In some aspects of life, good enough is, well, good enough.  If you need a commodity like a box of paper clips, any brand will do. In these low‑stakes purchases, there’s scarcely an opportunity (or a payoff) to scrutinize cost efficiency. 

But if you lead a growth-minded company, marketing that is just good enough comes at a costly (often hidden) price. At a minimum, mediocre marketing wastes your budget because it doesn’t drive predictable growth. In the worst case, it could cause you to actually lose revenue. 

That’s why middle market companies that are serious about competing and scaling are replacing mediocre marketing with a strategic approach that accelerates growth.  

Key Signs Your B2B Marketing is Only “Good Enough” 

No business leader would tout their marketing as sub-par. But if your company is experiencing any of the following, it’s clear your marketing isn’t working as hard as it should. 

• Your marketing plan is just a list of tactics. There’s no connection to an overarching marketing strategy, no alignment with business goals, and no tie to key performance indicators (KPIs).  

• You’re running the same playbook, month after month. Operating on auto-pilot means you never adjust to changing conditions or optimize based on lessons learned.  

• You don’t have the tools to assess your marketing’s effectiveness. Unless you have the systems and processes to track and report on KPIs, there’s no way to know what’s working. And no way to pivot with confidence to get a better ROI. 

• Your internal team isn’t keeping up with a dynamic B2B marketing landscape. Marketing is changing faster than ever, especially on the tech side. If your marketers don’t keep pace with AI and other technologies, your marketing will stagnate. And so will your results.  

• Your marketers don’t have enough bandwidth. When the team is stretched thin, they tend to focus on reactive tasks—not proactive or strategic marketing that generates results.   

Why Companies Inadvertently Settle for Mediocre Marketing 

Though mediocre marketing is never the end goal, it’s common for businesses to travel down that path, often without realizing it. 

Some companies succumb to “opportunity loss blindness”. They fail to see that poor marketing is causing them to miss new business opportunities. Perhaps their marketing doesn’t have a clear, compelling call to action—so the buyer doesn’t know what they’re supposed to do next. Worse, poor targeting often means you’re paying to get that CTA in front of people who will never buy. 

It’s also possible their content isn’t optimized for the new AI-powered search tools, so the company isn’t showing up when buyers look for the very product or service they offer. (Have you heard about Bain & Company’s latest research? They found 80% of consumers rely on AI-written results for at least 40% of their searches, dramatically reducing organic web traffic.) Without visibility into issues like these, you won’t see the tie between poor marketing and stagnant growth.  

For other companies, modern marketing feels like an overwhelming, complicated endeavor.  They find the evolving marketing landscape—including Google’s constantly changing algorithms—confusing and tough to keep up with. They’re unsure how to develop a go-to-market plan that drives growth. They might not know where to start. 

An ineffective staffing model can also sabotage your marketing. Some businesses staff the marketing function with one jack-of-all-trades or a small team of generalists. There’s no experienced Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) to define the marketing strategy, craft a winning go-to-market plan, or tie marketing goals to business objectives. And there’s no one to perform the specialized roles revenue-generating marketing demands—including content, analytics, technology, SEO, paid media, and PR, among others.    

Budget is a perceived constraint of good marketing, but that’s actually a fallacy. Many companies tie up most of their marketing budget on salaries for a small internal team, with little show for it. Instead, they could hire a fractional team of marketers equipped to drive revenue growth cost effectively. 

If your company has a sales-dominated culture, you might rely too much on those boots on the ground to bring in new business. But today’s buyers drive the journey.  

The Hidden Costs of Good Enough Marketing 

Whatever the reason, settling for mediocre marketing has a dangerous spiral effect. 

• Buyers who are actively seeking the products/services you offer won’t know you exist. 

• Fewer leads will come into your pipeline. The flow will turn into a trickle, then stop.  

• The sales team will have fewer opportunities to pursue. 

• You’ll close fewer deals. 

• Your revenue will stagnate or decline. 

• Employees will become disengaged as your brand and your growth stalls. 

• Customers will become dissatisfied and less loyal. (Yes, marketing affects your existing customers, too. They expect the same frictionless experience they have as consumers, marked by same-day deliveries, personalized communication, and one-click appointment bookings.)   

Moving Your B2B Marketing From So-So to Go-Go 

Marketing is too important to your growth and competitive position to settle for mediocrity. And it’s too complex and specialized to handle with one or two generalists.  

But marketing excellence isn’t out of reach. It just requires the right model. 

That’s why growth-minded middle market companies are turning to Marketri’s fractional marketing approach. 

Fractional marketing gives you access to a team of specialists who deliver marketing excellence and make a significant business impact. Rather than hire a team of FTEs, you access the precise professionals you need on a fractional basis—getting the exact slice of skillsets and expertise to drive your marketing plan. That includes senior-level strategic guidance and the ability to connect company KPIs with marketing metrics, so every effort ties back to measurable business outcomes. It’s all about the right skills at the right time, with the right scope. 

For most middle market companies, fractional marketing is a better path to exceptional results and a more cost-effective way to get strategy, execution, and measurement in one place. A fractional team is better equipped to align marketing to your business goals, execute the plan with urgency, and track results against data-driven KPIs.  

B2B companies that are serious about scaling recognize that “good enough” marketing is a costly, risky proposition. And they’re partnering with the strategic marketing experts at Marketri. Excellence is part of our ethos, and it permeates every marketing plan we develop and execute. 

Schedule a call to learn how our fractional model and commitment to excellence will turn your marketing into a powerful revenue generator.