(3:25 Q&A Video) “Balance Brand and Demand to Win Buyer Consideration”
In this 3:25 video, Stephanie Crockett explains why trust and emotional connection have become increasingly important in complex B2B buying decisions. Brands need to be known and considered before buyers are ready for direct conversations. She also emphasizes the need for CMOs and CFOs to support a balanced approach between brand and demand throughout the entire funnel.
B2B buyers increasingly form opinions and narrow their options before speaking with a salesperson. That makes trust, recognition, and relevance commercial requirements, not brand extras. Stephanie Crockett, President and CEO at Eric Mower + Associates, explains why companies must build an emotional connection throughout the buying journey while keeping brand and demand in harmony.
Her message is especially relevant to CEOs, CMOs, and CROs pursuing account-based growth. If a company is unknown when a shortlist forms, late-stage selling cannot recover the lost opportunity. Customer insight helps brands enter consideration earlier and communicate in ways that feel informed, useful, and credible.
“You have to be out there in the ether and known and thought of, so that when it comes time to buy, that you are in the consideration set. It’s just a shared understanding of how you have to find that harmony between brand and demand, and how those all connect together, and trust is foundational to all of them.” – Stephanie Crockett
To learn more, watch the 3:25 video or read the article below.
To catch the full interview with Stephanie at “Part Twelve: The Revenue Logic of Customer Obsession.” CLICK HERE.
Article: "Balance Brand and Demand to Win Buyer Consideration”
This article is based on an interview with Stephanie Crockett, President and CEO at Eric Mower + Associates
Customer Understanding Builds Buyer Trust
Buyers are more likely to trust a company when its communication demonstrates a clear understanding of their challenges. Stephanie says, “I think that there is, without question, an understanding of the importance of trust.” Trust cannot be created through promotional claims alone. It develops when companies provide useful insight, communicate with relevance, and show that they understand what buyers are trying to accomplish.
Customer intelligence gives marketing and sales teams the context needed to create that experience. Research can reveal the pressures, priorities, and outcomes influencing target accounts. Teams can then develop content that helps buyers think more clearly before requesting a meeting. This approach allows the company to be seen as an informed partner rather than another vendor delivering a generic sales message.
Emotional Connection Strengthens Consideration
B2B decisions are not based entirely on rational comparisons between products, capabilities, and prices. Stephanie explains that companies increasingly understand “the importance of the emotional connection, that it isn’t just a rational buy, that people are making those decisions with both sides of their brain, so to speak.” Buyers also consider trust, confidence, familiarity, and the personal risk connected to their decision.
Effective B2B content should address rational and emotional needs throughout the buyer journey. Evidence can demonstrate value, while credible executive perspectives reduce uncertainty and establish familiarity. When buyers repeatedly encounter useful and relevant ideas, they become more comfortable with the company behind them. That emotional confidence can influence whether the brand earns consideration when buyers are ready to evaluate possible partners.
Brand and Demand Must Work Together
Brand investment helps companies become known before buyers enter an active purchasing process. Stephanie says, “You have to be out there in the ether and known and thought of, so that when it comes time to buy, that you are in the consideration set.” Buyers cannot shortlist a company they do not recognize. Early brand activity creates familiarity, while demand programs help convert existing interest into action.
A balanced strategy does not necessarily require a dramatic increase in spending. Stephanie emphasizes that “it’s a shared understanding of how you have to find that harmony between brand and demand, how they connect, and how trust is foundational to all of it.” CMOs and CFOs should agree on the separate roles of brand and demand. This alignment supports current pipeline while building awareness among accounts that may purchase later.
Conclusion
Winning buyer consideration requires companies to build trust before demand becomes visible. Customer understanding helps brands communicate with relevance, address the emotional side of B2B decisions, and establish credibility before buyers speak with sales. Brand creates familiarity and confidence, while demand programs help buyers move toward a decision.
Leaders can evaluate their priority accounts by asking whether the company is known, trusted, and providing value before requesting a conversation. The answers can reveal where customer intelligence, executive thought leadership, and account-based content are needed. Companies that establish these foundations earlier are better positioned to enter buyer shortlists and convert recognition into sustainable revenue growth.
ELEVATING CONTENT MARKETING STANDARDS RAISES A CRUCIAL QUESTION:
Why shouldn’t the very act of creating thought leadership content also spark new conversations with in-pipeline deals, top prospects, and high-priority customers for revenue expansion? Or serve as the cornerstone for learning and applying voice-of-customer strategies? That’s the power of ABM Podcasting—engaging B2B buyers and customers in meaningful conversations that uncover essential go-to-market insights, support long sales cycles, reinforce your market perspective, build peer-level trust, and dismantle objections that kill deals.
Steven MacDonald
Steven MacDonald is the founder of Content Strategies, CEO of a MarTech SaaS Company, fractional CMO consulting with leading B2B companies and former Director of Strategy and Client Service at top ten digital marketing agencies.
Steven MacDonald
Steven MacDonald is the founder of Content Strategies, CEO of a MarTech SaaS Company, fractional CMO consulting with leading B2B companies and former Director of Strategy and Client Service at top ten digital marketing agencies.
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