Living the Product: How to Transform Dull Marketing Content

Effective Lifestyle Marketing

Do you ever look at the stone on the side of a house and think: “Someone sold that!?” What about the muddy equipment that is the eyesore cluttering your neighbor’s yard?

Industries such as manufacturing and construction face the difficult task of creating content that effectively captures the audience. How can a company, with interests primarily in the B2B market, connect with end consumers? Furthermore, how can less glamorous content be transformed into something appealing to both the business and end consumer audience?

First, it is important to understand the role of the end consumer in the B2B sphere: end consumers reveal the targets’ priorities and harness the ability to mold the demands of the B2B audience. By capturing the interest of the end consumer, you have gained greater ability to capture the interest of the direct business target. This post will use the construction brand, Caterpillar, as an example of effective Lifestyle Marketing.

Unearth Audience Values & Priorities

The easiest way to sell to a consumer is to find out what makes them tick. What values do they hold? What kind of experiences are they looking for? While the consumer is looking for a quality product, they are also seeking a certain lifestyle affiliated with being a consumer of that product. Caterpillar, for instance, brands itself as having a “commitment to quality, durability and customer safety.” While Cat aims to embody this statement through its products, it must also create the understanding that an association with these products will augment the image that the consumer puts out to the world.

Demonstrate How the Brand Aligns with these Values

We’ve all heard the saying, “actions speak louder than words.” Lifestyle Marketing is no different. In order to establish credibility with a customer, a brand must demonstrate that these branded values are not fleeting. A person needs to understand that their “personal brand” will benefit from the decision to associate with a brand. Cat does this by highlighting its long-term commitment to its values.

Create B2C Contact

Now that a brand is created, it must be implemented in a way that the end consumer can engage with the product. The end consumer should feel as if they are participating in the lifestyle and values that the brand promotes. Again, Cat has done this seamlessly. Rather than keeping within exclusively industrial equipment, Cat started a clothing business boasting over 25,000 Cat-name products. These products invite the general public to participate in the Cat culture without having to run off to buy a forklift. By doing this, Cat successfully uses Lifestyle Marketing to create a brand image—even through consumers who don’t buy the big-ticket, big-wheeled options.

Gretchen Smitson – Content Creator