I was recently contacted by a B2B client who decided to forgo all marketing efforts in 2013, following an enormous marketing event in 2012. He felt the “momentum” from the event would carry the business through the next 12 – 14 months. After a decrease in sales and market share; his comment was prophetic: “I guess that didn’t work.”
Too few B2B CEOs realize the value of creating and maintaining momentum in their marketing. If marketing was compared to rolling a boulder uphill, most B2B marketers give their rock a push, rest, talk about it, push again, stand back, call a meeting, then realize the rock has returned to the bottom of the hill. And the process begins all over again.
The vast majority of B2B marketing departments run from campaign to campaign. There are lots of problems with this line of thinking:
- Projects replace strategy – ads are placed and a couple of trade shows are scheduled with no consideration for consistency, message, or customer.
- Reaction is mistaken for action – and everyone thinks effort will lead to effectiveness.
- Money is wasted – chasing discounts, deals and deadlines that are not bottom-line oriented.
- Response is spastic – a campaign gets some attention, then the response dies.
- Mistakes are repeated – there is little accountability or tracking of results.
To maximize your marketing efforts, take these five steps to build marketing momentum for your B2B firm.
- Getting really clear and focused. Write a two-page plan that details exactly what you want to accomplish in your business.
- Include S.M.A.R.T. goals – goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic,
and time-sensitive. - Jot down three tactics for each goal – what marketing tools you’ll use to address and accomplish the goal.
- Create a timeline and think consistencyso your audience becomes accustomed to seeing you in their inbox or their preferred trade pub.
- Measure your results. Digital, social and mobile marketing are bringing accountability to B2B marketing. Track the frequency of your ads, the number of clicks generated on your Web site, telephone calls, etc. so you’ll know which communications worked and which didn’t.
A few hours. Two pages. Momentum – it’s key to staying on your customer’s radar.