Why You Don't Need Credentials To Do B2B Marketing

There’s a lot of talk about the value of education in the B2B marketing world, but I’m going to say something that might surprise you: you don’t need college to be a successful marketer.

Whether it’s your own money or someone else’s, there are smarter ways to get the experience and knowledge you need to succeed in B2B marketing.

The Secret To B2B Marketing In 2023 – YouTube

Key Takeaways
1. B2B marketing success is achievable without traditional credentials.
2. Focus on understanding your audience and delivering value to build credibility.
3. Embrace creative strategies and innovative approaches to stand out.
4. Develop a strong personal brand and showcase expertise through content.
5. Building relationships and solving customer pain points can outweigh credentials.

Table of Contents

It’s About Results, Not Credentials

In the traditional school of thought, credentials are a measure of your intelligence, skill and ability. And for some roles this is true the CFO needs to know how to read financial statements and balance sheets;

A doctor needs to know how the human body works; an engineer needs to understand basic physics so they can calculate stress loads on materials.

But when it comes to marketing in particular (and business in general), credentials don’t matter nearly as much.

In fact, being educated about marketing doesn’t even matter much at all if you aren’t getting results.

In fact, credentials usually hurt more than help when it comes to getting results because they make people think that if someone has a degree or certification then there is no point trying something new or different themselves because “the experts” have already done all the research!

Building a solid foundation for B2B marketing requires a comprehensive approach. Explore our Complete Guide to B2B Marketing to gain insights into every facet of this dynamic field.

The Business World Has Changed Dramatically

The business world has changed dramatically. It’s more competitive than ever, more global, more technical and complex. But the most important change is that it’s also more diverse.

We see this in our own work every day at Credera for example, we have clients from dozens of industries across 19 countries on six continents.

We also see it in our competition for Business Development Manager roles: we hire candidates with experience across a range of industries and functional areas who are often bilingual or multilingual.

And we are not alone in hiring these kinds of people; other companies also recognize that they need talent with a wide variety of skill sets and cultural backgrounds to help them succeed in today’s complicated world.

Your Best B2B Marketers Won’t Have Marketing Degrees

The best B2B marketers aren’t often the best marketers. They’re usually salespeople, business people, or communicators.

Why?

Because they’re practical, creative thinkers that can plug into the needs of their customers and deliver value. They know how to get things done and done well because they’ve mastered this skill through their work in other areas of expertise within your organization (i.e., sales).

Marketing is a way for them to add value by putting themselves in front of decision makers with valuable insights about what’s happening outside your walls that could impact your business strategy moving forward (i.e., sales).

Don’t be daunted by B2B marketing – it’s more manageable than you might think. Discover why in our article on B2B Marketing: Why It’s Easier Than You Think, where we debunk common misconceptions.

Marketing Doesn’t Require A Lot Of Credentials To Begin With

It’s true that the more you know about marketing, the better off you are. But there are a lot of areas where getting into B2B marketing doesn’t require a lot of credentials to begin with.

The basics of B2B marketing can be learned in a few weeks, and they don’t require any specific training or education beyond what you’re already doing at work (or wherever else you spend your time).

For example:

Understanding the customer – This is probably why your company hired you in the first place, right? It’s important for any business to understand their customers’ needs and wants so that they can provide something of value to them.

This can be done through research or talking directly with customers (or both).

Understanding their business – So once you know what your customer wants, how do we use this information to help our own businesses?

Well, that depends on what kind of company we are what do we sell? What products do we make? Who makes up our target market? How much money do they have to spend on products like ours? These questions all need answers before we start selling anything!

Credentials Can Be Acquired On The Job

I think it’s important to talk about credentials because I see a lot of B2B marketers talking about them, and I think they’re missing the point. Credentials are not necessary for you to succeed in B2B marketing.

For example, if you are looking for a job as a marketer and there is no way you can get into college right now (maybe because you don’t want to go back to school), don’t worry about it! You may have more experience than most of the other applicants anyway.

This isn’t just true when getting a job though it’s also true when trying to move up at your company or increase your salary.

Unless someone has been doing nothing but training others on marketing techniques most of their lives and has never made any mistakes (and even then), everyone who does things well has learned from experience including me!

Degrees Often Lead To Debt

In the B2B field, you’re going to be an entrepreneur. If this is something that interests you, then starting a business and learning how to market it will be in your best interest.

The problem with degrees is that they put people in debt before they even get started in their careers. Student loans have become like mortgages: they can weigh down your future prospects for decades after you take them out.

The solution? Don’t go to college! Or if you do go, make sure it’s on your terms and not for the sake of getting a degree or credential which doesn’t guarantee employment anyway.

Success in B2B marketing hinges on mastering the right strategies. Uncover 27 invaluable tips in our post: 27 Marketing Secrets B2B Marketers Need to Know and elevate your marketing game.

You Don’t Need An MBA To Do Effective B2B Marketing

You don’t need an MBA to do effective B2B marketing.

Here’s why:

You can learn by doing. The best way to learn is by doing, not just watching or reading about it. If you’re interested in learning B2B marketing, get out there and start working on projects for clients!

Try different ways of promoting your services, see what works and what doesn’t work as well as you thought it would. T

The more experience you have with real clients and real situations, the faster you’ll be able to build up your skill set in this area of expertise.

You can learn by working with other people who are experts at what they do and who are willing to share their knowledge with the world through books like this one!

Take advantage of all the information available today through social media channels like Facebook groups or LinkedIn Q&A sections where people who have industry experience will often answer questions posed by those who want some advice.

But aren’t sure how much help they’re prepared to offer as yet another newbie trying things out without knowing if they’ll actually work for anyone else but themselves (or even them).

