Doing more with less

Let’s face it, today’s B2B marketing teams must be more innovative and agile than ever before. Activity levels are at an all-time high. Business demands and expectations are constantly increasing. Budgets and resources are often flat. Add to the mix the fact that customer savviness and expectations are through the roof and many of us are vying for the same eyeballs and attention.

It’s an environment like this where traditional marketing approaches (campaigns, organizational models, processes, measurement systems, etc.) are letting us down. Where new approaches, different operating models, supported by a disciplined prioritization of the things that really matter are critical success criteria for the modern B2B marketer. So, let’s join hands and briefly mourn the death of business as usual.

Now that that’s done, let’s talk about our new reality.

But first, let’s assume that we all have a firm understanding of our target customer base. If you don’t, then it’s likely you’ve under-invested in building a robust data and analytics capability. If that’s you, stop reading and go do that now! It’s vital to have a deep, data-driven perspective of what is, or is not, driving engagement with your messaging, your content, and your brand. Your market is changing around you…always. If you’re making decisions based on intuition or a now-obsolete PoV on market and customer dynamics that may have been relevant last quarter or last year, you’re already steps behind your more agile, analytically-inclined competitors.

Our new reality is pretty simple. We need to do more (or different) with less. But how? Here are a few thoughts:

Focus your messaging

As marketers we know we can’t be all things to all people. Still, so many of us try. If a company or a concept or a channel is new and hot, we chase it, trying to mirror its success without realizing the chase may be ultimately futile.

Instead, concentrate on your core – what you’re best at that’s unique to your organization. When it comes to messaging, singular focus is critical, and so is clarity. Consider the automotive market, arguably one of the most crowded and competitive sectors around. The brands that have been most successful have carved out an identity for themselves. Volvo – safe. Jeep – adventurous. Mercedes – prestigious. Porsche – fast. Tesla – green. No brand can be everything to everyone or the message gets muddled. To maximize your marketing punch, keep your messaging straightforward. Less really is more.

Hone your targets

Rather than use a “spray and pray” messaging strategy, use precise marketing techniques to communicate your most important messaging and get more bang for your buck. A bullseye strategy requires making bets – picking and sticking – which could mean canvasing a Washington, D.C. Metro station with ABM messaging to capture your government target on the way to and from work.

Adopting AI-driven marketing techniques can help you minimize waste by having more conversations with your customers and prospects. Fewer emails, for instance, with more dynamically personalized and relevant messaging will have a far greater impact than spamming your customers to death. Early adopters of this empathetic approach in the telco, banking, and transportation industries have seen significant returns on their investment, and more engaged customers as a result. Data-driven marketing not only allows you to be much more precise in how you deploy marcom tactics, but you can become increasingly confident that those efforts will make a connection with the right people and elicit a positive response. 

Leverage your people

Many of us hail from huge organizations that have big marketing departments. But the responsibility of marketing doesn’t have to fall squarely on the shoulders of those who have marketing in their title. If your employees believe in your organization – its products, its strategy – then why not draft them all into your marketing mission? Encourage them to post about your organization on social media to reach their personal networks. Provide them with swag, so when they’re at their daughter’s hockey game they can talk with pride about what they do and who they work for. This works especially well for brands with an awareness or image problem.

For example, at Pega, we recently launched a program for our entire field staff that essentially turns them into marketers. We strengthened each of our account executives’ LinkedIn profiles and provided them with an easy way to share content about the company, our products, and our stories with a click of a button. And the best part is that there are virtually no hard costs to the organization. Obviously, this kind of program is an investment of time and requires the creation of some guidelines to keep everyone on the same messaging page, but it’s well worth the investment.

Have a purpose

There’s a growing trend among consumers to ensure that a company’s mission is aligned with their personal values. Consumers today, particularly younger ones, want the companies they buy from to deliver a positive impact to the world – whether that’s helping the environment, or people in need, or treating their employees with respect. Think about the success of Tom’s shoes or Ben & Jerry’s. These are beloved brands that stand for more than just great products. They are brands with a purpose. Believing in something other than profits can’t be manufactured, or customers will see right through you. Equally, if marketing efforts talk only about product features and benefits, you’re missing an opportunity to reinforce that your brand is about something bigger. The bottom line is that if your customers already love your products, and know your organization is focused on the greater good, they will think twice about purchasing elsewhere. To this end, check back with your company’s vision, mission, and values statements, and make sure your messaging pays off higher brand attributes.

In the end, doing more with less doesn’t have to mean cutting programs or headcount. It’s really about acknowledging that there’s more capacity in your marketing operation than might be obvious to you. This requires adopting a more agile mindset that prioritizes a vigilant real-time understanding of your market and customer dynamics through rigorous data and analytics, adopting technology and practices that ensure precision and hyper-personalized messaging, and infusing your marketing with authentic brand attributes that communicate that you’re more than (just) the products and services you sell.