By Harriet Mumford
People want to hear from people, not faceless corporations, explains Harriet Mumford of Nelson Bostock (part of Accenture Song). And B2B marketers would do well to remember it.
If the last decade has proved anything, it’s this: the B2B marketing space is becoming more about people, stories, and meaningful connections. No more is it simply about product manuals and sales sheets; the landscape of B2B communications is taking on creative traits typically reserved only for B2C brands. And this development is a constantly accelerating force, fuelled by the social media revolution that’s made brands and professionals more visible, accessible, and human than ever before.
Platforms such as LinkedIn have morphed from a digital CV storage space into buzzing hubs of authentic personal and professional interaction. LinkedIn is a place for funny people to be funny, creative people to be creative, and interesting people to be accessible. Suddenly, it’s not just about what you do, it’s about who you are, what you stand for, and how you make others feel.
The big question for today’s marketers: how do you inject the human element into every message, every campaign, and every conversation? The TL;DR version: it’s all about having the right messenger.
People want positive
Let’s be honest: facts and features are necessary, but they rarely move the heart. Data is the bedrock on which stories are often told, but it’s never the story by itself. The emotional punch, the optimism, the humour, the empathy are what keep brands top of mind. Think of those unforgettable Christmas ads: you don’t remember which products were on offer that year, but you remember the images and the messages. Well, it’s no different in B2B.
Take Currys’ recent ‘Mind the Grab’ campaign. Tackling the tough reality of phone stealing, electronics retailer Currys painted a bold purple line down London’s Oxford Street to highlight the hot spots for previous phone thefts, grabbing attention and sparking conversations. But the brand didn’t stop at awareness: by teaming up with Birkbeck University, it studied how to shift behaviour and piloted in-store support hubs for victims, turning the campaign into real-world impact. Instead of presenting negative facts about rising criminal behaviour, the message was flipped into one that looked to offer solutions.
Then there’s business insurance broker Simply Business’s ‘Young Entrepreneur Fund.’ Given that 75% of UK teens aged 16-19 dream of launching their own business, and 36% already have a side hustle, the initiative gave £50,000 in grants and six weeks of expert guidance to 10 budding entrepreneurs, with musician Professor Green lending a hand. The result: not just inspiration, but real momentum for the next generation of business leaders.
What’s the lesson here? The campaigns that stick aren’t just creative, they’re constructive. They bring optimism, offer practical help, and team up with those who know their stuff with those who want to learn the stuff. The best B2B content pushes positivity while signposting the next actions to take.
The person is the message
Advertising has always been an influencer industry. Athletes, musicians, actors have all been the faces and voices of endless products for years. Customers put stock in human endorsement and, even in the B2B realm, a single authentic voice is a sure fire way to spark engagement, drive decisions, and build trust.
The Influencer Marketing Hub Benchmark Report tells us the industry has grown by 29%, leaping from $16.4bn to $21.1bn. Why? Because people want to hear from people, not faceless corporations.
Influencers, brand ambassadors, subject matter experts, even micro-influencers connect with audiences on a human level that brands find difficult to achieve. Their recommendations feel genuine, not scripted. Think about how much more likely you are to trust a recommendation from a close friend who knows you than a review from the very brand trying to sell you that product.
Choosing the right influencer builds a bridge between brand and client that feels effortless and authentic. But tread carefully: the wrong messenger can send your campaign off the rails. Remember the infamous Kendall Jenner/Coca-Cola moment, or Sydney Sweeney’s recent American Eagle drama? The messages fall flat, fail to resonate, or cause a backdraft of bad blood that can backfire on the brand.
Authenticity is everything. Content that feels forced, or worse, fabricated, erodes trust faster than it can be recovered. Just look at recent incidents where Wired and Business Insider had to pull AI-generated articles featuring unverifiable case studies. When real stories are replaced by fictional voices, credibility suffers.
In B2B, trust is your currency, humanity your cache. By seeing the person as the message, brands can speak directly to an audience’s experience, without needing to force an issue.
Think small for big impact
B2B outreach often feels like shouting into the void or blasting emails to an anonymous list. We’ve all deleted enough ‘Hi (Insert First Name)’ emails without ever reading them. But the most effective communications target smaller, more tightly defined groups: a specific team, an industry niche, or even an individual decision-maker. Broad, one-size-fits-all messaging rarely hits home as fishing with dynamite is nowhere near as effective as using proper bait. Targeted, thoughtful outreach builds stronger relationships and better results than generic blasts ever could.
That’s where micro-influencers come in. Unlike the mega-influencers with millions of followers (and a fraction of meaningful engagement), micro-influencers have close-knit, highly interactive communities. The stats don’t lie: micro-influencers see a 6% engagement rate on Instagram, compared to just 1.97% for their larger counterparts.
This is something that brands can use to their own advantage. Consider BOX’s campaign with Rob Mayhew, known as ‘adland’s favourite social media star.’ With over 140,000 followers on TikTok and 90,000 on LinkedIn, Rob’s creative, satirical takes on the world of work resonate deeply with his audience, people who know the challenges of modern workplaces. BOX leveraged his voice to address tech issues in relatable, trustworthy ways, turning a sponsored post into a genuine conversation. Talking directly to people who connect with their influencer, rather than just consume their content while suffering from ‘scrolliosis’.
More than content
There is no secret to B2B success. Simply, make campaigns personal, optimistic, and above all, human. When you prioritize authentic connections, whether through campaigns that uplift, influencers that inspire, or messages that speak directly to the needs of your audience, you create more than content. You build trust, loyalty, and partnerships that stand the test of time.
So, next time you’re reviewing campaign results, remember: don’t shoot the B2B messenger. Instead, choose one who believes in your story, speaks your language, and engages your audience. That’s how business gets personal, and how brands win in today’s B2B world.
