The 4 rules of B2B marketing growth

What does it take to generate value-creating marketing growth for industrial brands?

Driving value-creating B2B marketing growth requires the right strategy, capabilities, and culture. Here are some rules that could help generate successful growth.

1 – Turbocharge your core capability. 

Leverage and promote your core capability – you can’t win without it. Finding a way to unlock growth with your core capability needs to be a top priority, supported by senior management and lived by your people.

For some industrial brands, this may require a revamp of your service offer. Others may need to identify a niche with growth potential or a completely new capability with the backing of resources and investment.

Thought must be given to market dynamics, competitor strengths, and your customers’ key challenges. Your core capability must deliver a customer-valued solution, clearly understood and appreciated by your customers. This is the only way to deliver value-creating marketing growth.

2 – Stop being a laggard.

Stop going with the flow – you need to create change and outperform your competitors. Outperforming your industry peers implies having a strong value proposition built from your core capability.

Industrial brands that manage to outperform, outgrow, and ultimately win market share away from their competitors are likely to beat the growth expectations reflected in their industry, unlocking even stronger returns. According to McKinsey research if you follow this holistic growth blueprint you will; stop being a laggard and achieve this level of growth:

Industry growth leaders who share an aspirational mindset and culture set bold growth plans and are 2.4 times more likely to profitably outgrow their competitors. Activating pathways for this growth by expanding on your core capability, innovating, and igniting with breakout offerings and/or businesses increasing your likelihood of success. Executing with excellence will enable growth 3 times more than your competitors.

3 – Execute – make it happen.

This is the critical and third rule of marketing growth, where strategic intent moves to action. Execution works hand-in-hand with strategy to empower your people to make the right decisions at the right time to drive both value-creating growth.

Industrial brands who choose this level of marketing growth support their people by prioritising a critical set of execution enablers. Operations, Transport, Credit, Sales, and Marketing functions must all be on the same page to ensure successful execution. The deliverable will be a win-win for your industrial brand and customer.

4 – Improve to make your competitors irrelevant.

Industrial brands need to answer a series of clear questions on:

• Are we living the right culture to encourage growth?
• Are we actively seeking growth opportunities across our core capabilities?
• Are we setting the right enablers to remove roadblocks and help our people execute?
• Are we investing in the right capabilities?

The choices you make in response to these questions will facilitate differentiation, form a sustainable competitive advantage and real business improvements to create a new growth pathway for your industrial brand.

Making the choice to grow will create momentum and drive in your company. This article aims to examine four clear rules for industrial brands to focus on to achieve marketing growth. The clarity of purpose that comes from choice will enable industrial brands truly believe in the seemingly impossible and make it happen, improve and make their competitors irrelevant.

At Industrial Ideas we specialise in B2B marketing processes for industrial brands. We will help you develop and communicate your brand promise to your markets to capture value. It all starts with digging deep, generating a remarkable idea, backing it with relentless execution, and supporting it with stand-out messaging. And that’s what we call industrial B2B marketing that works.

Related: Download your free Marketing Strategy Guide

Other Reading: Choosing to grow: The leader’s blueprint

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Peter Zafiris is an industrial marketer and founder of Industrial Ideas. Having built his experience in B2B marketing from the ground up, Peter understands what it takes to succeed with your marketing strategy. All client projects are personally managed by Peter to help industrials like you get the return on investment you deserve. Peter and team, work hard to become an extension of your business, to help you get the most out of your marketing efforts. Get your free 30-minute marketing consultation to learn more.