B2B Marketing 101: Becoming a Thought Leader AND Selling

When it comes to B2B marketing, it is important to combine short term sales and lead goals with long term “industry leadership” tactics that build trust with your audience.

To do that, you have to take the brave step of occasionally including materials and information provided by your business partners, vendors, or other industry leaders. Don’t be afraid to link to external websites when it makes sense – an awards website, for instance, or a relevant research article posted by a reputable industry expert.

Don’t just sell, sell, sell. Share, too.

The last thing you want to do is set the expectation that every single thing you ever talk about is yourself, and that you are always pounding a “buy from me” message to potential customers and “buy more from me” to current customers – that’s a fast track towards a shrinking audience.

Think about how mixing things up can strengthen your position as a collaborative, confident, valuable leader in your field – then, bravely step forward!