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Chapter 13—How do you choose the right tactics
for your company?

One of the most common challenges for B2B companies is
knowing which marketing tactics they should implement. They
might hear about a particular tactic, jump on the bandwagon,
and then when it doesn’t work out, they proclaim, “Marketing
doesn’t work for our company”. Or they might stick with a tactic,
because it’s common in their industry, or it’s the way things
have always been done. These techniques lead to ineffective
marketing, because a good strategy is all about choosing the
right tactics at the right time.

Almost every B2B company wants a standard prescription for
marketing tactics. I wish there was such an easy answer. But
many factors influence which marketing tactics a company
should use:

- The industry
- The target market
- The company’s position in the market
- How much marketing the company has done in the

past and how successful it has been
- What kind of marketing the competition does
- The company’s goals
- The company’s marketing budget

I have four guidelines to help companies choose the right tactics.

Guideline 1: Get the basics in place

In my experience, B2B companies focus mainly on sales and
product development when starting out. Marketing isn’t a

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© 2012 Lisa Shepherd