Saving Your B2B Brand Marketing Strategy: Applying the 95-5 Rule

Who can forget the iconic war movie, Saving Private Ryan? The 1998 masterpiece, directed by Steven Spielberg, vividly captured the horrors of World War II but also portrayed the powerful story of camaraderie and duty.

I'm about to share with you one of the strongest scenes from the movie and show you how it can revolutionize the way we approach B2B marketing today. And no, it's not the opening scene.

But first, a little context:

If you're in the world of B2B marketing, chances are you've heard of the 95/5 rule. The Idea is that essentially, only 5% of your customers are actively in the market at any given time, while the other 95% are not. Important to add is that the 95% figure isn't a fixed number. Researchers use it as a general guideline to emphasize that the majority of businesses aren't actively seeking out products or services during specific time periods.

So with this in mind one would recommend B2B marketers to contemplate their focus towards those who aren't currently in the market, but will be in the future. Also bear in mind that the average B2B sales cycle takes about 18 months.

“To grow a brand, you need to advertise to people who aren’t in the market now, so that when they do enter the market your brand is one they are familiar with.”?

- Professor John Dawes , Ehrenberg-Bass Institute.?

But believe it or not, most marketers still swear by the direct effectiveness of advertising. In fact, the B2B Institute at LinkedIn conducted a study and found that a whopping 96% of B2B marketers expected to see significant results from their ad campaigns within just two weeks.

This belief is a myth. According to Ty Heath at the B2B Institute, and I have no reason to doubt her.

So, if the researchers believe that it is a myth and that you as a B2B marketer should focus on your out of market buyers, why do so many insist on focusing on the very few "in market buyers?"

I have tried to find reasonable answers to this question but cannot claim to have found "the holy grail". I guess it's because there are so many different answers to a very complex question.

Could it be that some marketers prioritise the 5% who are ready to buy now, due to a need for quick results? Or that marketers feel that focusing on the 5% is the most direct way to deliver tangible results?

Is that? some marketers may not fully understand the rule, leading to continued focus on the 5%. or have limited resources? that lead to a focus on short-term strategies over long-term ones??

ì don't know.

But here's my assumption (well aware that assumptions are the mother of all f*ck ups):

To set the scene a bit let's use this scenario:?

It's your first day as a marketer within a B2B company. The product the company is selling is in no way better or worse than anyone else on the market and the brand is non the biggest or smallest on the market.?

Your company is owned by an investment company, which has shareholders. A board appointed by the investment company oversees the company and appoints a management team - including your boss - to run things.

Everyone involved has a clear goal: to make money. This is important because the future is uncertain, and nobody knows when downturns or recessions may occur, which could impact the company's profits. Therefore, it's in everyone's interest to earn money as quickly as possible. It is also in your interest to deliver results. Either to have the possibility of a salary increase, promotion or most of all: Keep your job!

With this in mind and the fact that 40% of LinkedIn members change jobs every four years, is it really reasonable to assume that you should adhere to a 95-5 rule and that an average sales cycle is 18 months?

Taking into consideration that we also live in a time where everything is measured, optimise and evaluated, who then has time to wait at least 18 months? Especially if more of your colleagues and maybe even your boss aren't even around that long? At the end of the day, I think it all comes down to a primal thing: the need to be needed. We want to contribute to our tribe, to feel like we're making a difference. Because if we can't contribute, we risk being ostracized and left without shelter or food. It's the very foundation of us human beings, after all.

The irony is of course that we care more about getting “MY” job done than caring about how the company is actually doing. “The operation succeeded but the patient died” kind of saying if it makes sense. Again, this is only my assumption.

So with all this being said, what to do?

Just as there are many reasons for this, there are at least as many solutions. If you ask me based on my assumption, it starts at the top. Investors, shareholders, board members and management groups need to more clearly shift their focus from the "ME" centered, to having as the absolute number one KPI to see that the company will survive forever. To implement a more infinite mindset around the brand.

What about the movie?

I promised you to share my favourite scene from Saving Private Ryan. Here goes:?Saving Private Ryan, Radar Site

Copyright: Paramount Pictures?

So what is my point and how the hell do I tie it to B2B Marketing??

For me, there are actually a lot of similarities and also proving great leadership skills that companies could learn from just this scene.

The team clearly wants to avoid the Machine Gun nest as it is an unnecessary risk and not their mission nor their objective.? But as Captain Miller (played by Tom Hanks) points out: Their objective is to win the war.?

In the same way marketers could say that the longterm game is not their mission nor objective as it can not be measured in the short term, which means that none of them can guarantee a result that they will be able to see as they don't know if they will be a part of the company for that long.?

It is therefore the responsibility of corporate governance to set the right expectations from the start and give their marketing team the conditions to succeed over time without feeling pressure to deliver right away.?

By doing so, I am convinced that more marketers will stay longer with their companies and roles, and see increased growth for their brand.

All for now, thanks for reading.