Marketing in IT B2B without being boring: How do you talk about hosting so that customers listen?

Admit it: the words "virtual server", "colocation" or "system administration" hardly make anyone's heart beat faster. In the world of IT-infrastructure there is a myth that you should sell only by technical characteristics and prices. But is it true?

In this article Pavel Karpov, our marketing and sales director, breaks stereotypes. You will learn:

• Why even the most "technical" B2B product should be sold with emotions (and where to find them in server racks).
• How to turn dry gigabytes and megahertz into stories of growth, peace of mind and confidence for the business.
• What simple techniques (stories, metaphors, even humor!) work better than complex advertising budgets to reach the customer.

Ready to learn how “boring hardware” becomes the hero of your customers' business victories? Read a candid conversation — no water, just practice.

Anna Nikulina: Pavel, be honest: when you first saw the price list for virtual servers or colocation, did your heart beat faster with excitement? Or, like most people, your thoughts were more like, "Okay, hardware, wires.... where's the emotion in that?"

Pavel Karpov: (Laughs) Anna, you hit the mark! If we were selling excursions to tropical islands or new smartphones, emotions would generate themselves. But server racks, communication channels, gigabytes of disk space... Yes, at first glance — this is dry pragmatism. A marketer's heart weeps a bloody tear at the sight of it... or looks for a stronger coffee.

Exactly! The topic of our conversation is how do we awaken these emotions in the B2B world, where the product seems to be purely functional? Servers aren't glamorous, hosting doesn't smell like vanilla. Why even try to sell this “hardware” emotionally? Isn't it enough to just state the technical specifications and price?

This is a key question! To think that in B2B decisions are made solely by cold Excel calculations is a big misconception. Behind every decision to buy a server, rent a virtual data center or an administration service, there are people. And people, even the most rational IT directors or startup founders, make decisions not only with their heads but also with their hearts. We need to show not what we sell (a virtual server), but what problem it solves for the client, what opportunity it opens, what headache it saves. And this is where the space for emotions lies: relief, confidence, anticipation of success, even pride.

So you're not selling a "server rental", but... what exactly?

We sell confidence. Confidence that a client's website will withstand the hype after a new collection is released or a mention in the federal media. We sell time. The time that the client's internal IT specialists will save not by fiddling with hardware, but by dealing with strategic business tasks. We sell growth. The ability to scale instantly when a startup suddenly gets a million users. We sell restful sleep to the business owner who knows their data is safe and accessible 24/7. See. Behind the dry term “VPS” lies the drama of growth, the comedy of a deadline saved, or the thriller of a hacker attack thwarted!

This already sounds more interesting than a table with CPU parameters! But how to convey these "dramas" and "thrillers" to the audience? What tools work to show the emotional value of, say, renting a dedicated server?

The main tool is — stories. Not our stories about how cool we are, but the stories of our customers. How an online toy store avoided collapse in a New Year's Eve sales storm thanks to scalable hosting. How a biotech startup was able to run critical calculations on time, because it didn't waste time customizing its hardware, but took a ready-made powerful server. How a company that hosted equipment with us (colocation) saved so much that it was able to hire two new developers. These cases are not just a description of a service, they are stories of overcoming, success, stress and its solution. They are human stories that any entrepreneur or manager can understand.

Customer stories are powerful. But how to show them, not just tell them, if server racks are not the most photogenic "heroes"? How do you visualize that "confidence" or "peaceful sleep"?

(Nods) This is a challenge that many in B2B face! The video format is quite up to the task, but expensive to produce relative to return on investment. Fortunately, video isn't the only route to emotion. The key is to get creative with text and static visuals. Here's what really works:

1. In-depth text cases with a human face: Instead of a simple "Customer Y migrated to VPS, load decreased", you can write: "How startup Z, launching a mobile game, avoided failure the night before release: the story of panic, one urgent support request, and renting additional capacity that saved its reputation and 10,000 first users". The focus is on the drama of the situation, the founder's emotions (stress -> relief), and the service's specific role in the happy ending. Add a couple of vivid quotes from the client himself, if it is possible to coordinate the final text with him or even interview him: "It was like a breath of air when you're drowning..."
2. The power of metaphors and images (even in text!): Complex infrastructure can be explained through simple analogies right in articles, posts, ads, for example:
   • "Our dedicated server is your digital 'armored truck': secure, powerful, only yours. No traffic 'neighbors'!"
   • "Colocation is like a secure bank safe, but for your server. You save on 'renting an entire building' (your data center) knowing that the ‘safe’ is guarded 24/7 and has perfect 'climate control'."
   • "System administration is your personal IT doctor 24/7. It keeps the 'hardware' from getting sick, and if anything, it gets you back on your feet instantly while you sleep."
3. Infographics and diagrams that explain the benefits, not just the device: Instead of a complex network diagram, you can show:
   • Graph: "Site load during the sale (red line — panic!) vs. Our capacity (green line — calm)".
   • Comparison: "Your time/resource costs with our administration (small pile of coins) vs without it (huge mountain of coins and hours with a question mark)".
   • Simple scheme: "Your business (a person) -> Our virtual data center (a reliable bridge) -> Your satisfied customers (a crowd with smiles)." Emphasize the result for the business.
4. "Backstage" in photos and posts (without violating security!): Can be shown:
   • Photo of the support team (not facing the keyboard, but at the moment of discussing the solution, with confident gestures) + caption: "Our team of superheroes has just repelled an attack on client N. Your data is in safe hands (and with coffee!)".
   • A shot of the result for the client: not a server, but a photo of the happy development team after the successful launch of the project on our hosting (with their permission, of course).
   • A humorous sketch or meme (self-irony!): For example, a photo of a cat on a keyboard: "A sysadmin's kitty who thinks he can reboot the server with his paw (spoiler: he can't, because we have everything securely protected)".

