectively. And the third one is knowledge black hole, so just having no idea where to look for people or how to approach them. And this is quite common if you are new to an industry.

Emma Drake:
Never before, I think, has there been a time when customers, staff and those supplying to, or relying on businesses, have been more important to the success or failure of a brand? So now is the time to bring these people close. Now is the time to trust them and share your ambitions with them, to let them into your world and gain their trust.

Emma Drake:
So today you have learned why you need to build relationships as part of your public relations or communications strategy, and with this different type of influencer. If you want to learn more about this topic for business to business, you can access my free cheat sheet on the subject and I’ll drop the link for that in the show notes. So I just want to say bye for now and see you next time.

Emma Drake:
So finally, thank you for listening to this episode of Communication Strategy That Works. Don’t forget to check my show notes for those links that I mentioned, and I’d really love it if you would subscribe to my podcast and leave me a review. And also, if you think there’s someone that could benefit from listening to this podcast, please share this within your networks. So I’ll just say bye for now and see you next time.