Welcome
Why you need this guide 🫵
Let’s get straight to it: B2B growth is H-A-R-D!!! You’re trying to convince entire companies to invest thousands (or millions) in your solution. Unlike B2C where a cute cat video might help seal the deal, you need to win over multiple decision-makers, each with their own priorities, fears and dreams of grandeur.
| B2C | B2B | |
|---|---|---|
| Who’s buying? | One person deciding whether to buy those new headphones. | Sarah from IT, Bob from Finance, Legal Team, Department Head, and don't forget Craig from Procurement who just loves to say no. |
| The timeline | Hours, or days at most. Add to cart. Checkout. Done. | Typically months or longer, depending on budget allocations and approval processes. Bigger deals are naturally more complex! |
| What matters? | "This looks cool, I love the colour! And it's 20% off!" | “Can you show me the ROI projections for Q3? Also, does it integrate with our legacy system from 1987?” |
| Content | Short-form videos from influencers on tropical beaches. | B2B buyers don't impulse buy — they research. A lot. You need complex technical information, case studies, and more! |
Businesses selling high-value products and services are often stretched thin, running on tight budgets. As a result, they struggle to design and execute a best-practice B2B marketing strategy because:
- It's complicated, and it takes a long time to sift through the deluge of advice and content out there.
- Decision paralysis kicks in and defaulting back to the status quo of doing nothing is easier.
- It’s seen as unnecessary step because they misunderstand the importance of using budget wisely.
- People are impatient and want to jump straight in to the excitement of ‘doing’ stuff (AKA tactics).
In B2B the sales cycles are long, the stakes are high and the rewards are even higher. In short, strategy matters a lot!
Who is this for?
This module is primarily aimed at high-ticket sales-led B2B companies and bootstrapped SaasS with dreams of Enterprise grandeur. If you are a B2B company with limited resources and a tiny (or no) marketing team, then every dollar, decision and second counts.
You need a straightforward, simple and actionable plan to build consistent pipeline. And you need it to be easy to understand and fast to implement!
B2B Marketing Strategy is designed to provide everything you need (and nothing you don't) to easily design, execute and stick to a plan that will help you succeed at growth.
That's not to say that the approach is unsuitable for bigger businesses with larger marketing teams. Everything presented is based on the standard practice employed by the globes top marketing minds.
So, whether you're a startup founder wondering why your brilliant SaaS product isn't selling itself, or a Marketing Director trying to modernise your corporation’s approach, this guide will show you how to build a strategy that conforms to modern standards and keeps you focused on the goal.
What is Marketing Strategy?
Lets start with the basics: Goals, Strategy, and Tactics. Yes, they're different, but they are also interrelated. The vacation analogy presented below should make it a cinch to understand.
Most people jump straight to tactics without a strategy. That's like buying plane tickets before deciding which country to visit. Not exactly brilliant, right? And it’s not just us that thinks this way. Pierre Herubel argues that it is the number 1 problem in B2B marketing. And he’s not wrong!
Why you can’t wing it
Here's the hard truth: without a solid B2B marketing strategy, you're essentially throwing shit at the wall and hoping something sticks. Not exactly the best use of your marketing budget.
On the flip side a clear strategy helps you:
- Target the right companies → Instead of wasting time on
prospectstyre kickers who’ll never buy. - Stand out in a sea of competitors → Because "end-to-end solutions" just don't cut it anymore.
- Actually measure what's working → So you can double down on success.
According to Gartner, most B2B buying decisions now involve 6-10 decision makers. That's like trying to get a group of friends to agree on a restaurant, except with million-dollar budgets at stake. Not easy, right!
What's coming next?
In the following sections, we'll walk through everything you need to know to build a strategy that actually works — from finding your ideal customers to choosing the right channels to reach them. No fluff, no BS, just practical steps you can start using today to grow your business.
Remember: B2B marketing requires patience, persistence, and a solid strategy. But with the right approach, you can navigate the complexity without losing your mind (or your budget) in the process.
