Frustrated B2B business owners will try one marketing strategy after another in pursuit of something that will prove effective at generating new business.
The result can be a flurry of campaigns or copycat efforts, marked by little planning and no follow-through. When a key competitor adopts a fancy new web design or posts a nonstop barrage of social media ephemera, the pressure to do the same can be fierce.
But investing time and money in the splashy currency of a new web design or a noisy TikTok video will not contribute to B2B business growth without a strategy built on messaging that clearly demonstrates the value of the solutions and products you provide and gets them in front of the right prospects.
The Risk of Marketing Built Around an Aesthetic
Why is effective B2B marketing so rare? Possibly because marketing agencies are not. Everywhere you look, a new business or platform is promising to create a buzz around your business with some shiny new technology or a team of super-cool marketing specialists whose command of the zeitgeist is “cutting-edge” and whose solutions are “impactful” and “optimized.”
But they’re not. Buzzwords don’t drive B2B success. Strategies do. An effective B2B marketing agency begins with a deep understanding of the industry, the products, and the customers. What drives new leads to a manufacturer often has little in common with a great strategy for growing a software company. Most marketing agencies don’t invest the time to learn about your business; they’re too busy chasing their next project.
Some B2B business owners turn to fractional CMOs and marketing consultants who may do a better job understanding their business but lack the expertise to implement an effective marketing program. As a result, they often bring in a design-first marketing agency.
Launching a Strategy-First B2B Marketing Program
A better approach is to look for a marketing partner with a strategy-first approach and a practice and methodology that incorporates the principles of “lean marketing.”
Lean marketing treats the marketing budget as an investment rather than an expense. Planning, measurement, and steady refinement take the place of a scramble for the next isolated project.
Lean Methodology
Lean methodology promotes the flow of value to the customer through continuous improvement and respect for people.
Adoption of lean methodology across the marketing agency world has been limited, but B2B business owners will find it worth the effort to look for a marketing partner whose approach recognizes these same principles.
Lean marketing is customized to the business and employs data-driven decision-making at every stage. A custom program built around lean tenets can begin producing usable insight early, because the planning work carries directly into implementation instead of trailing behind a design project. Sequence matters here. Strategy comes first, and the tactics follow from what that strategy uncovers.
Lean marketing focuses on streamlined creation and rapid implementation to minimize excess, reduce waste, and lower costs. It prioritizes efficiency throughout all marketing activities.
Early lean marketing attempts were often ineffective because they did not incorporate a holistic and comprehensive strategy, out of fear that it would take too long and cost too much. Some attempts also did not prioritize customer feedback.
A Modern Approach to Lean Marketing
Today’s lean marketing incorporates agile methodology and is far more strategic and customer-centric. Often conducted in a series of agile sprints, it follows the spirit of “kaizen,” best known for its adoption by Toyota and its focus on continuous improvement and efficiency across processes.
B2B marketing agencies that prioritize this method often begin an engagement with a marketing audit to establish a baseline for improvement, followed by B2B content marketing and search engine optimization, and then a brand storytelling process to dive into the needs and problems of the market served. Both efforts become the basis of a marketing plan focused on driving measurable results.
