Target customer insights can be your secret weapon

The Proof Point

Hey B2B marketers, struggling to execute on the data you collect?

Peep Laja (Wynter), Victoria Sakal (Wonder), and Ryan Sorley (Klue) join the show to talk about how to transform customer insights into strategic actions.

The TL;DR

What’s working in B2B marketing:

OWNERSHIP & QUICK DECISION-MAKING

Ditch the committee approach. Crown a leader who can make quick decisions and see your initiatives gain speed and precision.

What’s not working in B2B marketing:

BROAD RESEARCH

Casting a wide net? Stop immediately. Focus on specific customer segments for feedback, making your research purposeful and actionable.

The key takeaways

• Invest in target customer insights: Understanding specific customer segments and gathering qualitative data can significantly impact customer willingness to pay, the efficiency of your sales funnel, and overall company growth. It’s crucial for B2B marketers to dedicate time and resources to obtaining these insights through targeted research methods like surveys and interviews.
• Focus on actionable insights: Knowing the difference between data and insights is key. Data is passive, collected through tools like surveys or desk research, while insights require context and interpretation to reveal the "so what" and "now what." Marketers should aim to extract actionable insights that can directly influence decision-making and business strategy.
• Ensure clear ownership: Peep Laja emphasizes the need for a clear owner or lead for managing insights and making decisions. Decisive leadership is vital. B2B marketers should assign accountable leads to ensure that insights are transformed into actionable strategies efficiently, rather than relying on committees.
• Adopt continuous and agile research: Embrace an always-on approach to research for continuous data and strategic flexibility. "Little r" research involves ongoing, smaller-scale studies to help maintain organizational alignment and adaptability.
• Customize findings for different roles: Research isn't always a team sport—different stakeholders have varying needs and perspectives. Present findings in ways that effectively influence different stakeholders. B2B marketers should contextualize and customize insights for different audiences to drive impactful business decisions.

Resources

How to select the right research methodology: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/victoriasakal_innovation-research-askbetterquestions-activity-7212486453430300673-VJ3p?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

The things to listen for

[00:00] Intro

[02:00] The benefits of regular customer research

[04:45] The perception of research costs

[06:05] What are target customer insights?

[12:00] Desk research

[21:30 Have a clear plan to act on research insights