"Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat."
That's attributed to Sun Tzu in The Art of War. While it's not actually in the traditional translations, it aligns with his philosophy that a successful military campaign requires careful planning (strategy) and the ability to adapt and execute plans effectively (tactics).
When it comes to Business-to-Business (B2B) marketing of products or services from one business to another, and I'm talking about real marketing here—not just the tactical promotional efforts associated with the craft—there are foundational concepts that guide the creation of strategies and tactics.
Your business's success depends on mastering these first principles. Without them, you're wasting time, money, and effort. Too often, marketing and sales efforts fail because these foundational pieces are overlooked or half-baked.
So, what are the first principles of B2B marketing? Let's examine them with some Sun Tzu inspiration.
Unite the clans
It's all about alignment. Marketing, sales, the product team, and everyone in the organization need to be aligned on your business objectives. They must understand their contributions and how they must collaborate to achieve common goals.
Clearly communicate your objectives and regularly review progress to keep everyone aligned.
Select the target
Know your ideal customers. Who is the best fit for your products or services? If you’re starting out, you’ll have a hypothesis to test. You are better equipped to figure this out when you have some traction.
Here’s a hard truth: Your highest revenue customer may not actually be profitable to serve. Identify who loves your product or service. Who values what you offer and is willing to pay for it? Who tells others about it? Who are your advocates? They are the most likely to purchase and remain loyal so you can achieve sustainable profitability.
You can only figure this out through analysis and customer interviews to identify common characteristics, patterns, and traits. You'll continue to test, learn, and refine over time.
Probe the minds
Knowing who your ideal customers are is one thing. You need to understand them deeply. The more you know about them, the easier it will be to attract, convert, delight, and retain them. Your marketing, sales, product development and customer success efforts will be much easier.
You need to identify the so-called “watering holes” where customers and prospects congregate, learn, and engage with one another. I’m not talking about pubs—if you figure that out too, awesome! I’m talking about tradeshows, conferences, industry associations, and vendor-sponsored events. Perhaps online/print trade publications and journals are still an important source of industry trends and news for your target audience. And don’t forget about social media groups, online communities, and networking meetups.
Decipher the council of decision
B2B purchases are typically team decisions, not individual ones. You must understand how customers buy and who is part of the buying group involved in the purchase decision. Who is the champion, decision-maker(s), and influencers? What are the needs, challenges, and business goals of all stakeholders, including the users?
It’s also important to figure out what triggers the customer's search for a solution. Maybe it’s a shift in strategic direction, a loss of a big customer, or a new competitor entering the arena. Maybe the organization suffered some major trauma, like a data leak or service outage. That knowledge is gold. With it, you’ll be better equipped to identify when to engage with prospects.
Someone will be tasked with finding solutions. Sometimes, it’s a junior person. During their preliminary search, you must convince them you have a suitable solution. It's a mistake to think only about the ultimate C-level decision-maker. You may never get a chance to interact with them. And often, you’ll need to rely on the internal champion to convince finance, legal, IT, procurement, and other influencers who can block the deal.
Survey the terrain of the buyer's path
In other words, understand the buyer's journey. What does that journey look like? What information are customers seeking at each stage of the journey?
B2B buying journeys are complex, nonlinear and differ by organization. They are often long, which means that much of your marketing efforts are long-term, not short-term.
Remember that most of the market (as much as 95%, according to some studies) is not ready to buy at any given moment. You want to be top of mind when they are in the market.
When they are ready to buy, Gartner's research found that B2B customers go 57% of the way through the purchase process before they engage with a salesperson. There are many potential touchpoints with your brand before sales are invited into the conversation.
How much time and effort are you putting into the out-of-market buyers that become future sales? How much time and effort are you putting into ensuring prospects have a positive experience during that early part of the journey? Are you overly focused on the part when sales “takes over”?
Your marketing strategy needs to encompass out-of-market and in-market prospects. And at all touchpoints along the buyer’s journey. It doesn't begin when the sales team becomes involved. And it certainly doesn't end with the purchase order.
Now, keep in mind that these numbers are averages. You need to know the behaviour of YOUR customers in YOUR market.
Know thy battlefield
What are the competitive alternatives? Think from the perspective of your customers and prospects. If you didn't exist, what options would they have for solving the problem? Would they be able to muddle through with manual processes or general-purpose solutions?
It's not always direct competitors you face. Often, your biggest competitor is their current way of doing things, the status quo, and you need to convince them that your solution is worth the pain of changing to something new. The bigger the company, the greater that pain.
You need to be able to summarize the different approaches to solving the problem and the pros and cons of each. You need to turn confusion into clarity and become a trusted advisor.
Wield the sword of differentiation
Figure out your differentiation and value proposition. What makes your product or service unique? How does it add value to the customer's business?
You can only figure this out if you know your ideal customers and the competitive alternatives. Only then can you clearly articulate what makes you different, develop the marketing messaging and sales narrative to pitch your business, and ensure your differentiation is apparent at every touchpoint.
Pro tip: Often, your differentiation is something competitors are unwilling or unable to do.
Promise is like the bow; proof, it's arrow
Present proof that you can deliver what you say you can. Third-party verification is valued the most. Customer case studies with testimonials are helpful, but consider showcasing certifications and respected awards, too. Industry analyst recognition and third-party research help credibility, as do customer reviews on platforms like G2, Capterra, and TrustRadius if you have a SaaS solution.
What's the ultimate proof? Word-of-mouth confirmation from a trusted source. You want to delight your customers with your product or service, so they become advocates and your secret marketing arm.
Define your realm
What is your market category? Prospects need to figure out what you do. It’s a starting point for them to understand you. Of course, you’ll need to answer the “Why should we pick you?” question in your messaging and sales pitch based on your differentiation and value proposition, but the market category comes before that.
Your category must be clearly communicated on your home page and other touchpoints so that customers quickly understand your product or service. It’s shocking to look at the number of websites that don’t make that clear (as well as who the product or service is for).
Securing victory
In the spirit of Sun Tzu's teachings, mastering the art of B2B marketing requires aligning your resources, selecting your target audience, and deeply understanding their motivations, behaviour, and journey as they seek out solutions. Know the competitive alternates and differentiate your offer. Establish credibility and clearly define your market category. This will form the foundation for your strategy and tactics to achieve success.