Online Marketing Blog

What Does Award-Winning B2B Influencer Marketing Look Like?

Lane Ellis on Sep 23rd, 2020
B2B Marketing, Influencer Marketing, TopRank Agency News

In a time of increased competition and uncertainty, standing out is more important than ever.

Of course there’s plenty of B2B marketing that stands out, but what kind performs? Is it ads, content marketing, SEO, social, ABM or influence?

At TopRank Marketing we make it our business to deliver on and exceed expectations for content experiences that will inspire customers through influencer marketing. But what does award-winning B2B influencer marketing look like? How can you infuse your own campaigns with the type of powerful elements that combine to deliver stellar marketing performance?

To help answer those questions, let’s take a look at two highly-successful efforts from our clients LinkedIn and Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise (ALE) to find out what common elements both campaigns share to make for decidedly uncommon success.

What Does Award-Winning B2B Influencer Marketing Look Like?

5 Ways B2B Marketers Can Boost Productivity and Focus

Nick Nelson on Sep 21st, 2020
B2B Marketing

Across every industry, profession, and discipline, work productivity is in peril.

How could it not be? Outside distractions have mounted over the course of the year, from a global pandemic to rampant social unrest to a headline-hijacking presidential election, all in the midst of economic turmoil. Through it all, many of us have been acclimating to a remote work setting that upends our established workflows and routines.

Frankly, we all deserve a pat on the back for being able to stay focused on work at all. So go ahead and give yourself one. But with plenty left to accomplish here in 2020, there’s little time to sit back and take a beat.

5 Ways B2B Marketers Can Boost Productivity and Focus

B2B Marketing News: 3 B2B Pandemic Marketing Studies, YouTube Launches Shorts, Twitter Tests Audio & New Emoji Performance Report Data

Lane Ellis on Sep 18th, 2020
Online Marketing News

Now Is the Time for B2B Content
During the pandemic, video and webinar content has seen the largest increase in views according to recently-released survey data, while views of unique content assets during March through May climbed by 40 percent compared to earlier in 2020, with the average number of sessions per visitor up some 43 percent. ANA

Google Shares Exclusive Data On How B2B Buyers Changed, Adapted During COVID-19
64 percent of B2B buyers have increased their use of online video during the pandemic, with overall online marketing use rising by 88 percent including 45 percent who started using digital for the first time during the global health crisis, according to newly-released report data. MediaPost

B2B Marketing News: 3 B2B Pandemic Marketing Studies, YouTube Launches Shorts, Twitter Tests Audio & New Emoji Performance Report Data

Get Ready For Video In 2021: Watch 5 Creative Examples of B2B Marketing on YouTube

Lane Ellis on Sep 16th, 2020
B2B Marketing, Video, Visual Marketing

What’s new at YouTube, and how are B2B marketers using the world’s largest video platform in creative and engaging campaigns?

Let’s take a look!

Google’s omnipresent YouTube brought in revenue of over $15 billion in 2019, has over two billion monthly active users (MAUs), and by some estimates is considered as the world’s number two search engine, making it nearly inescapable for B2B marketers seeking to host and promote video content. While not necessarily out of this world, YouTube’s orbit casts a wide swath in the B2B marketing universe.

During the pandemic, video and webinar content has seen the largest increase in views according to recently-released PathFactory survey data, leading the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) to suggest that “Now Is the Time for B2B Content.”

Get Ready For Video In 2021: Watch 5 Creative Examples of B2B Marketing on YouTube

B2B Marketing Technology in 2021: 5 Key Focuses

Nick Nelson on Sep 14th, 2020
B2B Marketing, Online Marketing

If the 1982 movie Blade Runner and its dystopian depiction of what the world would look like in 2019 were accurate, this is what we’d have been living through last year:

via GIPHY

Needless to say, our predictions of society’s future state, and technology’s long-term evolution, are not always on the money. While certain aspects of Blade Runner’s vision might’ve been frighteningly accurate, Los Angeles is not yet inhabited by flying cars or giant video advertisements projected onto the entirety of skyscrapers.

With that said, today’s marketers can much more easily look ahead to 2021 — suddenly only a few short months away — and make educated guesses about what the year will hold. Many of the marketing technologies that will transform business and drive strategies are already on the rise, if not gaining mainstream traction.

B2B Marketing Technology in 2021: 5 Key Focuses

B2B Marketing News: Digital Ad Spend Grows, LinkedIn’s New Lead Gen & Ad Tools, What Drives Customer Loyalty, & The Success Of Mobile Streaming

Lane Ellis on Sep 11th, 2020
Online Marketing News

75% of people unlikely to use branded hashtags, survey finds
A quarter of consumers have engaged with customer reviews over the past 30 days, while 26 percent said they are likely to review a business on a third-party website — two of several finding of interest to digital marketers in recent survey data examining the performance of user-generated content (UGC) for brands. Mobile Marketer

Merkle: How Much Loyalty Customers Have Depends On Several Factors
When it comes to driving brand loyalty, 35 percent of millennials and Gen Z desire badges and 27 percent want leaderboards — as the demographic values competition and achievement, while older consumers prefer writing online reviews, taking surveys, or attending events — two of the findings of interest to digital marketers in newly-released report data. MediaPost

B2B Marketing News: Digital Ad Spend Grows, LinkedIn’s New Lead Gen & Ad Tools, What Drives Customer Loyalty, & The Success Of Mobile Streaming

8 Things B2B Marketers Need To Know About Reddit in 2021

Lane Ellis on Sep 9th, 2020
B2B Marketing

What do B2B marketers stand to gain by using Reddit?

