Us marketers see marketing as a cornerstone of business growth. And rightfully so. But non-marketing colleagues often seem to think of marketing as more an expense center than a driver of revenue.
Hey, it’s not their fault, they just have a different job and don’t know the things that you know, and the same goes the other way around.
As a B2B marketer, showcasing the tangible value of marketing to your colleagues across departments isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s essential for fostering alignment, securing budgets, and driving organizational success. So this blog post is about how you can make sure to show
Marketers often rely on metrics like impressions, click-through rates, and engagement. While these are critical for tracking marketing performance, they might not resonate with colleagues in sales, finance, or operations.
Instead, translate marketing metrics into business outcomes. For example:
When you present data in terms of revenue, cost savings, or growth potential, you’re more likely to earn buy-in from your non-marketing colleagues.
Every department has its own priorities to work on. Yours is marketing, theirs might be finance, sales or customer service for example. But shared goals unify teams. So, ensure that marketing strategies are directly aligned with overarching business objectives.
For example:
By showing that marketing is a strategic partner, you position your team as indispensable to achieving broader company goals.
Marketers have an impact on the customer journey, but so do your sales and operations colleagues. But many non-marketing colleagues don’t have visibility into the entire customer journey. You can solve this by using visual tools like customer journey maps to illustrate how marketing plays a role at every touchpoint:
When you show how marketing efforts guide customers from initial awareness to final conversion, you can demystify your work and make its value undeniable to the rest of the organization.
Numbers are powerful, they give you clear information about targets, results, revenue and ROI. But stories resonate. Storytelling works because it helps people make sense of the numbers and because it builds relationships. You can use stories to share specific examples of successful campaigns and their outcomes.
For example:
Success stories help colleagues connect marketing activities with real-world results. So don’t be afraid to share these within your organization.
Marketing doesn’t operate in a silo, nor should it. If you experience silos in your organization, then you need to get to work urgently to break these down. The way to go is to collaborate with sales, product, and customer service teams to show how marketing complements their efforts:
Cross-departmental collaboration not only amplifies marketing’s impact: it also fosters appreciation for your team’s efforts. And this appreciation really helps motivate your team, especially in times when there is a lot of pressure to deliver ROI.
One of the most direct ways to prove marketing’s value is through consistent ROI reporting. Unfortunately so many marketers see reporting as the boring and unnecessary part of the job, which ist is really not.
Use marketing attribution models to track:
Regular updates show accountability to the rest of your organization, and help keep marketing top of mind as a revenue driver.
Sometimes, the best way to win hearts and minds is to market marketing itself. We’re just always so busy doing marketing to the outside world that we forget to tell colleagues about it. So don’t forget to do your internal marketing and make colleagues see the great work you are doing. Use internal newsletters, intranet updates, or team presentations to showcase wins and share updates.
By marketing your team’s successes internally, you remind colleagues of your contributions, making them value your job a lot more.
B2B marketers and CMOs need to be proactive in demonstrating how marketing is not just a support function but a vital driver of business growth. How it’s an investment in growth rather than just an expense. By aligning with business goals, speaking the language of other departments, and consistently showcasing results, you can shift perceptions and build stronger internal support.
Marketing’s true value lies not only in what it delivers but also in how effectively it’s communicated. So make it your mission to tell the story of marketing’s impact, and watch your colleagues become your biggest advocates.
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