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- 26 Feb
Consumers Are Skeptical When Brands Take A Stand. How Can They Boost Credibility?
from Marketing Charts
Consumers respond favorably to businesses that are not only driven by growth, but that also focus on impacting societal issues in a positive manner. And this is backed up by a recent survey report from Sprout Social. They found that 7 in 10 of the more than 1,500 consumers surveyed say they think it’s important for brands to take a stand on social issues.But Do They Really Trust the Motives of Brands That Do?
The survey found that consumers do want brands to take a stand. But, about two-fifths feel that brands are not credible when they do. That skepticism has increased since 2017. And, is reflected in consumers’ perception of why brands take a stand. More than half feel that brands do so for PR or marketing purposes.
What Gives a Brand’s Stance Credibility?
The report points out that customers are more likely to think a brand’s stance is credible if it has an impact on the brand’s customers. Or if it impacts the brand’s direct business operations. To see more on this study and to download the original report, read the full article at MarketingCharts.com.
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- 07 Feb
B2B Video Content: Top Goals, Formats, Channels, and Challenges
by Ayaz Nanji
There are a lot of people and companies using video in their marketing now. For some it is because their competition is using it. Not wanting to be outdone, they use video in their marketing. However, the majority do so simply becasue it works.But What is Working? What Are the Goals for Video Marketing?
According to recent research from Vidyard, in partnership with Heinz Marketing they asked these very questions. It seems that B2B marketers and salespeople are using video content primarily to build brand awareness. But, they are leveraging it more than ever to drive lead generation and to educate customers.
But, exactly what types of videos work best? What format? And what are the best channels to get your video noticed and seen? For the answers, and to learn the top goals, formats, channels and challenges of B2B video content, read the full article at MarketingProfs Blog.
NOTE: A Free Registration pop-up opens on this site. Registration may be required to read the article.
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- 05 Sep
The Complicated Relationship Between Social Media and SEO
by Kipp Bodnar
Inbound marketing is in the middle of an interesting evolution. While search has traditionally been a major source of traffic and leads for businesses leveraging online marketing, that is changing. Now, with the growth of social networks, social media marketing is becoming even more important.But, Which is More Important?
The answer? Both can be key to your strategy. They both can, and should, work together. But the key to understanding how and why they need to work together is to think about the problem both search and social solve. They both offer information discovery. And, leveraging both strategies will give you more chances for audiences to discover your brand.
As a marketer, how can you integrate your efforts across both platforms? To find out and to learn how to apply this to your unique business environment, read the full article at the HubSpot Blog
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- 07 Aug
6 Great Tips to a Better B2B Video
Video has increasingly become an the choice medium for many businesses. And that is because so many have found it extremely effective to drive engagement with digital audiences. In fact, video snippets have become one of the top three content types used by B2B marketers in 2018.
Short . . . Medium . . . Long. It All Works
But short-form is not the only digital media tool they use. There is mounting evidence of the impact of long-form video content and social media video stories. The reason? Well, video content appeals to viewers at every stage of their buying journey. Whether they are just being introduced to your business, or are deeper in the sales funnel and looking for more information about your products or services. Video works for them.
With video marketing being one of the top digital marketing trends, now is the time for B2B marketers to focus on creating engaging and valuable videos for branding, lead generation and thought leadership. And if you are ready to start making your own marketing videos, consider these five great tips from Christa Tuttle on Business2Community.com
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- 26 Jun
4 Keyword Research Strategies to Find Your Product-Market Fit
All too often, keyword research is seen as only useful for SEO. And, therefore, is considerd to only be useful when driving growth for an existing business. It seems that a lot of people see keyword research as something that comes into play only once your business has already created its products. But what if we have it all backwards? After all, there’s little-to-no ROI in getting eyeballs on a product people don’t want.
Why Use Keyword Research for Product-Market Fit?
Product-market fit is one of the first things to think about when you start a business. And ideally, you never really stop thinking about it. As your audience grows, their demands change. And their needs evolve. So, you’ll need to constantly adjust your strategy so it serves them best.
