Now is the perfect time for a career in digital marketing. According to the latest research from eMarketer, total spending on digital ads should surpass television ad spending for the first time this year. At the same time, 93% of shoppers, both from businesses and standard consumers, are making decisions influenced by the online world. A career online has never been more powerful. The summer represents the middle of the year, and the perfect time to start thinking about where you are in your career. Have you met your goals? If not, maybe it’s time for a review. By looking back over your time as a B2B marketer, you can evaluate the steps you’ve taken towards success, and which mistakes you’ve had to learn from along the way.
With that in mind, we’re looking at some of the things B2B marketers would tell their younger, more ambitious selves, to help them address the complexities of marketing today.
1. Be Open Minded and Try Different Things
There’s a good chance that you began your journey into B2B marketing with an idea of what you wanted to accomplish. Maybe you wanted to start your own affiliate firm, or specialise in display marketing. The important thing to remember is that there are multiple marketing disciplines, and the more you know about each skillset, the more valuable you become.
There’s nothing wrong with choosing a specialist niche in marketing. In fact, most experts will end up specialising in something. However, the only way to learn what gives you the best results in your career, is to dabble in a little bit of everything. Even if you find that you hate doing certain tasks, the experience you gather testing the waters in different areas of marketing will help you grow, hone your talents, and direct yourself towards the right expertise.
2. Build the Right Relationships
Relationships can be difficult in the world of marketing, particularly when you feel as though you’re competing against everyone. However, just like in any profession, it’s crucial to make sure that you make the right connections in your industry. Communicating with your co-workers in sales, for instance, can help to streamline the customer experience for your company, and make your entire business more effective.
At the same time, networking at valuable digital marketing conferences and events will help you to nurture high-quality relationships that could open doors for you in the future. The more you build your relationships with industry experts, the more you expand your skillset, and open yourself up to the potential of new job opportunities.
3. Nurture your Personal Brand
B2B marketers don’t always work specifically for an individual company. There are plenty of contractors and freelancers out there who make their living selling their expertise to a wide range of industries. Depending on what you hope to achieve as a B2B marketer, it’s always a good idea to nurture your personal brand online. This will give you the best potential to grab the attention of employers when you’re looking for a new project, or job.
Because B2B marketing has emerged as a largely digital practice, most employers are now looking for experts that show evidence of their online appeal. For instance, if you have a strong following on social media, or a great website, you’ll be far more likely to snare your perfect job.
4. Get More Hands-on Marketing Experience
Whether you’re just getting started in the world of B2B marketing, or you’ve been in the industry for years, it’s impossible to overestimate the value of good experience. A degree in marketing and communications can take you only so far in today’s advertising environment. Most employers are searching for candidates that have some level of existing marketing experience, either from an internship, previous job, or side project.
Get as much involvement with campaign creation, optimisation, and analytics as possible throughout your career – particularly with big name brands. The more you can add to your C.V, the greater your opportunity of earning new opportunities in the future.
5. If you Aren’t Moving Forward, You’re Moving Back
Finally, it’s crucial to remember that the B2B marketing industry is a highly competitive place. Everyone is trying to land their next big client, and while you might be in a fantastic position one day, it’s all too easy to fall behind the trends. All your competitors are constantly trying to move up and forward, and if you aren’t as focused on achieving your own goals, you’ll miss out on essential opportunities.
Make sure that you’re constantly moving forward in your career. If you’re working for a brand, that means looking for new opportunities to get involved with new methodologies and techniques. If you’re working for yourself, moving forward may mean learning about new technologies, staying on top of trends, and working according to new consumer models.
Becoming a B2B Marketer
B2B marketing is an industry that’s dynamic, fast-paced, and brimming with excitement. For people who love to be challenged in their career, it’s an excellent role – but it’s important to make sure that you’re always getting the most out of your job. The summer represents the ideal time to look back over your career up until now, and think about whether you’re really achieving your goals.
While there’s nothing wrong with making a few mistakes, and learning along the way, it’s important to ensure that you’re always on the right track. If you’re not heading in the right direction, it could be time to make a change.
Resource On Demand is Europe’s first specialist Salesforce Recruitment Company. We assist the world’s leading organisations to grow their technology teams. Supporting companies to fill roles that span across digital marketing, marketing automation, Human Capital Management, CRM system management and, Salesforce developer, Salesforce consultant and Salesforce admin jobs.
The team at Resource On Demand have access to an extensive database of key talent, registering over 8000 professionals each year. To find out how we can support you call us on +44 20 8123 7769 or rod@resourceondemand.com.