When it comes to B2B branding, I don’t think anyone cuts to the chase better than Austin McGhie, the author of BRAND is a four letter word.

McGhie says, “Brand is the most abused and misused word in the marketing lexicon […] Brand is the prize, but the actual work to be done is positioning, the art of which sits at the heart of marketing.”

I couldn’t agree more. McGhie isn’t talking about B2B branding per se, but his words ring particularly true in the B2B arena. The term “branding” is bandied about constantly by B2B marketers, but in my experience, very few B2B firms actually do it.

As McGhie points out, unless you’re a rancher, branding is a noun, not a verb. What’s actually involved in B2B branding is a series of steps that lead to a unique market position—a value-added promise that differentiates a brand from its competitors.

B2B Branding Architecture
There are countless models for building a B2B brand architecture, but basically there are six steps in the brand development process. They are:

  1. Unbranded…you have no brand awareness at all.
  2. Recognition…you’ve built at least some degree of awareness that your brand exists.
  3. Positioning…you’ve established value-added points of differentiation.
  4. Personality…you communicate your team strengths and go-to-market philosophy.
  5. Perspective…you implement your brand messaging corporate-wide.
  6. Policy…you have and adhere to written brand guidelines.

Most marketers would say their B2B branding strategy at least conveys a clear market position, even if it stops there and doesn’t include a distinct brand personality, a clear perspective or a written policy. But I don’t agree.

Recognition and brand positioning are two very different concepts. Building awareness through PR, digital marketing, advertising and other communication methods generates recognition, but it doesn’t guarantee a clear point of differentiation. And in an age of unprecedented information overload, a value-added competitive differentiator is more important than ever before.