Seven Ways B-to-B Marketers Can Drive Growth

1© Copyright 2016 by the Association of National Advertisers, Inc. All rights reserved.
Seven
Ways
B-to-B
Marketers
Can Drive
Growth

Recent research from the ANA, in partnership
with GfK, indicates that B-to-B marketers struggle
to be viewed as growth drivers by senior leaders.
While this may be unfair, it’s important for B-to-B
marketers to take action and begin changing this
perception. Ahead, we’ll outline seven ways you can
drive growth and success for your organization.

Think Like a Business Leader
with Marketing Experience.

“Tell me to what degree will a 1 percent improvement in
our brand strength translate into acquisition and retentions,”
says Pat LaPointe, an investor and growth advisor at Growth
Calculus. You can elevate marketing’s role by helping senior
leadership develop business plans informed by customer
insights and linking marketing strategies to business outcomes.

Establish Your Company’s
Competitive Advantage.

Take the lead in developing a strong brand positioning to
give your company an edge over the competition. This is
the most important role that B-to-B marketers can take on,
but you also need to communicate this positioning with
sales so they can become champions of your brand’s image.

Partner with Sales to Drive
Business Growth.

Your most important marketing objectives are driving sales
and/or leads, while boosting brand awareness, customer
loyalty, and retention rates. Because of this, you should
align your key objectives with the goals of sales.

Inspire the Entire Organization.

“We needed to have marketing people sitting with the
IT team on a day-to-day basis to help them understand why
we’re asking for certain things and what we’re trying to do,”
says Robert Tas, chief marketing officer at Pegasystems.
If you’re not selling the brand internally, you’ll struggle to get
research, sales, and IT to buy into the marketing efforts.

Shift the Focus of Strategy from
your Product to your Consumer.

“We made the decision to stop talking about products and start
talking to [customers] about the different ways we can solve
problems,” says Allison Bennet, chief marketing officer at Chase
for Business. Focus marketing efforts on driving a consistent
brand identity across buyer touchpoints, strengthening
strategic brand imagery, and boosting brand awareness.

Prove ROI.
ROI

Measure campaign results to demonstrate marketing’s
contribution to corporate success, and you’ll begin
to be viewed by senior leadership as a growth driver.

Acquire Digital Skillsets.

If your company doesn’t have the tools and digital skillsets
needed to compete today, acquire them. Currently, only
7 percent of marketers polled believe their companies
have effective processes in place for capturing data
on buyer behavior, attitudes, and engagement.
That number is way too low.

All content for this slideshare has been aggregated from the ANA’s Marketing Knowledge Center.
Want more to dig deeper? We’ve got you covered:
Infographic: Eight Ways B-to-B Marketers Can Take on Growth Leadership
Key Findings Report: When B-to-B Marketers Lead, Growth Follows
Ask the Expert Answers: Emotion in B-to-B Advertising
Event Recap: What’s Hot in Lead Generation
Case Study: Priceless Elevator Pitch
Sources

Seven Ways B-to-B Marketers Can Drive Growth

More Related Content

What's hot

Similar to Seven Ways B-to-B Marketers Can Drive Growth

More from Association of National Advertisers

Recently uploaded

Seven Ways B-to-B Marketers Can Drive Growth