You know those cliche interview questions that ask you to describe yourself in three words? Well, if someone were to ask a B2B marketer to describe their job in three words, they’d probably say this:
- Stressful
- Defeating
- Frustrating
Sounds like an awesome job, right? Well, it actually is.
When you strip away the anxiety that keeps you up at night, the disappointments that make you question your existence, and the annoyances that would send you straight to jail if you ever gave in to them, B2B marketing is really rewarding. When you hit a home run for a client, you’re elated, relieved, and finally able to get that shuteye you desperately need.
But we won't sugarcoat it for you. It’s hard work, and the odds are against you. But don’t let these three statistics scare you off. Think of them as motivation to prove them wrong.
- 60-70% of content is never used. (Content Marketing Institute) Did your soul just die a little? Mine did when I first read this ghastly statistic. My career and life have revolved around content. When I worked for a newspaper, I woke up in the middle of the night with catchy slammer heads and fresh story ideas. Now, it’s blogs, eBooks, infographics, and all the premium content offers that keep me up at night.
Content is just like a gourmet meal you prepare for a dinner party. You spend days researching and finalizing your menu and even more hours sweating in the kitchen, just to have your guests devour your beautiful feast in less time than it took for you to preheat the oven. And then there’re the dishes.
Here’s the good news: think of all of the amazing leftovers you can get from the meal. Carve out a series of blogs from an eBook or slice those white papers into share-worthy infographics, for example. Recycling your content allows you to recreate high-quality pieces rather than always starting from scratch.
Read our Blog on 10 Ways To Recycle Content!
- 79% of leads never convert into sales. (Hubspot) HubSpot primarily attributes this nauseating statistic to lead nurturing failure. There are so many ways a marketer can turn a qualified lead into a paying customer.
There’s no excuse for not setting up automated lead nurturing emails these days. However, try to think beyond the inbox and set up multi-lead channeling goals. Social media monitoring and publishing, for example, is a great outlet for fostering relationships with leads. Sales enablement software tools can help you eliminate sales silos and build a more centralized campaign. As an inbound marketer, always aim to add value to a lead’s buying journey. Never spam or stalk a lead.
- Sales reps ignore 50% of hot leads. (101 B2B Marketing and Sales Tips from The B2B Lead) This problem was around even before “Mad Men” times, but that doesn’t make it any less disheartening for marketers.
You scheduled countless cross-departmental meetings, tied up your clients 007-style, and interrogated them for content. You missed your cousin’s “Game of Thrones” themed wedding so that you could churn out this badass eBook on time.
In the end, you gained 10 pounds from stress eating, and it wasn’t even worth it because the sales department didn’t follow through on the leads you procured. Sadly, you can’t tie them up 007-style and torture them, so what are you to do? Sales isn’t your department, after all.
HubSpot coined a portmanteau for the solution you seek: smarketing. Smarketing is the integration of sales and marketing. Through frequent, direct communication, you can align these two teams. If a fox and a hound became BFFs, so can sales and marketing.
Make an effort to understand the sales process. Take the time to explain to your salespeople the definition of buyer personas and the buyers’ journey. Send sales the findings from your buyer insight interviews. Show them the benefits of targeted content and why they should focus on a handful of hot, qualified leads rather than your company's entire Twitter following.
Marketing, in general, is hard. It doesn’t matter if you are a B2B or B2C marketer — they aren’t jobs for the weakhearted. Content will flounder, sales will go cold, and one social media blunder can cost you your career. You need tough skin and a strong, determined heart to succeed in this industry.
Don't run from these statistics. Run with them and use them to your advantage!
