I remember hearing a few years back , how IT B2B Marketers ranked poorly against other types or Marketers (I think it was in a MarketingSherpa webcast). I remember vaguely that it was due to experience and education, and I'm sure it was due to other factors as well. It seems that IT B2B marketers have varied backgrounds and education. I've often thought about what it takes to succeed, and what makes it so challenging. One of the challenging aspects is keeping up with different subject areas. On a high level it could be Technology (as it relates to your product and industry), Business Issues (and how your technical products align to it), and Marketing Strategy (as it relates to your company, and your industry).
Marketing Strategy alone could break into so many other branches, such as online and offline, or brand, lead generation and nuturing, and supporting the sales cycle. I've only brushed upon the different aspects of being a successful IT B2B marketer, and the truth is that I'm still learning - everyday and every month on the areas that need work and improvement.
One area that I've been trying to improve, is in setting goals, objectives, and metrics for every campaign or project that I work on. That means knowing what success looks like, figuring out how to reach it and how to measure it. As marketers, it seems like an innate perspective, but many of us don't have the background or experience in it.
Looking at campaigns from the perspective of a Direct Marketer has helped me. Any IT B2B Marketer with a Direct Marketing background has an advantage, but for those of us that don't, there are plenty of resources around to help. One magazine that I find extremely useful is Target Marketing Magazine. I'd like to draw your attention to a B2B article in the last issue about the challenges of a B2B Marketer: B-to-B Insights: What are We Doing Here?. If you ever need a moment to pull it all back together, and gain some perspective on your day-to-day work, this article by Russell Kern is a great place to start.
The article reminded me that being successful in whatever you do, whether it is IT B2B marketing or anything else is appreciating the challenge of what you do, embracing it, having fun, and being passionate about it.
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