B2B and the Bard: Powerful tech marketing insights from Shakespeare

Shakespeare and today’s top marketers have more in common than meets the eye. Both are necessarily masters of language, psychology, and storytelling, and it turns out that connecting with your audience hasn’t changed much since the Elizabethan era. Understanding core human motivations and crafting compelling narratives remain essential no matter the medium.

By exploring key themes from some of Shakespeare’s works, B2B tech marketers can unearth best practices for differentiating their brands, strengthening customer loyalty, and driving growth in the noisy marketplace, where it seems like the groundlings are always ready with a rude comment.

Adopt these lessons from the Bard of Avon, and get your next “sales play” a standing ovation!

Cultivating partnerships—Insights from Romeo and Juliet

Few images encapsulate the tragedy of relationships shattered by lack of communication more indelibly than the “star cross’d lovers” of Verona. Romeo and Juliet’s secretive relationship lead to neither knowing of the other’s plan. Their impulsiveness costs them the ultimate price. Make your partnerships more strategic with open lines of communication so that one hand knows what the other is doing.

In the modern B2B tech landscape, collaboration is the norm. The greatest success flows from alliances blending their complementary capabilities into a single solution.

Strategic partnerships interweaving digital and cloud tools exemplify the fruits of B2B collaboration done right. Maybe one day we’ll see the technological equivalent of Capulets and Montagues ceasing their strife thanks to savvy cross-company collaboration!

Adapt strategies to align with changing tides—Insights from The Tempest

At the opening of the play, sorcerer Prospero and his compatriots are shipwrecked on an island. A hastily crafted marketing strategy may be similarly unable to weather volatile conditions. Such events often arise unforeseen—supply chain disruptions, privacy regulation shifts, even global pandemics—and demand flexibility if companies are to stay the course. But anticipating every twist or turn falls beyond even the most seasoned marketer’s grasp.

Prepare for diverse scenarios through contingency planning, so no single disruption capsizes long-term success. The capability to sense shifts early and adapt quickly forms the best insurance for tumultuous times.

The Bard still beckons

As the diverse examples above illustrate, the works of Shakespeare can inspire far more than high school English essays or “hoity toity” entertainment. His characters and stories have plenty to teach modern B2B technology marketers. Terminology and work environments may differ, but core human motivations stay the same. Even in a data-driven economy, communication, trust, and understanding remain essential.

Want more lessons from the Bard?

Read (B)2B or not (B)2B: More tech marketing lessons from Shakespeare.