Matt Tilling of Reckless: 5 Tips for Your B2B Marketing Strategy

An Interview With Rachel Kline

Understand your audience. You have to truly understand your audience if you want to gain an advantage over your competitors.

The B2B marketing landscape is a complex and evolving space, with its unique challenges and opportunities. Navigating it effectively requires well-thought-out strategies and insightful tactics. With a myriad of digital channels available, what are the best ways to connect, engage, and convert potential business clients? As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Matt Tilling

Matt Tilling is an accomplished marketing professional with over a decade of experience in the field. As Head of Marketing and Performance at digital agency Reckless, Matt specializes in consumer behavior and strategy development, authentically connecting with customers and uncovering valuable data-driven insights for growth. Matt has successfully spearheaded marketing strategies for global brands including Kingspan PLC, Smurfit Kappa PLC, and Headlam PLC.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share your personal backstory with us?

I’ve always been torn between creativity and science. I love to understand why people do what they do, but the traditional psychology route was never for me. That’s why I pursued a career in marketing; I can be creative and come up with new ideas whilst being able to research, test and discover what really makes people tick.

“What would happen if we updated our branding?” “How do we make our audience feel, and how do we want to make them feel?” “Why aren’t our customers converting on this page?” “We are thinking about increasing our pricing, how should we do it? ”

Researching and coming up with creative solutions to questions like these is exactly what I love. I’ve now been in the marketing industry for 12 years, implementing strategies for brands ranging from small, local manufacturers to globally recognized companies like PayZone Post Office Group and toy retailer KeyCraft.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful for who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

It’s got to be my partner. Yes, there have been influential people who I’ve met throughout my career but honestly, I wouldn’t be where I am if it wasn’t for my wife. She gave me the initial kick to go out there, gain work experience and get involved in the marketing industry. In fact, she organized my initial work experience for me so without that initial push, I’m not sure what my career would look like today.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

My first ever job was as a Barista at Starbucks. On my first day, my manager sat me down and said that there will always be challenging customers, but it’s how you respond that matters. They’re still a person and you don’t know what’s going on in their lives, so don’t let it get to you. I’ve lived by this ever since.

Can you share with us three strengths, skills, or characteristics that helped you to reach this place in your career? How can others actively build these areas within themselves?

Speak to people
It’s far too easy to send an email or Slack/Microsoft Teams message. Instead, make time to build real relationships with people, get to know them, and prioritizenthat face to face time. It will make a huge difference in your career because you’ll form genuine, lasting relationships with your clients and colleagues, and it’ll do wonders for your self confidence and communication skills. People can’t truly get to know you, your personality and skill set unless they know the real you.

Be flexible and embrace opportunity
I’ve reached my current position because in my early marketing career, I volunteered for jobs that no one else wanted to do. So take and enjoy the opportunities you’re given because you don’t know what will happen off the back of them. Be flexible, and don’t be afraid of working on projects that aren’t straightforward. I’ve become someone who thrives ‘in the grey’, so I’m comfortable and most successful when things aren’t clear cut. Of course this can be challenging, but it’s also the perfect opportunity to welcome change, be creative and come up with new ideas.

Learn how to present and sell yourself
Whether you’re teaching others, trying to pitch an idea or career progression — be confident. You don’t have to be an extravert to do it either. In fact the best presenters I know are quite the opposite but they’re great at telling a story, which is the art of presenting. So work on your confidence and storytelling skills because it will pay off in more ways than you realize.

Which skills are you still trying to grow now?

Teaching and not making assumptions. I’m always thinking of new ways to empower my colleagues and clients to learn, ask questions and feel valued. It’s so important to share your knowledge but it’s also easy to forget where people are on their own career paths. Never think that just because you know something that everybody else does — we’re all learning every day.

Let’s talk about B2B marketing. Can you share some insights into how you perceive the current landscape of B2B marketing?

I’d say that B2B is much more risk averse than B2C. We’re seeing so many new and innovative start-ups entering the race who are successfully embracing emerging technology and industry trends to grow. The more established B2B brands can’t be complacent, they’ve got to embrace change so they’re not left behind.

How have recent market trends and changes influenced your approach to outperforming competitors?

For us, it’s all about building real relationships and full transparency. We work closely with our clients so they understand the micro and macro factors at play, whether that be constant digital algorithm updates or wider economic factors impacting the industry. We consult with them, provide a solution and reassure them to hold steady. Budgets are being cut left right and center, but those who continue to invest in marketing will come out on top when the dust settles.

B2B buying cycles can often be lengthy and complex. How do you maintain engagement and nurture leads throughout the various stages of the buyer’s journey?

Understand the customer’s journey in as much detail as you can. Don’t assume you know what this looks like, it needs to be backed by real data and insights. Find out what each stage looks like, which actions customers take and how they feel at every stage. Don’t force fit customers into a generic funnel but instead, gather real-time data to discover their values and motivations. Personally I’m a fan of the Jobs to be Done (JTBD) framework because it focuses more on the why, rather than the who. This is what enables you to create a marketing strategy perfectly tailored to your audience including how, when and why to make contact. Relevancy is everything in marketing but be patient, because it takes time to get that level of detail.