This may all sound complicated, and it can be. But not if you stay in tune with what your market wants and needs. And keyword research lets you do that at every stage of business growth. And, to learn how to put this all together for your business, read the full article at WordStream.com
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- 18 Jun
Best Practices for Identifying, Developing and Engaging Your Target Audience
by Josh Baez
As B2B marketers, understanding our target audience is essential to every single thing we do. And yet all too often we lack the necessary details around our target audience. Without those details, we are unable to actually do anything meaningful.
It All Boils Down To One Common Problem
There is one common mistake that organizations make when it comes to identifying their target audience. They tend to assume that these people want to hear about the product. When, in fact, a majority of them probably don’t. And successful marketing requires a gap to be bridged. That gap that exists between those people who want to hear about the product and those who don’t. And that doesn’t even take into consideration those who aren’t even aware they have a problem that requires a solution to begin with.
How can organizations begin to bridge those gaps?
Here are three key areas to help you better identify, develop, and engage your target audience at Heinz Marketing. Then, you can more effectively and consistently drive pipeline for your organization.
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- 08 Apr
What Is Twitter and How Does It Work?
Now you may be thinking that it is a bit late in the game to be asking “what is Twitter and how does it work?” After all, Twitter, as a social networking site was launched way back in 2006. Today, it is undoubtedly one of the most popular social media platforms available. It boast 100 million daily active users and 500 million tweets sent daily.But,Really, What is Twitter?
Twitter is a lot of things to a lot of people. It can be used to receive news, follow high-profile celebrities, or stay in-touch with old high school friends. And, it can be used for personal, business, religious and especially for political purposes. In fact, it can be used for a lot of good and even bad things.
But its popularity can be intimidating. And if you don’t know how to use Twitter by now, should you even bother trying to join the masses who’ve acquired years of experience on the site? Fortunately, Twitter is incredibly easy to use. And in this article at HubSpot.com, explores what Twitter is, who uses it, and how you can get started on the site, today.
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- 25 Mar
B2B Customer Experience: Why It Matters and Where to Start
Customer experience matters. And it does so to the tune of $1 billion a year for SaaS-based companies alone. And most CMOs know customer experience matters. But sadly, only 57% of them report marginal customer experience impact.
Good or Bad, Customer Experience Impacts Your Business’ Bottom Line
In support of that proposition is a recent study from the Temkin Group. They found that when faced with a positive customer experience customers actually spend more. They also found that 86% of buyers are willing to pay more for a great customer experience. And that 73% of buyers point to customer experience as an important factor in purchasing decisions. Plus they discovered that 65% of buyers find a positive experience with a brand to be more influential than great advertising.
So, customer service matters. We have long accepted that principle in B2C. But today it is even more important for B2B companies. And to learn exactly where to start, read the full article at Heinze Marketing’s Blog
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- 18 Mar
3 Ways To Promote Your Startup Like A Pro in 2019
Marketing is one of the biggest challenges that any startup will face. After all, when your new to the market, you’re unknown. And it’s tough to stand out from the crowd when 50 million new startups launch every year. Plus the competition is fierce.
But even if your product is top-notch, you cannot generate sales without gaining attention and then traction in the market. First, you have to let your potential customers know that you even exist and that you are an option for them. This requires dedicating resources towards promotion.
But, as a startup, that is easier said than done. You don’t have extra resources. And you probably don’t have the luxury of time to devote to promotional strategies. To help you out, here are 3 Ways To Promote Your Startup Like A Pro, starting right now. So read the full article at Jeff Bullas’s Blog to learn how you can get started.
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- 13 Mar
An Easy Guide to Social Media for Small Business
We know that people are spending more and more time on their phones. And a lot of that time is spent on social media apps. Plus we also know that social media users regularly interact with companies. And they tend to interact and engage with names they know or already do business with.For small businesses focused on community and individual customers, this makes social media a powerful platform. It is useful for connecting directly with an audience, to build brand awareness and brand loyalty. But, even better, social media is also an effective platform for lead generation.
Social media is a free and easy tool for businesses to connect directly with people interested in their brand. But, free, easy doesn’t mean that you can just log in and start posting, though. Before that, you need to set a social media strategy. So read the full article at WordStream.com to see how you can do that.
