“If you’re not at the edge, you’re taking up too much space.”
For Gabriel Gomez, getting out of your comfort zone is essential to marketing excellence. While the bulk of his career has been spent helping B2C brands reach audiences of buyers, he has also stretched himself to take on B2B challenges as well.
In this Agents of Change podcast episode, he shared his insights with host Danielle O’Neil. Their conversation covered a range of topics but centered around how B2C marketing strategies and tactics can be adapted for B2B marketing success.
Embracing the Edge: The Birthplace of Innovation
Gabe recognizes the danger of complacency. It can be the most significant obstacle to creating an environment for consistent success. “In the realm of B2B, stagnation is your biggest competitor.”
It isn’t just about keeping up with trends. Great B2B marketers are adept at anticipating and creating them. Gabe suggests that his fellow marketers venture beyond their comfort zones, emphasizing that the real magic happens at the boundaries.
When B2B marketing leaders prioritize innovation and are comfortable stepping out of their own comfort zones, they can effectively encourage teams to leave their comfort zones. This creates an environment for creativity and boundary-pushing. Keeping a pulse on industry trends and being open to change can make the difference between staying relevant and becoming obsolete.
The People Behind the Business Numbers
Gabe knows all too well the hidden truth of selling to businesses. While it’s easy to see the customer as a faceless corporation, the reality is that all selling is personal.
Reflecting on a pivotal deal that hinged more on trust than numbers, Gabe shares this insight. “People don’t buy from businesses. They buy from people they trust.”
It’s a powerful reminder that beneath the corporate veneer, it’s human connections that drive business decisions. At the end of the day, marketing—yes, even B2B marketing—is simply people talking to people.
The Golden Nuggets: Valuing Feedback
Early in Gabe’s career, a setback led him to one of his most invaluable lessons. He had overlooked feedback on a product, which resulted in a missed opportunity. It was a significant opportunity to recognize the immense value of feedback—of listening.
“The most expensive feedback is the one you didn’t listen to,” he says. Feedback isn’t just about rectifying a concern or solving a problem; it is the pathway to refinement and evolution.
Whether positive or negative, feedback provides invaluable insights into your strategies and operations. By actively seeking feedback and acting upon it, marketers can refine their campaigns, product offerings, and service quality, which naturally leads to higher customer satisfaction, better retention, and less churn.
Dancing with Change: The Art of Agility
“In B2B, agility isn’t an option. It’s a survival skill.”
Staying rigid in your strategies and methodologies can render your initiatives ineffective. When B2B marketing leaders encourage flexibility within their teams, invest in continuous learning, and remain nimble enough to pivot when needed, it creates an environment where experimentation and innovation thrive.
It’s true. New platforms or strategies can often be met with resistance from stakeholders. Gabe acknowledges this challenge but stresses the importance of being agile and adaptive while remaining data-driven. By demonstrating potential ROI or showcasing how a similar approach worked in a B2C setting, B2B marketers can make a persuasive case and potentially sway decision-makers.
The most important attribute—a core strength—for successful marketers is a strong sense of identity and integrity, Gabe says. “Authenticity is the currency of trust in B2B.”
The boundaries between B2B and B2C marketing are becoming more porous. As Gabe aptly puts it, we’re all selling to people at the end of the day.
Whether you’re promoting home goods or a SaaS platform, the key lies in creating content that resonates, engages, and feels genuinely human. By drawing insights from both realms and being open to exploring new platforms, B2B marketers can find innovative ways to connect with their audience.
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