Pratiksha Agarwal: 5 Tips for Your B2B Marketing Strategy

An Interview With Rachel Kline

Prioritize Content Strategy: Develop content that resonates with your target audience and addresses their pain points. By creating content that provides value and addresses customer needs, organizations can position themselves as trusted advisors and thought leaders in the industry.

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 PRATIKSHA AGARWAL, SENIOR PRODUCT MARKETING MANAGER & SOLUTIONS MANAGER CONSULTANT.

Pratiksha Agarwal is an accomplished Product Marketing Professional with over 14+ years of diverse experience in enterprise software. She has demonstrated her ability to remain at the forefront of industry trends and technological advancements which has empowered her to anticipate evolving organizational needs and provide innovative solutions that surpass expectations. She is an expert in SAP, helping companies streamline and automate their business processes effectively. Pratiksha has collaborated with Fortune 500 companies across various industries guiding them in building, implementing, migrating, upgrading, and integrating enterprise applications. She has successfully led numerous implementation projects, collaborating closely with cross-functional teams to ensure seamless implementation and adoption of ERP , process automation, digital workplace and other SaaS products. She has consistently demonstrated a passion for harnessing technology to solve complex challenges and elevate organizational performance.

Renowned for her successful launches of B2B SaaS products, she is a marketing evangelist and thought leader, crafting high-impact strategies for diverse market segments. Pratiksha excels in analyzing opportunities and translating complex business requirements into actionable strategies, driving transformative change. She excels in leveraging her expertise to drive tangible business outcomes. With a track record of delivering results-oriented solutions and a commitment to continuous improvement, she is ready to address the most complex challenges, ensuring sustained growth and success for her clients and stakeholders.

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?

My name is Pratiksha Agarwal, and I am a Product Marketing Professional and Solution Manager. My journey has been fueled by a deep-seated passion for leveraging technology to drive business growth and innovation. It all began during my formative years as a student, where I became fascinated by the transformative potential of technology in solving complex business challenges.

As I embarked on my career, I gained valuable insights into different industries and organizations, and the use of tools and technologies to address complex business problems. Working as a business consultant, I learned firsthand about customer pain points and strategies for staying competitive, particularly in the realm of SaaS products in the B2B space.

I was drawn to product marketing because it offered me the opportunity to combine my creative skills with strategic thinking to drive product innovation. I was particularly attracted to the dynamic nature of product marketing, where understanding customer needs, market dynamics, and product capabilities are key. I am excited about shaping the narrative around products that have the potential to transform industries.

Every day in product marketing presents new challenges and opportunities to learn and grow. I enjoy the process of understanding complex technologies and translating them into compelling products that resonate with customers. My background in technology and my passion for creativity make me particularly enthusiastic about the possibilities in this field.

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?

Actually there are many! It’s difficult to choose just one, but I would like to credit my mentors, especially those who supported me when I transitioned from business consulting to marketing. They spent a good amount of time teaching me the ropes of marketing and gave me opportunities even when I wasn’t confident that I could pull them off. That is the true meaning of leadership. Their belief in me gave me the courage to take on new challenges and push myself beyond my comfort zone. It helped me develop a sense of self-assurance and belief in my own capabilities. This experience taught me the importance of believing in others, as it can have a profound impact on confidence and growth. Many others have also taught me about the industry and leadership overall. One of my mentors taught me to constantly deliver value to customers to create long-term strategic relationships. And honestly, I still continue to learn from those around me. Learning is a journey that never ceases to amaze me.

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

“Take a job first and then figure out how to do it”. The idea is about being bold and willing to take on challenges even if you don’t have all the necessary skills or knowledge at the outset. It suggests that sometimes, the best way to learn and grow is by diving into a new experience headfirst, even if you feel unprepared. It’s about having confidence in your ability to adapt and learn on the job, trusting that you’ll figure things out as you go along.

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?