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- 22 Feb
The Real Secret Behind Growing Brand Trust With Customers
Customer trust is the cornerstone of any successful business. Yet, many businesses simply assume that customers will trust them from the start. And very few put much effort into building confidence and trust in the market.
Customers Tend to be Skeptical About Businesses They Don’t Know
And according to the Edelman Trust Barometer, consumer trust in business has remained stagnant over the past few years. What is stunning is that almost half of buyers report they are generally distrustful towards branded messaging.
Building trust with your audience is even more essential for businesses today. But convincing a new customer to trust your brand enough to share their hard-earned money and sensitive financial information can be tricky. So, to see some of the best strategies and approaches to build meaningful trust with your customers that will lead to higher sales and greater loyalty, read the full article on Jeffbullas’s Blog.
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- 21 Feb
What is the Value of B2B Thought-Leadership Content?
by Ayaz Nanji
Have you ever wondered what is the impact of thought leadership content? And what do your customers think about your content? Now those may seem a silly question to ask but that didn’t stop Edelman and LinkedIn. They asked those very questions in a recent study [SlideShare available].The report was based on data from a survey of 1,201 businesspeople in the United States who work for firms in a wide rage of industries. And they found that a 89% of B2B buyers say that thought leadership content from vendors has impact for them. In fact, they indicated that it increased their awareness of sellers. Additionally, 45% even indicated that it was that thought leadership content that led them to invite them to bid on a project.
The value of thought leadership content didn’t stop there however. They also found that 58% indicated that it directly led them to award business to an organization. And the buyers said that increased the value they placed on the vendor and that it enabled the vendor organization to command a premium price.
Still not convinced that thought leadership content works? Then see even more of the numbers, view the original report at MarketingProfs.com
NOTE: A pop-up opens on this site and a Free MarkeitngProfs Registration may be required to read the full article.
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- 20 Feb
Cognitive Marketing: 5 Psychological Tools to Boost Your Marketing ROI
As marketers, we should understand the decision-making process of our customers. As the economy grows and the choice of products increases exponentially, it’s more important now than ever to know why the customer chose a brand. Was it random? Was it pricing, location, the color of packaging? Or all of those things?
Classical economic theories explain human behavior in a rational, mathematical way. In that theory, it claims that customers choose the product that brings them the most utility. They tend to pick the one that is best for them and the cheapest one among its competitors. As marketers, we know that’s at least not always the case. Otherwise, advertising wouldn’t be as effective as it is. But psychologists know more. They know this is absolutely wrong. They know people are irrational, unreasonable and impulsive. And, most of all, they are horrible at maths, unlike what economists assume.
To learn some cognitive biases people rely on when making a decision, and a peek at which marketing ideas you can apply after discovering these biases, read the full article at Jeffbullas’s Blog.
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- 04 Jan
6 Promotional Marketing Trends to Watch in 2019
from With the new year here, it’s a good time to do a final review of your marketing budget. Now, for many marketers, this means a focus on digital channels.
Promotional Materials Still Maintain a Strong Impact
But interestingly, non-digital channels still hold a huge amount of influence in today’s internet driven world. And of these, promotional marketing could be seen as one of the most consistently successful at both driving sales and brand presence. But, it helps to know what your customers are looking for in the promotional space and to recognize the trends.
After all, what do customers value from promotional materials? To learn the latest trends that are emerging in promotional marketing and how they will shape this still powerful marketing strategy in 2019, read on at Jeffbullas’s Blog.
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- 07 Nov
Why and How You Should Use Instagram’s IGTV to Improve Your Social Media Video Strategy
by Alice Oh
With its release of IGTV, Instagram is tapping deeper into the rise of video content. And brands and marketers have taken notice. The new platform is a great place for content creators who want to use longer-form videos. Major brands, including Netflix, Chipotle, and Nike, have taken advantage of it, publishing content for their IGTV channels.
Take the Path Less Traveled and Win
And now, IGTV represents an opportunity to dominate long-form vertical video content in a space that’s less flooded with content from competitors. Therefore, content will be more easily visible and accessible to their followers. Brands that take advantage of this in-depth viewing experience now can become an early pioneer and reap the benefits.
