The life of B2B marketing managers is not always glamorous. In fact, it can be quite hectic, stressful, and overwhelming at times. Whether you are a marketing manager in a small company or enterprise side, the industry is constantly changing. This can make it difficult to stay on top of things. This career is competitive but rewarding. But how do you stay ahead of the pack? Keep reading for a list of top tips for B2B marketing managers.
Stay Organized
The best way to thrive as a manager in any field is to stay organized. There is nothing more stressful than searching for documents for a big client and not being able to find them. Or when one of your staff members is looking for something for their meeting in 10 minutes, and it’s nowhere to be found. This happens way too often considering there are so many good resources you can use to help. The first resource is Slack. Slack is a messaging software that can be used on both your computer and your phone, so you will always have it with you. It makes it easy to stay connected with your marketing team, as well as other teams like sales and HR. Other than messaging, Slack also can be used to share documents, photos, links, and more to keep your team in the loop. The next software I would suggest using is some sort of calendar app. There are a ton of options, but my favorite is Google Calendar. Google Calendar can be used to schedule meetings, plan your workday, and save documents. You are also able to add tasks to your team’s calendars, so you can get important projects done on time. Using these two software is bound to keep you and your team organized!
Delegate Work to Elevate Others
Unfortunately, your team is not going to always work for you. Whether they retire, take time off, or find another career, it can be hard to replace their role in your business. But, if you start to share tasks and delegate work to other members of your team, they will be able to carry out these tasks when members do end up leaving. Plus, delegation can motivate your team. Delegating shows that you have trust in your employees, which will make them happy, and they will want to prove to you that they are capable. It will also be extremely beneficial for you or other members of management to know that you can rely on your team to take on these harder tasks.
Be Familiar With Sales
You should consistently be discussing your marketing tactics with your sales team and vice versa. One of the biggest mistakes that I consistently see marketing managers make is not communicating with your sales team. The companies that both departments thoroughly communicate often do a lot better. Not just financially, but also in regards to customer and employee satisfaction. It will improve your message, and will help your sales team understand customer needs. It’s pretty common for sales and marketing teams to butt heads, but try your best to communicate because it can make a world of a difference.
Offer Feedback
Far too often employees are not told their value to the company. Providing feedback regularly will help your employees know what they are doing right, and what to improve on. If you have feedback that is on the negative side, it can be helpful to start your conversation with positive things that they have been doing, then ease into the rest, and try to end on a positive note. It can be beneficial to keep a spreadsheet and add to it over the year since it can be hard to remember how they have improved. Feedback will also form better relationships with your team because they will start to come to you for advice.
Ask for Feedback
On the other hand, asking your team to provide feedback on your performance, as well as other managers and supervisors, will help you grow. Anonymous surveys are a great way to gather this information, so your team isn’t afraid to share their honest opinions. No one likes negative feedback, but it will be beneficial in the long run. It will promote personal and professional growth, and you will know what to keep doing, and what to change. You may not even realize you are doing something that your team doesn’t like!
Evolve your Marketing Plan
Not everyone likes change. In my experience, people who have been in management roles for a long time are even more hesitant to change. It can be really difficult to break old habits or try out new ideas when the old plan has been working well for so long. But, change can be good. Evolving your marketing plan while your team is also evolving will lead to brainstorming ideas that can grow your business exponentially. Bringing on new grads or young professionals is a great way to bring in new ideas that you may not have thought of.
Situational Leadership
Situational leadership is a way of adjusting your management style to each individual situation or team member you are dealing with. Essentially, there is no “one size fits all” solution to every situation that may come up. This is important for B2B marketing managers to consider since we work with such a diverse group. For example, if you are talking to someone in sales about a situation, and then talking to a software developer about the same situation, you might want to change your tone, wording, and body language to deliver the message. Since these two team members probably have very different personality types, changing your communication style can help with the delivery.
Engage with Customers
It is easy to get caught up in the behind-the-scenes aspects of being a manager. But, as a B2B marketing manager, you should keep up with customers. This will help you understand the always changing market, and how you can compete with your competitors. It will also show your customers that you value them since you are taking time out of your day to help them.
Keep Learning
The field of marketing is constantly changing, so it is important for everyone, including managers, to stay on top of the latest trends. Great ways to continue your education is signing your team up for conferences, trade shows, and other events where you can learn about your field, get new ideas, and gain insight on potential competitors. Plus, they are a great opportunity for team building and having fun!
Get More Leads
Sales and marketing teams are always looking for new ways to drive more leads and conversions. Sometimes it can be difficult to find new ways to do this, and your team can start to lose motivation. That’s where a lead generation software can help! Visitor Queue is a B2B lead generation software that identifies the name, contact details, and user data of the businesses that visit your website. Using Visitor Queue can increase your revenue by 10-20%. Plus, we are the most affordable lead generation software on the market. Start your free trial today and be the hero your team deserves.
Soft Skills
Soft skills refer to personal attributes, like how you interact and communicate with others. While technical marketing skills are a must, as a manager it is also crucial that you can form relationships with your team and customers. For a lot of people, soft skills are really difficult to develop. This is because they can’t be learned the same way hard skills can be. Some of the most important soft skills for B2B marketing managers are communication, adaptability, and time management. These skills will help your team trust you and form a bond with you. For example, using the calendar software mentioned above can show your team how you can manage your time. Or if an issue comes out with a future marketing plan, you can communicate with your team and troubleshoot it together. This will show your team that you have trust in them and they can come to you for any advice in the future.
Take a Break!
I know it may seem self-explanatory, but managers are always working early, late, and skipping lunch. Your dedication is amazing but try not to burn yourself out! Taking breaks from work will help reduce stress, clear your mind, and restore energy. Plus, it will improve your overall performance. My favorite way to take a break during the day is to take a walk to the local coffee shop. I find the fresh air helps boost my productivity when I return.
Wrap Up
The life of B2B marketing managers can be difficult at times. But, at the end of the day, working in marketing is a fun and rewarding career. Being able to work with a dedicated team to drive success for your business is so rewarding. I hope these top tips for B2B marketing managers were able to help!
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