Content marketing is a great way to grow inbound traffic. It provides consumers with value and helps to build relationships. Traditional B2B marketing is different from regular content campaigns. It tends to be more practical, aiming to educate businesses and provide them with useful resources.

But some of the best B2B marketing campaigns move away from the norm. The more unique the campaign, the more it’s going to stick in the minds of the viewer. B2B marketers crave attention – and what better way than to create something that lasts in the memory? Here are 5 unusual examples of B2B marketing that proved to be a hit.

1. Cisco Graphic Novel

Cisco is a huge telecommunication company. They decided to go down an unorthodox road to promote their cybersecurity services.

Instead of blog posts or infographics, they created a graphic novel based on the topic. It told the story of Supermart, the hero given the responsibility to deal with a security issue.

The aim of the comic was to subtly sell the reader the service.

No other security company has done anything like this before Cisco. After all, who associates cybersecurity with comics?

No one – and that’s why it’s perfect!

Tech giant Panasonic experimented with this type of B2B marketing too. They produced a video and graphic novel to sell Toughpad E1.

The result?

53 million traditional media impressions 450,000 social media impressions.

Takeaway

The word ‘content’ doesn’t always mean writing a blog post. B2B marketers should think of other ways they can present their product or service to a customer.

2. CAT Jenga

Construction company CAT decided to create an unusual B2B marketing video to promote their brand. It consists of two excavators playing a giant game of Jenga, with each block weighing more than 600 pounds.

The aim of the video was to show how CAT excavators can handle heavy equipment and maneuver with precision. 

To date, the video has earned nearly 6 million views on YouTube. While viewers may not be CAT’s target market, the video has proved a hit.

The reason it worked is similar to the previous example – have you ever seen a game of Jenga played like this before?

While it’s certainly unusual, it’s great marketing. Anyone that has played Jenga before knows you need a steady hand or risk the whole thing collapsing.

They are implying that their equipment is up to the job.

Takeaway

Use familiar ideas to market your product or service and embed the traits you want to be associated with.

3. Dissolve’s Generic Presidential Campaign

Dissolve is a stock photo and video company. During the last Presidential Campaign, they decided to get involved and create a spoof.

The result?

The Audience Honor in Business to Business 2017 Shorty Award.

Dissolve has used comedic videos to great effect before. Nevertheless, it’s an unusual way to market to business clients.

When it first went life, it caught a lot of media attention from the links of Mashable and Gizmodo. They reported 6x more signups and sales.

It’s not hard to see why it worked so well; it was topical and funny. While it’s not always a good idea to mix politics with business, Dissolve managed to make a winner.

There was no intended bias between the two candidates, meaning they avoided criticism of picking aside.

Takeaway

Don’t be afraid to tap into popular trends or big events when creating your B2B marketing strategy. If your product has wide appeal, this tactic can work particularly well.

4. Conductor.com’s Couple’s Therapy  

This great idea was unique and well worth the time they invested in making it. It’s funny and put a creative spin on a topic usually considered beige and disinteresting.

Conductor.com is an SEO marketing company. Not many people consider SEO an exciting topic (unless you’ve made it your life). For this reason, they needed a way to make people want to learn about it.

So they came up with a couple’s therapy session where each person discusses SEO and content issues in their relationship.

While it may not have gone viral like other videos on this list, it is certainly an effective alternative to writing a blog post.

It’s fun to watch and keeps you engaged – the ultimate aim of all B2B content marketing strategies. Plus, the story itself is told well and doesn’t feel forced. 

A job well done.

Takeaway:

Humor is your friend. Visitors will open up and feel comfortable with your brand. Plus, people like to share funny content with friends and colleagues. This means referrals – one of the strongest forms of inbound marketing.

5. Unitrends’ Interactive Story Creator

Unitrends, a data backup solutions company, used SnapApps software to create a quiz-like app. They created the ‘Data Apocalypse’ to use for their own unusual B2B marketing campaign.

It’s ridiculous yet brilliant at the same time.

They embedded the quiz on the landing page. The user ie ‘Player’ is tasked with answering questions that tell a story. The Player can then choose to enter their contact details or not.

From here, they are shown their unique story based on their answers.

At the end of the story, the Player can access a Unitrends whitepaper.

How did it do?

Within 24 hours of launching, Unitrends generated more than 300 leads – 25% of which accessed their whitepaper. 

While the design wasn’t amazing, it didn’t matter!

All that mattered was that it was lighthearted fun. It’s rare to find interactive B2B marketing content that embodies these qualities.

Takeaway:

Create an enjoyable user experience to enhance your brand awareness and generate more leads. Leave a positive impression on your visitors to turn them into customers.

Conclusion

Each of these 5 unusual B2B marketing examples had a clear aim. Use a variety of content marketing methods to get the most out of your brand. 

Sometimes the standard approach is not enough to make an impact. 

Heck, if there’s a way to make SEO fun, there’s going to be a way to engage with your industry’s audience!