B2B Marketing - a Look at Today’s Crazy, Complex World

Brian Solis opened the eyes of B2B marketers today. Simply said, the word of buying your dad or mom knew is gone forever. Companies need to adapt to a vastly different world today.

The bottom line:

The world is moving faster than ever!

Robert Carroll, CMO of SDL discussed exploding choices and options presented in B2B marketing with the avalanch of technologies and empowerment options like smart phones, social media and online video. As a result, buyers are empowered more than at any time in history.

Robert described how CMOs awaken at 3:00am, concerned about change. “What do I do first?” was their overriding question (with an over-whelming list of choices.)

Brian’s theme was the “Connected Consumer” and how he/she is revolutionizing the world of B2B marketing. For a presentation on what a connected consumer is, check out this presentation by Razorfish:

They are hyper connected, social sharing, passionate users.

Brian’s other key point is this does not just pertain to millennials, but is every age group. To illustrate his point, Brian asked the audience of 150 or so “Who here does not have a smartphone?” Not a single hand went up.

The implication on B2B marketing is profound. The buyers of tomorrow are mobile and sharing freely with other. (People in the meeting were sharing - twitting comments and images in real time.) As a result, approaches of the past, such as blasting out emails, webinars, podcasts - do not work like they used too.

What are we to do in B2B marketing? As Robert said several times, CMOs are thinking “Where do I start?”

I have the answer. Start at the beginning - Buyer Personas. The nature of this tsunami of change means we need answers like never before, so the pressure to really know prospective buyers is greater than ever.

Buyer personas is no longer a one-time exercise. It needs to become an ongoing, regular research project. Buyers are on the move - new social media choices, new devices like the iPad, and more. Your research needs to keep up with them. I’m coining the term, Buyer Personas 2.0, to illustrate the depth and ongoing demands of today’s world.

Here’s the bottom line: