From talking to various B2B organisations it appears that there is a challenge to change their brand perception in the market. Whether traditional accountants becoming technology businesses or large organisations entering an overseas market where they might be known for a different offering.
The example with Adobe below demonstrates how content is key to enabling this.
In addition it is vital that your content is produced by leadership and subject matter experts to build credibility and demonstrate the organisations brand direction.
Of course the second part is gaining critical mass to change the perception through distribution of the content. Fortunately your business has a colossal number of well nurtured, trusted relationships through your employees at various levels of seniority across the firm.
In summary to change the perception of a brand you require:
1. Authentic content produced by experts and leaders within the business to credibly demonstrate the new brand direction.
2. All employees mobilised to share the content on a 1-2-1 basis with their high-value networks.
(Beyond changing the perception of your brand it is also possible to use this strategy for new business generation and nurturing.)
One effective way to make a strong impression with buyers early in their search is to develop authentic, insightful content and syndicate it through relevant channels where buyers can easily consume it. Content that speaks to customers’ pressing needs proves more influential than traditional advertising or a sales brochure that outlines features and functions. Adobe Systems, for example, was widely known as a desktop publishing company when it acquired Omniture, a marketing analytics company with different buyers and a different sales process. It’s no easy task to shift a buyer’s perception of your brand and to reach all potential buyers — and digital marketing needs to be as effective as face-to-face marketing. Adobe came up with a solution by using Omniture’s website CMO.com to help reposition its brand as a precursor to generating demand.
https://hbr.org/2016/01/social-media-works-for-b2b-sales-too
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