Why modern B2B marketing become so ineffective….and how to fix it.

I feel for those who completed their degree in marketing and had the choice of going into the B2C industries and instead, chose the B2B world.

Why..??

Because the B2C industries are leagues ahead in the core purpose and reason for marketing…

creating demand...

We meet lots of different types of marketers:? PR, Digital marketing, Product marketing, Account Based marketing, Social Media marketing….the list goes on and we love to speak with these professionals about what their core purpose is.

Often, we hear lots of works about creating content, reach, audiences, campaigns, optimisation, awareness….and it typically takes a few questions to get to the core…

“So, why do you do all of that…?”

More marketing speak...

"And what do you do that for...?"

...uncomfortable silence

TO CREATE INTEREST AND DEMAND FOR WHAT YOUR COMPANY DOES AND SELLS…        

And we shouldn’t shy away from this , we should celebrate it.

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Every stand at a show, every digital advert, every piece of B2B social media content is someone trying to get you interested in something….for a purpose….and in many cases, I believe that we have lost sight of that.

Often, we find that the bright eyed, newly qualified, idea laden marketing grad joins a B2B company with visions of amazing creative campaigns and big budgets, ready to put all of that learning to work, only to find they are pushed into a back room to develop brochures, maintain a website with news and ‘be told’ what to create.

All that creativity, all those ideas overruled by conservative, died in the wool perspectives and opinions, often from a leadership team that doesn’t really understand how modern marketing can work and should work.

So, it’s no surprise that within the world of B2B marketing, there’s a troubling trend…so much of it looks the same.

Scroll through LinkedIn or browse industry websites, and you’ll find a sea of near-identical posts:

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“We’re at an event!” (have a look at your feed, so is everyone else, what’s different…?)

“We’re thrilled to win an award!” (well done, hopefully that increases your order intake…??)

“Here’s our latest product launch!” (it does this, it does that, and you should buy it…when you are finished looking at all the other product launches.)

While these updates have their place, they rarely differentiate or captivate.

Why is this happening?

It’s because many companies have jumped quickly and fully into focusing their time and energy on marketing what they have ‘to’ somewhere and haven’t spent enough time and energy where they’re marketing ‘from’.

The anchor point…your Value Proposition

At the heart of effective marketing is a strong value proposition much maligned over the years and in many cases, forgotten about.

It's a concise, compelling statement that communicates what makes your business, product, or service irresistible to your target market.

Without it, marketing becomes generic, reactive, and interchangeable. Companies end up mimicking others in their sector, leading to a cycle of vanilla sameness.

If you and your team cant verbalise your value, how can we expect anyone else to understand it....and want it...?        

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A strong value proposition is an anchor point not just for marketing, for the entire company. It roots all of your internal and external messaging and ensures that every piece of content, campaign, or communication stems from what makes you uniquely valuable.

Often we find that the company has bothered to create a value proposition or, that its was created 10 years ago and doesn’t really fit with what they do now or, that an outside marketing company made something a few years back for our website and it contains a lots of buzzwords and statements that even we don't really understand??

Leveraging cutting-edge synergies to empower holistic solutions for next-gen stakeholders, driving unparalleled value across dynamic ecosystems while optimising scalable touchpoints for seamless integration in an ever-evolving marketplace.

??....Opportunity missed….??

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A good Value Proposition should answer three critical questions:?

What problems are you solving?

Speak directly to your audience’s pain points and demonstrate that you truly understand their challenges—and can solve them better than anyone else.

What makes your approach unique?

Distill your distinctiveness into words that your prospects will grasp instantly and want to know more.

What benefits will your customer experience?

Whether it’s saving time, money, or effort—or all three—show the tangible results your clients can expect.

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When these questions are answered clearly, you don’t just blend into the market—you stand out and, you catch the right attention.

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Why generic marketing fails: The numbers...

B2B buyers engage with only 5-6 pieces of content before making a decision (Demand Gen Report). If your content is indistinguishable from competitors’, you risk losing relevance and simply blend into the beige background.

71% of B2B decision-makers find sales and marketing content overly generic (Gartner). Without differentiation, you’re not convincing, you’re confusing.

Generic marketing doesn’t resonate because it speaks to a perceived audience, not from the heart of what makes your company valuable.

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So, how? do we fix this?

When you take the time to build a strong value proposition, it transforms your marketing and communications.? It’s a fantastic process to sit with a team and flesh this out.

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Here’s why...

It’s the centre point and it gives you more than you might think.

Key Messaging: A value proposition creates clear, consistent messages that resonate with your audience.

Website Design: It informs your website’s structure, tone, and user experience, making every element loaded with purpose, speaking the right language and encouraging action.

Social Media Content: It fuels endless ideas for posts, campaigns, and conversations that genuinely engage with the people you want to be engaging with.

Sales Enablement: It aligns pitches, presentations, and meetings, ensuring your team communicates with clarity and confidence.

This isn’t just marketing for the sake of it—it’s purposeful communication that solves problems, sparks curiosity, and builds trust.

I worked with a CEO recently who gets this, he said:

“I get lots of outside marketing agencies telling me that not everyone will understand the messages I want to put out, in the way I want them put together…I tell them, I don’t care about everyone understanding, I’m only interested in the people that will buy this understanding the messages…”.

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Marketing ‘from’ vs. Marketing ‘to’:

Creating Demand is one of the most important elements of any business – so why don’t we audit demand creation and sales in the way we do with all other aspects we deem to be critical to our business.

Where is the Non-Conformity register for how we market, sell and develop our business??? Where is the continuous Improvement programme for marketing and sales...?

Wouldn’t that be an eye opener…

(PS if you work like this Id love to meet you, I’ve been doing this for many years and I’m yet to find anyone that does it.)

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So, take a moment to audit your current efforts.

Are you simply marketing to your audience—chasing trends and mimicking competitors—or are you marketing from a place of clarity, confidence, and uniqueness?

Anchor your marketing in a strong value proposition, and you’ll move beyond the noise. Your message will not only reach your market—it will resonate and create action….it will create demand, like it should have been doing all along.        

It’s time to stop looking like everyone else and start showing your market why you’re the only company they should call.

We are here to help you.

Eric Doyle (F.ISP) Consult Crux

Eric is the founder and Managing Director of Crux, a company devoted to creating leading technical and commercial influencers who together make a measureable, sacalable improvements to their businesses.