So the key is not in the expensive picture, but in the ability to tell a story and create an image that tugs at the heartstrings, even through text and static graphics?

Absolutely right! People remember stories and emotions. Our task is to translate “the language of iron and wires” into “the language of business victories and peaceful sleep”. To show that behind our technology there are real people solving real problems of other real people. And this does not always require Hollywood budgets — it requires sincerity, understanding of the client's pain and a bit of creativity in presentation.

Pavel, you mentioned the “language of business victories”. What about the language of the future? What new approaches or trends in emotional B2B marketing do you see on the horizon of 2025-2026? Maybe neural networks will finally replace marketers? (Smiles)

(Laughs) Neural networks are, of course, powerful assistants, and there is no arguing that, but they are unlikely to replace the understanding of human emotions and business context in niche B2B in the foreseeable future. As for trends, I see a few key vectors:

1. Data-driven hyper-personalization (ethically!): We're already moving away from mass mailings. The future lies in predicting customer needs before they realize a problem. For example, when analyzing (with permission!) public data about a startup's traffic growth, you can delicately suggest: "Notice your project is gaining momentum! Here's how our VPS can be the next step for uninterrupted growth." It is important not to cross the line and to do it as relevant and unobtrusive as possible, emphasizing the benefit rather than the sale.
2. "Emotional Intelligence" in automation: Chatbots and AI assistants will become even more "human". They will not only solve typical requests, but also recognize frustration or urgency in a customer's message, instantly switching it to a live expert with the phrase: "I see that the question is urgent. I'll connect Olga from support, she is an expert on your task". This will show care on a micro level.
3. Social Proof 2.0: Beyond case studies, there will be a growing role for micro-influencers — not stars, but respected CTOs or IT architects in a niche. Their candid storytelling (not advertising!) about how they solved similar business problems using certain technologies (including perhaps server leases or colocation) will be more credible than corporate messaging.
4. Strengthening the "green" narrative as an emotional driver: Customers increasingly want to work with responsible suppliers. A story about how energy-efficient data centers or resource optimization (through virtualization, competent administration) actually reduce the carbon footprint of a client's business is a strong emotional argument for many companies, especially in Europe. It's not just "our hardware is reliable", but "our hardware helps you be more sustainable".
5. Focus on "invisible" values: Safety, reliability (uptime), price predictability — these are the basics. But it is the corollaries of these values that need to be emotionally sold: business continuity, preservation of reputation, no penalties for downtime, peace of mind for the owner. This is what customers are willing to pay for and remain loyal.

One last question, Pavel. Let's say I am the owner of a small but ambitious IT startup. I have read this interview and caught fire with the idea of "selling emotionally". Where should I start so that I don't slip into idle chatter?

That's a great final question! Let's try to formulate a baseline. Perhaps we should start, traditionally, with three simple steps:

1. Listen to your customers. Don't ask, “How do you like our server?” but ask, "How did our solution help you achieve your business goal? What has changed?" Write down their stories, their wording, their emotions. This is your gold.
2. Find your "superpower". What do you do best? Lightning-fast support? Incredible scaling flexibility? Localization and market-specific knowledge? Make this superpower the protagonist of your stories and metaphors. Don't try to be everything to everyone.
3. Speak the language of benefits, not features. Translate "256GB RAM" into "enough power to process 1,000 orders per hour without slowing down." Translate "99.9% uptime" into "your online store won't miss a single customer, even during peak season." It takes practice, but it's the foundation.

Paul, thank you very much for such a rich and, importantly, very practical talk! You seem to have proved that even "boring hardware" can be talked about with spark and benefit. And yes, your story about the sysadmin's cat is a masterpiece! (Laughs)

(Smiling) You are welcome, Anna! The main thing to remember is that we are not selling servers or gigabytes. We sell confidence in the future of our clients' business. And this is the strongest emotion possible in B2B. And yes, kitties are our unwitting allies in the fight against boredom!

Does your sysadmin have a cat?