Why B2B buyer journeys must reflect true motivators and barriers
Performance improves when your journey is built from what buyers actually care about, not what you want to say. Map motivators and barriers, then plan moments that move people forward.
TL;DR
- Start with shared math. Align budgets and ROI before creative decisions.
- Design to moments. Pair each motivator or barrier with a specific tactic and channel.
- Create peaks. Engineer a few memorable experiences that people feel and remember.
What is a motivator-and-barrier buyer journey?
It is a buyer journey built around what accelerates or stalls decisions: the specific reasons to act, and the friction that gets in the way. You identify moments that matter, then connect each moment to the right tactic, message, and channel. The result is a plan that reflects real behavior, not a generic funnel.
You are under pressure to transform campaign performance. Your budgets are tight. Sales wants a deeper, higher-value pipeline. Buyer journeys that visualize true motivators and barriers in today’s complicated cycles are a strong foundation for high-performance B2B campaigns. See how this aligns with our Marketing Strategy practice, and how we build on true buyer journeys.
Here is a three-step approach that accelerates the performance of your buyer journeys.
Step 1: Get your budgets and ROI done before you start
As marketers become more accountable for booked results, greater collaboration is required. The place to start is campaign budgeting.
Rather than using last year’s number plus a percent, or a sum of tactic costs, start with a disciplined approach that builds agreement on business and marketing assumptions you can pursue together. We call this Market Math™.
Through a systematic process linked to business objectives, teams gain a bottom-up understanding of how to set campaign budgets that deliver targeted results. With budgets set, you are ready to create experiences that perform.
PRO TIP
Instrument your pipeline and KPIs on day one, then connect readouts to a shared performance framework so budget, tactics, and outcomes stay aligned.
Step 2: Bring moments to life with tactics that connect
In each moment, a topic, motivator or barrier, and a tactic come together to create a step forward for the buyer.
For example, one StudioNorth client used Twitter, a specific tactic, to address only the motivators and barriers customers searched that channel for. In another case, testimonials, often a bottom-of-funnel tactic, needed to be one of the first assets in a promotional sequence. These insights let us focus messages and tactics to better use channels, not to assume when a tactic belongs in a traditional funnel.
Since tactics line up with critical motivators and barriers, you are not retelling your story at different levels of detail. You are addressing needs at the level, and in the places, people consume content.
Step 3: Feature a few peak moments
There is no real sequence. Buyers move in and out of moments, showing interest, then buying. You cannot control the sequence. You can measure interest and drive interactions.
To create killer campaigns, design a few peak moments that raise the level of experience and create memorable interactions, like the jokes at the beginning of a Southwest flight. A peak might be a unique in-person event or a humorous video. Peaks can amplify strengths or address barriers. To maximize performance, your campaign may need both.
Capture the moments that matter to win in the marketplace
Transforming performance starts with a buyer journey, then builds a story of moments that amplify peaks and overcome barriers. Building from objectives and budget keeps you from picking tactics first, then forcing them into a budget. Add a few peak moments, and you create campaigns that perform.
Key takeaway
Campaigns get better when journeys reflect real motivators and barriers. Align math, moments, and peaks, then measure what matters.
FAQs
How do we identify real motivators and barriers?
Combine interviews with buyers and sellers, win-loss data, search behavior, and analytics. Cluster themes by buying stage and job role. Validate in a workshop.
How many moments should a journey include?
Start with 8 to 12. Fewer forces focus. Too many become a content list, not a journey. Make each moment actionable and measurable.
What should we measure to prove impact?
Tie moments to depth metrics, such as content completion and multi-asset engagement, plus opportunity creation and stage velocity.
Published October 2023. Updated November 2025.
