According to the famous management consultant, Peter Drucker, every business has just one function – to create and retain customers. So, he goes on to conclude, a business’ primary functions are marketing and innovation.
It got our brains at B2B Marketing whirring as we imagined a world in which everyone thought like Drucker. That would put marketing at the epicentre of the company and marketing innovation even more so.
What a lovely dream. But where are we in reality?
As is our way, we surveyed the industry and found, unsurprisingly, that 91% of B2B marketers want to be more innovative (the other 9% may have slipped on their keyboard). Also, 89% believe it’s important that marketing regularly innovates its approach.
Great. So we’re dynamic problem-solving go-getters leading the charge with powerful ideas and customer insight, right?
Not quite. While B2B marketers see the value of being innovative many don’t think they’re mastering it. We found two-thirds of B2B marketers describe the company they work for as innovative, while only half say the same about its approach to marketing.
“I think it’s about how you define innovation,” said Nicola Anderson, VP of GoCardless at B2B Marketing’s recent InTech conference. “We tend to think of it as being about what the product and development teams produce.”
Her cohort on the panel, Julie Woods-Moss, president at Tata Communications agrees. “Often the product and development teams are seen as the most innovative, yet the bowels of their operations haven’t changed for years. We need to shine a light on what we have done so that it doesn’t go overlooked by our peers,” Julie says.
Getting the buy-in you need
Ironically, marketers are uniquely skilled for innovation and their creative solutions and collaborative approach is usually a cut above other departments. “People often join marketing because they’re creative – this is what sets them apart as innovators,” said Joel Harrison, editor-in-chief of B2B Marketing. “The crossover between creativity and innovation is really powerful”.
Like Julie and Nicola, he believes the lack of traction is more about perception than anything else. “It could be because marketing lacks prowess within many companies, which hampers its ability to push new ideas. Perhaps the biggest irony of all is that marketers may not believe their own marketing,” he shared.
So how can marketers gain confidence – not just in themselves but from others in the business?
To recap on the advice shared at the InTech conference and within our extensive industry report on marketing innovation, we provide you with five steps to getting the buy-in you need.
5 ways to convince stakeholders to invest in marketing innovation
- Storytelling: Customer case studies add weight to your argument.
- Build a case: Strong internal communications will help create buy-in.
- Data analysis: Know your numbers and how to present them.
- Understand the board: Pitch to their needs, not your wishes.
- Shift the narrative: If there’s not one already, use your storytelling skills to create a burning platform for change.
