In today's fluid business landscape, CTOs face the transparency of showcasing tangible ROI for their expanding technology investments. Simultaneously, the realm of B2B marketing is undergoing a significant transformation, where short-term KPIs for demand generation are shifting towards a new paradigm – the Customer Experience (CX) era. As economic challenges persist, the spotlight has turned towards CX as the primary differentiator and value driver for B2B enterprises. While CX has traditionally been associated with technological aspects within the customer journey, B2B marketers are now redefining it to encompass the entire spectrum of customer discovery, engagement, and delivery. 

B2B customers are undergoing a perceptible shift in their purchasing patterns, marked by longer sales cycles and buying committees that are growing more complex, involving multiple stakeholders and divisions. Consequently, B2B marketers find themselves in a realm where the conventional approach of funnelling cost-effective leads to the sales team no longer guarantees success. 

B2B marketing success now hinges on the quality of Customer Experience (CX). A startling realisation has emerged – CX is not merely a cog in the wheel but has become the engine itself. While raising awareness and securing mental availability in the minds of prospective clients was once the primary focus of brand investment, the new era underscores that CX holds the key to end-to-end customer satisfaction and loyalty. B2B marketers now realise that they must be the brand custodians in the full customer journey, with technology enabling the strategy rather than leading the charge.

B2B marketers: CX skillsets required

A prevailing trend among B2B marketers is the deliberate transition from paid to owned channels in their quest to seize control over the complete customer experience journey. In this journey, several pivotal considerations occupy the minds of these marketers:

1. Capability uplift: The growing need for skill diversity

The widening talent gap no longer merely pertains to recruiting fresh skills; rather, it calls for a holistic elevation of capabilities within existing talent pools. B2B marketers recognise that merely recruiting new skill sets is challenging in todays tight labour market and they must focus on upskilling within the existing team. Collaborations with technology vendors have taken on a new role, serving not only to provide tools but to train and enhance skills in automation, personalisation, and attribution measurement. Some innovative B2B marketing teams are taking the unconventional route of cross-training tech and product talent in the fundamentals of marketing.  Upskilling diverse tech talent may allow B2B marketing teams to drive innovation and greater cross team collaboration, all with a customer centric approach.

2. Balancing automation and engagement

Amid the push towards automation, a cautionary sentiment resonates among B2B marketers: “Just because we can, doesn't mean we should”. This speaks to the delicate equilibrium that must be maintained between operational efficiency and meaningful engagement. Crafting an experience that seamlessly intertwines efficiency with a personalised touch requires an unprecedented level of collaboration between product, technology, and marketing departments. Many marketers acknowledge that tech stack decisions have dictated strategies for automation within their organisations.  By leading with technology rather than customer empathy, organisations are at risk of building strategies that lack customer-centricity.  Marketers are pivoting towards a more collaborative approach to ensure that their teams play an integral role in delivering the brand values throughout the end-to-end customer experience. A B2B marketer I spoke with has taken the initiative of prioritising time spent with the tech teams to influence the RFP process.  This not only injects a marketing perspective into vendor capabilities and selection but also ensures their team gains early upskilling to play a pivotal delivery role.

3. Bridging the agency gap: Envisioning the whole customer experience

A disconnect has emerged between B2B marketers and agencies, particularly in the realm of understanding the intersection between the paid and owned customer journey. One B2B marketer observed that agencies often limit their perspective to the above-the-line approach, while the B2B marketing landscape now demands a comprehensive and holistic view of the entire customer experience. As B2B marketers shift their gaze towards end-to-end engagement, agencies must recalibrate their strategies, stepping into a more integrative role that matches with the evolving narrative of customer-centricity. 

B2B marketing's evolution towards customer-centric excellence: A triad of change

The landscape of B2B marketing is undergoing a transformation with an intensified focus on delivering an elevated customer experience. This change involves two major shifts in the way B2B marketers operate.

The first shift is to improve the capabilities of their existing teams, rather than only hiring new talent. This means collaborating with technology vendors to evolve team skills, alongside creating cross-training outside of marketing teams to establish a marketing foundation where tech skills already exist.

The second shift is to find the optimal balance between automation and engagement, ensuring that technology does not overtake the essence of the brand.  This requires coordinated efforts among product, technology, and marketing departments, creating a new operational paradigm.

In addition to these shifts, B2B marketers also face a challenge in bridging the gap with their agency partners, who may not have a holistic view of the customer journey.

As B2B marketers adopt a wider perspective, they expect their agencies to do the same, and to be strategic partners in this transformation. The ultimate goal of this transformation is to put the customer at the centre of everything, which requires a combination of skills, collaboration, and customer journey insight.