Scaling a B2B tech brand takes time. It’s about building momentum, not quick wins. Always-on brand campaigns create lasting memories, making your brand easier to trust and harder to ignore when buyers are ready. Here’s how to create a brand that earns trust, reduces risk, and drives sustainable growth.
In B2B tech, a brand’s reputation depends on being remembered and trusted. A good product and clever ads might get some attention, but trust takes time and consistency.
Think of brand marketing as planting seeds. It takes months, sometimes years, to see the payoff. But when those seeds grow, the rewards are huge—as long as we don’t let the weeds like inconsistency or weak messaging take over.
A strong brand opens doors. It gets us noticed, helps win deals, and keeps customers coming back.
Remember IBM? People didn’t say, “No one ever got fired for choosing them” by accident. That reputation was earned, not bought.
A strong B2B tech brand builds recognition, trust, and credibility, making it the obvious choice when buyers are ready.
Many of us know how Apple reinvented itself in the late 1990s with “Think Different.” But SAP offers a more relevant B2B tech example.
In 2002, SAP launched “The Best-Run Businesses Run SAP.” Over the years, they evolved this message into “Run Better,” “Run Simple,” and “The Best Run.” This consistency reinforced their position as the go-to ERP solution.
SAP’s success was more than good marketing. They tied consistent brand marketing with performance marketing and product innovation (think Peter Drucker), creating trust with even the most risk-averse decision-makers. Buyers remembered their message, recognized their value, and believed in their credibility.
In B2B, buyers take months—or years—to decide. Often, they choose not to buy at all. A strong brand reduces risk, giving buyers the confidence to act before they even meet you.
Brand marketing gives your company the air cover it needs to build trust and drive long-term growth.
Dive deeper: SAP Advertising Evolution over 5 Decades , by Tom Pfister
Great brands stand for one thing and one thing only. In B2B tech, this is even more important because of the inherent complexity and lengthy buying cycles.
Buyers don’t want to decode a maze of product brands. If your company and products serve the same audience or share a common purpose, let one brand take center stage.
Take SAP. All their solutions tie back to the SAP brand. Their consistent use of brand identity, positioning, and messaging strengthened their reputation as a trusted ERP leader.
It wasn’t always this way. Before their 2002 campaign, SAP’s marketing was product-led. Hiring their first CMO, Marty Homlish, changed everything.
“One Voice, One Brand came only to fame after the year 2000 when SAP hired its first CMO Marty Homlish. It was the time when the press and analysts said that SAP missed the Internet, Marty came and changed everything. Marty gave SAP the ‘it’ look and generated billions of dollars in brand value over more than a decade.”
Tom Pfister, Amazing Experiences
Sticking to one brand also avoids “name-creep.” When product features start masquerading like separate brands, it confuses buyers, weakens trust and stretches marketing resources thin.
“If you’re Toyota, your product needs its own name. But if you’re a new B2B SaaS platform, resist the urge. You've probably heard the old chestnut that the moment you introduce a second name is the moment your marketing efficiency drops by a factor of two. I’d argue it’s more like five or ten, maybe 20.”
Andy Raskin, The Strategic Narrative
One brand, one message, makes it easy to buy.
Dive deeper: Stop naming stuff, by Andy Raskin
Brand and performance marketing are tied at the hip. Brand builds trust. Performance drives action. Together, they create a multiplier effect that’s tough to beat.
Performance marketing works best when our brand is strong. It’s like a movie release—buzz builds months ahead, so that when opening night comes, people are ready to buy tickets.
When people know and trust us, they’re more likely to engage. Without that trust, we’re stuck relying on cold outreach and expensive ads that can feel spammy and scammy.
“The most significant impact of prior brand marketing is to reduce the cost and increase the effectiveness of your short-term lead-gen performance marketing.”
Dale W. Harrison
Dale’s research shows how brand marketing creates pre-existing memories that boost performance campaigns:
It all comes down to recall. Buyers notice, trust, and select the brands they remember.
Dive deeper: Brand Marketing is what Makes Performance Marketing Function, by Dale W. Harrison
Dive deeper: Grab my B2B Brand Playbook Template. It’s free and ungated.
Building a scalable B2B tech brand takes commitment. Companies like IBM and GE have stood the test of time because of their brand equity. Strong brands build trust, reduce risk, and make every part of your business work better.
If you’re ready to scale, focus on being remembered and trusted. Always start with insight, stay consistent, and keep your best-fit customers at the center of your decisions. Play the long game, simplify where you can, and never stop creating momentum.
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This article is AC-A and also published and discussed on LinkedIn. Join the conversation!
