DaveStevensNow

There’s a great initiative that’s been kicked off by the Business Marketing Collective (www.businessmarketingcollective.com) to challenge marketers in the B2B space to say why they love B2B Marketing.  You can follow the story on Twitter at #iloveb2b.  Here’s my contribution…

I love B2B Marketing.

Because it is the toughest profession in business.  And that means when you get it right it’s the most rewarding thing in the world.  In the times when you’ve cracked it, you’ve got that brilliant king of the hill feeling.  You’ve made it.

Marketing is tough.  You’ve got to put yourself in the position of your customers in the environment in which they will encounter your product or service and respond to it.  It’s fiercely competitive out there yet you’ve got to be ahead of the pack.  You’ve got to stand out in a sea of noise.  You’ve got to plan when people just want you to act.  You’ve got to be creative in a rigorously analytical world.  You’ve got to apply business analytics to the creative.  You’ve got to be down in the detail while staying objective.  You’ve got to stay focused in the face of distractions.  You’ve got to be able to marshal your content, your channels, and your distribution – against all the odds.

B2B Marketing is all of that.  And some.  This profession is younger than FMCG.  It’s still got to prove itself.  So you’ve got to prove yourself in a sceptical environment.  Business doesn’t get B2B Marketing.  And so you’ve got to persuade, explain, and lead the way.  Add to the multiple internal stakeholders with multiple external customer groups.  There’s no longer just one buyer, there’s many – with different needs, opinions, and expectations.  And there’s no one to help you:  all the marketing professional bodies focus on FMCG rather than B2B.  You’re on your own.

So it’s bloody hard.  And that’s brilliant.  You only get one life.  So do something that challenges and rewards you in equal measure.  It’s the most exciting job in the world.

That’s why I love B2B Marketing.