The Impact of the Great Resignation on Hiring and Retaining B2B Marketing Talent

• The great resignation
• The great attrition
• The great reshuffle
• The great reset … questioning … change-up … reprioritization

Whatever your buzzword of choice, there’s a lot of interest in what’s happening in talent strategy right now.

But how much of it is speculation and how much of it is science?

Data from ITSMA’s 2022 Marketing Trends survey revealed that talent retention and acquisition were top pain points for marketing leaders, but we wanted to get more specific and detailed information on how the current job market is actually impacting B2B marketing organizations.

To get some answers, ITSMA conducted a B2B Marketing Talent, Organization, and Skills Benchmark Survey of more than 100 (primarily) marketers at B2B technology and business services companies in March and April 2022. Half the survey respondents had the job title of CMO, Vice President, or Director, and nearly three quarters (71%) worked at companies with $1 Billion or more in revenues.

We asked questions from both marketing leaders as well as from marketing staff to formulate a well-rounded view of what it’s like to build a career in B2B marketing today.

The questions we asked were meant to identify the hiring and retention strategies that are working, the skillsets that are needed to build the marketing organization of the future, and where there might be discrepancies.

Marketing leaders shared the most effective strategies for attracting talent as well as the challenges they face in hiring and retaining staff. On the flip side, marketers themselves outlined what’s most important when they’re evaluating an offer.

Many of the questions centered around training, both topic and type, as well as opportunities for career progression. In seeking to understand the most important skills, roles, and behaviors needed in a marketing organization, we also sought to identify gaps so marketing leaders can begin to take action.

The survey results have provided a good starting point for evidence-based insights. However, at ITSMA and Momentum, we like to complement our research with real-world experiences.

On Thursday, May 12 Keith Pranghofer, Director of Marketing, ISV Partnerships, Microsoft, will join Robert Hollier, Partner & Head of Consulting at Momentum, on a webinar to discuss the research results as well as Keith’s real-world challenges in and strategies for building a team that has the skills needed to drive growth.

Keith’s perspective is particularly salient, as our research has shown that ABM is not only a top marketing priority, but also that marketers with ABM skills are among the most difficult to find.

Watch the replay to hear the key takeaways from the marketing talent survey and formulate some strategies for building your marketing organization.