# Bestselling Author Helps Businesses Navigate Their B2B Marketing | Capterra

> Find out what businesses can do to break from tradition with their B2B marketing through new strategies, social media, personalization, and cultivating fandom.

Source: https://www.capterra.com/resources/modern-B2B-marketing-advice-for-businesses

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Marketing 101Marketing

# Bestselling Author and Marketing Strategist Helps Businesses Navigate Their B2B Marketing

By David Meerman Scott

David Meerman Scott

David Meerman Scott spotted the real-time marketing revolution in its infancy and wrote a dozen books about it, including "The New Rules of Marketing and PR"...

[See bio & all articles](https://www.capterra.com/resources/author/david-meerman-scott/)

  

and Kyle Rich

Kyle Rich

Kyle Rich is a Content Strategist at Capterra. He has created and managed content for over 10 years, with a specialty in technology content that helps inform...

[See bio & all articles](https://www.capterra.com/resources/author/krich/)

Published February 14, 2023

6 min read

Table of Contents

-   [Old habits are hard to break](#old-habits-are-hard-to-break)
-   [Changing buying behavior requires a new marketing strategy](#changing-buying-behavior-requires-a-new-marketing-strategy)
-   [How has the rise of social media changed marketing?](#how-has-the-rise-of-social-media-changed-marketing)
-   [Which companies are doing marketing right?](#which-companies-are-doing-marketing-right)
-   [3 pieces of marketing advice for B2B marketers](#3-pieces-of-marketing-advice-for-b2b-marketers)

## David Meerman Scott shares how to let some personality shine with your marketing efforts and recommends human connection for success.

An interview with David Meerman Scott

The following summarizes an interview facilitated by Capterra team member Kyle Rich and marketing expert David Meerman Scott. This conversation was edited for length and clarity.

Why are B2B companies so afraid to show some personality, to have some fun? It’s a question we asked marketing strategist and bestselling author David Meerman Scott, who knows something about [marketing](https://www.capterra.com/all-in-one-marketing-software/) and letting his personality shine through in his work.

## Old habits are hard to break

Scott has been a marketer for more than 30 years, and although the media landscape has changed dramatically, he notes: “The vast majority of B2B companies are doing marketing the same way they did it in the last century, and many of them are missing important opportunities.”

The old-school formula is very regimented: Attend trade shows, speak in technical jargon, use stock photos to represent your company. Scott believes the problem with this stiff, buttoned-up professional personality is that it shows no character or humanity, and doesn't offer a connection that most people want to make, especially younger generations with ever-increasing buying power.

Scott says he sees “pockets \[where businesses are\] being more human, but mostly I’m seeing the same kinds of things I’ve been seeing for 30 years.”

He laments that passion is something most B2B companies utterly fail to incorporate into their [marketing strategy](https://www.capterra.com/marketing-analytics-software/). A key requirement of passion is showing who you are as a person and organization when you interact with customers and clients.

Understandably, fear of the unknown comes into play, and momentum is hard to break. Marketers offer any number of reasons to avoid changing tactics:

-   “We’re a traditional organization”
    
-   “We’ve always done it this way”
    
-   “We work in a regulated industry.”
    

Scott feels that it’s time to stop making excuses and do the hard work of changing, or your marketing efforts will become more and more ineffective.

## Changing buying behavior requires a new marketing strategy

One of the biggest changes resulting from increased digital behavior and the rise of a [socially networked](https://www.capterra.com/glossary/social-networking-sites/) world is that old methods of advertising no longer work. Based on his own informal research, Scott says that these days, almost no one makes a purchase because of seeing an advertisement, receiving a piece of direct mail, or getting a cold call.

But most people _do_ buy as a result of a Google search or a recommendation from their social network or peer groups. So, Scott wants to know: “Why are B2B companies continuing to spend money on methods that don't work well?”

## How has the rise of social media changed marketing?

Since more [B2B](https://www.capterra.com/b2b-ecommerce-platform-software/) buyers are using social media, Scott believes the two [social media](https://www.capterra.com/social-networking-software/) platforms of greatest interest to B2B marketers should be LinkedIn and Twitter.

He sees [LinkedIn](https://www.capterra.com/p/241612/LinkedIn-Marketing-Solutions/) as an important piece of the B2B marketing and sales strategy—as a way for companies to communicate on a one-to-many basis and for salespeople to reach out on a one-to-one basis. But most organizations are still using LinkedIn as a form of advertising instead of as a two-way engagement platform for single potential buyers or groups of like-minded people around a particular topic.

“LinkedIn is a wonderful opportunity for organizations to figure out how they can be human, be a part of a community, and be a part of the discussions that are already going on, and lead discussions in the areas they're experts in.”

David Meerman Scott

He also sees [Twitter](https://www.capterra.com/p/214056/Twitter/) as a place for real-time, instant communication, and notes that it's where a wide range of influential people congregate.

Scott believes: “If you want to know what someone at a high level is doing or thinking, or if you want to potentially reach someone at a high level in business, academics, sports, or journalism, Twitter is the place they are most likely to be. Twitter has become very, very important.”

And he doesn’t see the platform’s influence waning.

Scott thinks other social platforms like [Instagram](https://www.capterra.com/p/210721/Instagram/) and [TikTok](https://www.capterra.com/p/237591/TikTok/) are worthwhile if your buyers and customers are there, but he warns that organizations shouldn’t spread themselves too thin.

