Views from Richard Bearman, Co-Chief Banking Officer at the British Business Bank
The Non-Linear Reality of B2B Buying
B2B buying has never been a straight path. It involves multiple decision-makers, shifting priorities, and unpredictable external forces. As Richard Bearman, Co-Chief Banking Officer at the British Business Bank, noted in a recent conversation:
“There’s a lot of support out there, but the landscape can be confusing. Entrepreneurs need guidance not just on financial solutions but on the right ones for their unique needs.”
B2B marketers face a similar challenge. Buyers don’t follow a clear, single journey but instead navigate a web of research, peer recommendations, and internal debates. To succeed, marketers must account for this complexity in three key ways: catering to complex journeys, prioritising metrics by stage, and integrating brand with demand.
1. Cater to Complex Journeys: Account for Multiple Stakeholders and Entry Points
The days of targeting a single decision-maker are long gone. A report by Gartner found that the average B2B buying group consists of 6 to 10 stakeholders, each with different perspectives, pain points, and decision-making authority. Just as small businesses struggle to identify the right financial partners, B2B buyers often struggle to identify the best solution for their company.
Marketers must recognise that prospects may enter the funnel at different points and require varied messaging. Richard touched on this in his discussion about how businesses find funding:
“We don’t compete with the market; we find gaps and amplify what’s already working.”
Similarly, B2B marketers must align content, sales enablement, and lead nurturing to fill knowledge gaps at different stages. Strategies to achieve this include:
- Mapping content to different roles: Finance, IT, and operations teams all view ROI differently—create tailored messaging for each stakeholder.
- Providing self-serve resources: Like British Business Bank’s Finance Hub, marketers should develop knowledge bases, calculators, and interactive tools to help buyers assess solutions independently.
- Using multi-touch attribution: Understand the role each marketing channel plays in influencing decisions across long sales cycles.
Harvard Business Review has explored how B2B buyers rarely progress linearly, reinforcing the need for marketers to embrace dynamic, multi-threaded engagement.
2. Prioritise Metrics by Stage: Focus on the Right Data at the Right Time
One of the biggest mistakes B2B marketers make is applying the same success metrics across all stages of the buyer’s journey. Early-stage engagement requires different KPIs than conversion-focused campaigns.
Richard highlighted this when discussing financial backing for businesses:
“Some initiatives require long-term patient capital—investing early, drawing others in, and staying in for the long haul.”
This same principle applies to marketing. Brand awareness campaigns shouldn’t be judged on immediate lead generation, just as sales enablement efforts shouldn’t be measured by impressions alone. Instead, B2B marketers should use a phased approach:
- Awareness Stage: Track reach, engagement, and share of voice.
- Consideration Stage: Focus on website interactions, content downloads, and lead quality.
- Decision Stage: Prioritize pipeline acceleration, SQL conversion rates, and deal velocity.
Aligning metrics to buyer intent ensures marketing efforts are optimized for long-term impact rather than short-term vanity metrics.
For deeper insights, Forrester’s research on the ROI of brand equity in B2B explores how awareness investments pay off over time.
3. Integrate Brand and Demand: Strong Branding Fuels Demand Generation at Every Stage
There’s a growing recognition that B2B brands can no longer separate brand-building from demand generation. A recent LinkedIn B2B Institute study found that 95% of buyers aren’t in-market at any given moment, meaning brand awareness today fuels demand in the future.
Richard acknowledged a similar challenge when discussing the visibility of British Business Bank:
“We’re working to get our brand more recognised—not just for awareness, but to drive engagement and action.”
Marketers should take a similar approach by blending brand-building and performance marketing:
- Develop a consistent brand narrative: Ensure messaging remains aligned across brand awareness and lead generation efforts.
- Use retargeting strategically: Brand engagement can lead to demand later—capture interest and nurture potential buyers over time.
- Invest in long-term content marketing: Thought leadership, research reports, and video content build credibility that translates into sales later.
Ultimately, when brand awareness is high, demand generation efforts become far more effective, reducing cost-per-acquisition and increasing win rates.
The Future of B2B Marketing: Building for the Long Term
As B2B buyers become more sophisticated, marketers must shift their approach from short-term lead capture to long-term influence. Just as the British Business Bank supports businesses at every stage, marketing teams must design strategies that:
- Guide buyers through non-linear journeys by addressing multiple stakeholders and knowledge gaps.
- Use stage-specific KPIs to ensure marketing efforts align with actual decision-making behaviors.
- Blend brand and demand marketing to create lasting awareness and engagement.
By taking these principles to heart, B2B marketers can build trust, shorten sales cycles, and ultimately drive sustainable business growth.
For more insights, explore Forrester’s research on the ROI of brand equity in B2B and Harvard Business Review on non-linear customer journeys.
