B2B marketers are more focused on driving revenue than ever before — and the best ones take on even more revenue responsibility than their peers. That’s just one of the recent trends our new research report, The State of B2B Marketing: 2021, revealed about the rapidly evolving role of B2B marketers. Built from an in-depth survey of top marketing execs, the report investigates how B2B marketing has changed and what sets the best marketers apart. 

While most marketers used to prioritize top-of-funnel goals like driving awareness and supporting sales, the past decade has seen a dramatic shift. The rise of better measurement and reporting tools, the greater availability and better use of data, and an emphasis on alignment with sales have pushed revenue into the top of the KPI list. While the focus on revenue is an industry-wide trend, it’s integral to the success of the best. The study found that top performing marketers are 28 percent more likely to rank revenue as their top goal. 

Read on for more highlights from the report so you can understand how top performers succeed. 

How are B2B marketing priorities changing?

Top- or even mid-funnel KPIs simply aren’t key anymore. “Awareness Metrics,” “Lead and Account Engagement,” “MQLs” and even “Meetings Scheduled” all ranked at or near the bottom of the list of ways B2B marketers prove value.

In their stead, “Qualified Pipeline” and “Revenue or Bookings” have become the most important metrics against which marketers are measured. As highlighted above, the best marketers — defined here as those who generate an ROI of 7x or more —  embrace this change. They also increase the breadth of their revenue responsibility. For example, top performers are 17 percent more likely than underperformers to take responsibility for upselling, and they are 21 percent more likely to take responsibility for customer retention.

In short, success in B2B marketing is determined by the ability to directly impact the bottom line. 

B2B marketing getting more complex

At one time, marketing was more art than science. The modern B2B marketer, however, seems to share more in common with a data scientist than Don Draper. The growing complexity of go-to-market strategies and the increasing depth of the marketing technology stack are two key examples of the sea change in sophistication underway in the industry.  

Wide nets are a thing of the past: Targeting is table stakes in B2B marketing. Nearly all B2B marketers (97 percent) go to market through some kind of audience segmentation. And what are the top segmentation strategies? 

• Sixty-two percent of B2B marketers use Account-Based Marketing
• Fifty-seven percent employ customer size
• Fifty-five percent take geography in account 
• Fifty-five percent also use industry vertical as a targeting lens. 

Interestingly, marketers in the technology field are more likely to go to market by industry vertical than marketers in other fields. This is likely due to the fact that tech vendors commonly sell their solutions across industries, increasing their need for multiple distinct strategies.

Say sayonara to spreadsheets too. While the classic data tool — spreadsheets — are waning in popularity overall, top performing marketers like them even less — 24 percent less, to be exact. But the tide has lifted all ships: The average B2B marketer now employs a stack of at least 5 – 6 digital marketing tools, and a sizable proportion has more than 10 tools. 

B2B marketing is also getting more data-driven

And the best marketers understand the value of accurate and aggregated data to drive better business outcomes. Top performers marketers are:

• 77 percent more likely to use a customer data platform
• 27 percent more likely to rely on attribution tools
• 9 percent more likely to use web analytics

They are also 33 percent more likely to use video. This is yet another case where standing still is actually moving backwards, as you can fully expect these trends to continue  — and perhaps accelerate — in 2021.  

What’s the difference between top performers and underperformers?

The report uncovered numerous ways the best in B2B marketing distinguish themselves from the rest. 

As has already been touched on above, top performers take on more responsibility for revenue generation, including deep funnel activities like upselling and cross selling. They also are more likely to embrace new marketing platforms — and abandon outdated tech. In addition to these key differences, top performers also have better sales alignment, better processes, and are more focused on getting access to high quality data.

In essence, top performers promise more, do more and deliver more. Instead of waiting for the majority, they take on greater responsibility and new technology. And, above all, they focus on revenue.

How you can level up your marketing in 2021?

A paradigm shift in B2B marketing is underway. The availability of data and new technology have changed the standards by which marketers leaders are judged. And the bar gets higher every year. 

CEOs are no longer satisfied with top funnel results. Only marketers that can forecast their contribution and prove their impact on revenue will thrive. This is why CMOs have the highest turnover rate of any executive role.

The good news? What B2B marketers have to do in order to succeed is no longer a secret. For in-depth exploration of what you need to do to enter the new year with confidence, download The State of B2B Marketing: 2021. It’s a blueprint to the success of the industry’s best.

And if you’d like to learn more about revenue-driven marketing, check out The CMO’s Definitive Guide to Revenue-Driven Marketing. It contains everything you need to get up to speed on one of the most essential trends in B2B marketing.