The Finance of B2B Marketing - a guide for business executives

Ed Marsh | Feb 17, 2015 6:23:00 PM

Consilium Global Business Advisors publishes eBook for finance executives wrestling with marketing budget demands

Published Release -  http://www.prweb.com/releases/ContentMarketingFinance/B2BRevenueGrowth/prweb12526445.htm 

BOSTON, MA, 17 February, 2015

It’s the classic corporate conflict – finance vs. marketing.  Finance pinches pennies while marketing dispenses dollars and swag.  They’ve got different perspectives – and for too long finance owned accountability for justifiable investment while marketing owned accountability for, honestly, not much.  Certainly not B2B sales growth

But that’s changing – and it’s changing quickly as a result of rapidly evolving buyer behaviors.  Buyers expect to educate themselves privately, understanding their problems and identifying possible solutions.  And the internet is the resource to which they turn.

That necessitates a change in marketing and sales approaches which many instinctively sense, but don’t fully understand.  Some turn to an inbound marketing consultant – but often while they know the formula, they may not have the business finance experience to substantively justify investments.  But that doesn’t stop marketing from demanding more and more money for various new channel approaches.  In response, finance digs in their heels deeper.

Business_Execs_Guide_to_The_Finance_of_Content_Marketing_Page_01But there’s good news – and a viable solution to this intractable conflict.  Those buyer behaviors and preferences open up incredible opportunities to leverage new digital and marketing automation technologies.  And while they augment the marketer’s took kit, more importantly they simultaneously provide the very specific and measurable metrics which finance has so long sought to justify marketing expenditures. 

“We’re really excited about our new eBook” comments Consilium Founder Ed Marsh “The awesome power of digital marketing can drive revenue growth, but it also puts within grasp an exciting resolution to the traditional conflict between finance and marketing.”

Armed with detailed, real-time metrics based on closed loop reporting, management teams can now attribute every new dollar of revenue to the specific activity with which it originated as well as each activity which moved a project to completion.  That means that not only can marketing dollars be invested in activities most likely to drive results – but results vs. investment will finally be concretely clear.  Further, the resulting insight offers strategic financial benefits as well, ranging from accurate forecasting to increased enterprise valuation.  But companies should consider the value of boutique consulting firms in helping pull the complex pieces together.

“Marketing now has an opportunity to come to the budgeting table with a real business justification rather than some tenuous ROI” continues Marsh.  “CFOs and business managers will embrace the opportunity to evaluate marketing investments just like every other business investment – and eliminate the vague promises that have been the foundation of traditional ‘justifications.’” 

The new 15 page eBook builds on research from HubSpot, McKinsey, PWC strategy&, Forrester and Media Week.  It outlines specifically what finance execs can now reasonably expect of their marketing colleagues and it provides six recommended metrics as a basis for managing results.

CEOs, presidents, general managers and CFOs will all find value in this new eBook.  Marketing directors who recognize the opportunity will embrace it.  The “Business Executives Guide to the Finance of Content Marketing” provides the common language required for incredibly productive B2B revenue growth.

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About Consilium Global Business Advisors:  Consilium assists American manufacturers in applying process excellence to their business development.  In other words we help lean, well managed companies with rock solid bottom lines effectively and consistently grow their top lines to match.  We work primarily with mid-size industrial manufacturing companies, guiding them through a journey of designing and executing business grade B2B inbound marketing and focused, profitable global market expansion.