B2B Marketing Blog

20+ Reasons B2B Brands Are Increasingly Moving To Influencer Marketing

Lane Ellis on Dec 5th, 2022
B2B Marketing, Influencer Marketing

Why are B2B brands increasingly turning to influencer marketing?

B2B influencer marketing is the business-oriented cousin to the B2C Instagram entertainment and lifestyle influencer. In B2B, some influencers go by creators, subject matter experts, industry experts, or other terms that disassociate them from the B2C influencer.

Whichever term is used, B2B influencer marketing provides an ideal way to combat disintegrating brand trust, so it’s no wonder that by the end of 2022 the B2B influencer marketing vertical is expected to reach $11.7 billion in revenue, with over 38 percent of B2B firms exploring influencer marketing for lead-generation and more, according to AdAge.

B2B influencer marketing is a many-faceted digital diamond that when done well shines brightly, however brands need to be wary of treating it like its vastly different B2C counterpart.

20+ Reasons B2B Brands Are Increasingly Moving To Influencer Marketing

B2B Marketing News: B2B Influencer Marketing A Growing Priority, LinkedIn’s Scheduled Posts & Competitor Analytics, & The Media Time Paradox

Lane Ellis on Dec 2nd, 2022
Online Marketing News

Changes to B2B ecommerce coming fast [SURVEY DATA]
B2B executives expect eCommerce revenue to grow from 20 percent to 31 percent during 2023, while in 2021 digital-first B2B buyers said that they utilized 10 separate sales channels, up from 7.5 in 2020 — two of several findings of interest to B2B marketers contained in newly-published report data. Digital Commerce 360

3 Trends Driving The Consumerization Of B2B E-Commerce
60 percent of digital-first B2B buyers have said that they view e-commerce experiences as very important, with some 67 percent noting they switched to vendors that presented a more consumer-like experience, according to recently-released survey data. Forbes

B2B Marketing News: B2B Influencer Marketing A Growing Priority, LinkedIn’s Scheduled Posts & Competitor Analytics, & The Media Time Paradox

B2B Marketers on the Move: Celebrating Top Marketing Talent in New Leadership Roles

Lane Ellis on Nov 30th, 2022
B2B Marketing

As B2B marketers around the world embrace the holiday season and the push to 2023, the B2B marketing industry continues to offer growth and shifts that sometimes happen so fast that they are difficult to fully appreciate.

For more than two decades, TopRank Marketing has been honored to help a wide variety of the world’s leading B2B marketers and major global brands elevate and go beyond merely being competitive, to standing out from the crowd with creative and award-winning successes. In this spirit, for nearly a year now we have regularly made a point of taking the time to congratulate and honor business marketing leaders who have recently seen career advancement.

B2B Marketers on the Move: Celebrating Top Marketing Talent in New Leadership Roles

Elevate B2B Marketing Podcast: Creativity & Inclusivity in B2B Marketing with Ty Heath

Katelyn Drake on Nov 29th, 2022
B2B Marketing, Interviews

Last month, we introduced our all new podcast, Elevate B2B Marketing, with the goal of helping to elevate the B2B industry. The show features conversations that inform, include and inspire the best of B2B marketing. Each episode features conversations between our CEO Lee Odden and B2B marketing leaders that are creating impact and making a difference in our industry.

The Elevate B2B Marketing Podcast kicked off with the queen of content herself, Ann Handley of MarketingProfs. She shared insights about the new normal of B2B marketing and emphasized the need for empathy and emotion in content marketing. Check it out here if you missed it.

Featured guest, Tyrona Heath, joins this next episode of Elevate B2B to discuss creativity & inclusivity in B2B marketing.

Elevate B2B Marketing Podcast: Creativity & Inclusivity in B2B Marketing with Ty Heath

Laser Focus: Boost B2B Marketing With Better Focus

Lane Ellis on Nov 28th, 2022
B2B Marketing

How can B2B marketers put the old adage of focusing on what you can control to the best use, and why will 2023 be an important year to boost efficiency with better focus?

We’ve all heard the saying that it’s better to focus on those things that you can truly play a part in changing than spending time worrying about so many of the things that really are outside the scope of what we can change.

Knowing where to put our efforts to the best use and which areas to skip are skills that generally improve as we mature and grow, in both our personal and professional lives.

Let’s jump right in and take a look at how to boost B2B marketing efforts with better focus.

Laser Focus: Boost B2B Marketing With Better Focus

B2B Marketing News: Rising B2B Ad Spend, Top B2B Marketplaces, Influencer Marketing’s Resiliency, & WhatsApp’s New Business Search

Lane Ellis on Nov 25th, 2022
Online Marketing News

The Top 50 B2B Marketplaces: A New Ranking
B2B marketplaces have raised more than $1.7 billion during the first nine months of 2021, with Faire, Joor, and Indigo AG topping the list of B2B marketplace startups, according to newly-released report data of interest to digital marketers. Modern Distribution Management

Why influencer marketing, still a small slice of digital budgets, seems recession-proof
U.S. organizations are expected to spend $6.16 billion on influencer marketing during 2023, climbing from the $5 billion seen during 2022, as influencer marketing has appeared to be more resilient than other forms of marketing, with influencer marketing budgets staying strong, according to recently-published forecast data. Insider Intelligence

B2B Marketing News: Rising B2B Ad Spend, Top B2B Marketplaces, Influencer Marketing’s Resiliency, & WhatsApp’s New Business Search

Growing Gratitude: What the TopRank Marketing Team is Most Thankful For

Lane Ellis on Nov 23rd, 2022
B2B Marketing

As the U.S. celebrates Thanksgiving Day this week, we can all look back at another unique year of opportunities, challenges, and changes in the B2B marketing landscape.

