-
- 14 Mar
New Data: B2B Leaders Say Content Spurs Buying Processes
from Marketing Charts
Content remains one of the most effective ways of initiating the buyer’s journey. Indeed, almost half of the more than 200 B2B marketing leaders who took part in a survey by PathFactory and Heinz Marketing said that their company’s buying process was initiated by someone on their team coming across a prospective company’s content they found interesting.Content is The Spark That Lights the Fire . . .
In terms of acting as a catalyst to the buyers’ journey ran a close second. Discovering interesting content was second only to someone vocalizing a pain point or challenge that needs to be addressed. It’s often the function of content to address these pain points. However, close to half of the survey’s respondents said that one of the biggest issues they have with the content they receive is that it isn’t relevant to their pain points or challenges.
It’s true that content marketers experience challenges when it comes to procuring and utilizing their marketing data in order to tell the right stories. So what other challenges do marketing leaders experience with content? To find out read the full article at Marketing Charts.
-
- 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.
-
- 12 Mar
Is Video Working? Video Ad Engagement Benchmarks in 2018
from Marketing Charts
We have ample evidence of the growing popularity and increasing use of video in marketing. In fact, video has found popularity and application at more than one point in the sales funnel. But, just because we create all of this video content, how do users respond? Is it really effective for them?The Dials Keeps On Moving for Video in Marketing
In order to find out how effective video ads are, Extreme Research looking at a number of metrics to gauge the effectiveness and to spot some emerging trends. Their report [see the original report] looked at video ad completion, click-through and viewability rates to compile a picture of how viewers are responding. One shift they did note was the increasing impact of connected TVs on the marketing video landscape.
To see the data, access the original report and gain additional insights, read the full article at MarketingCharts.com
-
- 11 Mar
Five Surefire Ways to Boost Your B2B Marketing Content’s Readership
by Allen Adamson, and Chip Walker
Today there is an increasing importance and use of content marketing as a staple of B2B marketing. Plus, it is also fast becoming one of the top tools used by buyers in their purchase journey. But is the content you use really working? Probably not since only 20% of B2B marketers describe their approach to content marketing as “very successful,” according to a survey by MarketingProfs and Content Marketing Institute.
So, Why Is It Just Not Working Well?
That’s because, as the survey noted, over 83% of those on the receiving end of online marketing messages reported being overwhelmed by both the amount and the length of communications. So, what is the answer? How can you boost your B2B content readership?
In reality, its quite simple. If you want your B2B marketing content to gain readers, the first thing you must do is think like a journalist. And to learn how to do this for your content marketing program, read the full article at MarketingProfs
-
- 09 Mar
The Best Time to Post on LinkedIn – Cheat Sheet Included
by Clifford Chi
Just like on every other social media network, attracting an engaged audience on LinkedIn requires you to craft compelling content. But what happens if you don’t post your content at the right time? Well, for one, most of your followers will never see your updates.So how do you figure out the optimal post time for your specific audience?
If you don’t have enough resources or time to conduct your own tests, Sprout Social has you covered. Last year, they analyzed their customer data to see what time and day their customers’ social media posts generated the most engagement. And after examining their aggregate engagement data on LinkedIn, Sprout Social came up with answers. They pinpointed the days and times that could generate the most engagement on the platform for your brand.
To see what they uncovered, do see the original report and to get a handy-dandy cheat sheet, read the full article at HubSpot.com
-
- 08 Mar
A Very Useful LinkedIn Advertising Cheatsheet
When it comes to marketing your business, we can assume that LinkedIn is not for every business. But that doesn’t mean that it isn’t useful. And there are tons of B2B marketers out there leveraging the platform right now.Like It or Not, It Does Work for a Lot of Brands
We know that they are successfully using it to spread brand awareness and drive lead generation. After all, it is the largest stage for business-minded social interactions. And if you are targeting c-suite professionals, providing educational material to marketers, or just spreading brand awareness, LinkedIn is probably the platform for you.
