I’ve got some good news and some bad news.
But don't panic. This isn’t a crisis—it’s an opportunity. An opportunity for you to rethink and question some of the marketing approaches that haven't been performing the way you expected.
Let’s start with the tough part.
Let’s be honest: those “proven” strategies you’ve been leaning on—the cookie-cutter LinkedIn posts that don't get any engagement, the recycled emails that don't get any leads, that "differentiating" tone of voice that all your competitors use—they just aren't working as well as you thought they would. Here’s why:
If this feels unsettling, that’s understandable. It’s not easy to rethink strategies you’ve trusted.
But here’s the upside: recognizing this is the first step to building a stronger, more effective approach.
You’ve probably heard the phrase, "Nobody ever got fired for buying IBM." It’s a classic example of playing it safe—choosing the comfortable, risk-free option. But here’s the thing: playing it safe rarely leads to greatness.
Think about it:
The most successful tech marketers—the ones you admire—share one key trait: they embrace risk. While best practices may keep you on steady ground, bold ideas are what drive innovation and make you indispensable.
Take Salesforce’s "No Software" campaign as an example. At the time, it was a bold and unconventional move for a software company to reject the very idea of software. But that risk reshaped the conversation around SaaS and helped build a billion-dollar brand.
Best practices are important—they keep you in the running. But bold thinking? That’s what sets you apart. Being a "thought leader" means you’re not just following the crowd—you’re out in front, shaping the path forward.
If you want to build a career that stands out, don’t just stick to the well-trodden road. Be the one who dares to pave a new trail—and inspires others to follow.
Realizing that the "emperor has no clothes" can be freeing. When you stop following the crowd, you open the door to genuine connections with your audience—and establish yourself as an innovative thinker along the way. Here’s how to get started:
Think back to the last time a B2B email or social post truly grabbed your attention. Did you read it all the way through? What made it stand out?
Ask yourself:
These standout moments aren’t just marketing wins—they offer valuable clues for building your own reputation as an innovator.
Think of yourself as a scientist in the marketing world. Your lab? The real world. Every piece of content you create is an experiment. Instead of relying on conventional wisdom:
Sometimes, the best way to stand out is to do what no one else is doing. Here are a few approaches:
By questioning the status quo and experimenting with what truly connects, you’ll create smarter marketing—and set yourself apart as a trusted expert in your field.
Who says B2B marketing has to be boring? One standout example is HubSpot’s “Smooth CRM for Rough Seas,” featuring Kathryn Hahn as the CEO of a pirate ship. The campaign creatively positioned HubSpot’s CRM as the ultimate solution for navigating business challenges.
The results speak for themselves—HubSpot experienced a 25% increase in conversions during the campaign. This success underscores the power of taking creative risks in B2B marketing. By focusing on solving real business problems and leveraging Hahn’s signature charm, the campaign showed how clever storytelling can drive measurable impact.
You don't have to sacrifice creativity for effectiveness. With the right balance of insight, humor, and strategy, businesses can connect meaningfully with their audiences while delivering real results.
Start by choosing a strategy you use regularly that's considered standard in your industry. It could be a common email format, a social media posting schedule, or a specific sales pitch. Don’t overthink it—just pick a method you rely on because someone else said it works. The goal is to recognize the “safe” practices guiding your work.
Now, get bold and experiment. Take that best practice and do the opposite. If short, snappy emails are your norm, try a longer, storytelling approach. If you always post on social media during peak hours, test an off-peak post. If you target younger audiences, try messaging an older demographic. The idea is to push boundaries and see if breaking the norm yields surprising results.
To gauge the impact, test your new approach against the original. Keep variables controlled—run both strategies under similar conditions, like during the same campaign or targeting the same audience. This helps you compare effectiveness and avoid drawing conclusions from incomplete data.
When analyzing outcomes, avoid vanity metrics like likes or shares that might look good but lack real value. Instead, track metrics that matter to your goals—conversions, click-through rates, customer responses, or engagement quality. These will help you decide which strategies are worth adopting.
Don’t let your insights go unnoticed. Record what worked, what didn’t, and why. Were there surprises, benefits, or challenges? Share your results with your team, peers, or professional network. By sparking conversations, you can encourage innovation and inspire others to rethink their own strategies.
By challenging norms and sharing insights, you position yourself as a forward-thinker—someone willing to take risks, question assumptions, and think independently. The best marketing isn’t about blindly following “best practices.” It’s about finding what works for your audience, in your context, right now. Everything else is just an idea waiting to be tested.
This mindset can open doors to new opportunities and collaborations as others look to you for fresh ideas. Being the marketer who questions assumptions and finds better solutions is far more valuable than simply sticking to the rulebook. You’re no longer just another B2B tech marketer—you’re the one who thinks differently and delivers results.
Step out of autopilot, question the norm, and drive smarter, data-backed results. Rewrite the playbook with bold, innovative approaches. Every experiment, successful or not, moves you closer to smarter, more impactful decisions.