1. Curiosity: I strongly believe in the value of curiosity. I constantly seek to expand my knowledge, whether it’s mastering a new tool or technology, learning a new tactic, or understanding a different aspect of the business. I’ve found that the moment you start thinking you know everything, you become complacent and stop growing. To avoid this, I challenge myself to tackle new, complex goals that require significant time and effort to research, learn, and achieve it. I immerse myself in the subject by reading books, talking to experts who have already achieved the goal, and attending webinars. I’ve learned that valuable information is everywhere, and by staying curious and committed to learning, anyone can continue to grow personally and professionally.
2. Adaptability: One can build adaptability by embracing change, staying open to new ideas, seeking diverse perspectives, and continuously learning from experiences and feedback. In today’s fast-paced world, where change is constant, being adaptable can lead to greater success. Being flexible enables you to shift gears when the situation demands. One should remain flexible in their approach and thinking, and open to new ideas, opinions, and ways of working, allowing for a multifaceted problem-solving approach
3. Be Resilient: Cultivate a positive mindset and prioritize both physical and mental health, whether it includes exercising, meditating, taking a rest, or any other technique that works for you. Set realistic goals, seek help when needed, and acknowledge your achievements. Engage in activities that give you a sense of meaning and purpose in life and help you reduce your stress.

Which skills are you still trying to grow now?

There are many skills I would like to grow. But top of mind is diplomacy and patience. Diplomacy is about navigating diverse stakeholder expectations — customers, partners, and cross-functional teams — while remaining respectful and assertive. This skill is crucial, as different groups may have conflicting wishes that don’t align with reality, requiring careful management to avoid appearing domineering or intrusive.

As a woman in a professional setting, it can be challenging to balance assertiveness with diplomacy, as assertiveness might be perceived differently. It’s essential to ensure your assertiveness is seen as constructive and not bossy.

Another skill is patience. I’ve improved significantly, but there’s always room for growth. In marketing, patience is vital to find a balance between avoiding unnecessary procrastination and ensuring tasks are completed promptly. It’s about understanding that some processes take time to yield results, and rushing can lead to mistakes or missed opportunities. Continuously honing these skills is key to success.

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

While the fundamentals of B2B marketing remain the same, you need to put in place messaging, lead generation, and sales enablement to increase the adoption of your product and sales. I see a notable shift in trends and factors impacting B2B marketing. From digital transformation to the importance of understanding customer journeys, marketers are navigating a rapidly changing environment. Some of the key aspects that are currently shaping B2B Marketing are:

1. AI and Marketing Automation: AI and marketing automation are revolutionizing B2B marketing by enhancing customer experience through personalization and automation, using predictive analytics for trend forecasting, improving lead generation and decision making, automating tasks like email marketing, and using chatbots for customer support. These technologies are making B2B marketing more efficient, effective, and customer-focused.
2. Data Driven Decisions: Data-driven decision-making in B2B marketing is becoming increasingly important. Organizations are focusing on mapping the buyer journey and attributing the right actions to the right channels. AI will be used to automate data preparation and deliver actionable insights. This will help B2B marketers make more informed decisions and deliver actionable insights.
3. Personalization: Buyers now prefer personalized content. Companies are using data and AI to tailor their marketing efforts to individual customers or accounts. This approach allows organizations to deliver more relevant and targeted content, messages, and offers, leading to higher engagement and conversion rates.
4. Sustainability and Purpose Driven Marketing: Companies are recognizing the importance of aligning their business practices with environmental and social causes. This approach resonates with customers who are seeking socially responsible vendors and also addresses global challenges. Purpose-driven marketing campaigns that highlight these efforts are improving brand reputation, attracting like-minded customers and partners, and driving customer loyalty.
5. Influencer Marketing and Branding Communities: Companies are leveraging industry influencers and building communities around their brands to increase engagement, create credibility, and foster loyalty and advocacy. Brand communities provide a platform for customers to connect, share ideas, and provide feedback. Influencers help reach new audiences and amplify messaging. They are powerful tools in B2B marketing to drive growth.
6. Focus on Privacy and Compliance: With the increasing importance of data protection laws and regulations, such as GDPR and CCPA, companies are prioritizing the protection of customer data and ensuring compliance with these regulations. Failures to comply could result in lawsuits and a negative impact on their brand and sales.

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

Recent market trends and changes have significantly influenced our strategy to outperform our competitors. I am closely monitoring emerging technologies and innovations that could provide us with a competitive advantage. Our focus is on maintaining agility and continually enhancing our products and services to meet evolving market demands. We strive to craft compelling narratives that deeply resonate with our target audience, empowering our customers to surpass their competitors while ensuring authenticity in our product representation, rather than relying solely on marketing hype.

