Views from Richard Townsend, NED Investor (Ex.Founder, Circus Street)
In the world of B2B marketing, building a strong and recognizable brand is not just about creating a visually appealing logo or catchy tagline. It’s about crafting a narrative that resonates with your target audience and strengthens your demand generation efforts across multiple touchpoints and stakeholders. Successful B2B marketers understand that their strategies must cater to complex buyer journeys, prioritize relevant metrics, and integrate brand and demand generation for long-term success.
Catering to Complex Journeys: Multiple Stakeholders and Entry Points
A critical insight from Richard Townsen, the former CEO of Circus Street, is the importance of understanding the buyer’s journey, especially in B2B marketing. He emphasizes the need to think beyond a one-dimensional view of the customer. “You have to solve valuable problems,” says Richard. “There may be a gap in the market, but is there a market in the gap?”
This perspective is essential because B2B buyers often navigate multi-faceted, non-linear paths. Unlike the relatively straightforward B2C buying process, B2B decisions usually involve multiple stakeholders—each with their own concerns, priorities, and motivations. Whether it’s the marketing team, sales, finance, or even the CEO, the decision-making process is rarely a straight line.
In fact, according to Forrester’s research on the ROI of brand equity in B2B, companies that account for these complex, multi-stakeholder journeys see a higher return on their marketing investments. Marketers must create content and touchpoints that engage different stakeholders at various stages of the buying process. This means understanding the diverse entry points into the buyer journey and crafting messages that resonate with each group.
For example, while the finance team may prioritize cost-effectiveness and ROI, the marketing department might be more concerned with brand alignment and customer engagement. The challenge for B2B marketers is to create a seamless narrative that connects all these points, providing a consistent message across all channels and touchpoints.
For more insights, explore Forrester’s research on the ROI of brand equity in B2B here.
Prioritizing Metrics by Stage: Aligning with the Buyer’s Decision-Making Process
As Richard Townsen points out, understanding the customer is the “North Star” for marketers. In the B2B space, this means not only knowing who the customer is but also understanding what metrics matter at each stage of the buyer’s journey.
“Marketers always think about the customer,” Richard explains. “And I think all great businesses need that approach.”
However, not all metrics are created equal. The metrics that matter in the awareness stage are different from those in the decision-making or purchase stages. In the awareness stage, for example, marketers might focus on website visits, content downloads, and social media engagement. As buyers move into the consideration phase, metrics like lead quality, time spent on key content, and the number of demos or trials may take precedence. Finally, when buyers are ready to make a purchase, conversion rates, sales cycles, and deal sizes become the key metrics.
By tailoring your metrics to the specific stage of the buyer’s decision-making process, you can gain better insights into where your efforts are succeeding and where improvements are needed. Harvard Business Review’s articles on non-linear customer journeys provide a useful framework for understanding how metrics should evolve across these different phases.
Explore HBR’s take on non-linear customer journeys here.
Integrating Brand and Demand: Fueling Demand Generation at Every Stage
A major theme in Richard’s journey with Circus Street, and later with QA, is the integration of brand and demand generation. He states, “We never thought about being a SaaS business; we thought about solving a problem for the customer.”
This approach highlights a key point for B2B marketers: brand building is not a separate effort from demand generation. Strong branding amplifies demand generation efforts at every stage of the buyer’s journey. A recognizable and trusted brand creates a sense of familiarity and reliability, which can shorten sales cycles and increase conversion rates.
Richard’s perspective on branding resonates deeply with B2B marketers. “Good businesses have good names and bad businesses have bad names,” he says. When building a brand in the B2B space, marketers should aim to create a name, logo, and messaging that reflects the business’s core values and resonates with target audiences. But branding goes beyond aesthetics—it’s about building trust and consistency.
Studies show that B2B buyers are more likely to engage with companies whose brands they recognize and trust. According to Forrester, brand equity plays a significant role in driving ROI for B2B businesses. A strong brand doesn’t just make sales easier; it builds long-term loyalty and sets the foundation for demand generation strategies.
Key Takeaways for B2B Marketers:
- Cater to Complex Journeys – Recognize that B2B buying decisions involve multiple stakeholders with varying priorities. Your marketing strategy should provide relevant and engaging content at different stages of the journey.
- Prioritize Metrics by Stage – Tailor your metrics to each phase of the buyer’s journey. This ensures you can assess the effectiveness of your efforts and make data-driven decisions.
- Integrate Brand and Demand – Understand that brand and demand generation are intertwined. A strong, trusted brand fuels demand generation and accelerates the decision-making process.
In today’s fast-paced, technology-driven world, B2B marketers must navigate a complex landscape of diverse stakeholders, non-linear decision-making, and shifting buyer priorities. But with the right strategy—one that aligns metrics with buyer stages and integrates brand with demand generation—you can drive growth and build long-lasting customer relationships.
For further exploration on how to refine your B2B marketing strategies, check out Forrester’s research on brand equity and Harvard Business Review’s articles on customer journeys.
