The classic role of marketing in the past existed solely at the top of the sales funnel. Marketing campaigns were typically designed to increase awareness and generate interest, the sales team would then take over. But that has fast changed as buyers are spending more time doing their own research on products/services that they are interested in. Today, most B2B buyers are already 57% of the way through the buying process before they first connect with a rep. Majority of buyers have already identified their problem and know the solution. Research has shown that buyers are not influenced by sales tactics anymore. With consumer behaviour changing, marketing teams are realizing that their role throughout the buyers’ journey has also changed: They need to play a bigger role further down in the buying cycle.
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Topics:
marketing,
sales funnel
COVID-19 pandemic has forced marketers to rethink their existing cut-and-dried marketing playbook. The old ways of growing a business are not ineffective. Digital transformation has sharply increased. As Think With Google notes, CMOs in all industries are adopting technology to meet new challenges in the pandemic recovery period.
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Topics:
marketing,
b2b marketing
This summer, rather than stick to the same schedule that I normally have, I did something quite different. This summer I found myself a co-op placement. Here’s my insider perspective as a summer intern:
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Topics:
content,
marketing,
marketing content,
buyer persona,
marketing technology,
social media,
SEO,
customer personas,
videos
Throughout my month interning at One Red Bird, I’ve learned more about marketing than I would in four months in a marketing course. Being behind the scenes of how a business functions, and brainstorming ideas for a marketing firm and their clients, has made me look at the business field differently.
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Topics:
marketing
Inbound marketing is getting a lot of hype these days, and too often the “next big thing” is all sizzle and no steak.
Topics:
b2b,
leads,
content,
marketing,
strategy,
lead nurturing,
customer loyalty,
marketing content,
customer engagement,
social media,
inbound marketing,
sales,
SEO
In "I am worried about the economy. Should I cut back my marketing?" we recommend B2B marketers face economic uncertainty by focusing on lead generation and revenue creation. Here are 5 ideas about how you can do it.
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Topics:
b2b,
content,
marketing,
marketing content,
messaging,
social media
I hear some version of this question a lot these days. Recession or not, I will leave deciding that to the economists, the feeling of most business people is that we are well in the midst of some tough economic times. With the fear of the unknown comes the need to settle in, cut back on investments and wait for better times. Most times the cutting back includes scaling back marketing spending.
Topics:
b2b,
marketing,
recession marketing
You're busy, I get it. Your business won't run itself and so you need to prioritize - and marketing isn't on the top of your list. So why not get some marketing help. Here are five sure fire signs you could use a little help:
Topics:
b2b,
tips,
marketing,
strategy
A lot of marketers rent lists. You might be one of them. You may have a great broker or other third party who you love. This is great. Lists can be very useful - but they aren't leads, they are just names.
Topics:
marketing,
lead generation,
list rental
Marketing measurement is often regarded as a bit of a dark art. So either it is ignored as the domain of sages or obsessed over. Marketing has to be measured otherwise your campaigns are just guesses and your marketing plans are just hypothesis. Eventually you need to prove what you are doing works.
The secret is to find a balance.
The trick to finding a balance is set an objective for each marketing activitity and to see if it meets it. Your objectives need to be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time Bound) but they can be simple. Take for instance adding an ebook download to your website. As much you might like to develop a perfect metric for precisely quantifying return on investment, it isn't likely to happen. Instead focus on how many leads it generates (in this case assume a lead as everyone who provides an email address) or how many existing leads it drives back to your website.
Remember the cost of measuring something should never outweigh the value of doing so.
Here are a couple of questions to ask yourself when planning your marketing measurement:
- Does what we attempting to meaure and the way we are doing it feel practical?
- Are we learning things that will allow us to make better marketing decisions?
- Is our measurement process simple and consistent?
Trends in numbers are often as important as the numbers themselves so use trends to learn from your efforts to constantly improve your effectiveness. Soon you will be regarded as one of the sages of marketing measurement’s dark art.
This article is an excerpt from the eBook, The Seven Deadly Sins of B2B Marketing - One Red Bird's Guide to Identifying the Mistakes that are Costing You Money. Download the entire eBook.
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Topics:
b2b,
marketing,
strategy,
measurement
