Insights: Strategic priorities in modern B2B marketing
01.
Shifting from MQLs to buying group engagement
B2B marketers are increasingly recognising the limitations of Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) as a primary metric. The focus is shifting towards a more holistic approach that emphasizes engagement with entire buying groups throughout the customer journey. This transition reflects the complex nature of B2B purchasing decisions, which often involve multiple stakeholders and extended decision-making processes.
Nick Geurds from Lepaya highlights this shift: "We've move beyond simply counting Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) to a more nuanced approach that prioritises the quality of interactions. We're now leveraging multiple data sources and predictive analysis to assess engagement at the Decision-Making Unit (DMU) level." This approach acknowledges that successful B2B marketing requires engaging with multiple decision-makers within an organisation, rather than focusing on individual leads.
John Hills from Crowdcube emphasises the importance of tracking engagement across buying groups: "We track engagements across these decision-making groups to refine our sales cycle and enhance customer experience. This approach not only makes our sales process smoother but also allows us to connect on a more personal level with our clients." By focusing on group engagement, marketers can gain a more comprehensive understanding of the buying process and tailor their strategies accordingly.
We track engagements across these decision-making groups to refine our sales cycle and enhance customer experience. This approach not only makes our sales process smoother but also allows us to connect on a more personal level with our clients.
John Hills
Vice President of Marketing, Crowdcube
Alex Venus from Personio adds another dimension to this strategy: "We're now focusing more on measuring influence and engagement at both the account and individual contact levels. Previously, we mainly looked at lead generation, nurturing, and conversion for individuals. Now, we aggregate that data to see the bigger picture at the account level." This dual focus allows for a more comprehensive understanding of buying group dynamics and enables more targeted, effective marketing strategies.
Ultimately, this shift reflects a more mature, revenue-focused approach to B2B marketing. Philippe Ruttens from Tyk Technologies emphasises this point: "Our stars are pipeline created and deals created. The board wants to know how many deals we've made and the value of the pipeline we've built." By focusing on buying group engagement and its impact on pipeline and revenue, marketers are demonstrating their direct contribution to business growth and positioning themselves as strategic drivers of success.
This evolution in B2B marketing metrics signifies a move towards more sophisticated, nuanced measures of success. By shifting from individual lead-based metrics to comprehensive buying group engagement, marketers are better equipped to navigate the complexities of modern B2B sales cycles and demonstrate their value in driving business outcomes.
About 6sense
6sense is on a mission to revolutionise the way B2B organisations create revenue by predicting customers most likely to buy and recommending the best course of action to engage anonymous buying teams. 6sense Revenue AI is the only sales and marketing platform to unlock the ability to create, manage and convert high-quality pipeline to revenue. Customers report 2X increases in average contract value, 4X increases in win rate and 20-40% reduction in time to close deals. Know everything, do anything, with 6sense.