I’m not a fan of the concept of “best practices.” Unless it involves playing darts. I only included the terms here because my SEO tool told me to 😀. I’ve been a marketer for quite a while, and one of the most important (and expensive) lessons I’ve learned is that there’s no silver bullet for marketing. Every organization is unique. While there are some things that every marketing function needs, how those needs are fulfilled can vary greatly.
Regardless, there are six guidelines that I like to follow that I think all marketers should consider:
RULE 1: No Random Acts of Marketing – Marketing is a strategic activity. You should have a plan and it should be tied to your organization’s goals. You should allocate your budget to support that plan, and you should have a set of KPIs defined to measure the effectiveness of that plan. Random acts of marketing just don’t fit into a well-designed integrated marketing plan.
RULE 2: Know What Makes You Special – Do you know what makes your product or service special? And most importantly, does everyone on your team know and understand what it is? All too often, we try to be everything to everyone. We tell everyone we have the best price, features, and service. The reality is that, at best, you can probably own one or two of these three differentiators. Figure out which of the three you want to own and ensure that every marketing effort reinforces that strength.
RULE 3: Make it Easy for People to Raise Their Hands – Marketing is about starting conversations. You must make it simple for your prospects to take the next step. Make sure you included that button to connect with sales and that you’ve streamlined that handoff. Nothing is worse than having a prospect fill out a contact me form, only to have that form fill drop into a sales queue that is maybe actioned on in a day to two.
RULE 4: Outside->In – When you see a doctor because you’re sick, they don’t start the conversation by telling you where they got their diploma; instead, they ask you where it hurts. As a famous sports cable personality would say – “C’mon, man.” It’s not all about you. Talk to me like you care about helping me first, then explain why your recommendation is what I need.
RULE 5: Speak the Customer’s Language – I’m not talking about the language spoken in the geographic region they are from. Which is easier to understand – “You have acute viral nasopharyngitis” or “You have a cold.” Always consider your prospect’s point of view and vernacular when trying to engage with them.
RULE 6: Always Add Value – As marketers, our job is to help people find solutions to their problems, solutions that they may not have known existed. Many people think marketing is about yelling the loudest or tricking people to get their attention. Marketing can be and should be so much more. Make sure you add value to every engagement you have with a prospect or customer. Reward every click, scroll, or chat request.
I hope this blog added some value to your day and that you find my six “best practices” for B2B marketing helpful. BTW the photo is from a dart match at a pub called “The Angel” in London a few years back.
Here’s a bonus rule, “The wise person knows what they do not know.” I’d love to hear what rules you’ve learned. Please drop me a note here.