How good PR taps into the human psyche
By Reka Agopcsa
I’ve always been fascinated with the human psyche. We’re singular in our ability to think our way out of, or into behaviours, or let our feelings guide our decisions. Our ‘gut feeling’ is rooted in science, and our experiences are everything.
In B2B tech PR, we’re not in the business of appealing to consumers at large, but the element of psychology is just as strong, as we strive to evoke emotion and understand the needs, fears and mindset of the B2B buyer.
Let’s unwrap some layers of this and look at four psychological factors that influence B2B tech purchasing decisions – and how PR can turn these into opportunities to make a positive impact:
Trust
Trust is the cornerstone of any (business) relationship. B2B decision-makers want to feel confident in their choices, since those usually concern the purchase of expensive and sophisticated products or services that promise to deliver vast business transformation. Trust is the way to overcome the fear of the unknown, and for that reason, it’s hard-earned.
You can’t just say you’re the best at something – you have to show it. The role of PR is to earn that credibility, by communicating in a transparent and consistent way, using a wide array of channels. When the messages conveyed on the company’s website feature in journalist-written pieces, shine through customer testimonials or win industry awards, they become familiar and reliable – establishing that all-important deeper connection.
Overwhelm
No matter where they look, B2B tech decision-makers are inundated by choices. Whether they are considering adopting new technology from an innovative start-up in the hopes of unlocking a competitive edge or going with a tried-and-tested tech giant bundling hundreds of capabilities in large products, without the right PR, the benefits these companies offer are just words – jargon.
PR’s job is to cut through the noise in saturated markets, translate technical benefits into the language of decision-makers and make new knowledge more readily accessible. Getting the right message across to the right people at the right time takes effort, but it carries a huge payoff. Just take a look at how Eleven Hundred Agency’s multi-faceted PR campaign achieved national media coverage for Icelandic data centre operator, Verne!
FOMO
The Fear of Missing Out – in the tech space, we all suffer from it! Now, the boom of generative AI has made the condition chronic.
Business leaders face mounting pressure to adopt the latest technologies in order to retain their customers, top talent and market advantage. However, the opportunity cost of slow adoption is often eclipsed by the financial cost of rushed adoption – putting B2B tech buyers between a rock and a hard place. An effective PR strategy does two things well here: trend-jack and educate.
Our data movement client is a good example here. The company has long been talking about the importance of having clean, accurate and centralised data for decision-making. As the topic of AI began to rapidly permeate workplace conversations, its message was more important than ever. In 2022, we project-managed a multinational survey with independent market research experts Vanson Bourne, which showed enormous discrepancies between organisations’ AI ambitions and data-readiness. Two years later, now in the post-ChatGPT era, we ran another survey and found ambitions just as high, readiness just as poor, and now, the price of this disconnect was clear – organisations were losing up to six percent of their annual revenues by feeding AI a ‘bad diet’. Those rushing into adoption without building a solid foundation first now know exactly what to expect and how to avoid the pitfalls – and it’s us that can tell that story.
The ability to explain a trend with primary data and insert your expertise into the debate is a great value-add of PR. It shows that you have something meaningful and substantiated to say on an issue, as well as offer a solution. Name a more iconic duo, I’ll wait!
Validation
Every organisation wants to be the best at something – to break the mould, leaders must frequently take calculated risks. Striving for innovation is, therefore, a rather lonely place.
But not everything needs to be a risk. Where possible, B2B decision-makers look to their peers for validation and successful examples to follow. This is where customer case studies make a difference.
No one can explain the positive impact of your technology as effectively as a happy customer. Case studies give decision-makers the chance to hear how their peers solved similar challenges and achieved enviable results. If you’re that leading company, helping others achieve enviable results, a good PR agency team can take your customer relationships to the next level. Besides validating your business case, these stories also give your valued customers the chance to be more widely recognised in front of their target audiences as the forward-thinkers that they are. It’s a win-win!
If you’d like to hear more about how we turn theory into practice and get results for our clients, get in touch.