Developing a marketing strategy (B2B)
A strong marketing strategy is the foundation of successful B2B growth. Without clear direction, efforts remain fragmented, leads get lost in the noise, and sales results become a matter of chance instead of planning. With a structured marketing plan, you increase the predictability, scalability, and ROI of your commercial activities.
What is a marketing strategy in B2B?
A marketing strategy is the overarching plan that determines how you position your products or services in the market, aimed at achieving predefined business objectives. In B2B, this often involves long sales cycles, multiple decision-makers, and complex customer needs.
Three key questions a strategy must answer:
- Who is our target audience and what challenges do they face?
- How do we position ourselves distinctively in the market?
- Through which channels do we reach them most effectively?
Example: A technical service provider can focus on operational managers in the manufacturing industry, with content and case studies showing how their solution reduces downtime.
Why a structured marketing approach is essential
For medium and large (SME) companies in the B2B market, a structured approach delivers directly measurable benefits:
- Consistent brand positioning → your message remains clear, regardless of the channel.
- Better resource allocation → budget is spent specifically on what works.
- Measurable results → KPIs and dashboards make optimization possible.
- Stronger collaboration between sales & marketing → shared objectives and lead criteria.
According to research by HubSpot, 60% of companies with a fixed marketing plan report a higher ROI than companies that work ad hoc.
Would you like to know how your marketing strategy can directly contribute to higher sales results? Schedule a strategy meeting with Sales Improvement Group.
Step-by-step Plan for Developing a Marketing Strategy
| Step | Action | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Analyze market and competition | Insight into trends, opportunities, and threats |
| 2 | Define buyer personas | Clear picture of target audience and decision criteria |
| 3 | Set goals and KPIs | Measurable success indicators |
| 4 | Choose positioning & proposition | Clear value for the target audience |
| 5 | Select channels & tactics | Mix of online and offline methods |
| 6 | Plan and implement campaigns | Execution according to content and media calendar |
| 7 | Measure, evaluate, and optimize | Continuous improvement based on data |
Tip: Integrate marketing automation to make campaigns scalable and data-driven.
Core Components of a B2B Marketing Strategy
An effective B2B strategy includes multiple building blocks that reinforce each other:
- Target audience segmentation → which industries, company sizes, and job levels are most promising?
- Proposition development → what value do you deliver, and how do you demonstrate it (ROI, case studies)?
- Content marketing → relevant content for each phase of the buyer journey.
- Channel mix → combination of SEO, LinkedIn, email, events, and partnerships.
- Lead generation & nurturing → from first contact to qualified sales opportunity.
- Measuring & reporting → dashboards for conversions, CPL, and sales impact.
Use cases
Use case 1: IBM – account-based marketing for enterprise deals
IBM focuses its marketing strategy on account-based marketing (ABM) for large, complex deals. By targeting specific content, events, and personalized outreach toward individual enterprise accounts, they increased conversion rates in the decision phase by 33%. This was supported by data analysis to determine the right timing and message.
Source: Think with Google – IBM ABM Case Study
Use case 2: Maersk – social media as a B2B thought leadership channel
Maersk Line, a container shipping company, viewed social media not only as a branding channel but also as a lead generator. By combining storytelling with industry insights on LinkedIn, Maersk built a community of more than 1 million followers. The organic engagement led to new customer relationships in logistics and supply chain.
Source: LinkedIn Marketing Solutions – Maersk Case Study
Use case 3: Salesforce – omnichannel content strategy for lead nurturing
Salesforce combined blogs, webinars, customer cases, and ROI calculators into one integrated content strategy. Marketing automation ensured that leads received relevant information at every stage of the funnel. This omnichannel approach resulted in a 27% higher conversion from marketing qualified leads (MQLs) to sales qualified leads (SQLs).
Source: Salesforce Customer Stories
Checklist: Is Your Strategy Future-Proof?
- Buyer personas are documented.
- There is a clear proposition and positioning.
- KPIs and measurement methods are established.
- The channel mix aligns with target audience behavior.
- Sales and marketing operate from one plan.
Score 4 or more “yes” answers? Then your strategy is strong. Fewer? Time for refinement.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What are the 3 marketing strategies?
- Cost leadership, differentiation, and focus strategy.
- What are the 7 components of a marketing strategy?
- Market analysis, target audience, positioning, proposition, channel selection, implementation plan, evaluation.
- What is a B2B marketing plan?
- A concrete action plan in which you define B2B marketing goals, resources, and planning.
- How do you write a marketing strategy?
- Research the market and audience, determine positioning, set goals, choose channels, and create an execution plan.
- What are the 6 Ps of a marketing strategy?
- Product, price, place, promotion, people, process.
- What are the 5 Ps of marketing?
- Product, price, place, promotion, presentation.
Contact us
Ready to take your marketing strategy to the next level and achieve concrete revenue growth? Contact Sales Improvement Group.