Just how effective is Reddit for advertising and organic marketing communication, and what are some of the top tips and advice for B2B marketers new to Reddit or those looking to expand their presence on the social media platform?

Let’s take a look at the answers to these questions and more, including eight things B2B marketers need to know about social news aggregator and discussion platform Reddit, including why more businesses than ever will be using the platform in 2021 and beyond.

While by no means a thorough guide to marketing with Reddit, we’ll explore what it is, who uses it, what it’s doing to help marketers, how some B2B marketers are using it, plus some of the latest news from the social media platform.

8 Things B2B Marketers Need To Know About Reddit in 2021

How to Win at B2B Influence With The Magic of Content Co-Creation

Lee Odden on Sep 7th, 2020
Content Marketing, Influencer Marketing

Today we live in an age of information overload where the speed of content discovery and the variety of options for media consumption across connected devices presents new challenges for B2B brands and buyers alike.

The natural response for buyers is to filter their choices and focus those few sources which are most trusted, credible and meaningful. For brands that want to differentiate and even dominate in their category, becoming known as “the best answer” for their domain of expertise will have enormous impact.

The challenge of increased digital sophistication brings an opportunity: businesses can differentiate and capture market attention by growing their authority and influence.

How to Win at B2B Influence With The Magic of Content Co-Creation

B2B Marketing News: Mobile Apps Thrive, Carousels Most Engaging Format on Instagram, Facebook’s Horizon VR, & Data Security’s Customer Loyalty Connection

Lane Ellis on Sep 4th, 2020
Online Marketing News

COVID-19 drives more business to B2B marketplaces
Global marketplace growth is being led by the B2B segment, with sales expected to hit $3.6 trillion by 2024 — up from $680 billion in 2018 — according to recently-released report data of interest to digital marketers, which also showed that 89 percent of purchasing managers are spending at least the same or significantly more because of pandemic circumstances. Digital Commerce 360

How Committed Are Big Advertisers to Content Marketing?
Over the past two years major advertisers have doubled their commitment to content marketing, with 52 percent of senior-level marketers saying their firm is strongly committed to content marketing — up from 26 percent two years ago, according to recently-released survey data from the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) and The Content Council. MarketingProfs

B2B Marketing News: Mobile Apps Thrive, Carousels Most Engaging Format on Instagram, Facebook’s Horizon VR, & Data Security’s Customer Loyalty Connection

Your Guide to Effective Storytelling in B2B Content Marketing

Nick Nelson on Sep 3rd, 2020
B2B Marketing, Content Marketing

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a guy who understands content. He was the featured keynote speaker at Content Marketing World three years ago, and his company HitRecord empowers creators to collaborate and produce awesome stuff together.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt also understands storytelling. He is an actor, director, producer, and writer who has appeared in numerous beloved movies and TV shows. His work as an author includes a series of works called The Book of Tiny Stories.

“The universe is not made of atoms; it’s made of tiny stories,” the tagline asserts.

Given his experience and expertise at the intersection of content and storytelling, it’s worth listening any time Gordon-Levitt speaks on these subjects. So I definitely took notice when the film icon suggested recently that the future of storytelling lies not in movies, but video games.

Your Guide to Effective Storytelling in B2B Content Marketing

6 Dynamic Tactics For Solving The Post-Pandemic Marketing Rubik’s Cube

Lane Ellis on Sep 2nd, 2020
B2B Marketing

What will successful B2B marketing look like in a post-pandemic world, and what can marketers do today to be ready?

B2B marketers are facing daunting and unprecedented challenges — not unlike a Rubik’s Cube — during the global health crisis. Each impediment, however, also offers valuable lessons that can help us as we transition to 2021 and the future opportunities that await.

Let’s begin unraveling the mysteries of the post-pandemic marketing world, with six dynamic tactics B2B marketers can use today to prepare for the future business landscape.

1 — Influencer Intensification: Subject Matter Experts

Post-pandemic marketing will likely feature a noticeable intensification when it comes to the use of B2B influencers. As one of the most pandemic-proof marketing practices during the global health crisis, B2B influencer marketing is poised to continue growing in 2021 and beyond, due in part to the value industry experts bring to everyone involved.

6 Dynamic Tactics For Solving The Post-Pandemic Marketing Rubik’s Cube

B2B Marketing Subject Matter Experts & Industry Influencers: Which Should I Choose?

Joshua Nite on Sep 1st, 2020
B2B Marketing, Influencer Marketing

What does being an influencer really mean in the B2B world?

The classic B2C influencer is someone with a big following on social media, someone who makes a living doing makeup tutorials or cosplay or skateboarding tricks. Brands who want to reach their audience can simply provide free products or sponsor a post — it’s inherently transactional.

But for B2B, the question is a little trickier. B2B influencers are very rarely celebrities with millions of followers. For example, given enough time and money, you could get Taylor Swift to endorse your hybrid cloud solution. But would her endorsement really persuade your audience?

You can’t judge influence in B2B by follower counts alone. There are multiple ways that people can be influential in the B2B space. Which type of influencer your project needs will vary depending on your goals.

B2B Marketing Subject Matter Experts & Industry Influencers: Which Should I Choose?