So, if you want to elevate your social media video efforts, here are a few ideas that can help your brand best harness the power of IGTV. So, here are 7 tips to help marketers use IGTV at MarketingProfs.com
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- 31 Aug
5 Steps To A Successful Product Launch In A Highly Competitive Market
from Jeff Bulla’s Blog
A rock thrown into a quarry is pretty much the same as all the rocks already there. Oh, it may differ slightly from other rocks in shape and size. But, it is hard to really tell the difference.This logic can be applied to product launches as well
Launching a new product or service isn’t what it used to be. The main reason for that is that the market is oversaturated with products, promises and ‘innovations’. And customers have become increasingly more cynical. So that means that a creative approach to gaining attention around product launches is the key component of successful product launch campaigns.
The way in which a product or service is presented and sold is, in fact, the primary weapon. And here are five essential steps to launching any new product or service successfully into market at Jeff Bullas’s Blog.
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- 15 Aug
4 Ways to Use Social Listening for Brand Awareness, Lead Gen & Beyond
Sometimes it feels like social listening is sacred knowledge. Something that is reserved for only a few chosen brands. And that shows just how little we hear of companies using it. Of course, in reality, social listening is quite the opposite of a secret. Social listening is actually used by many. But, here’s the deal: it’s not used to its full potential.Let’s start from the beginning in case you know absolutely nothing of this social listening business. Despite being a product of all the fancy techy concepts out there (big data, machine learning, etc.), it does not require a ridiculous budget or programming skills. Really, just an understanding, a tool, and some creativity.
So, what is social listening? And, how can you use it to drive your brand awareness and generate leads? Read the full article at WordStream.com to find out.
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- 03 Aug
What Is Guerrilla Marketing? 7 Examples to Inspire Your Brand
In spite of what may immediately come to mind when you hear the phrase, guerrilla marketing isn’t some sort of combative form of communication. After all, that would be highly disruptive. And that violates the inbound methodology. In fact, it’s actually a very unconventional form of inbound marketing. It’s unconventional because it raises brand awareness among large audiences, without interrupting them.When we hear the term “guerrilla marketing,” it’s hard not to think of guerrilla warfare — which makes sense, since that’s where this style of marketing got its name. In the warfare context, guerrilla tactics depend largely on the element of surprise. Think: “Ambushes, sabotage, raids,” according to Creative Guerrilla Marketing.
But how does that translate into the work we do every day? To find out and to see some inspiring examples, read the full article at HubSpot.com
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- 25 Jul
Events Have Different Purposes and Strategic Considerations for B2B, B2C Companies
from MarketingCharts.com
We all know that there are differences and some similarities between B2B and B2C marketing. This fact is patently obvious when it comes to event marketing.Exactly the Same, Only Different
According to a recent report [download page] from Opus and Event Marketer, B2B and B2C companies approach events with different goals in mind. This is in spite of the fact that they do share some primary objectives, . Both groups look to drive sales revenue as well as educate customers, prospects and attendees, but B2C companies are more focused than their B2B counterparts on raising brand awareness.
B2B marketers tend to see events as a strong source of qualified top-of-the-funnel leads. By contrast, B2C marketers tend to use events more than their B2B counterparts in order to enhance customer satisfaction/loyalty and launch new products or services.
To see all of the insights and trends, read the full article at MarketingCharts.com
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- 18 Jul
How to Use Hashtags in Social Media Marketing
Hashtags have changed the way we communicate. And not only within social media. Hashtags have managed to weave their way into our daily lives. And now, they are even present offline as they influence our everyday speech and daily conversations.
Just Because Everybody is Doing it, Doesn’t Mean They are Doing it Right
However, even with their great popularity, not everyone knows how to properly use hashtags. As more than just a social decoration, hashtags have power. And, when applied correctly, they can be used to effectively strengthen your brand on and offline.
But even now, given their broad use, not everyone uses hashtags to their full potential. So, if you’re still confused about how to use hashtags, as well as where and when they publish them, then read the entire article at DrumUp
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