Blending in is the fastest way to be forgotten.Yet on LinkedIn, there is an epidemic of copycat B2B brands with boring, safe content that is totally unremarkable.
Creativity has been replaced with being professional (whatever that is?). Too many marketers fear that to stand out and try something different would mean the death of their brand. And slowly but surely competitors start to look and sound exactly like each other.
This week, I sat down with brand expert Tyrona (Ty) Heath, from The B2B Institute, to talk about how to become an unforgettable brand that B2B buyers remember.
I have to say this one was one of my favourite podcast episodes, and I would highly recommend you do yourself a favour and listen/watch the whole conversation!
This article is inspired by the recent episode of the Social Media for B2B Growth Podcast hosted by Michelle J Raymond, which discusses this topic in more detail.
Escape the Sea of Sameness
Too many B2B brands have mistaken “professional” for “boring”. The result? A wall of similar logos, stock photos, and copycat messaging that buyers simply skim past.
Distinctiveness – not minor improvements is what will drive recall and growth. One of my favourite quotes is always “the brand that’s remembered is the brand that’s bought.”
Why do B2B brands end up blending in?
- Overweighting features and functional proof at the expense of emotion and memory.
- Committee-driven approvals that dilute bold ideas into beige assets.
- Copying category leaders rather than choosing to be meaningfully different.
For example, Coca-Cola doesn’t sell “a brown fizzy beverage with a 96% thirst-quench probability”. It sells symbols, feelings and codes, eg red can, white ribbon, polar bears. B2B needs the same discipline around distinctive brand assets.
Learn more about distinctive assets from Professor Jenni Romaniuk in this episode of the podcast here, or grab a copy of her book “Building Distinctive Brand Assets.“
Tip – If buyers can swap your logo with a competitor’s and not notice the difference, you have work to do! Would your content pass the test?
Learn more about the The B2B Institute research on “Sea of Sameness” in this article by Haley Pierce.
https://business.linkedin.com/marketing-solutions/b2b-institute/b2b-research/trends/sea-of-sameness
Stop Framing "People vs Pages"
There’s a myth that brands should skip Company Pages and just focus on employee-generated content. Ty, shut that down fast and shared a great analogy.
Think of it this way:
- Personal profile = front door
- Company Page = living room
People often discover your brand via an employee post. Then they click through to the Company Page to learn more. If they hit an outdated, jargon-heavy company page full of stock images, you just torched the trust your people earned.
Make that “living room” coherent with your people’s content. Replace jargon and old press release style content with a distinctive, human, on-brand story that deepens interest, not drains it.
Power move: The Power of Two. Strong employee advocacy AND P.A.G.E. advocacy work together to build trust.
Brand vs Demand: Stop Choosing Sides
This is not either or. It is both. Under-investing in brand is the real problem, and The B2B Institute calls it the “War on Brand“.
“Demand without brand is like trying to harvest crops you never planted. You might get a few quick wins, but you’re running on borrowed time.” Ty Heath – The B2B Institute
Here’s the truth:
- Brand builds memory and trust, so buyers think of you first
- Demand turns that recognition into action
- Together, they work harder than either does alone
Brand builds mental availability so demand works easier and cheaper. That’s not theory; it’s how you avoid racing to the bottom on price like a commodity.
Most importantly – it’s how your B2B brand wins.
Memory Is the Game
B2B Marketers are in the memory business. If your audience can’t recall your brand when it’s time to buy, all your marketing efforts have gone to waste.
Here’s how to build mental availability on LinkedIn:
- Repeat distinctive brand cues (colours, characters, tone, style)
- Stick with strong creative instead of constantly refreshing
- Use recurring content formats for instant recognition
- Create a character for instant recognition
Remember, as Ty says, “Great brands wear in, not out.” Check out – Slack, monday.comfor inspiration.
Learn more about Memory Mix Modelling – https://business.linkedin.com/marketing-solutions/b2b-institute/b2b-research/trends/memory-mix-modeling
What To Do This Quarter (Simple, Practical, B2B)
- Audit distinctiveness: If your brand could be swapped with a rival by changing a hex code or a logo, there is work to do.
- Fix the “living room”: Put some love into your Company Page to reflect your brand personality, proof and point of view. We don’t want it to let the team down.
- Balance brand + demand: Run top-of-funnel memory builders alongside bottom-funnel offers. Don’t try to force one post to do both poorly.
- Choose to be bold: If your approval process turns great ideas into safe ones, re-design it. Protect creativity from “committee-ing to death.
Final Thoughts
When a B2B buying moment hits, the first search engine is in your buyer’s mind. Distinctiveness builds the shortcut that gets your brand typed in, before they ever hit a browser.
Different beats “better” when it comes to being remembered at the moment of truth.
That means:
- Ditch the “Sea of Sameness”
- Invest in both brand and demand
- Build consistent, distinctive memories
- Let your brand’s personality show, even if it’s playful
I know that getting this across the line internally can often be a challenge. Take small wins that I promise will compound over time.
Michelle J Raymond is the Founder of B2B Growth Co and has made her mark as the world’s leading authority on LinkedIn Company Pages, offering comprehensive strategies and training to brands eager to harness LinkedIn for business growth through thought leadership, content marketing or social selling techniques.
With 20+ years’ experience in B2B sales, and almost a decade of social selling on LinkedIn, Michelle stands out for her significant LinkedIn contributions as the co-author of two globally acclaimed books: “Business Gold,” the first book exclusively dedicated to LinkedIn Company Pages, and “The LinkedIn Branding Book,” and her insightful podcast Social Media for B2B Growth. Follow her YouTube channel @MichelleJRaymond for helpful how to’s.
