How do you take a B2B marketing strategy to the next level?
Short answer: narrow the audience until it hurts, sound like a person instead of a brand, use your own team as the distribution channel, join conversations rather than announce into them, sell less than you teach, decide from data instead of habit, and keep testing the channel mix. Most B2B strategies do not fail on execution. They fail because they are aimed at everyone.
The seven moves at a glance
| Move | What changes when you make it |
|---|---|
| Niche down | Your message finally sounds specific to someone |
| Use storytelling | People remember you, not just your feature list |
| Activate your workforce | Reach stops depending on the company page |
| Join the conversation | You learn what the market actually asks |
| Stop pushing product | Buyers come back before they are ready to buy |
| Decide from data | Budget follows evidence instead of opinion |
| Experiment with channels | You find the mix that works for your buyer, not for the industry |
Below, what led here and how each move works in practice.
You already have a strategy in place but something just isn’t clicking, the numbers aren’t adding up or you just want more. Then you need to shake up your team and ideas to engage with your target in a more effective way. Taking your B2B marketing strategy to the next level isn’t rocket science, it just takes a willingness to try new approaches and adapt quickly.
In marketing, revisions are constant. You will need to reconfigure plans all the time because markets change, messages need to be adjusted, your own product might transform into something else, or you want to elevate your efforts to get even better results!
What was happening to B2B marketing in 2022
In 2022 we were still getting used to the new normal and so was the marketing scene. Companies that used to rely on congresses, gatherings, or in-person meetings went through a drastic change in 2020-2021.
Not only that but 2021 also saw the lowest marketing budgets to date, meaning most brands had a lot of catching up to do in 2022. The trends changed and the strategies improved.
These are 5 stand-out trends and facts about B2B marketing at the time
- Mapping the customer journey experience
Having a good grasp of your customer journey can be one of the most impactful things you do for your marketing strategy. Knowing where the customers get on and where they lose interest can make a huge difference in your end goal.
It’s a marketing strategy that improves conversion, satisfaction, and the overall quality of your product. Let’s not forget that with 60% of customers (2022 data) discovering B2B products online you need to have a competitive and stand-out experience to get where you want to go, or to put simply get your target where you want them to go, the checkout!
- B2B marketing channel adaptation
As a strategy starts to include new marketing channels, and these become more popular, your message will need to adapt.
Meaning that, let’s say a shift in focus from email marketing to LinkedIn will need to be accompanied by changes in copy, graphics, even tone, and message.
Your marketing team’s ability to create for specific channels will bring better results, as each one has its own formula for success.
- Marketing budget shifting
Marketing departments were seeing an improvement in their budgets after the major low of 2021, and also changes in the way money was spent.
It’s all about digital, at least 72% of the 2022 budget was. Huge parts of marketing spending moved to digital channels. Part of the reason why channel adaptation is so important.
- Talent marketing and employer branding
The job market is in constant flux, more likely than not companies are going to be in a constant battle for new talent, especially within tech startups which is where a lot of B2B businesses fall. So, talent marketing and employer branding are becoming increasingly important for any strategy in this industry.
Not only does paying attention to these 2 aspects of marketing get you high-quality employees, but it also becomes part of your larger brand awareness building. Content shared by employees gets more engagement and adds a personal side to your company profile.
- Content marketing is going pro
Content marketing is an important part of your B2B strategy. And it needs to reflect that. It is no longer passable to just create any type of content expecting it to resonate with your target.
As content demand evolves and companies all start to invest in content, you will need to create a real content strategy around your output, keep an eye on quality and engage with your audience in order to stay innovative and relevant.
The need for a new approach to B2B Marketing
The changes are here to stay, digital has taken over, new trends are evolving and you need a new approach to your B2B marketing fast. Because of the nature of marketing itself, this is going to happen again and again.
You will find a strategy and actions that work. After that, you will want more growth and will have to adjust and change plans, or at least tweak a few details here and there.
That’s why this piece is about your long-term B2B marketing strategy. How can you keep evolving with your actions and plans so that you are always reaching new heights, KPIs, and more?
7 tips to take your B2B marketing strategy to the next level
These B2B marketing strategy tips are meant to help you strategize quickly and keep your brand actions competitive. It helps to have a standard for approaching marketing changes so you are not just improvising in full. These 7 points can serve as a guide for making changes in your marketing strategy when you want to go to the next level fast.