Despite the challenges we’ve all faced, we’ve grown, adapted, and overcome, and now is an ideal time to look back on those parts of our lives for which we’re the most thankful this holiday week.

In 2022 our team here at TopRank Marketing has continued to expand, and we’d like to take this opportunity to reflect on thankfulness in both our professional and personal lives, continuing our annual traditional post sharing messages of gratitude.

Our ability to see and express gratitude even in challenging times can be especially meaningful and even replenishing.

Growing Gratitude: What the TopRank Marketing Team is Most Thankful For

LinkedIn #B2Believe and The Playbook for Promise Making in B2B Marketing with Jim Habig

Lee Odden on Nov 22nd, 2022
B2B Marketing

b2believe selfie Tusar Barik, Jim Habig, Lee Odden

Selfie with Tusar Barik & Jim Habig of LinkedIn at #b2believe

How can marketers put promise making into practice? LinkedIn Vice President of Marketing, Jim Habig, shared the keys to the power of storytelling, the importance of creativity, and the exciting opportunity ahead for B2B marketers at LinkedIn’s inaugural B2B marketing conference, B2Believe in San Francisco last week.

Without a doubt these are interesting times and many B2B marketers are experiencing a challenging economic market. Jim challenged the 800+ marketers in attendance that we need to prove our value more than ever before.

Despite challenges of budget reductions, hiring freezes and an uncertain economic forecast, there is hope.

We B2B marketers can’t always get what we want. But if we try sometimes we will find, we can get what we need.

Sound familiar? Who knew the Rolling Stones had insight into B2B marketing tenacity?

LinkedIn #B2Believe and The Playbook for Promise Making in B2B Marketing with Jim Habig

Neurodivergency in B2B Marketing: Kryptonite or Superpower

Katelyn Drake on Nov 21st, 2022
B2B Marketing

In recent years, the term “neurodiversity” has become more and more commonplace. It is the idea that there is not just one “normal” way to think or learn, think, process information and complete work.

“Neurodiversity the idea that neurological differences, like autism and ADHD, are the result of normal natural variation in the human genome.” John Elder Robison, of the College of William and Mary

Neurodivergence refers to the wide range of neurological differences in people’s brains. This includes conditions like Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, and more. While there are challenges associated with neurodivergence, and many may think of it as kryptonite, there are also many strengths for those on the spectrum causing many to believe that neurodivergence may be a superpower, especially in the world of business.

Neurodivergency in B2B Marketing: Kryptonite or Superpower

B2B Marketing News: B2B Content Promotion, Social Trends Report, LinkedIn’s New Guide, Gender Bias Study, & AI Changes Creative Work

Lane Ellis on Nov 18th, 2022
Online Marketing News

One Way to Set B2B Content Apart from the Rest? Actively Promote It
Creating higher quality B2B content was seen as the top way to differentiate it, with coverage of unique topics that competitors aren’t covering coming in second, followed by conducting active promotion that extends beyond publishing and distribution — three of numerous findings contained in recently-released B2B content marketing report data. MarketingCharts

Social Media Trends 2023 [Hootsuite Report]
42 percent of organizations with more than 1,000 employees work with influencers and creators, while only 28 percent of smaller businesses with under 100 workers do, according to Hootsuite’s newly-released annual social trends report. 77 percent of marketers have said that they are either confident or extremely confident in the return on investment they get from social media when it comes to audience engagement, the report has also shown. Hootsuite

B2B Marketing News: B2B Content Promotion, Social Trends Report, LinkedIn’s New Guide, Gender Bias Study, & AI Changes Creative Work

Planning, Creation & Promotion: 5 Top Tactics For Creating Inspired B2B Content

Lane Ellis on Nov 16th, 2022
B2B Marketing, Content Marketing, Influencer Marketing

5 top tactics to create inspired B2B content group of marketers at table image

How can marketers create the kind of inspired B2B content and customer experiences that will overcome today’s challenges and surpass tomorrow’s higher expectations?

With the right planning, careful creation, and strategic promotion, there isn’t any need for a secret formula for successful B2B content, as our chief executive and co-founder Lee Odden recently shared with top B2B marketers at the 2022 Content Marketing Conference.

2023 is set to see more content than ever come into existence, as the 4.6 billion pieces of content that are produced every day in 2022 expands, through ever-increasing output from human hands as well as artificial intelligence-augmented or generated content.

With so much competition for limited attention, how can B2B marketers build content that stands out?

Planning, Creation & Promotion: 5 Top Tactics For Creating Inspired B2B Content

How to Create More Authentic Influencer-Driven Content to Attract Qualified Prospects

Joshua Nite on Nov 14th, 2022
B2B Marketing, Content Marketing

When you think about who is influential in your industry, you likely think about professional influencers first. These are the consultants, public speakers and authors, the ones who give keynote speeches and have huge followings on social media.

These folks are absolutely essential as part of your influencer mix. Their reach, knowledge and professionalism are incredibly valuable.

However, you need more than just these folks for authentic and useful content. To create the kind of experience that earns the attention of qualified prospects, you need to expand your definition of what an influencer is — and what influencer content should look like.

Here’s how to optimize your influencer marketing to create authentic experiences that attract your most valuable audience.

How to Create More Authentic Influencer-Driven Content to Attract Qualified Prospects