What Airbnb can teach technology companies about marketing
- Larisa Summers
- May 11, 2024
- 2 min read
Airbnb's latest announcement got more press coverage than their IPO.
They introduced Airbnb "Icons" - a series of experiences you can book such as the X-Men Mansion, Prince's Purple Rain house, the Ferrari Museum, and more.
They "want to be in the business not just of places to stay, but experiences and more.”
As tech marketers, you don't have to have Airbnb's marketing budget or partner with Hollywood mega-characters to learn from this approach, and apply relevant elements to your GTM strategy.
What we know about modern b2b buyers
⭐ Buyers across categories are jaded and the fight for their attention is at an all-time high. We live in an experience and attention economy.
💡 Example: Airbnb changed the entire narrative of what it means to have a unique travel experience with this announcement.
Bringing this closer to home, let's look at this week's big event, the Forrester B2B Summit. Marketing powerhouse 6sense created a VIP shopping experience at Allen's Boots that is being widely touted as the stand-out event of the week.
Why? It was totally unique, it tied in with the Austin-theme, and you walked away with a physical memento of new cowboy boots or hat that will always remind you of the experience. It wasn't just another boozy happy hour!
6sense gets social media mentions that amplified their reach, content they can continue to use publicly for several weeks and for sales enablement and outreach, and attendees developed a positive emotional connection to their brand. Win-win-win!
⭐ Expand the reach and downsize the cost of your events by cohosting with a partner.
💡 Example: Airbnb is working with iconic brands. This amplifies their reach by co-promoting alongside those brands and their fans, and reduces the cost of promotion as they tap into each others networks to maximize impressions.
The good ole' collab has come to the B2B event world. GTM Partners is a good example where they are partnering with Gainsight and creating the ultimate mashup - presenting their GTM Made Simple Roadshow at #Pulse2024.
This invite-only, C-Level event has been exploding across the country, and GTM Partners gets access to a whole new audience. Meanwhile, Gainsight gets incredibly valuable content that they didn't have to produce themselves.
⭐ Infuse your brand/product narrative into the experience itself.
Selling cyber-security and safety is the key benefit? Host a non-alcoholic brunch event during the day, with beautiful, high-end mocktails that are just begging to be photographed and shared on social media. eMail prospects recipes whereby you can improve safety outcomes - one mocktail (and one demo) at a time.
Selling supply chain technology and inventory accuracy is the key benefit? Create a custom, branded dart board where the points represent different benefits of your product. You can fix their dart (and inventory) accuracy with a demo.
What creative ideas can you dream up for tech marketers?
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