Disruptive B2B Marketing: 6 Untapped Strategies

Disruptive marketing goes beyond conventional practices by challenging and reinventing the established norms. Rather than sticking to traditional methods, it’s about overturning standard approaches and reshaping how customers view your brand and the industry at large. In this post, we’ll delve into how abandoning routine strategies and adopting innovative tactics can help you stand out, engage your audience, and create a memorable impact in the B2B space. 

Trendjacking

Sometimes standing out requires keeping up with the trendsetters. In other words, take advantage of those trending stories and ideas with trendjacking. Trendjacking is a strategy that involves identifying current trends and topics, and then creatively incorporating them into your marketing strategy to enhance engagement and relevance. It requires intuitive social listening to ensure you’re not only hopping on the right trends but also understanding them enough to execute this strategy appropriately. By finding what's trending and making it your own, you can capitalize on the buzz and draw more attention to your brand.  

A common approach to trendjacking is creating spoofs and parodies of trending content or pop culture moments. This showcases your brand's sense of humor and makes your content more relatable and shareable. For instance, if a particular meme or viral video is gaining traction, you can create a parody that aligns with your brand's message or product offering. This method allows you to participate in popular conversations, increase your visibility, and connect with your audience on a personal level. 

Experiential marketing

Think outside the display ad box by creating large-scale, immersive experiences that capture attention and leave a lasting impression. Utilizing street art and murals, drone shows, and life-size models of your logo can transform public spaces into vibrant advertisements, drawing in passersby and encouraging social shares. Additionally, traveling ads and shops, such as pop-up shops and mobile events that tour the country, provide unique opportunities to reach diverse audiences. By documenting these journeys on social media, you can further engage your followers through real-time updates, client interviews, and interactive Q&A sessions. This approach not only maximizes visibility but also creates compelling content that keeps your audience engaged and invested in your brand's story. 

Community outreach 

Hosting local events in the community is a powerful way to build brand awareness and foster connections with your audience. By organizing events such as block parties, B2B networking events, or in-person competitions in collaboration with local businesses and B2B professionals, you can create memorable experiences that resonate with attendees.  

Additionally, livestreaming these events for digital promotion allows you to extend your reach beyond the local area, engaging a broader audience online. Offer career growth opportunities at these events to attract individuals looking for B2B positions and career shifts. The combination of in-person interactions and digital engagement creates a comprehensive marketing approach that strengthens your brand's visibility and positive reputation. 

Co-branding 

People say that getting ahead is all about who you know – the same can be true for marketing. Through strategic collaborations with complementary brands and other industry leaders, companies can expand their reach and tap into new audiences. These mutually beneficial relationships allow both parties to capitalize on each other's strengths and resources, leading to enhanced visibility and credibility.  

Partnership marketing can include co-hosting webinars, sharing guest blog posts, or conducting joint social media campaigns, providing value to both partners and their audiences. For example, AT&T collaborated with stars from "The Office" to create a reunion-themed ad campaign for AT&T Business. This campaign, featuring Rainn Wilson and other beloved cast members, effectively showcased the brand's reliability for small business owners while capitalizing on the nostalgic appeal of the show. Through such strategic partnerships, you can foster collaboration, drive engagement, and achieve shared marketing goals effectively. 

Rich content  

Rich content can significantly boost engagement by providing dynamic and captivating experiences for your audience. These content strategies both capture and retain your audience's attention, keeping them coming back for more. Here are some effective approaches to consider: 

• Podcasts: Livestream podcasts to create real-time interaction with your audience. After the livestream, post the recording on socials for those who missed it to get a chance to engage and interact. Be sure to include the link to the audio version for those who prefer to listen to the full episode.  
• Videos: Take your blogs and articles to the next level by turning them into a video series or vlog to enhance the topic. Link the blog and video to each other to further drive website traffic.  
• Gifs & memes: Add gifs to your social media content to make it more visually appealing and engaging. Memes make your content relatable and shareable. These will increase social media shares and foster a sense of community with your audience. 
• HTML5 ads: Unlike static banners, HTML5 ads can include animations, video, and interactive elements, making them highly engaging and visually appealing. 

Word of mouth

Word of mouth is a timeless marketing strategy that has evolved with social media, transforming from one-on-one conversations to reaching widespread audiences. The new meter for word-of-mouth success is “going viral.” By creating buzz-worthy campaigns that naturally inspire conversation, you can drive organic discussions and authentic endorsements for your brand, maximizing the power of word-of-mouth marketing in a digital era.  

For example, SEMrush's "spill the tea" campaign cleverly leveraged this concept by creating a visually intriguing post. The message? Just to say that they can conduct competitor analysis for their clients. And it worked. Whether or not users needed competitor analysis, everyone appreciated the creativity and couldn’t stop sharing this post from SEMrush. These awe-inspiring campaigns get people talking, boosting your brand visibility and building trust with potential customers. 

Conclusion 

By creatively engaging with your audience and building strong relationships through memorable experiences, you can drive significant engagement and enhance your brand's visibility. Use data analytics to understand customer behavior, regularly review account activity and feedback to spot trends, and train your sales team to act on these opportunities. Embrace these out-of-the-box strategies and watch your marketing impact grow.