In today’s digital epoch, our engagement with the external world is predominantly facilitated through paid digital advertising, SEO strategies, and various other digital marketing channels. However, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic underscored the critical importance of virtual marketing tactics. As we navigate through these unprecedented times, it becomes imperative for us to prioritize and adapt our strategies to effectively leverage virtual platforms and channels.

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?

In navigating the often intricate and protracted B2B buying cycles, the key lies in maintaining consistent engagement and effectively nurturing leads across the various stages of the buyer’s journey. I employ a multifaceted strategy that caters to the diverse preferences of our audience. Whether it’s through engagement on platforms like LinkedIn, or through informative content like white papers, personalized check-in emails, targeted direct mail, participation in industry conferences, or conducting localized visits, our aim is to establish meaningful connections at every touchpoint.

1. Understanding the pain points of our customers is paramount. As a B2B marketer, meticulously tailor your marketing strategy to address these pain points effectively and deliver tangible value at each interaction whether it is through targeted email campaigns, insightful white papers, informative blogs, engaging roadshows, or interactive webinars. By doing so, you can position yourself as a trusted voice in the industry, fostering credibility and trust among your audience.
2. Once a lead enters the sales funnel, the focus shifts to maintaining seamless communication. It’s imperative that leads feel supported and valued throughout their journey. So, prioritize continuous engagement, provide timely updates, address queries promptly, and offer relevant resources such as blogs and white papers tailored to their specific interest and needs.
3. Furthermore, one should recognize that the B2B buying journey extends far beyond the initial transaction. Therefore, be committed to nurturing long-term relationships with your clients. Beyond closing deals, you should aim to serve as trusted advisors, offering ongoing support, guidance, and expertise to help clients achieve their business objectives.

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

Personalization is becoming increasingly important in B2B marketing. Leveraging data effectively is essential for delivering personalized experiences. Here are some ways to achieve this:

1. Data Collection and Analysis: Collecting relevant data from various sources, including CRM systems, website analytics, social media platforms, surveys, and customer feedback, provides insights into customer behavior, preferences, and buying patterns
2. Segmentation: After collecting and analyzing data, marketers can segment their audience based on firmographics, demographics, interests, purchasing history, and other relevant criteria to create personalized content
3. Email Campaign: Marketers can create dynamic email campaigns that deliver personalized content based on recipient behavior, preferences, and past interactions with the brand
4. Account Based Marketing (ABM): ABM focuses on targeting specific companies or accounts with personalized marketing efforts. Marketers can create campaigns tailored to the needs and challenges of each target account
5. Dynamic Remarketing: By tracking user behavior across different channels and touchpoints, marketers can serve personalized ads or content to re-engage potential customers and encourage conversions

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?

To implement an Account-Based Marketing (ABM) strategy requires meticulous preparation and strategic alignment.

1. Understand your Target Audience: This involves thorough exploration of your target audience, identifying pain points, understanding challenges, and discerning goals. Investing ample time and resources in comprehensive research and segmentation guarantees that your ABM initiatives are meticulously tailored, precise, and directly relevant to your target audience’s needs.
2. Analyze the Competition: In today’s competitive landscape it’s vital to have a comprehensive understanding of your competitors. By thoroughly familiarizing yourself with their strengths, weaknesses, and strategies, you can effectively differentiate your offering in the market. This in-depth knowledge allows you to position your brand strategically, enabling you to capitalize on opportunities and stand out.
3. Evaluate Brand Promise: Ensuring alignment between your brand’s promises and product offerings is fundamental for maintaining credibility and fostering trust with your customers. This strengthens brand credibility and also enhances customer satisfaction and loyalty in the long run.
4. Align Sales and Marketing: Seamless collaboration and open communication between sales and marketing teams is paramount. Aligning efforts on target accounts, messaging, and overarching goals ensures a unified approach that maximizes impact.
5. Create Personalized Content: Develop highly personalized content that directly addresses the pain points and needs of your target accounts and craft messaging that resonates with decision makers.
6. Implement a Multi-Channel Approach: Employ a multi-channel approach by leveraging channels such as email, social media, content marketing, and direct mail, and you can reach decision-makers from different angles to maximize visibility and engagement. This strategic utilization of multiple channels enhances the likelihood of capturing the attention of key stakeholders and driving meaningful interactions that lead to desired outcomes

What are 5 Tips for Your B2B Marketing Strategy to Help You Beat Competitors?