The Education Itself Is Often Lacking In Value For A B2B Marketer

It’s not that there aren’t valuable things to learn in your education, but it’s more about the way you learn them.

The traditional approach has been that you go and get a degree, and then you take classes and listen to lectures, and in those lectures they tell you facts about things. You’re learning about how to do something.

They’ll teach you some facts about how to write an essay or how to do math problems or how to play chess or whatever it is they’re teaching at that point in time.

That’s fine as far as it goes that kind of education can be really useful when there are specific tasks that need doing.

But what we’re seeing now is a lot of changes taking place in the world where people are having trouble finding jobs because their knowledge doesn’t necessarily match up with what companies need right now;

Their skills don’t necessarily match up with what companies need right now; their mindset doesn’t necessarily match up with what companies need right now; etcetera etcetera ad infinitum ad nauseam (thanks for playing).

Effective B2B marketing doesn’t have to be monotonous – with the right tools, it can be enjoyable. Learn more in our piece on How B2B Marketing Can Be Fun with the Right Tools and infuse creativity into your campaigns.

A Good B2B Professional Is More Than Just A Marketer

Marketing is only one of the many skills you should have when you’re trying to sell products or services to other businesses. You also need to be able to sell, because selling means convincing others that your product or service is valuable enough for them to buy it.

If you can’t do this, then no matter how great your marketing strategies are they won’t work because you won’t be able to close any deals. Sales is crucial if you want your business succeeding, which makes sense since salespeople are often paid more than marketers!

If sales isn’t enough then there’s customer service: helping customers with their problems and making sure they get what they need from the products/services that they purchase from your company.

Customer satisfaction matters more than ever these days so if customers aren’t happy with what they’re receiving from their suppliers (and by extension those suppliers’ employees).

Then there goes another sale down the drain…which could mean serious money lost for everyone involved!

So keep in mind that customer service has just as much importance as any other part of doing business online too; especially when it comes down having someone else rely upon us for help every day.”

The Best Credential Is Experience And A Willingness To Learn

You can certainly get the credentials, but you’ll never be able to say that you’re “certified” in business or in B2B marketing. That’s because there are no official certifications for these things; they’re more of a journey than an end goal.

Even if you do earn them, it’s important not to confuse what you know with who you are which is why we recommend starting by building on your own self-knowledge rather than purchasing someone else’s (even if they do offer classes).

The best way to learn about B2B marketing? Get out there and start doing some! And don’t forget: You’ve got all the tools at hand to succeed as long as you stay curious and open minded, ready for discovery every step along the way.

Degrees Take Time That Could Be Used Getting Starting In Business

If you don’t have a college degree, or if you don’t want to go back to school, that’s OK! There are other ways of getting started in B2B marketing. For example, you can get an entry-level job with no credentials at all.

Even if your employer doesn’t require any special training or education, it might be worth it for them to pay for your certification courses anyway so that they can promote their company as one that values continuous learning among its employees.

Furthermore, being able to say “I’m certified” will make you more valuable than someone who isn’t certified even if they’re equally talented and productive as professionals who hold certifications.

This is especially true when dealing with clients who value security over experience: they’ll prefer working with people who have been vetted by industry leaders like ISACA or ASQ than someone who hasn’t gone through any kind of vetting process at all (even one run by the client).

Education Isn’t Worth It If You’re Not Learning

As a business owner, you’ve got to learn how to do it all. You don’t have the time or resources to rely on other people to take care of your marketing needs.

This means that you need to be able to market your products and services on your own even if you didn’t study marketing in school or learn it at work.

The truth is that intelligent people can get through life without a degree in Marketing 101, Communications 102 and Advertising 103. How? By understanding what works for them personally and finding mentors who can help them develop those skills further.

Making informed decisions in marketing, even amidst uncertainty, can yield remarkable results. Delve into the insights shared in How Better Decisions Using Uncertainty Can Lead to Great Marketing Results to enhance your decision-making prowess.

If You Don’t Have Time Or Money For College, It Doesn’t Matter Because There Are Other Ways Of Succeeding At B2B Marketing

One of the most common objections you hear about not going to college is that it makes it difficult to get a job.

This argument is flawed for two reasons: first, there are plenty of B2B marketing jobs out there, and second, many people who’ve worked their whole lives in this field didn’t go to college.

The best credential is experienced (of course). The best marketers are the ones with years and years of experience doing this work because they’ve learned from their mistakes and from others’ mistakes along the way.

Conclusion

Thanks to the democratization of content and search engines, you no longer need a degree or formal training in order to get started with B2B marketing.

In fact, many of the most successful marketers are self-taught because they have a deep understanding of their target audience and how to speak directly to them.

This doesn’t mean that knowledge gained from traditional schooling isn’t valuable – it just means that good marketers can come from anywhere!

FAQs

What is the key to successful B2B marketing?

A successful B2B marketing strategy relies on understanding your target audience, creating relevant and valuable content, and establishing strong relationships with potential clients.

How can I excel in B2B digital marketing?

To excel in B2B digital marketing, focus on data-driven decision-making, personalized content, effective lead nurturing, and leveraging the power of digital channels.

What role does market research play in B2B marketing?

Market research is vital in B2B marketing as it helps you understand your audience’s needs, preferences, and pain points, allowing you to tailor your strategies to meet their specific demands.

What are the do’s and don’ts of B2B digital marketing?

Do’s include optimizing your website for mobile, providing clear value propositions, and nurturing leads. Don’ts encompass neglecting social media engagement and using irrelevant content.

How does B2B marketing differ from B2C marketing?

B2B marketing typically involves longer sales cycles, more personalized content, and a focus on building relationships and addressing the unique challenges faced by businesses.

Costantine Edward

Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.

Why You Don’t Need Credentials To Do B2B Marketing