How to drive B2B revenue and relationships in a buyer-first world

Any B2B marketer who endured 2020 knows our industry has changed forever. Buyers are online and on their own. They now set the terms of how they connect with your brand, which makes it a real challenge to reach them with traditional campaigns and approaches. Siloed teams, inaccurate, invalid data, and broad-brush marketing programs only complicate matters. 

Today, we need to rethink the role of marketing. Whether you’re an event marketer, digital marketer, demand marketer, social media marketer, marketing operations, or revenue team, we all must recognize that we have one process, and that’s the buyer’s process. 

This means that we need to align to the essential functions of a high performing, omnichannel B2B marketing team: target, connect, activate, measure and govern. These five principles serve as a North Star toward a new B2B marketing approach called Precision Demand Marketing that supports a buyer-driven, omnichannel approach that accelerates lead-to-revenue conversions for meeting their businesses’ demanding goals.  

Target.  

It’s important to remember that accounts don’t buy; people do. Today’s B2B marketers need to identify and target with precision their known and unknown buyers, accounts, and buying committees using data, intent and ABM solutions, right when they’re ready to buy. We need to use intent data and data intelligence from first- and third-party sources to identify the buyers and organizations that match your ideal customer profile (ICP) based on criteria such as title, persona, and organization.   

Then, refine and strengthen your lists by adding new customer segments, all to aid in developing display advertising, content syndication, event marketing, digital events, and social media marketing programs. This allows you to consistently reach the right buyers with the right messages at the right time. 

Connect. 

It’s time to knock down silos within your marketing department and connect your data, content, and buyer’s journeys across various channels. These connections give your team the ability to dramatically amplify reach, boost pipeline, and increase conversion opportunities in real-time, all through unparalleled access to thousands of receptive buyers. This allows you to centralize demand efforts and convert exactly the right leads and accounts. 

Activate. 

Activation is about engaging your buyers and meeting them where they are. Utilize cross-channel buyer and account activation across the channels and sources buyers rely on, including content programs, social campaigns, in-person and virtual events, and ad campaigns. Activate engagement with buyers through highly personalized, sequential messaging. Surround your target accounts, convince them to take action, and convert leads at every stage of the funnel.  

Measure. 

If you can’t measure your programs, how do you know what’s working and how do you improve? Invest in measurement tools that help you gain visibility, measure impact and optimize marketing performance across channels. Measure critical areas of program performance to keep track of content syndication, social, and display ads. Then, continually manage and tweak each of your highly targeted programs to optimize performance, refine account-based tactics, monitor budget, track ROI, and defend your marketing spend.  

Govern. 

Getting your data right is at the core of a Precision Demand Marketing approach. Look for tools that make it easy to govern data integrity efficiently and accurately. It’s important to ensure marketable data and compliance for all data generating from demand programs. And consider platforms that help maintain data compliance with all global regulations.  To learn more about Precision Demand Marketing and the five essential functions, please check out our on-demand webinar featuring Jennifer Goode, Director of Product Marketing at Integrate, and Cyndi Greenglass, President, Livingston Strategies.

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