Speaking BETA – “Know me- know who I am- know what I need”

<< Case Studies & White Papers | November 9, 2022

By Carson Bell

Associate Strategist, InVision Communications

Think back to the last coffee shop you were in. There were probably a variety of young professionals in the space. They were texting. They were sipping iced coffee. (They were wearing sweatpants!)

Would you believe that those coffee shop young professionals may be the next buyer you are calling on for a big technology solution sales opportunity? Those texting, latte-sipping Millennials are much more than they appear. Carving out a unique space in the marketplace, these BETA Buyers will increasingly require your attention.

BETA – an acronym for “Blurred, Evolved, Technology and Activism”[1] – describes young professionals, aged 21-40, and how they live, work and play. Seventy four percent of BETAs are already involved in B2B buying decisions and the BETAs, specifically BETA Buyers, will continue to grow into B2B decision-making roles in key companies and industries[2] going forward. The B2B Institute conducted research into this growing demographic, and the full report, Working in BETA: The Rising B2B Decision Makers is available for additional background.

As a marketing or event planning professional, why should you care about the BETAs? Because B2B International projects that by 2025, 44% of the workforce will be Millennials.[3] And as we build our portfolio of events or prepare a demand gen campaign or work to express our brand purpose in the marketplace, understanding, endorsing, or embodying the BETA lifestyle will not be our challenge – understanding how to communicate with these emerging business leaders will be. As the Boomers and Gen X’ers age out and retire, the BETA Buyers will increasingly be in the bullseye of our audience target.

So, who are they? BETAs capitalize on disruption and thrive in uncertainty. They have survived stock market crashes, recessions, and pandemics, and believe disruption leads to evolution and change. Further, through research conducted by the B2B Institute, it was found that, “BETA attitudes and behaviors for work and purchase decisions are even more pronounced among young BETAS, suggesting their impact will be long lasting. ”[4]

The ultimate goal when creating content and experiences for BETA Buyers is to offer highly personalized interactions, proving your brand knows them as an individual. They want their content to be customized, suggesting you know their current and future interests. And they want their experience with your brand to be flexible, seamlessly accessible across their various devices and platforms.

During the pandemic BETA Buyers – like their colleagues across all generations – discovered new ways to find and digest content to live their lives and do their jobs. Despite the well-documented yearning for connection for audiences of all ages, early returns in 2022 suggest we will still need to be planning for a large contingent of virtual-only audience attendees. Many of those virtual attendees will be BETA Buyers. We can explore what the “T” in BETA Buyers means – Tech Natives – to evolve out of this disruptive period and improve the types of events and experiences we offer our key audiences.

ServiceNow, for example, worked to create the optimal hybrid experience for an annual employee and sales kickoff experience, designed to align on key strategies for the upcoming year, and celebrate the successes of the past year. Approximately 200 employees in-person enjoyed on-stage content and opportunities for connection and networking. Meanwhile 3,500 virtual attendees from across the United States and EMEA enjoyed a broadcast-style experience, akin to a nightly newscast. Audiences engaged with one another through coordinated in-person activities replicated by virtual attendees and displayed in the event space.

This event was speaking BETA uniquely serving both in-person and digital audiences, taking advantage of the best of each medium, and delivering experiences that were complementary and connected.

B2C experiences also are utilizing digital content and storytelling strategies to engage BETA audiences. Universal Music Group was interested in creating a virtual immersive fan experience to surprise and delight, and further connect, fans during the release of Shawn Mendes’s new album. InVision Communications built an immersive 360-degree 3D digital wonderland, which provided unique audience connections.

The experience featured portals that lead to various fantastic realms, floating cards with song lyrics, and swallows to be collected and redeemed for points, and the game seamlessly integrated with Spotify to cue tracks chosen for animated words. The release generated close to a million views, and 37,000 likes on Twitter, and became a buzzworthy topic on Instagram.

This experience was also speaking BETA. It was familiar and realistic, but all virtual. The online game was designed with the user experience in mind, demonstrating a strong understanding of the target audience and their interests.

Whether it is to make a business decision, make personal purchases online, or experiencing music or art, BETA Buyers want to feel understood and recognized by the brands they interact with. This group is growing in prominence and decision-making capability and understanding their expectations will better inform future interactions. If you are interested in learning how you can craft experiences and communications to reach the BETA Buyers in your audience, we invite you to reach out to carson.bell@iv.com.

Carson Bell
Associate Strategist, InVision Communications

Carson Bell is an Associate Strategist at InVision Communications. She joined InVision in November 2021, and brings expertise in market and brand research, persona building, social media and digital marketing, and sales analysis and planning. She lives in Atlanta, GA, and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in the Integrated Communications program at Georgetown University.

 

 

[1] Green, Luci and Mander, Jason. “Working in BETA: The Rising B2B Decision Makers.” WARC. April 2021. The B2B Institute. April 2022.

[2] Green, Luci and Mander, Jason. “Working in BETA: The Rising B2B Decision Makers.” WARC. April 2021. The B2B Institute. April 2022.

[3] https://www.b2binternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/The-Future-Is-Now.pdf

[4] Green, Luci and Mander, Jason. “Working in BETA: The Rising B2B Decision Makers.” WARC. April 2021. The B2B Institute. April 2022.