Personalization is gaining prominence in B2B marketing. What are some ways marketers can effectively leverage data to deliver personalized experiences?

This is where a lot of brands fall down because they don’t harness the data they have access to. Basic audience segmentation and tailored messaging for example is super powerful. On a simple level, think about when you open an email, if the sender includes your name or offers something based on your buying habits, you’re much more likely to engage than if it were a blanket email sent to everyone. This concept applies across all areas of marketing, from optimizing your website inline with user-behavior, to running paid ad campaigns targeted to your audiences’ location and interests. I’d also recommend checking out the works of David Manheim, Author of “The Person in Personalization’’. David is one of the leading voices in the field at the moment.

ABM has also gained traction for its personalized approach to targeting high-value accounts. What advice would you give to fellow B2B marketers looking to adopt this strategy?

Start small and build a team focused on ABM because it requires a much more tailored approach than traditional inbound marketing techniques. It can take a while to get into this new way of thinking so the whole team has to be aligned. The devil really is in the detail so prioritize your customer research, there are no shortcuts in ABM.

Fantastic. Here is the primary question of our interview. What are 5 Tips for Your B2B Marketing Strategy to Help You Beat Competitors?

1. Know your enemy
   You can’t beat a competitor if you don’t know them inside and out. A classic example here is Adobe. They gained a competitive edge in the B2B market by understanding that some competitors struggled with complex software interfaces. Adobe responded by overhauling their user experience and user interface to offer a more user-friendly solution. This led to increased customer satisfaction and acquisition of new B2B clients, demonstrating the value of addressing competitors’ weaknesses.
2. Understand your audience
   You have to truly understand your audience if you want to gain an advantage over your competitors. Personas (gender, age, interests) are bad for this because they’re based on assumptions rather than fact. They might help you envision who you’re targeting but they don’t help you understand why someone buys from you. The latter is the most important as it’s what allows you to go that step further and really deliver for your customers. For example, the JTBD framework enabled Slack to realise that their platform addressed the primary ‘job’ of improving team productivity by centralising communication and collaboration. This understanding guided Slack’s product development and marketing efforts, ultimately making them a market leader in B2B collaboration tools.
3. Measure what matters
   B2B companies love a report. I’ve known lots of companies that end up in analysis paralysis concerning themselves over data which honestly, doesn’t matter. A common pitfall is reporting on ‘behavioural’ data for example. Many businesses become obsessed with improving their conversion rate, but all it is a metric which tells us how many people convert. What they actually care about is the conversion itself, yet they lose sight of this. As an example, I’ve helped brands grow their organic search visibility which has improved their overall conversions, but reduced their website conversion rate. If your competitors understand this and you don’t, you will be left behind.
4. Learn from other industries
   Many B2B brands become too consumed with the industry they’re in. Of course it’s important to know your marketplace, but you’ll never do anything new if you don’t look to other industries and think outside the box. If you really want to gain an advantage, look beyond your immediate surroundings and take inspiration from other brands and sectors. For example, IBM borrowed gamification concepts from the video game industry to support employee training and development. This transformed IBM’s processes and made employee learning much more engaging and effective. This boosted morale, the team became much stronger and better equipped to excel in their roles and beat competitors.
5. Constantly test and don’t assume
   Many companies are afraid of change and think they know what their audience wants. I’ve heard the following from many brands over the years:

“We need to produce a brochure because that’s what we’ve always done.”
But, what if you stopped?

“We don’t use social media because we’re a B2B brand.”
But does that mean your customers don’t use social media?

Whether you work in a B2B or B2C brand, we’re all just people and until you try something, you won’t know if it works. I’m a big believer of trying and failing fast, rather than never trying at all.

This isn’t a B2B example but let’s look at Dove’s classic “Real Beauty” campaign which featured real women rather than supermodels. This is a fantastic example of a brand trying something new with their marketing and achieving huge success. Its authenticity, emotional appeal, and viral impact challenged beauty standards, resonated with consumers, and substantially increased sales. This proves how breaking from traditional marketing norms can yield remarkable results.

How do you utilize data or AI to refine your B2B marketing approach, and what tools have been particularly impactful in gaining a competitive advantage?

Like many brands, we’re tapping into some forms of AI, including tools like chatGBT, to enhance efficiency. While there’s no denying the power of these AI tools I’d argue that, in terms of gaining competitive advantage, AI falls short in delivering genuinely human touch because it often provides an amalgamation or an average response. What truly sets you apart however is authenticity, creativity and data.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

Being able to take mental health days should be a standard in every business. We all need some headspace from time to time — look after yourself people!

We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.

Rory Sutherland, absolute legend of behavioural science. The license he has to think as liberally as he does (and actually get a chance to implement it) is something I crave. I’d love to listen to him talk about his experiences, one day I’ll get there.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.