But, it all can be a bit confusing. And there is more than one way to promote and advertise on LinkedIn. So, if you are interested in learning what types of ads LinkedIn offers. Or if you need to understand what the remarketing options are and even how to best target you audience on LinkedIn, then read the full article and get the WordStream ‘cheat sheet’ at WordStream.com
-
- 07 Mar
The Local Search Factors That Matter Most
by Ayaz Nanji
Marketers say succeeding on local search often simply comes down to a business’s location. And this opinion is backed up by recent research from Moz.Think Local . . . Easy to Say. Hard to Do
How to use a tool that has a global presence and is built to span the globe, for a local business, has challenged marketers since the inception of the Worldwide Web. So Moz took a deeper look into this issue. They wanted to understand how some marketers are addressing this dilemma. They went about this through a survey of more than 1,400 local marketers. And these were people who work either in-house for businesses or for agencies specific to localization.
Some of their findings may come as a surprise. But, for the most part, they found that for some, proximity to the searcher is the top factor determining ranking in Google’s Local Pack. To see more of the data and insights as well as a chance to download the original report, read the full article at MarketingProfs
-
- 06 Mar
An Introduction to Persuasive Advertising vs. Informative Advertising
by Clifford Chi
As marketers, we know that if we want to persuade an audience, we need to evoke an emotional response from them. But how do you actually do that? Well, for one, we can use persuasive techniques that emphasise value. Or we can inform and educate them.But What is a Persuasive Ad? And How Do They Differ From Informative Ads?
Well, recently Clifford Chi, over at HubSpot, took a look at this dicotomy of advertising approaches. He examined six persuasive advertising techniques that you can use right now. Plus, he then looked at three informative advertisement examples. And each of those is surprisingly as compelling as the persuasive advertising examples.
So to learn all about Persuasive Advertising vs. Informative Advertsing, read the full article at HubSpot.com
-
- 05 Mar
B2B Email: Customers Crave Curated and Customized Content
by
Today, B2B marketers who rely upon email marketing are facing some huge challenges. Long gone are the days of batch and blast. Now, challenged by expectations in the market, we need to personalize email content, making it relevant to the recipient. And that means going way beyond just dropping someone’s name in the subject line and calling it customization. It means giving them what they want.It All Comes Down to Creating Relevant Content
Relevant content that people crave is crucial to your email campaign success. But, many brands still have a hard time generating content at scale to fuel their B2B email marketing initiatives. And if you don’t have the content, or it isn’t something people want, then your campaigns simply don’t yield the results you need.
In this article, Beth Negus Viveiros, Managing Editor at ChiefMarketer Networks, gives some interesting insights into B2B email marketing. She looks at how curated and customized content can impact email success. So, to learn how you can make it work for you , read the full article at Chief Marketer.
-
- 04 Mar
How to Run LinkedIn Ad Campaigns: A Beginner’s Guide
by Allie Decker
LinkedIn is a highly valuable tool to network with like-minded professionals. But here’s something we don’t talk about as much as we should. LinkedIn is also a highly useful inbound marketing platform.You Have more power at your disposal with LinkedIn than you might realize
And that’s because LinkedIn has a powerful ads platform. If you’re already using pay-per-click (PPC) techniques to power your presence on Facebook, Twitter, or Google, consider yourself lucky. Now you can add LinkedIn to that list, too.
But if you’re new to LinkedIn ads, fear not. The people over at HubSpot have put together a great step-by-step guide to setting up your first LinkedIn ad campaign. To learn it all, read the full article at HubSpot.com
-
- 02 Mar
Use Customer Journey Mapping to Transform Frustration Into Conversion
For most businesses, it is difficult to see your product from your customers perspective. We all tend to be too obsessed with all the bells-and-whistles of the backend. And we tend to neglect to consider customer experience. As a result, we end up ignoring how the customer views us and our products.
If Only There Were a Magic Mirror . . .
Customer Journey Mapping is fundamentally designed to address that very issue. It is a tool that can give companies the ability to get a customer’s eye view of the user experience. Therefore, building a Customer Journey Map is important. It can help you to know how your business works. And it can help to spot potential weaknesses and allocating resources more effectively. Plus, it will even help to constantly improve and streamline your customer service.
But, building a Customer Journey Map doesn’t need to be a complex process. And it can be simple, and to see just how easy it can really be, read the full article on JeffBullas’s Blog.
-
- 01 Mar
The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Facebook Ecommerce
You have products to sell. And with that goal in mind, where do you go? Which channel offers the best access to your target audience? And does so at the most cost-effective way? After all, you want to expand your products reach and visibility and to acquire new and even repeat customers?Go to Facebook, of Course!
