17 B2B Women Marketers:One Question,Many Challenges

 In the spirit of International Women’s Day, as Global CMO of Siegel+Gale, I thought it would be intriguing to ask a sample of top female B2B marketers one question:

“What’s the #1 brand challenge facing B2B companies today?”

This question elicited thought-provoking responses. It is fascinating to hear from these 17 women, who come from a variety of industries including technology, healthcare and financial services.

Here are their insights…Margaret MolloyGlobal CMOSiegel+Gale

“Simple, straightforward, personal marketing is the biggest opportunity in B2B today. Business is about people, so people should be the center of a good B2B marketing strategy.”

Katrina KlierManaging director, digital marketing and

communications Accenture

@KatrinaKlier

Simplicity

“As CMOs we must be more sophisticated. Discipline is required given data-driven requirements as well as a keen eye toward mobile app privacy and location-based marketing.”

Hope FrankGlobal CMOCodenomicon @HopeFrank

Sophistication

“Balancing short-term revenue goals with the long-term strategic growth of the firm.”

Margaret MolloyGlobal CMOSiegel+Gale

@Margaret Molloy

Revenue

Brand investment must take place across the entire enterprise

“Convincing executives at B2B companies that brand investment must happen across the entire enterprise, not just marketing.”

Lisa ArthurCMOTeradata Applications

@LisaArthur

Enterprise-wide marketing

“Being relevant at all times and delivering that relevant, consistent brand image across multiple channels. The challenge is how do we use these channels effectively, remaining relevant, timely and consistent?”

Debbie BrownGlobal head of marketing, planning and

operations Thomson Reuters

Omni-channel

“Mobility is quietly yet seismically revolutionizing B2B business. Customers, channel partners, employees, shareholders and interested parties can engage with the brand as individuals, and that’s what we have always wanted in B2B.”

Carol GodfreyVice president, marketing and product developmentSouthwire Company

@CarolJGodfrey

Mobile

“Making a brand relevant to both the decision makers and end users. These are often two distinct groups who have different needs and pain points. The brand therefore needs to work on multiple levels.”

Cindy CookCMO, clinical solutions and nursing & health

professionsElsevier

Multiple stakeholders

Time and attention are the scarcest resources today

“Rising above the ever-increasing noise to connect–emotionally and with relevance–to your audience. Time and attention are the scarcest resources today.”

Sandra ZorattiCMO

Dispersive Technologies

@SandraZ

Relevance

“Creating clear brand differentiation in an increasingly competitive marketplace. Continuing to drive brand awareness and value creation is imperative.”

Wendy NewmanSVP corporate marketingAMN Healthcare

@WendyGNewman

Brand differentiation

“A good brand needs to be able to resonate with both consumers and businesses. To do so effectively, the brand needs to be relevant and communicate that relevance in direct, simple terms.”

Sejal GulatiPresident and managing director

TAS Analytic Services, a Time Warner Company

Communicating relevance

All divisions of your internal organization are now brand ambassadors

“B2B buyers are seeking advice from peers, other customers and turning to social media sources just like B2C. The challenge is both cultivating a network of advocates for your brand and understanding that all divisions of your internal organization are now brand ambassadors.”

Cynthia GumbertVice president, digital and new accounts marketingCA Technologies, Inc.

@Cyngumbert

Social media

“Many of our customers are technology laggards, so digital marketing has been a challenge. We execute, but many of our customers and prospects don’t see it because they aren’t 'plugged in' to the typical digital channels.”

Monica WylyDirector, marketing

Qualcomm

Digital exposure

“Identifying high ROI ways to accelerate pipeline buildup. In an age when buyers do not want to get another email, even a provocatively written or high content value email, it is difficult to drive pipeline build without spending a lot.”

Natalie McCulloughExecutive VP and GM of professional, support, education & data servicesServiceSource

@NatalieMcCull

Driving pipeline

Brands must relate to their customers on a human level

“B2B is irrelevant nowadays: we live in a world of consumers, and brands must relate to their customers on a human level. It’s the classic line–customers don’t care about products, they care what they do for them.”

Lucy HackmanVice President, integrated marketing communications Pitney Bowes

@LucyHackman

Human connection

“Leveraging thought leadership and digital strategies to stay current with clients and provide insights and problem solving. You want to have the digital infrastructure to create a presence on your own properties and through social media to ultimately deliver one-to-one content marketing.”

Stefanie Shelley

CMO and product management executiveBroadridge Financial Solutions

Thought leadership

“Differentiating ourselves from the competition and breaking through the clutter so our target audience can focus on our messages.”

Lynn MacDonaldGlobal head of investments marketingMercer

Breaking through the clutter

“To convey the business value of our offering in a way that is not only differentiating but also goes beyond the purely rational. Buyers are humans and therefore they buy emotionally. B2B companies have to get under buyers’ skin that way.”

Heidi LorenzenCMO

Cloudwords, Inc.

@HLorenzen

Emotional connection

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Thanks to the 16 B2B women marketing leaders

Now over to you…

“What do you think is the #1 brand challenge facing B2B companies today?”

We’d love to hear from you.

Tweet me @MargaretMolloy

Margaret MolloyGlobal CMO

Siegel+Gale

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Simple is smart.

www.siegelgale.com