In the fast-paced world of B2B, standing out requires more than just great products. It’s about crafting thoughtful, high-impact marketing strategies that resonate with decision-makers and build lasting relationships. Whether you’re new to the game or a seasoned pro, this playbook will guide you through the essential building blocks of B2B marketing - from foundational research and messaging to cutting-edge trends and creative campaigns. Unlock the secrets to driving success and positioning your business as an industry leader.
Contents:
What is B2B marketing all about?
Business-to-business (B2B) marketing involves promoting products or services to other companies rather than individual consumers. The B2B environment is distinct in several ways:
Selling to other businesses: Your audience is composed of decision-makers at other companies.
Multiple stakeholders: Decision-making often involves several people or departments, necessitating alignment across different interests and needs.
Complex, high-priced products: Many B2B products and services are intricate and highly priced, requiring specialised, more technical understanding and messaging.
Long buying cycles: Due to the complexity and high cost of products, and the involvement of multiple stakeholders in the buying process, purchases often involve extended deliberation, requiring multiple touchpoints over weeks or even months.
Traditionally sales-focused: The sales force has historically dominated B2B, but marketing's influence is growing as competition increases and the market saturates.
Lower marketing budgets: B2B firms typically have smaller marketing budgets than B2C, making efficient, ROI-driven strategies essential.
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Where to start in B2B marketing
Before diving into tactics, you need a solid foundation:
Customer research & market analysis: Understand your target market, their pain points, and their decision-making processes. What makes your audience tick? And who are your ideal customers or ICPs?
Unique value proposition (UVP) & unique selling points (USPs): Define what makes your product or service stand out. Look at the competitive landscape and position your product for success. Focus on the benefits of your offering rather than its features and get your messaging so it resonates with your target audience and ICPs.
Brand development: Build a brand that resonates with business clients, positioning yourself as a trusted partner. What is your “why”? Use appealing storytelling and design to differentiate and make a statement. And stick to this - be consistent.
Sales alignment: Coordinate with the sales team to ensure marketing efforts drive meaningful leads and conversions.
Budgeting: Given limited budgets, plan your marketing spend efficiently across channels and tactics that deliver the highest ROI. Know your numbers to win a place at the C-suite table.
Building your ultimate B2B marketing mix for your budget
The key to B2B success is starting small with a few core channels and tactics, and expanding as you grow. Some key B2B channels and strategies include:
Content marketing/thought leadership: Create valuable, educational content that positions your business as an expert in the field and gain the trust of your audience.
Events (Digital & IRL) and community: Host or sponsor events that foster personal engagement with potential customers, while nurturing long-term relationships with prospects.
Direct marketing (e.g. email): Direct marketing tools like email remain one of the highest ROI channels for B2B marketers. Personalising messages to key decision-makers fosters relationships and drives conversions. Incorporating data and personalisation technologies such as AI can help tailor content to specific audiences, improving effectiveness.
Social media (LinkedIn): LinkedIn remains the top platform for B2B engagement, with 75% of B2B marketers citing it as their most-used channel. Short-form content tailored to LinkedIn’s professional audience helps build brand awareness, generate demand and effectively nurture prospects and move them down the funnel, facilitating conversion.
Account-based marketing (ABM): ABM allows businesses to target key accounts with personalised marketing campaigns, focusing resources on the companies that matter most. This is particularly effective for high-value, long sales cycle B2B transactions. Using digital tools like LinkedIn and email automation platforms, ABM helps optimise outreach to potential buyers based on firmographics and buying intent.
Partner & influencer marketing: Partnering with complementary businesses or leveraging industry influencers can extend your brand's reach and credibility. Influencers in B2B tend to be thought leaders and professionals who have built trust and authority within a particular niche.
PR: PR can boost brand visibility and authority by establishing you as a leader in your industry.
Paid media campaigns (PPC, display ads, social ads) provide a scalable way to reach new customers, especially when targeting specific keywords or using retargeting strategies. Platforms like Google Ads and LinkedIn Ads are popular in B2B marketing. Industry-specific media outlets and membership organisations like associations or communities can also help you get quick direct access to your exact target audience.
Measuring for B2B marketing success
The key performance indicators (KPIs) used to measure the success of a B2B marketing campaign can vary based on the sophistication of the marketing department and the complexity of the campaign efforts. More advanced teams may track metrics like pipeline velocity or multi-touch attribution, while smaller teams may focus on basic lead generation and ROI. Here are some core KPIs to consider:
MQLs or marketing-qualified leads generated: Measure both quantity and quality.
Cost per lead (CPL): Ensure your marketing spend is driving cost-effective lead generation.
Sales conversions: Track how leads convert into sales.
Customer lifetime value (CLV): Assess long-term revenue potential.
Return on investment (ROI): Compare revenue against marketing costs.
By aligning KPIs with campaign sophistication, marketers can better optimise their strategies to drive impactful results.
In practice: A sample marketing plan for positioning a new B2B offering
Positioning your B2B offering in a competitive market requires a well-thought-out strategy. Here’s a sample plan designed around a £10,000 budget, which combines data-driven insights, thought leadership content, and strategic outreach. This plan covers running an industry survey, launching a whitepaper, and repurposing content to drive long-term engagement.
1. Discover insights: Running an industry survey
Objective:
Identify pressing challenges and opportunities in your industry that align with your B2B offering. Insights from this survey will serve as the backbone of your whitepaper and subsequent marketing efforts.
Action steps:
Survey platform: Use tools like SurveyMonkey or Typeform to create and distribute the survey.
Incentivise participation: Offer small incentives (e.g., gift cards) to encourage responses.
Promotion: Use LinkedIn Ads or your email list to distribute the survey to your target audience.
