In shortA working B2B marketing plan defines target groups, messages, channels and budget, agrees how marketing and sales cooperate, and names metrics and owners. It's finished only when the first actions are running.
Why marketing is often left undone
Marketing is never the most urgent task. Without a plan, individual posts and campaigns don't connect to sales and nobody knows what they achieved.
What the plan includes
- Target groups and a typical buyer for each.
- Messages: why customers should choose you.
- Plan: channels, calendar, campaigns, budget, owners.
- Marketing–sales cooperation: when a lead moves to sales.
- Metrics: the 3–5 that matter.
- Launched actions: first campaign live.
- Who does it: own team, outsourced or both.
What to measure
- enquiries and how many move to sales
- how many enquiries become deals
- cost per enquiry
Who executes?
If there's someone in-house with time, work continues inside. If not, an outsourced team can execute the plan monthly. See Marketing Planning.
FAQ
How much should a B2B company spend on marketing?
There's no universal percentage. Derive the budget from the growth target: how many customers you need, how many enquiries become deals and what an enquiry costs.
What does an outsourced marketing team do?
It executes the approved plan: content and campaigns, tracking and monthly reporting to management.