This hilarious Reddit thread is a great reminder for designers: always think about the end user of your design! A Reddit user asked “What’s your best example of ‘Whoever designed this must not use their own product?’” and the internet delivered. While these are fun to read, they’re a great lesson to always remember the entire point of your design. Don’t be like the engineers who designed a TV that doesn’t work without a remote! This is one list you don’t want to find yourself on. Do you have any design fail stories?

Marketing agency Wunderman Thompson has released its annual Future 100 Report. Obviously, after a year like 2020, the predictions for 2021 are probably going to be more a divergence than they normally are. The report collects previously unknown, unusual, or out-there concepts that are likely to be a part of everyday life in the next 12 months. Some of the predictions seem in line with our recent experiences, and some we’re not so sure about. Only time will tell if they could see into the future.

As a design agency, we’re privy to some of the common B2B marketing challenges clients face. Sadly, a lot of them stem from the constant struggle to bring in the right customers.

Couple this with the sheer number of companies all vying for their attention, and it’s a recipe for frustration.

But around here, we believe that with the right design and strategy, B2B marketers can meet these challenges.

And we’ve got a few ideas about how to do it.

Don’t Disregard the Design of Your Lead Generation Content

For B2B companies offering high-value products and services, downloadable content like eBooks and case studies are still effective tools to nurture customer relationships.

And one of the most useful? Newsletters.

Email newsletters are among one of the best ways to communicate with B2B buyers. We’ve even given you a few ways to keep readers engaged and stop them from unsubscribing from your emails.

These are only some of the tools helping marketers and sales teams move leads down the path from learning more about a business to ultimately deciding to buy from them.

So they need to not only contain informative, compelling content but also catch people’s eye.

Because people really do judge a book by its cover.

Unfortunately, design is sometimes an afterthought for marketers who forget that while copy drives a sale, visuals create a perception.

Slapping some text on a page with a logo it’s going to cut it.

Good lead generation designs:

• Move people easily through the content with visual cues
• Use consistent brand elements to create positive associations
• Position as professional with thoughtful, helpful information

Each of your lead generation pieces should use your company’s design elements creatively to keep prospective buyers engaged with your content.

Design Using Data, Not Gut Feelings

When there’s an established set of brand guidelines available, it’s easy to make sure that everyone creating new marketing materials is on the same page, right?

Well, this isn’t always the case.

Small teams with one or two decision-makers may deviate from their company’s fixed brand standards from time to time. Usually, the reason given for doing this boils down to liking the way it looks.

When it comes to making fundamental design changes to any B2B marketing materials, we recommend basing it on data, not personal aesthetics.

A good way to test if a design works or not is through A/B testing, which serves as the standard for conversion optimization.

You can make slight changes to your marketing to learn more about how prospective and current customers respond.

The information and knowledge gained from these tests enable your team to make creative decisions based on hard facts. Once you know what you’re working with, you can adjust any future marketing tactics more efficiently.

Create Your Own Photo Library

One of the most common design challenges that we’ve observed with our B2B clients comes down to imagery.

Not every product or service has the perfect image to go along with it. And it’s not always the most efficient use of time or resources to retouch stock photos to fit.

So if you do go this route, the result might be disappointing. You’re trying to insert a square peg into a round hole.

And you know how well that works out.

Instead, one solution would be to stage a photo shoot with the help of your design team. When investing in a photo library, you have the advantage of having images on hand featuring your ideal demographic interacting with your product or service.

It reduces the time it takes to create assets, which is especially important for time-sensitive projects. Plus, spending a bit upfront helps to free up your team to work on other marketing campaigns.

Who wouldn’t want that?

Meet Those B2B Marketing Challenges with Personalization

Buyers seek companies who care about their needs and don’t leave them feeling like another number. Businesses that execute their personalization efforts poorly or haven’t picked up on this tactic at all are almost guaranteed to turn away potential leads.

It’s not enough to use a person’s name within an email or landing page.

Now more than ever, your marketing tactics need to speak directly to the people engaging with your business.

To make this happen, it’s helpful to segment your audience and present them with imagery and information tailored just for them.

Some of these might include:

• Video content based on the segment’s common questions
• Emails based on sales inquiries
• Specialized landing pages with valuable resources

Since it’s not always possible to have an in-person conversation, you want people to know that you understand them no matter where they are in their buyer’s journey.

What Now?

As a B2B marketer, you’re tasked with presenting your company’s products and services in the best light.

A big part of recognizing prospective customer’s needs revolves around producing impactful yet informative visuals that get and keeps their attention.