Jonathan Beaton, marketing director at iDatix, was one of our top B2B marketers and ‘Rising Stars’ from 2012. Here, he shares his challenges, top tips and marketing insight
What was your first B2B-related job?
Straight out of college I leveraged my internet marketing background and was hired as an internet marketing specialist for a medical weight loss franchisor.
What do you most enjoy about your job?
I really enjoy changing the way people perceive the marketing department and accepting more of a burden when it comes to our revenue goals. Although there is still an art to marketing, it is just as important to implement processes that are measurable, repeatable and, over time, predictable.
Which B2B brand do you most admire?
Marketo. There is no brand that drinks more of its own juice than Marketo. In my opinion, it has really set the bar as to what cutting-edge demand generation is supposed to look like. I attribute most of what I know about demand generation to their writings, many of which I put in place at iDatix.
What’s the best piece of marketing advice you’ve ever been given?
Before I was ever given the opportunity to manage my own marketing team, I was obsessed with the writings of Jon Miller of Marketo. I really grabbed on to the concept of making sure you have the right systems in place to properly account for marketing’s impact on revenue.
What is your proudest achievement?
When I first joined iDatix, my number one goal was to create a predictable sales and marketing funnel. Fortunately, I had the support of an amazing executive team and a CEO that shared the same vision.
To succeed, a B2B marketer must…
Be prepared to fail. Not only must you be prepared for failure but you better have put the processes in place to measure your activities and narrow down why you failed. Marketing is about trial, error and continuous improvement. There is often a very thin line between success and failure.
What’s the next big thing in B2B marketing?
I believe/hope the next big thing is the convergence of all the amazing technologies available to us right now. I’d love to have a single platform that would allow me to design, track, measure and optimise everything from direct mail campaigns to SEO efforts. It would be amazing if you could: pick a target segment – select between different inbound and outbound marketing campaigns – design those campaigns – then launch, track and measure from a single sales and marketing platform.
What are the traits you most and least admire in yourself?
I am always trying to improve how organised I am. I also think every marketer should be fearless. You cannot be afraid to go out of your comfort zone and experiment with new methodologies.
What marketing challenge are you currently wrestling with?
Selling and marketing high-tech software is hard. We are categorised as an enterprise content management vendor and, relatively speaking, it is a fairly mature industry. We are always looking for new ways to package our solutions and solve problems in ways that no one has ever considered before; in other words, creating a brand new market.
What was your last marketing epiphany?
Every day it becomes increasingly apparent how much influence everyone in the company has on the success of the marketing department. From sales to development, customer support and professional services, nothing we do would have any long-term value if it was not for the tremendous amount of hard work and talent throughout the entire organisation.
Which marketing or business books would you recommend?
Conversations that win the complex sales by Erik Peterson and Tim Riesterer; Crossing the chasm by Geoffrey A Moore (well-known but still very relevant) and The new rules of marketing and PR by David Meerman Scott.
