How to create a B2B marketing campaign to go viral

Overview

When you are selling something as prosaic as software, it can be difficult to dream up new ways of promoting your product. In the past we have done this successfully by aligning our brand with sailing sponsorship, a sport that has an established affinity with our target audience of senior business decision makers. By supporting well-known sailing personalities such as Steve White and Katie Miller, we regularly use this platform to communicate the benefits of our product to existing and potential customers through the use of blogs, news, videos and corporate hospitality.

The Challenge

We wanted to create a viral marketing campaign that would capture the imagination of potential buyers based on a sailing theme, but at the same time broadcast some key information about the capabilities of our accounting solution. We needed something that would stand out with a wow factor that would get people talking and encourage them to share with others. However, at the same time we wanted a campaign that would not jeopardise our brand values.

Solution

After some initial brainstorming by the marketing team, our inspiration moved into Top Gear! Wishing to emulate the eponymous TV show famous for its Clarkson versus Hammond & May challenges, we decided to pit yachtswoman Katie Miller against a finance manager using bluQube software.

At first, we thought the idea might have been too ambitious or wacky, but we gave it a sanity check, by getting feedback from colleagues and customers. We were staggered by the response - although some initially laughed at the suggestion it was usually tempered by a 'why not' comment - no one felt that it was inappropriate while the majority seemed genuinely excited.

At this point we knew that we should give it a go. We'd already done a substantial amount of filming before so we had the technical know-how to shoot the videos, it was really just about fleshing out the types of challenges and the logistics of how these would work. We had to keep reminding ourselves who the audience would be and at the same time develop a narrative drive that would keep them hooked.

Putting a financial controller on a boat proved to be a huge success. Not only do the videos show the speed and high performance of the bluQube-sponsored yacht, but they also reveal the features and benefits of the software in a fun way. This type of content is more enticing than an article and so far the online video has been really popular, with hundreds of hits as well as generating plenty of press publicity.

Key Lesson

Remembering to always take a step back from the project, so you don't get caught up in the detail and retain focus on the objective and the audience you are looking to serve.

Top Tip

Viral doesn't work if you just do 'ordinary' well. Don't be afraid to cross boundaries and draw your inspiration from unexpected sources, then trust your instincts.

Find out more about bluQube and watch the viral video.

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