2024 B2B Marketing Resolutions We Might Not Abandon by February

Let’s have a heart-to-heart about planning. You know, those hours we spend crafting a detailed roadmap for what exactly we’re going to execute over the coming months. Let’s revamp our homepage! Let’s build a community! Let’s stand up that online certification program we’ve talked about for the past three years! 

I absolutely love the enthusiasm that we have when we build out these plans, and I do believe there’s value in forcing ourselves to think beyond a rinse/repeat of last year. That being said, I’ll cop to going a bit overboard with planning, and pigeon-holing myself into “committing” to future programs that simply don’t make sense by the time we get to them.

So this year, we’re doing things a bit differently at Channel99. We’re starting with a set of principles (which, for the sake of tying it to this New Year’s theme, we’ll call “resolutions”) that will guide our decision-making throughout the year. 

What made the cut for our 2024 resolutions?

1. Embrace Meaningful Analytics
   This year, we’re committed to diving deep into analytics that actually tell a story. B2B marketers have access to an inordinate amount of data, which is great except when it leads to a pile of meaningless metrics that don’t help us drive the business. This year, we want to be honest with ourselves about the KPIs and goals that move the needle. Think audience reach and engagement, and pipeline impact, not click-through rates. Check out this blog post for more.
2. Unravel the Mystery of ‘Direct Traffic’
   I’m officially done with pretending it’s no big deal that more than half of our web traffic comes from a useless mystery bucket called “direct”. What does that even mean? What am I supposed to do with that?? It’s mind-blowingly frustrating. Luckily, we’ve now got access to technology (ahem, thanks, Channel99) that can more accurately assign traffic to its proper channels and/or vendors. Read all about it here.
3. Make Every Marketing Dollar Count
   This one may seem a bit squishy since it’s not like we’d ever make a dollar NOT count. At least not on purpose. But this year, we’re more committed than ever to make informed decisions, backed by data, to ensure that our resources are being used effectively and efficiently, maximizing ROI as outlined in our eBook, Marketing ROI: The Quick Start Guide to Proving Marketing’s Impact.
4. Hold Vendors Accountable
   Don’t worry, dear vendors, we love you. But in the spirit of keeping with our third resolution, it’s important that we evaluate all our investments to be sure they support our ultimate goal of driving pipeline and revenue. That means looking at their ability to drive reach and engagement within our target accounts, and help us bring value to our customers. Which brings us to our final resolution…
5. Customer-First Always
   I’ve always said – and genuinely feel – that it’s an honor to be able to market to marketers. How lucky I am to get to learn from people who are facing the same challenges I am (or better yet, people who have already conquered those challenges and can share their secrets to success). Of course, every company strives to put their customers first, but it really is woven into the fabric of our being here at Channel99 to be transparent and honest with our customers, to listen to what it is they need to be successful, and to be open to critical feedback. Our mission is to be the definitive source of truth and decision-making for B2B marketing, and that can’t happen if we aren’t truly, deeply customer-centric.

These resolutions aren’t just words on a page – they’re our commitment to a more effective, accountable, and customer-focused approach at Channel99. We’re not just planning for the sake of planning (as tempting as that is for someone who gets insane pleasure from checking boxes). This year, we’re not just marketers – we’re storytellers, data wizards, customer advocates, and, most importantly, realists who understand that the best-laid plans must adapt to the ever-evolving landscape of B2B marketing. Cheers to a year of not just making resolutions, but actually living them out!