New research by Forrester suggests that more than half of B2B buyers who build a shortlist to procure a new product have already picked the winner.
What’s more, when B2B buyers start their buying process with a supplier already in mind, they’ll choose their preferred option 80% of the time.
So, what can marketers do to make sure they become the preferred option and make it onto buyers’ shortlists? One strategy is called ‘preference marketing’.
What is preference marketing?
Preference marketing is a strategic approach to becoming the buyer’s favoured choice before a formal purchasing process begins. It is closely linked to brand building, reputation management and influencing future demand. The idea is to build trust and credibility with the whole buying group over time, so your brand gets an early advantage over competitors.
Most buyers speak to the supplier they prefer first. When they do, that supplier is chosen 80% of the time, so it pays to be the preferred supplier from the beginning.
Awareness helps buyers recognise a brand, which is necessary if they are going to add it to a shortlist. That means events, partnerships and campaigns, as well as paid and social media, remain important awareness activities. After all, 97% of buyers say they already know at least one vendor on their shortlist.
That’s where preference marketing comes in. It works alongside the work you’ve put into your brand awareness and prepares buyers for your intent-led activity, which is the process of targeting buyers once they’ve begun searching. Preference marketing builds on awareness by shaping how buyers judge your brand, so that you are a favoured option.
Brand awareness gets you noticed, but brand preference gets you chosen. Intent signals can show when a buyer is looking, but they cannot guarantee that they’ll choose you. That’s why building preference matters. To improve your chances of winning, you need to start earlier.
Seven tips to boost buyer preference
Building trust and credibility means aligning your awareness, preference and demand activity into a coherent message. Here’s how to get started:
1) Write for the whole buying group
Buying groups are larger than they used to be and may include people who’ll never fill out a form or speak to sales. Thanks to AI, finance, legal and procurement stakeholders can easily research your products. You need to create content that speaks their language and goes beyond traditional ROI.
2) Earn credibility through others
Buyers place significant weight on the opinions of peers, analysts and consultants. It’s worth investing in customer advocacy and trade media mentions, which can both influence how people think about your brand and improve your coverage in AI search.
3) Treat preference and demand as part of the same process
Preference marketing shapes who buyers think about before they build their shortlists. Demand marketing techniques like brand campaigns, emails, webinars and sales conversations help to confirm buyers’ preferences and strengthen their choice as they begin to actively search. The best results come when they support one another.
4) Make every interaction count
85% of buyers had prior experience with the vendor they chose. So it’s a good idea to treat sales, service and even lost deals as chances to build future preference. In your conversations with sales teams, double-check what they already know about your brand and answer price and fit questions clearly. This will help them develop confidence in their decision to shortlist you.
5) Lead with useful expertise
Publish content that helps buyers uncover their problems and positions your brand as the answer. Good thought leadership that frames a problem early can put your products and services in the buyer’s mind first.
6) Be visible where AI-assisted research happens
94% of buyers use AI tools in their research. Clear, credible, well-sourced content helps you show up accurately and shapes how buyers see and interact with your business.
7) Stay consistent between buying cycles
Only around 5% of B2B buyers are in market at any time. The other 95% will get there eventually, so the preference you build now pays off later.
How do you measure preference marketing?
Consider changing how you track your marketing success.
For example, focus on shortlist placement rather than lead volume, so you can understand the impact of your targeting and messaging. There’s a reason companies like Palo Alto Networks have shifted their marketing KPIs away from MQLs. Now, they track how many members of a business’ buying group are engaged in each deal. This simple shift has increased their win-rates.
The takeaway
More buyers are influencing deals than ever before. AI means that they are equipped to research your tools and products comprehensively in the space of an afternoon.
Preference marketing gives you a way to shape every interaction, so your brand comes to mind when building a shortlist. It helps buyers in every part of the buying group to see you as their first choice, even those you may never directly speak to.