1. Identify your Personas: Understanding your target audience is essential for effective marketing. Identify your user personas and buyer personas. Then, tailor your messaging and offerings to meet the specific needs and preferences of these personas. By crafting targeted content and messaging for each persona, the company can better address their unique pain points and drive conversions.

For example: consider a SaaS company which develops a code repository and version-controlled platform for developers. The persona will be the tech savvy developers and the Head of IT or CIO will be the buyer persona. So, the content that works for developers will not work for the CIO. Developers will look at the product’s technical specs, features, and hands-on experience whereas the CIO will focus on thought leadership like how this product and its features are going to reduce the cost, improve efficiency, etc.

2. Conduct Competitive Analysis: Analyzing your competitors’ strategies, strengths, and weaknesses can provide valuable insights for refining your approach. If you’re going to distinguish yourself from your competitors, you must understand what they are doing and how you can stand out in the marketplace.

For example, we noticed how our competitors are messaging their products and what features their products have as that also helped us to understand what functionalities our product should have and what we should do to make our product stand out from our competitors.

3. Have Product Truth: Authenticity is key in B2B marketing. Ensure that your marketing messages reflect the capabilities and benefits of your products or services.

For example, a dev product accurately portrays software capabilities. By delivering on promises and maintaining transparency, the company builds trust with customers and establishes a strong reputation in the industry.

4. Prioritize Content Strategy: Develop content that resonates with your target audience and addresses their pain points. By creating content that provides value and addresses customer needs, organizations can position themselves as trusted advisors and thought leaders in the industry.

For example, we noticed that our audience was consuming more demos and training to learn about the product and that gave us the idea of creating more educational blogs, webinars, and case studies.

5. Utilize a Multi-Channel Approach: Reach your target audience through various channels to maximize visibility and engagement.

For example, we utilize email marketing, social media advertising, webinars, and industry events to connect with potential customers at different stages of the buyer’s journey to reach our target audience. Increasing reach creates more touch points for interacting with prospects and ultimately drives leads and increaseases sales.

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?

In B2B marketing, leveraging data and AI plays a vital role in refining strategies and gaining a competitive edge. Predictive analytics anticipate customer needs, identifies leads, and optimizes resource allocation. It helps to uncover trends and help with decision-making, while machine learning algorithms optimize targeting and measures campaign performance accurately. AI-powered tools streamline processes, automate tasks, and deliver personalized experiences at scale. By integrating data and AI technologies, businesses can personalize messaging, enhance targeting capabilities, and adapt to the evolving needs of the market to create a competitive advantage.

Which digital channels have you found most effective in reaching your target audience, and how do you optimize your presence across these channels to outshine competitors?

To reach our target audience effectively, we prioritize digital channels like LinkedIn, trade publications, search engines, and newsletters. Maximizing engagement opportunities is vital in today’s digital landscape to leverage data and craft relevant content that can provide direct value. Building a community where stakeholders can interact fosters overall brand engagement. Our strategy revolves around optimizing our presence across these channels, ensuring our content stands out amidst competitors, and nurturing meaningful interactions within our audience community.

Are there any underrated skills or qualities that you encourage others not to overlook?

Empathy and active listening are often undervalued but essential for comprehending customer needs and forging enduring relationships. Moreover, being strong when dealing with rejection gracefully and keep trying again and again are important qualities that should not be ignored.

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.

If I could inspire a movement, it would focus on promoting kindness and empathy and fostering a more inclusive and caring society. If we recognize that we are all the same, we can accomplish great things together. We can create a world where everyone feels valued, supported, and empowered, without discrimination.

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.

I would be honored to have a private breakfast or lunch with Michelle Obama, the former First Lady of the United States. She embodies grace, intelligence, and empowerment, and her impact on society extends far beyond her time in the White House. Meeting her would offer a rare opportunity to engage in meaningful conversation about leadership, education, women’s rights, and the importance of community engagement. Her commitment to inspiring future generations and advocating for positive change makes her a role model for people around the world, and I would cherish the chance to learn from her wisdom and experiences firsthand.

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