In a recent post at the Reputation to Revenue blog, Rob Leavitt questions the value of B2B firms' putting so much energy into "advertising and collateral"—and stresses the need for a stronger emphasis on thought leadership and social media. Times have changed for B2B marketers, Leavitt argues, and companies need to develop "a clear framework for building a comprehensive strategy that balances short- and longer-term success" in today's marketplace.
Above all, he advises, the strategy needs to focus on "the four marketing engines that I think all B2B firms need to have running smoothly to ensure business success":
The Content Engine, which "consistently produces compelling content for every stage of the buying cycle," Leavitt says. That includes:
- Thought leadership content to help build reputation and interest
- Educational content to support lead generation and nurturing
- Solutions and customer-success content to support sales conversations
- Social media content to support ongoing connections with customers and others
The Relationship Engine, to ensure a comprehensive, consistent and focused approach to strengthening critical stakeholder connections to increase sales, loyalty and market insight.
The Lead-Development Engine, to develop and sustain opportunities in close coordination with Sales. These days, someone needs to "own the overall system for lead development, including qualification, scoring, nurturing and assessment," Leavitt notes.
The Solutions Development Engine, which creates higher-value solutions that respond more specifically to individual customer needs. Marketing needs to "determine top priorities for new offer development, crafting the right value propositions," he advises.
Conclusion: New times demand new actions. Although these four engines don't cover every aspect of B2B marketing, if you get each one humming, "results are sure to follow," Leavitt concludes.
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