5 B2B Marketing Lessons Practitioners Can Learn From Trick-Or-Treaters

If there’s one thing I love, it’s an extended metaphor — and the holidays provide ample excuses to churn them out. For the first conceit of the season, I’m drawing a parallel between target audiences and trick-or-treaters: Just like kids plot the perfect candy route and look for houses with the best treats, prospects are highly selective during their buying journeys.

As B2B marketers strategize to attract prospects coming back for more, here are five tips they can learn from reading trick-or-treaters’ playbook:

1. Show Up With Consistency & A Plan

Older trick-or-treaters are seasoned vets: They know the houses that give out full-sized candy bars and create a route to maximize their sugar intake. Similarly, B2B marketers can benefit from a clear, consistent strategy. Practitioners need to target the right “neighborhoods” by focusing on high-value accounts or channels where prospects are most active. From there, they must maintain a consistent presence to create brand recognition and trust.

2. Include A Variety Of ‘Treats’

Collaborative and communicative are two primary adjectives attributed to B2B prospects and buyers — and trick-or-treaters. As kids prowl around for treats after school, they seek out houses that offer a variety of high-value offerings (read: full-sized candy bars). And similarly, B2B buyers want diversity in the assets they consumed. When asked about their top content preferences, blog posts, webinars, research reports and infographics all ranked within one or two percentage points of each other.

3. Have A House That Stands Out In A Crowd

On Halloween, lights act as a beacon for candy hunters — kids know that dark houses are a waste of time, and instead favor brightly lit, well-decorated homes. To put that in a marketing lens, 80% of people prefer to buy from brands whose actions align with their values. Brands that market themselves and make their presence known will fare better than their dimly illuminated counterparts.

4. Personalize Your Approach to Each ‘Costume’

Just as an 11-year-old in a “Scream” mask warrants a different reaction than a six-month-old in a pumpkin onesie, each prospect should receive a tailored approach. Whether you’re addressing a C-level executive or a procurement specialist, tailoring your messaging to resonate with specific audiences boosts engagement and credibility. In fact, studies show that 89% of marketers experience positive ROI from personalization, and 60% of customers are more likely to return after a personalized experience.

5. Beware Of Sugar Overload & Keep It Balanced

Parents raid their kids’ Halloween buckets for a reason: Too much sugar isn’t great, and neither is overwhelming prospects with endless emails, pop-ups and sales pitches. Marketers should take a balanced approach, offering just enough valuable content to keep prospects engaged — just like how parents swipe just enough candy to mitigate cavities while ensuring their pilfering won’t be noticed in the morning.