What Top-Performing B2B Marketers Do (According to Research)

What do the top-performing B2B marketers do to win? It’s a question we all want the answer to.

Do they have insider knowledge?
Do they have superior tech?
Do they have secret hacks?

It’s a valid question, and one that the Content Marketing Institute’s annual B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends report has some fascinating insights on. Although no marketer has the magic bullet, in analyzing what top performers reported about their activities, some clear traits and trends have emerged. Let’s dive into the findings to find out how you can adopt those traits to improve your marketing.

Top 4 Things Successful B2B Marketers Do

From smart strategies to optimized workflows, here are the key things you should do to win.

1) Invest in strategy.

Only 29% of B2B marketers say their content strategy is extremely or very effective. (A shocking amount of marketers don’t even have a documented content strategy.)

However, those who say they are successful heavily invest the time and resources to create a strong strategy that aligns with organizational goals and is tied to measurable results (like lead generation, sales conversions, and customer retention).

How you can emulate them:

Document your strategy. Use our B2B marketing strategy toolkit to work through every stage of the process, including a content audit, tech stack review, goals, personas, journey, pipeline, workflow, and more.
Focus on alignment. Tie every content initiative to specific business goals to prove ROI. For example, if increasing MQLs is a priority, map content to every stage of the buyer journey.
Regularly update it. Regularly analyze your metrics to identify what’s working—and what isn’t—and adjust your strategy on a quarterly basis.

Note: If you want to create effective content marketing to connect with your audience, you need to curate the right mix. Find out what type of content to include to strengthen your strategy.

2) Use the right technology to manage content.

B2B marketers handle complex operations, often juggling multiple campaigns, contributors, and distribution channels. Successful marketers invest in the right content management technology to streamline workflows and improve consistency across the organization.

Additionally, AI integration is a huge point of distinction between average and top-performing B2B marketers. The majority of B2B marketers (54%) use AI tech on an ad hoc basis, but the 19% of marketers who integrate it into their daily workflow are notably more successful.

How you can emulate them:

Audit your tools. Identify gaps in your current tech stack and explore solutions tailored to your needs. A CMS with built-in analytics, for example, can save time while offering deeper insights.
Centralize collaboration. Use organizational tools to bring your team onto one platform for greater visibility and efficiency.
Stay adaptable. Ensure your technology scales with your needs as your campaigns grow.

Of course, AI tools will continue to grow and evolve, but it’s important to understand how to use them effectively. See our guide to everything you need to know about AI, and make sure you craft strong AI guidelines to safeguard your company.

3) Build scalable models for high-quality content.

This is one of the most persistent pain points we hear our clients complain about. They have more demands but fewer resources than ever, so creating a steady stream of high-quality content is an ongoing challenge.

To do this efficiently, successful marketers optimize their workflow and develop systems that allow them to create, repurpose, and distribute content efficiently.

How you can emulate them:

Create templates. Standardize processes for blog posts, case studies, social content, and more to reduce production time without sacrificing quality.
Repurpose creatively. Turn a single whitepaper into blog posts, infographics, videos, and email sequences. This maximizes ROI for each piece of content.
Maximize your content. Learn more about how a divisible content strategy can help you scale your content efforts while maintaining a high standard.

If you’re one of the many marketers forced to do more with less, you can also try these additional tips to work more efficiently.

4) Leverage industry experts.

Top-performing B2B marketers don’t just create content; they create credible, insightful content. With 70% using subject matter experts (SMEs) to inform their work, they build trust and authority to become go-to thought leaders in their industries.

How you can emulate them:

Tap into internal resources. Your sales and product teams are a goldmine for insights about customer needs and challenges. Find out how you can use their expertise to shape your content.
Partner with SMEs. Build relationships with industry experts for interviews, guest posts, or co-branded content.
Invest in research. Conduct surveys, publish reports, and offer unique data that positions your brand as a leader in your field.

Note: Proprietary data storytelling is a particularly effective way to establish your credibility, but not everyone is literate in this way. Follow our tips to find the stories in your data and turn them into high-value content.

How to Keep Up with Top B2B Marketers

The habits of top-performing B2B marketers boil down to two things: intentionality and efficiency. By building scalable systems, prioritizing high-quality work, and measuring their efforts rigorously, they can adapt, improve, and evolve.

If you want to stay on top of your game, keep pushing yourself.

Try new experiments. Find out how we use a test-and-learn framework to get better results for our clients and agency.
Keep up on the latest trends. It’s easy to get tunnel vision when you’re focused on your own brand, but there are plenty of successful marketers across industries whose insights can help you work smarter. Subscribe to our Best Story Wins podcast to find out how industry leaders are winning hearts, minds, and market share.

That said, even if you have the best intentions, we know it can be challenging to bring your ideas to fruition. If you’re stuck in the strategy stage or overwhelmed trying to execute your plans, an expert partner can help. Follow our tips to find the right B2B agency for you, or find out more about how we work with our partners.