B2B Marketing Insights

B2B installation businesses: plug into marketing differentiation

I’m kicking off 2025 with a new client; a company offering B2B electrical services, specializing in the installation of electrical systems for commercial and residential properties in the UK. Hands-on, installation-based service business involve installing, repairing, or maintaining physical infrastructure. These businesses have specific marketing issues they needs to solve beyond those of my other…… Continue reading B2B installation businesses: plug into marketing differentiation

Chasing B2B SEO keywords? Fix your differentiation first.

Recently, I had a conversation with the co-founder of a Barcelona-based innovation agency. She and her team wanted to start building a new marketing strategy around a list of B2B SEO keywords, believing this was the key to driving organic traffic and converting leads. SEO is certainly important for increasing traffic to a website, however…… Continue reading Chasing B2B SEO keywords? Fix your differentiation first.

Third party vendor consultants: small differences from rivals are not enough

OEM, reseller, software partner. When your business revolves around servicing or consulting on another vendor’s product—like offering consultancy for a specific software suite or project management process—you face a common challenge: sameness. Unless you have exclusivity around a territory or a particular product range, you’re up against competitors who look, sound, and market exactly like…… Continue reading Third party vendor consultants: small differences from rivals are not enough

Should B2B services pretend to be bigger than they are?

If your small to midsize B2B services firm is struggling to attract clients, it is tempting to over-represent your capabilities to win the business. From claiming “we” instead of “I” to counting freelancers as full-time staff, or inflating the range of services and locations you cover, there are many ways (some subtle, some not) that…… Continue reading Should B2B services pretend to be bigger than they are?

Navigating the Growing Delay in B2B Purchase Decisions

What’s your B2B business’ average time-to-purchase? Do you feel that customers are taking longer and longer to decide on their B2B purchase decisions? A new subscriber to this newsletter asked me what businesses are doing in the face of lengthening sales cycles because recent trends indicate that these cycles are becoming even more prolonged, presenting…… Continue reading Navigating the Growing Delay in B2B Purchase Decisions

Aren’t You A Bit Small For Sales Navigator?

Sales Navigator for small B2Bs can be overwhelming. Bypass this complexity by focusing on just four features. I wrote an article some time ago called ‘Aren’t You A Bit Small for Salesforce?’ This article similarly reviews a software giant more commonly associated with large firms and considers if a small B2B service business might also…… Continue reading Aren’t You A Bit Small For Sales Navigator?

Maximising B2B case studies: lessons from data services marketing

Pursuing customer research this week, I found myself returning to data services marketing (data engineers,  analysts,  agencies etc) and their use of B2B case studies in their marketing. And although,  in this newsletter,  I’m drawing from this sector,  it is often the case that lessons learned can be applied to any B2B who supplies a…… Continue reading Maximising B2B case studies: lessons from data services marketing

How that laborious RFP process can build a stronger B2B marketing function

The RYB newsletter is arriving in your inbox later than usual this week because I’ve been busy working on a request for proposal (RFP).  The RFP process is an unavoidable part of the marketing industry, it seems, and it is the same for many of my B2B clients. So I thought I’d capitalise on all…… Continue reading How that laborious RFP process can build a stronger B2B marketing function

Marketing Colombian nearshore outsourcing needs a shot of caffeine

Competitive advantage is a popular discussion in my B2B marketing coaching. This week’s topic comes from a newsletter subscriber who is the founder of a BPO service in Colombia offering a wide variety of nearshore outsourcing services aimed at the US market. Their services include operational, sales, marketing and customer support. One of their questions…… Continue reading Marketing Colombian nearshore outsourcing needs a shot of caffeine

Lost in translation: B2B marketing passivity hurts sales

Many B2B services marketing avoids overtly sales language. The intention behind this approach may stem from a desire to maintain professionalism and avoid alienating potential clients. But the reality is that it results in missed opportunities. Consequently, marketers opt for a more passive approach, relying on the quality of their services to speak for itself.…… Continue reading Lost in translation: B2B marketing passivity hurts sales

A B2B content strategy should stay simple and effective

When leads engage with me for the first time and we talk about their marketing concerns, a top concern is improving their marketing content creation*. Clients either find it difficult to write, don’t know what to write about or don’t believe in the effectiveness of content creation.  These three issues can be vastly helped by…… Continue reading A B2B content strategy should stay simple and effective

When every RMC thinks they’re special…how can a property management firm template its proposal tender?

Most property management firms I have worked with want to grow by pitching to manage larger or more challenging blocks than they have managed before. The ability of RMCs to take a leap of faith in hiring a new property manager will depend in part on the quality of a proposal tender. If you want…… Continue reading When every RMC thinks they’re special…how can a property management firm template its proposal tender?

Too many DJs: let your B2B marketing plan do its thing

Founders, owners or CEOs are often the pulse of the company.  They may generate great marketing ideas based on their expert knowledge of the product or the right audiences.  But it’s easy to see the marketing function of a small to mid-sized B2B as a collection of soft skills, a creative second string to the…… Continue reading Too many DJs: let your B2B marketing plan do its thing

Innovative B2B tech doesn’t market itself

Innovative B2B offerings, whether they are tech devices, software or systems, are not immune to the laws of the market simply because of their pioneering or individual nature.  This applies if you are selling – as clients of mine have –  a telemeter for logistics, a healthcare ERP, workplace safety data sheets, a digital simulation…… Continue reading Innovative B2B tech doesn’t market itself

B2B direct marketing: what do you say after you say hello?

The subject of B2B direct marketing for lead generation and opportunities was suggested to me by one of my LinkedIn connections who works in the area of experiential events and brand activations.  Direct marketing is communication with a customer or lead that is not through a mass media platform such as advertising.  Email, social media,…… Continue reading B2B direct marketing: what do you say after you say hello?

There is more to B2B lead generation than long email lists

Many small and mid-size enterprises outsource B2B lead generation to obtain long lists of names and emails. For some, this strategy has worked. I’m okay with the cost-effectiveness of outsourcing data collection or having a robust collection of potential lead data for your industry. However, as someone who has worked with purchased lead data in smaller…… Continue reading There is more to B2B lead generation than long email lists

Five considerations when building a B2B marketing team

For a small or mid-sized B2B business that has never had marketing staff before, building a marketing team – or even hiring your first marketing freelancer – can be overwhelming.  Many B2B businesses are looking for a marketing ‘rockstar’.  I translate this to mean a marketer who excels at everything, which is rare, especially when…… Continue reading Five considerations when building a B2B marketing team

B2B press coverage for midsize firms: making the most of it

If you take a practical, understanding approach to B2B press coverage then small to midsize businesses can benefit from the experience.  I once worked for a manager who described A member of the Fourth Estate that he was working with as a “tame journalist”.  I’ve also worked with a business that decided to ignore press…… Continue reading B2B press coverage for midsize firms: making the most of it

Safety management landing pages – risky business

A compliance and safety management sector client asked me to review their homepage/landing page to improve the overall message and encourage visitors to take action. If I haven’t worked on the client’s marketing content before, I know there will be deep-rooted issues already within the landing page.  Often the same problems recur from one B2B…… Continue reading Safety management landing pages – risky business