If you are a portfolio marketing leader, your team likely has a broad remit, with more demands on its time than hours in the day. In my work with clients, leaders are looking for ways to showcase the value of portfolio marketing to the business. But where should they focus to have the greatest impact?
Results from Forrester’s Portfolio Marketing Survey, 2023, reveal that high-performing portfolio marketing teams prioritize strategic activities and take an audience-focused approach to their work. The survey gathered insights from portfolio and product marketing decision-makers based on their responses to questions around organizational culture, key activities, and success metrics associated with core portfolio marketing responsibilities.
To drive business value, prioritize strategic activities and be audience-focused. Here are the top three practices that high-performing teams do differently.
Seek Out Executives Who Are Serious About Audience Centricity
Most B2B organizations struggle to make the shift from product-focused to audience-focused go-to-market efforts. Successful portfolio marketing leaders recognize the importance of finding executives who pay more than just lip service to audience centricity. They get sponsorship and support from these executives for establishing an audience-centric culture. With leadership on board, teams can foster an environment that prioritizes market understanding and identification of ideal opportunities for growth.
Prioritize Strategic Activities Over Tactical Ones
It’s easy to say but hard to do! With so much on their plates, portfolio marketers can get stuck in the grind, churning out tactical efforts. High-performing portfolio marketing teams excel by focusing on strategic activities that align with their organizational goals. They use their market, buyer, offering, and competitor expertise at the core of decision-making processes. High-performing teams also ensure that launches are not ad hoc efforts but rather fit into broader audience-focused campaigns, making them more relevant and meaningful for customers.
Excel At Understanding Buyers To Craft Superior Experiences
High-performing portfolio marketers are not only experts on their target buyers, but they also excel at infusing buyer needs across their organization to drive growth. Beyond just researching and understanding buyers, they make sure that insights are incorporated into go-to-market efforts. Portfolio marketers work with their colleagues across marketing and sales to share what buyers value most, including their needs, preferences, and behaviors. Buyers are top of mind for high-performing portfolio marketers, and they guide go-to-market teams to deliver exceptional buyer experiences that set them apart from the competition.
The value to the business will be proven by portfolio marketers who embrace these practices as they enable their organization to stay ahead of the competition and drive growth. Forrester clients interested in learning more about the data from Forrester’s Portfolio Marketing Survey, 2023, can click here to access the full research report or click here to schedule a guidance session.