Budget allocation:
Survey platform: £150-£500
Incentives: £300-£500
Promotion: £500-£1,000
Total cost: £950 - £2,000
Engagement tip: Promote the survey as a valuable opportunity for respondents to influence industry trends and receive first-hand access to the findings.
2. Establish authority: Whitepaper creation
3. Showcase expertise: Launch event
4. Amplify reach: Repurpose content for distribution
5. Nurture relationships: Email campaign
Final budget breakdown
Thinking outside the box: Creativity in B2B marketing
While B2B marketing has traditionally been more conservative, many companies are now adopting creative approaches to differentiate themselves and taking examples from their B2C peers. Below are some of the most notable and innovative B2B campaigns that caught our eye and made a significant impact over the past few years:
Blackstone’s Office-themed Christmas video
Blackstone broke away from the corporate mould with a humorous, ‘The Office’-style mockumentary for their holiday campaign last year. Featuring key executives like the company’s CEO and founder Steven Schwarzman, the video was designed to humanise the brand and bring humour to an industry known for its serious nature. This creative approach led to viral success with over 600,000 views on platforms like LinkedIn, making Blackstone’s brand more relatable.
Global Relay’s WhatsApp for business rap
Global Relay turned regulatory compliance into a quirky rap video, adding humour to a traditionally dry subject. This creative approach not only captured attention but also simplified complex regulatory topics, making them more accessible to a broader audience. The video has generated over 85,000 views on YouTube.
Brex’s attack on Concur
Brex launched a bold "competitive punch-up" campaign targeting Concur, the dominant but unpopular expense management software. The campaign, led by CMO Scott Holden, featured witty billboards in high-traffic areas of San Francisco, with messages like "Hate doing expenses? Honk if you Concur." This direct comparison helped Brex attach itself to the expense management category as it expanded from corporate cards. The campaign was a success, generating 200,000 web visits and millions of dollars in the pipeline, as highlighted by Sprout Social’s CMO Carilu Dietrich on LinkedIn after listening to Holden’s campaign presentation at Beloved Tech Brands Conference earlier this year.
Payhawk’s Vegas takeover & Grigor Dimitrov’s celebrity endorsement
Vegas conference launch: Payhawk strategically launched its US market entry at the Vegas Money20/20 conference, with an experiential marketing campaign centered around a "Big Bang" event. During the 4 days of the conference, Payhawk deployed 3 billboards and wrapped 5 Tesla Ubers driving around high-traffic areas. This out-of-home (OOH) strategy "swarmed" key event locations such as Caesars Forum and Hotel Flamingo, coinciding with the SuiteWorld Conference. The campaign generated significant visibility, reaching over 1.1 million impressions, establishing Payhawk’s strong brand presence and maximising touchpoints across the event.
Grigor Dimitrov’s celebrity endorsement: Payhawk also partnered with Bulgarian tennis star Grigor Dimitrov as a brand ambassador. This collaboration aimed to boost global brand recognition by associating with Dimitrov’s reputation for resilience and precision, aligning with Payhawk’s values of efficiency and innovation. The campaign generated a lot of traditional and social media attention significantly boosting the fintech’s brand image.
iZettle’s unique physical experience
iZettle created a unique pop-up market at a press event in London as part of their UK launch strategy. Rather than just telling everyone about their business, they decided to let the product speak best for itself. The pop-up, designed to mimic an ideal retail space, allowed small business owners to experience the product firsthand. By providing an immersive, real-world demonstration, iZettle emphasised the ease of use and efficiency of its system. The campaign was a success, generating considerable foot traffic and building strong brand connections through a tactile and memorable customer experience.
These campaigns demonstrate how creativity in B2B marketing can generate buzz, enhance brand recall, and lead to increased engagement, all while positioning the company as a leader in its industry.
Future trends in B2B marketing
The future of B2B marketing is rapidly evolving, driven by advancements in technology, changing buyer behaviour, and the need for personalisation. Here are some of the key trends shaping the industry as identified by LinkedIn in the 2024 B2B Benchmark Report:
AI and automation: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming B2B marketing through predictive analytics, chatbots, and content personalisation. AI-driven tools help automate repetitive tasks, freeing marketers to focus on strategic efforts.
Data-driven personalisation: B2B buyers expect personalised experiences similar to B2C interactions. Data analytics will play a crucial role in delivering targeted content and improving customer journeys.
Short-form video & interactive content: With 55% of B2B marketers stating short-form videos generate the highest ROI, video content, especially on platforms like LinkedIn, will remain a leading strategy. Additionally, interactive content like polls, quizzes, and live events will engage users more dynamically.
Greater focus on DEI: Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives are now top-of-mind for B2B brands. Companies are increasing investments in inclusive marketing, focusing on representation in their campaigns and promoting accessible content.
Sustainability marketing: As sustainability becomes more important to buyers, B2B companies are increasingly showcasing their eco-friendly practices and corporate responsibility in their marketing narratives.
Advanced ABM: ABM is becoming more sophisticated with enhanced targeting through AI, leading to highly personalised campaigns focused on high-value clients, further enhancing ROI.
The convergence of these trends signifies that future B2B marketing will prioritise personalisation, automation, and immersive experiences, all while maintaining a human touch in interactions.
Your step-by-step B2B marketing plan
Target audience: Define your ideal customer profile (ICP) and key stakeholders.
Key messaging: Articulate your UVP and core message tailored to your audience.
Channels: List the core channels (e.g., content marketing, social media, email) you will use.
Budget allocation: Specify how much you will spend on each channel.
KPIs: Set measurable goals, such as lead volume, sales conversions, and CPL.
Timeline: Outline your campaign schedule.
Review: Establish regular check-ins to assess performance and pivot as needed.
To help you implement this strategic plan, we prepared the Ultimate B2B Marketing Worksuite Notion template. Grab your complimentary copy below.
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