"Organizations are more successful if they choose a few platforms to do really well, rather than trying to do all of them and being mediocre everywhere."

**Unsure how to (or even if you should) use TikTok for your business?**

Our research shows that TikTok is a gold mine for small businesses looking to reach new audiences. [Use our guide to get started](https://www.capterra.com/resources/tiktok-marketing/).

## Which companies are doing marketing right?

Some companies have paid attention to changing market dynamics and are adjusting their efforts successfully. Scott shared two examples.

[HubSpot](https://www.capterra.com/p/152373/HubSpot-CRM/), a [customer relationship management](https://www.capterra.com/customer-relationship-management-software/) (CRM) platform founded in 2006, is one of Meerman Scott’s favorite examples of a company doing many things right.

Led by co-founder, former CEO, and current executive chairman Brian Halligan (who co-authored "Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead" with Scott[\[1\]](#sources)), the company has excelled at being human and letting its personality shine through interactions with customers and prospects.

## /CASE STUDY

## Let’s let Scott tell the story

"It was the first earnings call, and Brian said to his team that he wanted to play Grateful Dead music on hold prior to the call. And everybody said: Don't do it. His investment bankers said, 'Don't do it.' This is, remember, the first earnings call ever as a public company. The VC firms, his investor relations firm, his public relations firms, everyone said: 'Don't do it. Bad idea.'

Brian says: 'I'm the CEO. This is my company going public. I'm going to play Grateful Dead music on hold.'

After the call started and the legalese was finished, Brian gets on and gives his overview of HubSpot's first earnings report, which was a good one. And then the very first question, the very first thing out of one of the financial analyst’s mouth was, 'Congratulations for a great quarter, and thank you so much for playing Grateful Dead on hold.'

The lesson here is one for B2B marketing, to add personality where you can (and want)."

Ever since, HubSpot has worked steadily at building a fan base—what Scott calls fandom—by creating useful, free content such as blog posts, video courses, and learning modules in its academy as well as maintaining an active social media presence.

This [content repository](https://www.capterra.com/content-management-software/) and fan base is HubSpot’s engine for growth. When a prospect needs or is ready to evaluate its products, the individual is most likely already in the HubSpot community or knows someone who is.

Scott’s second example is American Airlines (AA), one of the oldest airlines in the U.S. and a star performer in his eyes because of its ability to sync and “triangulate” all of Scott’s touchpoints and personas into a single account record (including his frequent flyer details, flight bookings, and social media profiles).

When weather-related flight delays threatened to derail an early morning trip, he called customer service by phone at 3 a.m. and was asked to wait on hold for 75 minutes. Finding that absurd, he instead jumped on Twitter and, within 10 minutes, had his problem resolved via Twitter DM.

That’s the appeal of real-time communication and a company with a [customer service system](https://www.capterra.com/customer-service-software/) and approach that can quickly and accurately access everything it needs to help a customer resolve an issue.

## 3 pieces of marketing advice for B2B marketers

To end our conversation, we asked Scott to share a few pieces of advice on how any B2B company can be more successful in the brave new world of marketing. His suggestions?

### 1\. Listen to your customers

Don’t force customers to communicate in a certain way (for example, only by phone or on [Facebook](https://www.capterra.com/p/235972/Facebook-Business-Suite/)). Let customers choose their method of communication with you and make the [experience consistently positive on all platforms](https://www.capterra.com/live-chat-software/).

“Anytime an organization forces customers into certain ways to communicate, it's a mistake.”

David Meerman Scott

Part of that is including asynchronous communication to make sure you have text, email, and direct message options.

### 2\. Create fandom

Humans are hardwired to want to be part of a community or group of like-minded people, so work hard to create your community. Be human in every interaction. This allows your passion to come out. Don’t be superficial. Eliminate stock photos and non-essential technical language from your communications.

### 3\. Make assets more human

Create content that adds value and helps buyers or prospects solve a problem. Resist promoting a product or service unless your buyers are ready to buy. Spend the time to interview buyers and find out what their pain points are, how their lives could be made easier or more successful, and then create assets tailored to those issues, even if your asset doesn’t mention or sell your product or service.

This kind of customer-centric focus creates fandom and means that when prospects are ready to evaluate or buy, they’ll turn to you.

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Sources

1.  [Marketing Lessons From the Grateful Dead](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/books/marketing-lessons-from-the-grateful-dead), DavidMeermanScott.com
    

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## About the Authors

[### David Meerman Scott](https://www.capterra.com/resources/author/david-meerman-scott/)

David Meerman Scott spotted the real-time marketing revolution in its infancy and wrote a dozen books about it, including "The New Rules of Marketing and PR", now in an 8th edition, with more than 425,000 copies sold in English and available in 29 languages from Albanian to Vietnamese. Now, Scott says the pendulum has swung too far in the direction of superficial online communications. Tech-weary and bot-wary people are hungry for true human connection. Organizations have learned to win by...

[### Kyle Rich](https://www.capterra.com/resources/author/krich/)

Kyle Rich is a Content Strategist at Capterra. He has created and managed content for over 10 years, with a specialty in technology content that helps inform and educate users through their customer journey. For fun, Kyle enjoys exploring new hiking trails and restaurants in and around Austin, TX.

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