As the B2B marketing niche continues to grow, an increasing number of positions are becoming available.
From strategy roles in B2B lead generation companies to creative content creation, there are a number of different areas that might appeal to a diverse array of individuals.
We take a look at some of the qualities that might make a career in B2B marketing the right choice for you, linking those qualities to roles and industry-specific duties.
Empathetic
B2B marketers need to be able to put themselves in other people’s shoes, to think how they think and cater to their demands accordingly.
It’s a specific skill to be able to take on the point of view of another individual or group, and it’s integral to being a successful B2B marketer. The kinds of people B2B marketing campaigns might be appealing to are diverse, but at the same time identifiable. Once they’ve been identified, it takes someone with a certain degree of empathy to find a suitable voice to address them in, while remaining consistent with the respective brand they’re representing.
Analytical
One of the most important qualities that any B2B marketer needs is a capacity for analytical thinking. To be an effective marketer, you need to look at the competition, understand the customer and target audience, and perform a complex juggling operation of all that data to create the most effective marketing strategy that’s possible.
Understanding the link between seemingly separate data points can allow for efficient content creation, allowing marketers to do a better job while using fewer resources. Being analytical doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re good with numbers – it’s often more like a sort of intuitive capacity for pattern recognition, a skill that could help you go far in a marketing career.
Creative
In addition to being analytical thinkers, B2B marketers need to have a creative streak. Marketing in the digital age revolves around content creation, and that content needs to be engaging, aesthetic and consistently designed around brand guidelines. Being a creative marketer doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re an artist, although it wouldn’t hurt.
Rather, it means that you’re capable of thinking outside of the box, of coming up with creative solutions to relatively abstract problems. Conveying information in a way that makes it accessible to the appropriate audience is a must; it’s also easier said than done, and requires a specific kind of mind to carry it out effectively.
Consistent
Key to any marketing strategy is an appreciation of the importance of consistency, and the capacity to realise that importance in practice as well as theory. Brands thrive on consistency, and can also be damaged where it’s lacking; being able to convey a diverse array of themes in a consistent voice is integral to the success of any marketing campaign.
B2B marketing relies perhaps even more than B2C on consistency; the kind of bulk-buying clients that B2B businesses tend to involve appreciate consistency even more than consumers, a preference that must be appropriately accommodated.
