B2B marketers are stuck on a never-ending task wheel, bogged down by hundreds of to-dos every week—often assigned by leadership and sales colleagues. These tasks may technically need doing, but they end up pulling marketers away from the most important part of their role: forming and delivering a clear marketing strategy.

It sounds so simple, but the biggest reason most B2B companies don’t see results from their marketing efforts is that they aren’t working to a clear strategy with objectives, the right budget, and a solid plan of action.

The Trap: Strategy as an Afterthought

Too often, strategy is an afterthought. Many marketers cram as many activities as possible into a plan, hoping to satisfy the leadership’s appetite for ideas. But the result is a strategy that’s unrealistic and unachievable. This leaves the marketing team feeling defeated—there’s no way they can deliver what's been outlined.

The best strategies, in contrast, take a “less is more” approach. A good strategy should feel realistic and achievable. It should allow for outsourcing when needed and give your marketing team a sense of control, helping to reduce burnout and overwhelm.

The Budget Dilemma: Being Told to "Just Do It"

A major challenge B2B marketers face is budget—or rather, the lack of it. After consulting with hundreds of marketers over the last decade, I’ve heard the same frustrations: “We don’t need extra budget, you can just do that yourself.” Sure, a marketing manager can write email copy, make quick designs on Canva, and manage the CRM. But where does this endless list of tasks lead? At what point does being a “do-er” result in zero actual output and minimal results?

To break free from the task wheel, marketing managers need to master the art of writing a clear, actionable marketing strategy—before they get swallowed up by day-to-day tasks. I know this because I spent over a decade in corporate doing just that.

Lessons from the Trenches: What I’ve Learned About Writing a B2B Marketing Strategy

After nearly two decades working in B2B marketing—through my own failings and successes—here’s what I’ve learned about writing a marketing strategy that works.

1. Start with a Solid Marketing Review

I tossed out the complicated models and designed a simple marketing review template as part of my strategy course. This template captures only what you need to get clarity on your business and understand what your customers really want. Overwhelmed marketers don’t have time for complex models, so it’s all about keeping things down to earth.

When you’re conducting your marketing review, focus on reporting the reality—both the good and the bad. If you lack access to certain data, say so. For example, “I wasn’t able to conduct customer insight interviews, which is a limitation for our marketing strategy.” Make that an action point to overcome.

Early in my career, I tried to make the marketing review sound good to impress leadership. But once I started reporting on the actual state of things—limited resources and all—I gained more respect from leaders, and my strategies became more aligned with business goals.

2. Don’t Confuse Marketing Objectives with Tactics

A common mistake is rushing through marketing objectives or confusing them with tactics. When objectives aren’t clearly connected to business goals, your strategy can go off on a tangent, and your entire action plan will be misaligned.

Think of your marketing objectives as direct links to your company’s big-picture goals. For example, if customer retention is a challenge because of cheaper competitors, your strategy should focus on that, not just on generating new leads.

Early in my career, I doubled sales leads for a business through a killer SEO strategy, but the sales team wasn’t happy—the leads weren’t the right fit. I hadn’t realised that retention was the business’s real priority, not new business. Had I aligned my marketing objectives with the business focus areas, I would’ve saved time and achieved far better results.

3. Adopt a ‘Less is More’ Approach to Strategies and Tactics

At B2B Breakthrough Academy, I teach marketers to focus on a few core strategies that align with their marketing objectives. For most small to medium-sized B2B companies, you don’t have the resources for multiple strategies, so you need to ask: “What’s the most efficient way to achieve these goals?”

Often, marketers try to impress with long to-do lists of tactics, but less is more. It’s far better to stand up and say, “We need to be realistic.” Leaders will respect your honesty, and it’s far more effective to focus on fewer, high-impact activities than spreading yourself too thin.

4. Get the Budget Right

Typically, B2B companies should allocate 4-8% of their sales revenue to marketing, but often the budget is much lower. Some students of B2B Breakthrough Academy report budgets as low as 0.3% of sales revenue!

If your budget is limited, focus on the basics—get your CRM set up, implement a few simple automation flows, and perhaps invest in one lead generation or brand-building tactic. Beyond that, prioritise understanding your customers and improving the business’s profitability by responding to their needs.

One client I worked with didn’t need more customers; they needed to improve profitability. We focused on using AI to boost productivity and implemented a customer satisfaction program. By getting closer to their customers and understanding their needs, we helped improve both profitability and client retention.

5. Follow a Simple Process and Throw Out the Rulebook (to an Extent)

Back in 2013, the idea of “strategy” overwhelmed me. There were too many models, frameworks, and theories. After 18 years in marketing, I’ve found that simplicity brings the best results and I apply this within my own business today. Your strategy should make sense—both to you and to your leadership.

Don’t get bogged down by complicated models or theories. Instead, follow a process that flows and connects the dots between business goals and the marketing activities needed to achieve them. Keep it straightforward, and you’ll feel far more confident about delivering on your strategy.

6. Focus on People, Not Just Models

Finally, the biggest lesson I’ve learned is this: marketing success is more about people than models. To execute a strategy well, you need the support of your colleagues, leadership, and team. It’s about getting the right resources, managing expectations, and building a reputation for delivering results.

Confidence and assertiveness are key here. Don’t be afraid to speak up about the risks of getting trapped in the task wheel or to challenge leadership when marketing isn’t working. The secret to successful marketing isn’t just in the strategy—it’s in the relationships you build to make that strategy a reality. This was at the heart of my B2B breakthrough and why I built the B2B Breakthrough Academy.

Follow me on TikTok or watch my YouTube channel B2B Jade TV for more help and advice.

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Catch me at Technology for Marketing 2024

Catch B2B Jade live at the Technology for Marketing Conference on 18th September in the Campaign Management Theatre, where I'll be speaking at 10:35am on How to Write a Marketing Strategy You Can Actually Deliver and again at 3:00pm on How to Set Marketing Objectives That Get Real Business Results.

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