It’s time to face a tough reality: B2B model measurement is essentially damaged and has been for a few years. This failure is sabotaging the worth of your whole advertising and marketing operate. Whereas advertising and marketing groups chase “efficiency advertising and marketing” metrics, conversion charges, and launch plans, arguably the largest development engine for your small business general — your model — is being uncared for, misunderstood, and (very probably) grossly undervalued.
The State Of Model Measurement And Worth Recognition Is Poor
Over the 5 years I’ve labored at Forrester, the query I’m requested most steadily is methods to measure a model’s worth, particularly as a driver of development. And what I’ve discovered is that many B2B corporations are flying blind on the subject of understanding how their model is definitely performing. Normally, there’s no clear course of, no dependable knowledge, and no constant framework. As an alternative, I hear phrases corresponding to “air cowl” used to explain some amorphous, intangible worth that may’t be measured (not a great factor when advertising and marketing budgets are tightening). Based on Forrester’s 2024 B2B Model And Communications Survey, solely 31% of B2B corporations run an annual model tracker. Simply 30% consider they’ll successfully measure how model impacts demand or gross sales. That’s not only a missed alternative; it’s a strategic failure.
This considering additionally perpetuates the falsehood that model and demand are separate and that demand alone inside advertising and marketing drives income. It additionally ignores the appreciable worth that model brings to enhancing gross sales and associate productiveness, to buyers, to influencing thought leaders and business analysts, and to recruiting and retaining workers. The results of this constrained considering is an overreliance on intent-based “efficiency advertising and marketing,” which regularly underperforms expectations. Forrester knowledge explains why: 41% of B2B consumers start their buy journey with a single most well-liked vendor already in thoughts, whereas over 90% have a shortlist. The place do these preferences come from? Model.
It’s Time To Repair Model Measurement
Your model is not only a veneer — it’s a call driver. For consumers, it determines who is taken into account, who’s shortlisted, and, finally, who is chosen. By the point a purchaser exhibits intent, the sport is already half received or misplaced. With out sturdy model choice in place, even one of the best demand marketing campaign is usually too little, too late. And for companions, buyers, influencers, and potential workers, it completely shapes their views and concerns, too.
B2B model measurement is prepared for reinvention. We want a brand new strategy that gives actionable insights, demonstrates model fairness development, and takes under consideration fashionable advertising and marketing dynamics and technological improvements. We want a brand new measurement mannequin that absolutely embraces the development of brand name consciousness, notion, sentiment, choice, and loyalty advocacy.
The Forrester B2B Model Measurement Framework (newly revamped and proven within the determine) is conceptually easy, making it intuitive for speaking model efficiency to enterprise executives and different stakeholders exterior of selling. It lends itself simply to layered measurement approaches combining predictive analytics, elevate research, and monitoring surveys. The framework additionally connects model metrics to intent alerts and pipeline high quality.
What Are You Ready For?
B2B corporations that fail to repair model measurement will proceed to misallocate sources, misjudge efficiency, and miss out on development alternatives. However those that reinvent it — who align and measure model and demand right into a unified technique — will dominate. If you happen to don’t successfully measure your model, your rivals will measure the space they’ve pulled forward of you.
Forrester purchasers: Learn the complete report, Introducing The B2B Model Measurement Framework, and schedule a steerage session with me to start out making use of it in your group.
