B2B Marketing Strategy and Digitalization

Many B2B marketing teams are busy but not effective. Activity is measured in posts, events and leads, while sales teams complain that leads are poor and leadership cannot see the link between marketing spend and revenue. Common causes are a weak definition of the target customer, messages written around products instead of buyer problems, digital channels added without a plan, and no shared agreement with sales on what a qualified opportunity is.

This programme treats B2B marketing as a strategic and commercial discipline. It moves through five stages: understanding how organisations buy, defining segments, the ideal customer profile and positioning, designing content and digital channels around the buying journey, running demand generation and account-based marketing with sales, and measuring what marketing contributes to pipeline and revenue.

Built on recognised practice. The programme references established marketing concepts such as segmentation, targeting and positioning, buying centre and buying group analysis, jobs to be done, the marketing and sales funnel and account-based marketing. It also covers marketing technology practice, first-party data and consent under data protection laws such as the GDPR and the personal data protection laws now in force in several GCC countries. Participants learn how to apply these ideas to their own markets.

Decisions this programme improves. Which segments and accounts to prioritise; what value proposition to lead with for each buying role; how to divide budget between brand building and demand generation; which digital channels and content formats deserve investment; when account-based marketing is worth the effort; and which metrics to report to leadership.

How it is delivered. Twenty hours across five sessions, built around one running case: an industrial services company that wants to grow with government and large corporate clients. Participants build an ideal customer profile, map a buying group, plan a content and channel mix, design an account-based campaign and prepare a marketing performance dashboard.

In-house option. For organisations, the programme can be tailored to your own markets, offers, CRM and marketing automation tools, and delivered to marketing and sales teams together so that both work from the same targets and definitions.

Who Should Attend

Marketing professionals: B2B marketing managers, marketing executives and campaign managers

Digital specialists: digital marketing, content and marketing operations staff

Communications staff: corporate communications and brand managers in B2B organisations

Sales and business development staff: business development managers, key account managers and sales operations staff

Product and service managers responsible for bringing offers to business and government clients

Objectives

Explain how B2B buying groups make decisions and map the roles, needs and objections in a target account

Define priority segments and an ideal customer profile using firmographic, behavioural and intent data

Write a value proposition and positioning statement that addresses buyer problems rather than product features

Build a B2B marketing plan that balances brand building and demand generation

Design a content plan mapped to each stage of the buying journey

Select and plan digital channels, including search, LinkedIn, email, webinars and the company website

Design an account-based marketing programme for a list of priority accounts

Agree lead and opportunity definitions and a service level agreement with sales

Use marketing automation and CRM data responsibly, respecting consent and data protection rules

Build a dashboard that links marketing activity to pipeline, revenue and customer retention

Course Outline

How Organisations Buy: The Modern B2B Buying Journey

Differences between B2B and B2C marketing
Buying groups: decision makers, influencers, users, procurement and gatekeepers
Self-directed research, digital touchpoints and the role of the supplier's website
Public sector and large corporate procurement: tenders, frameworks and approved supplier lists
Buyer research methods: win-loss interviews, sales input and customer advisory groups
Relationship, trust and reputation in regional B2B markets

Strategy and Positioning: Choosing Where to Compete

Segmentation, targeting and positioning for B2B markets
Building the ideal customer profile and buyer personas
Value propositions for different buying roles
B2B brand building: why it matters and how to measure it
Setting marketing objectives linked to business objectives
The B2B marketing plan and budget allocation

Content and Digital Channels That Reach Buying Groups

Content strategy by buying stage: problem awareness, solution evaluation and supplier selection
Thought leadership, case studies, webinars and practical tools
Website, search engine optimisation and search visibility, including AI-generated search answers
LinkedIn and professional social media for companies and employees
Email marketing and nurturing programmes
Paid digital media: targeting options, budgets and common mistakes
Using generative AI in content production: uses, limits and quality control

Demand Generation, Account-Based Marketing and Sales Alignment

Demand generation versus lead generation
Lead scoring, qualification and hand-over to sales
Account-based marketing: one-to-one, one-to-few and one-to-many approaches
Planning coordinated campaigns for priority accounts
Marketing and sales service level agreements and joint pipeline reviews
Events and exhibitions integrated with digital follow-up

Data, Technology and Measuring Marketing Contribution

The marketing technology stack: CRM, marketing automation and analytics
First-party data, consent and data protection obligations
Metrics that matter: pipeline contribution, conversion rates, deal velocity and customer lifetime value
Attribution approaches and their limitations
Reporting marketing performance to senior management
Action plan: a 90-day B2B marketing improvement plan

Competencies

B2B buying group analysis

Segmentation and ideal customer profile definition

B2B value proposition and positioning

Content strategy for the buying journey

Digital channel planning for B2B markets

Demand generation and lead nurturing

Account-based marketing planning

Marketing and sales alignment

Marketing performance measurement and reporting

Istanbul

Train in Istanbul with access to Elite Academy’s full portfolio of professional programs. In a city known as a major international business crossroads connecting Europe, the Middle East and Asia, organizations and professionals can join upcoming courses or request any program to be arranged locally. Professional training in Istanbul is not limited to a specific group of subjects. Elite Academy makes its complete portfolio available in the city across management, business, technical and industry-focused disciplines. With a major international business crossroads connecting Europe, the Middle East and Asia, Istanbul provides an effective setting for international learning. Use the schedule below to view courses already planned for the destination, or contact our team to request another program and preferred dates in Istanbul, subject to scheduling and delivery requirements.