From Insight to Impact: How the New ANA B2B Data and Analytics Playbook Powers Smarter Marketing

B2B marketing is entering a new era. At the upcoming Masters of B2B Marketing Conference, June 2-4 in Naples, Fla., Alissa Gavrilescu, Managing Director, B2B Marketing at Cigna, and David Fogarty, Senior Vice President, Data Excellence and Privacy Practice at the ANA, will unpack how smarter data strategies can help marketers meet rising buyer expectations and deliver measurable value.

I had the opportunity to sit down with them to talk about the new ANA B2B Data and Analytics Playbook and to get their thoughts on operationalizing data so that marketing becomes, as Gavrilescu puts it, “the lifeblood of your audiences.”

BILL ZENGEL: Alissa, you’re a marketing leader who’s overseen B2B marketing at both Cigna and Evernorth. What pivotal moment in your career made you realize the critical importance of data-driven marketing strategies?

ALISSA GAVRILESCU: There were a few moments in my career where data enabled a transformation in marketing: first is attribution, the second is value delivery -- to the business as well as our audiences.

Proving the value of B2B marketing on your organization’s bottom line especially when most B2B marketing doesn’t directly “own” the sale, can be hard to prove. This is where data allows us to draw a direct line to marketing investment, acceleration of pipeline, and conversion to sales.

But also, how we democratize the intelligence we’re gaining on our audience’s preferences, interests, and content allows our sales team to be more consultative and adds another layer of marketing value to the organization.

Data helps us prove marketing’s value, linking spending to pipeline, accelerating conversion, and delivering insights to sales. Without a strong data and insights strategy in your B2B marketing, you run the risk of interrupting rather than attracting your audience to your organization’s solutions and capabilities. B2B buyers are sophisticated. Our marketing needs to deliver on personalization, precision, and value if we want it to be effective in delivering our audience real value.

ZENGEL: That theme of transformation through data continues in David’s work as co-creator of the ANA B2B Data and Analytics Playbook. What gaps in the market were you looking to address?

DAVID FOGARTY: One of the largest gaps in the market I wanted to address was the potential for collaboration opportunities with marketing and sales using data. As a former marketer at two B2B companies, I can remember a sales leader explaining to me that they usually had two to three B2B buyers as their target audience. Then we would walk into a meeting and be greeted by 10. Who were these other buyers and what are we doing to influence them before the meeting?

This is where marketing can help. We have third-party lists of all employees of firms and their titles and demographic information. We can then use analytics to tell which of these employees are actually part of the decision committee and start targeting them based on their position in the firm and how they would be evaluating our products and services.

ZENGEL: David mentioned surprise stakeholders showing up in buying groups and using data to get ahead of that curve. Alissa, how do you ensure sales and marketing are aligned in acting on that intelligence?

GAVRILESCU: Identifying the decision committee is step one. An effective data strategy is contingent on an aligned sales and marketing strategy. Sales and marketing must be in agreement on the ideal audience, the addressable market, the serviceable market, and who the key decision committee members are, and align on what success looks like for both sales and marketing.

ZENGEL: What’s the biggest misconception B2B marketers have about data utilization?

FOGARTY:That B2B data and analytics use is not as effective as B2C. Research by McKinsey shows that B2B companies that invest in analytics outperform on their return on sales by up to five percentage points more that of their counterparts. Moreover, new ANA research demonstrates that B2B marketing campaigns yield higher ROI than both B2C and hybrid approaches.

ZENGEL: You’ll both be speaking at the upcoming ANA Masters of B2B Marketing Conference. What’s the one key takeaway you want conference attendees to remember long after they leave your session?

FOGARTY: B2B data analytics is a powerful tool for B2B marketers, and while it has some similarities with B2C analytics -- the fact that they are both marketing to individuals -- it is not a copy and paste of B2C. It is different from several aspects, including the data, meaning the use of firmographics and intent data) and the way B2B marketers work in close collaboration with sales. The latter is especially true in sharing data on buyer groups and in collaborating on account-based marketing programs.

As buying groups grow, and attribution gets harder as digital channels and touchpoints increase, now is the time to start making the case to invest in data and analytics.

GAVRILESCU: B2B buyers are expecting the same level of personalization, meaningful engagement, and curated experiences they receive in their personal lives as consumers. Data and analytics allow B2B marketers to deliver on the needs and wants of today’s buyers while addressing the complex B2B buying processes.

ZENGEL: It’s clear from this conversation that B2B marketing is at an inflection point. As expectations rise and buying groups grow more complex, data is no longer optional, it’s foundational. What stood out from both of you is that success in this new era requires more than tools. It takes alignment, intentionality, and a commitment to creating value for buyers.

Thank you, David and Alissa, for sharing your time and insight. I know attendees at the ANA Masters of B2B Marketing Conference will walk away from your session with practical strategies -- and a clearer sense of how to turn data into a growth engine.

Posted at MediaVillage through the Thought Leadership self-publishing platform.

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