1. Niche down by rethinking your target audience.
Getting your target down is the key to unlocking a greater performance. The catch is sometimes your ideal target is not who you think it is.
If you are not seeing the results you need and when you want more, finding a more specific niche will make a big impact on your B2B marketing strategy.
We suggest you take a look at your data and your engagement. Explore new demographics based on data, and updated market research.
2. Use storytelling and get personal with your marketing.
Storytelling is the tool that turns a marketing message into a personal tale. It’s one of the foundations of branding and something you’ll need to connect with your target.
Why is storytelling better than just messaging?
- Stories simplify concepts and ideas into something digestible
- People connect more deeply to stories
- A story can inspire your target
- It makes for more shareable content
- Its marketing and branding all at once
Using this narrative tool also helps you get more intimate with your communication. You can start to create a persona around your company, brand, and products.
This helps your audience relate your brand name not only to products and services but also to values and ideas.
3. Your most important asset is your website, make it a destination.
Websites are a must in the digital age and a top asset for your B2B marketing strategy. Not only do you need to be online you need to do it well.
75% of visitors admit to judging a company’s credibility based on their website. That’s a lot of business on the line, all of it dependent on one aspect of your digital presence.
Giving your website the attention and investment necessary will pay off. What matters most when it comes to websites is design, nail this and the rest will follow.
Create a solid creative and style concept around your site, make sure it’s fast and that it has the messaging you need it to have.
4. Engage and get involved in the conversation.
You are no longer just putting messages out and driving on a one-way street of communication. Interacting with your audience makes the connection with your target stronger and has become part of branding efforts for most companies.
What do you need to do to become more active in the conversation?
- Niche down to topics related to your industry
- Engage and speak out on topics related to company values
- Get your employees involved
- Create a brand manual to control messaging and interactions
- Be creative and use humor
5. Be more than a product pusher.
People don’t want to be marketing targets, they want value and helpful content. To engage and be remembered you need to do more than just sell your product.
Focus your marketing strategy and content on providing something useful for your audience. This way they relate to you with more than just a product, but a positive feeling or experience.
6. Make data-driven decisions.
Data is the king of our times and especially in B2B marketing efforts. Having reliable data behind your strategy can guide you to the right decisions quickly.
Since marketing in the B2B sphere is mostly digital you can almost guarantee that you will have data. What you need to do is implement the right analysis and expand on your data collection.
Make sure every step of the users’ journey provides data and that you are monitoring and collecting what you can from all channels.
This information will determine the right targets, channels, and messages that are working. It can be key to identifying your best customer and building the best relationship with them.
7. Reconsider and experiment with your approach to marketing
Experimentation is your friend in an ever-changing market, it’s all about having the guts to change and adapt to what your target needs now.
Your B2B marketing strategy will always have to be ever-changing. These alterations are not random but are made to follow trends, and best digital practices and provide answers through testing.
Strategic tools like A/B testing can help you find the best tone, design style, and promotions to work with. That’s why you need to experiment because you will never know until you do it!
What does this mean for your goals?
Being in a B2B SaaS startup is a great starting point to building amazing marketing strategies. Because you have the freedom to act digitally, can experiment with different things and there are no limits to your growth.
You can try all or one of these tips to get your marketing to the next level, you can also create your own hybrid plans. The point is, that this is not the end of the road for your company, there are always new heights to reach and marketing goals to achieve.
FAQ: levelling up a B2B marketing strategy
Does niching down mean turning away business?
It means aiming at fewer people on purpose, not refusing money that shows up. A narrow message pulls in adjacent buyers anyway, because specific language sounds credible even to people slightly outside the target.
How do we get employees to post without forcing it?
Give them something worth saying and let them say it in their own words. Prewritten posts everyone copies read as prewritten posts everyone copied, and people can tell within a line.
Which data should drive the decisions?
Pipeline created and revenue influenced, plus what buyers say when you ask how they found you. Traffic and impressions explain movement, but they do not settle an argument about budget.
How long should we test a new channel before dropping it?
Long enough to run it properly, which in B2B usually means one full sales cycle. Anything shorter measures the setup rather than the channel.
Related reading: Content marketing strategy for B2B, B2B storytelling: create a new demand, Demand generation vs lead generation.
This article is from the Funky Marketing blog archive. The work continues at Funky Enterprises: positioning, demand generation and commercial systems for B2B companies.
If you want to look at your own commercial system, book a 30-minute needs assessment. New conversations with people who build revenue are on the Funky Enterprises Show.
