How We Deliver: Marketing 101
Thinking about marketing… where do you start, who should you consider, and what should you expect?
If you lead a business in renewables or cleantech, chances are you’ve already asked yourself that question. The technology might be sound. The business case might stack up. But unless people hear about it, trust it, and understand it at the right time, growth will stall.
That’s where marketing comes in. And it’s not just a bolt-on. Marketing is infrastructure. It’s the system that makes your message clear, trusted, and scalable.
Why Marketing?
Seth Godin once said, “Marketing is no longer about the stuff you make, but the stories you tell.”
Dr. Robert Cialdini put it another way: “People don’t buy from you because they understand what you do. They buy from you because they feel understood.”
And Mark Schaefer cuts to the heart of it: “The most human company wins.”
Marketing is what brings those truths to life. Done well, it:
- Gives people a reason to care.
- Creates trust where there is uncertainty.
- Moves customers to act beyond the status quo.
In B2B - and especially in emerging markets like cleantech - marketing isn’t an optional extra. It’s what gives your business the momentum to cross from “good idea” to mainstream adoption.
Or, as we like to say at Wildtribe: marketers are change makers… hopefully for good.
Where to Start
If you’re new to marketing, it helps to keep things simple. Every strategy boils down to four questions:
- Who are you trying to reach?
- What do they need to hear?
- Where do they pay attention?
- How do you show up consistently?
Too often, businesses overshoot the market - selling as if buyers are ready to purchase when in reality they’re still in education mode. That’s why we created the Net Zero Tech Curve: a tool that maps technologies against market maturity, adoption, and sentiment.
The lesson? Don’t push ROI and performance specs before you’ve built trust. Meet your market where it actually is, not where you wish it was.
Who to Consider: In-House vs Agency
One of the first decisions leaders face is whether to hire an in-house marketing team or work with an agency partner. There are pros and cons to both.
In-house brings focus and proximity. You get dedicated people immersed in your business day-to-day.
Agency brings breadth. You gain:
- Experience: insight into what works (and doesn’t) across multiple clients.
- Skills: access to a full suite of disciplines, ready to plug in and power up your marketing.
- Specialism: deep expertise in your sector and the type of marketing you need.
- Proven models: case studies and tested frameworks you can lean on from day one.
In truth, the best setups are often a blend: an in-house lead supported by an agency partner who can scale resources and bring fresh perspective.
What to Expect
Good marketing isn’t magic - it’s method. At Wildtribe, we start with strategy: tools like the Tech Curve make sure your message matches your market reality, not wishful thinking. From there, we add storytelling, design, PR, campaigns, and performance tactics that actually land.
Done well, marketing will:
- Build clarity around your proposition.
- Equip sales teams with the right narratives.
- Cut through noise and misinformation.
- Demonstrate proof of impact through measurable results.
Done poorly, it wastes budget, creates confusion, and damages trust.
Setting the Scene
This blog is the first in our How We Deliver series. Over the next few months, we’ll unpack how Wildtribe delivers each service area:
- Marketing Strategy — why it’s always step one.
- Creative Services — more than design, it’s storytelling that cuts through.
- Performance Marketing — the always-on layer that scales results.
- PR & Thought Leadership — making sure your voice is heard above the noise.
If you’re a leader still unsure why marketing should be on your radar, think of it as the bridge between your solution and the people who need it.
And if you’re curious about how to get started, keep an eye out for our Founder Andy’s Marketing 101 video series on LinkedIn: short, sharp lessons that cut through the jargon and explain why marketing matters, how to get it right, and what to look for in the people you bring on board.
And, if you want to know how your business could benefit from clearer, sharper marketing today - let’s talk.