Yep, your read that right. Go to Facebook, but don’t just take my word for it. According to Facebook reports, by the end of 2018, 2.32 billion users were on the platform. If you had any doubts about your audience being there, set them aside. Your potential customers are most certainly there, regardless of your industry, business size, budget, or goals. Sure, Facebook has had its fair share of bad publicity, rising costs, and targeting changes in the last year; however, the tech giant continues to reign supreme as the least expensive online advertising channel and its robust targeting options are incomparable to others.
So, if you’re looking to get started with Facebook Ads for ecommerce to propel your marketing efforts and drive sales, read the full article at WordStream.com
-
- 28 Feb
How Advertisers Use Different Video Platforms Across The Funnel
from Marketing Charts
Video, as a marketing tool, is here to stay. And that is mainly because it works and works well. As it becomes more prevalent, it is increasingly important to understand where in the sales funnel it’s most impactful.Video Growth is Big. Bigger. Biggest Yet!
According to a study a study from Advertiser Perceptions, roughly half of advertisers are increasing their video budgets. And while this is big and getting bigger, most are begining to place greater emphasis on where the largest audiences are. The study showed that fewer advertisers are using digital/mobile video for upper funnel opportunities. But, this platform dominates both the middle and lower stages of the funnel capturing consumers during their decision-making and conversion stages.
This makes sense as these devices are ones on which it’s easy to convert. To see more of the data, to access the original report and view additional insights, read the full article at MarketingCharts.com
-
- 27 Feb
How to Get More Email Subscribers from your Social pages
by Sian Jaylo
Let’s start with a couple of assumptions. The first, email is not dead. And then secondly, email is a very important marketing tool for your business.
And when you consider that, according to MarketingSherpa, 75% of social media users claim that email is still the best way for companies to communicate with them, the value of email becomes even more obvious. Furthermore, studies from WordStream show that consumers who purchase products through email spend 138% more than those that don’t. And email subscribers are 3x more likely to share a business’s content on social media when compared to leads from other platforms, says QuickSprout.
So, why not leverage your business’s social media reach to realize the amazing potential of email marketing? That’s not to say it’s a simple task. Instead, using your social media to build email subscriptions requires a well thought out strategy and great execution. To learn more, read the full article at DrumUp.
-
- 26 Feb
The Optimal Sales Cadence: Frequency and Duration Benchmarks
by Ayaz Nanji
How many times should salespeople contact prospects? And, how long should outreach last? Or, what is the optimal spacing between contact attempts? And, how quickly should sales reps respond to prospects?Great Questions, So What Are The Answers?
To find the answers to these questions, InsideSales.com conducted a study. They examined data from more than 1,456 sales cadences. As part of the study, they examined full-range sales cycles. Additionally, all were start-to-finish direct attempts by salespeople in various verticals. And, with each being designed to engage sales prospects. And what they came up with are some interesting answers to those questions.
Here are key findings from the research at MarketingProfs
NOTE: A pop-up opens on this site and a Free MarkeitngProfs Registration may be required to read the full article.
-
- 25 Feb
Three Essential Ingredients to Create the Perfect Lead Magnet Program
Want to create a lip-smacking lead magnet that prospects will come from far and wide to sample? You’ll need the right mix to do it, including these 3 essential ingredients. Read the full article at MarketingProfs
-
- 23 Feb
What is LinkedIn Interest Targeting for Advertisers?
by Conor Bond
There is a relatively new feature available to LinkedIn advertisers. Its called LinkedIn Interest Targeting. Now, you may be asking, what the heck is that?What Is LinkedIn Interest Target Advertising?
The idea may sound familiar. It operates in the same principle as does Facebook interest targeting. Unlike search advertising, it doesn’t targeting ads to shoppers directly. Rather, it serves ads based upon behaviors.
And that means it gives you the power to serve ads to highly relevant audiences. So you can focus your ads on the people whose behavior indicates they’re interested in you’re offering. Now to see how it works and how you can make it work for you, read the full article at WordStream.com
-
- 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.
-
- 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.
-
- 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.
- 1+360 303 1585
- info@DanLHoff.com
