Lee Odden

About Lee Odden

@LeeOdden is the CEO of TopRank Marketing and editor of TopRank's B2B Marketing Blog. Cited for his expertise by The Economist, Forbes and the Wall Street Journal, he's the author of the book Optimize and presents internationally on B2B marketing topics including content, search, social media and influencer marketing. When not at conferences, consulting, or working with his talented team, he's likely running, traveling or cooking up something new.

How the Most Successful B2B Marketers Work with Influencer Marketing Agencies

Lee Odden on May 2nd, 2022
B2B Marketing, Influencer Marketing

As B2B companies look to create more authentic and meaningful experiences for digital first customers, content marketing co-created with industry and internal influencers has enabled many organizations to deliver information that is more empathetic, useful and inspiring.

Growth B2B brands are seeing the influence piece of the puzzle as an opportunity to better attract and engage increasingly distracted and distrustful customers. Many of those ambitious B2B marketers are looking for ways to accelerate their use of influence both internally and externally.

Since our first paid B2B influencer engagement in 2012 with a Fortune 500 brand that is still our client today, we’ve seen an acceleration in B2B marketers seeking expertise, technology and best practices for engaging influencers. In 2022 those solutions come in many forms ranging from independent B2B influencer marketing consultants, to software platforms that also sell services to specialist agencies with teams dedicated to the strategy, tactics, technology, measurement and scale of B2B influencer marketing programs.

How the Most Successful B2B Marketers Work with Influencer Marketing Agencies

Optimize for B2B Marketing Success with an Influencer Marketing Strategy Checklist

Lee Odden on Apr 11th, 2022
B2B Marketing, Influencer Marketing

B2B Influencer Marketing Strategy Checklist

Did you know? 48% of B2B marketers say their top challenge with influencer marketing is a lack of a documented strategy. And no wonder: 53% of B2B marketers either do not have an influencer marketing strategy or it’s not documented. (2022 State of B2B Influencer Marketing Report)

While influencer marketing for B2B brands has gained momentum and popularity, a lack of strategy is recipe for disaster. Of course no company can have all the answers right away, but working with influencers in a way that creates a positive impact on the business requires a unique approach.

If there is an expectation that partnering with influencers will advance marketing and business goals, key questions need to be answered.

Who are the right influencers?

Optimize for B2B Marketing Success with an Influencer Marketing Strategy Checklist

B2B Marketing News: Marketers Prevent World War III, Podcasts Are Booming, The State of Influencer Marketing

Lee Odden on Mar 4th, 2022
B2B Marketing, Online Marketing News

What types of content would B2B marketers create with more resources? Research from Parse.ly reports that two-thirds of the marketers surveyed say they have created more content over the past year and 48% of respondents say they would like to produce a little more content than they currently create. Top formats include videos, infographics, ebooks, reports, white papers, events/webinars, case studies, email newsletters, social media posts and blog posts. . MarketingCharts

The Client: Ukraine. The Brief: Prevent World War III. A group of agency professionals and freelancers from Ukraine’s creative industry has issued a weighty brief to the global creative community: help prevent a third world war. AdWeek

B2B Marketing News: Marketers Prevent World War III, Podcasts Are Booming, The State of Influencer Marketing

Will You B2B Mine? What 15 Top Marketers Love About B2B Marketing on Valentine’s Day

Lee Odden on Feb 14th, 2022
B2B Marketing

It’s February 14th and while couples around the world over are celebrating their love, B2B marketers have plenty to love about marketing in 2022.

The pandemic accelerated the digital transformation of many B2B brands to meet the needs and expectations of digital first buyers and that increased digital focus has opened up a new world of opportunities to engage buyers in more meaningful ways.

When starting out in marketing so many years ago, I had no idea what my career or the world would look like in 2022. But I’ve definitely caught the love bug for business to business marketing. What I am most optimistic about in 2022 is our focus on optimizing and elevating the practice of B2B marketing by doing some of the things I love most: humanizing marketing, creating more meaningful marketing experiences and giving voice to talent.

Will You B2B Mine? What 15 Top Marketers Love About B2B Marketing on Valentine’s Day

Three Steps to Elevated B2B Marketing in 2022: Innovate, Collaborate, Accelerate

Lee Odden on Jan 24th, 2022
B2B Marketing

B2B marketers have faced unprecedented challenges over the past two years but I am one of those people that genuinely sees these times as an opportunity. Working in the marketing industry, especially at a B2B marketing agency, means being adaptable and engaged in a constant state of improvement aka ABO (always be optimizing).

Information overload, changing buyer behaviors towards digital first information experiences and the dramatic increase in content competition mean B2B marketers cannot win simply be creating more content or chasing the latest shiny object tactic.

In these times of elevated digital savviness and access to digital content consumption, creation and engagement, we are all creators. We are all influential. We are all in market to engage on topics relevant to the brands that serve us. As marketers, we are also increasingly pressed to prove our impact to the business.

Three Steps to Elevated B2B Marketing in 2022: Innovate, Collaborate, Accelerate

How to Elevate Your B2B Marketing Career: Advice from Execs at Top B2B Brands

Lee Odden on Jan 18th, 2022
B2B Marketing

As the talent that drives the B2B marketing world re-evaluates the meaningfulness, purpose and balance of their work and personal life, many B2B brands are also working hard to elevate how they do business. From creating better marketing experiences for customers to improving the employee experience, connecting the work to a purpose that is about more than profits and revenue is increasingly important.

But here’s the thing, it’s always been time for B2B brands to think and act on opportunities to improve opportunities for the people that power the company from front line workers in customer call centers to engineers and analysts to senior executives. While many B2B brands understand the importance of optimizing career opportunities for greater employee retention and attraction, not all have the benefit of insight about what up and coming or successful leaders really want.

How to Elevate Your B2B Marketing Career: Advice from Execs at Top B2B Brands

Three of the Biggest Opportunities to Elevate B2B Marketing in 2022

Lee Odden on Jan 10th, 2022
B2B Marketing

Even if 2020 and 2021 didn’t throw buckets of uncertainty, accelerated digital transformation and massively shifting buyer behaviors and expectations on marketers in the business to business world, B2B marketing is not without challenges.

From “boring to boring” to woefully behind B2C, there’s more than enough opportunity for us in the B2B marketing world to raise the bar.

For example, 90% of B2B companies feel their customers completely believe in and rely upon their commitments, but in the professional services industry only 67% believe that. It’s even lower in the financial services industry at 57%. Forrester

I think you’ll agree that what we have in 2022 is a distinct opportunity to elevate B2B marketing, especially by connecting with customers on a more human level authentically and inclusively.

Three of the Biggest Opportunities to Elevate B2B Marketing in 2022

25 Women of Color Who Rocked B2B Marketing in 2021

Lee Odden on Dec 27th, 2021
B2B Marketing

25 Women Rocked B2B Marketing 2021

On the heels of a tough year for marketers, businesses and society in general, 2021 came in and presented even more challenges to say the least

But through these challenges came opportunities to accelerate digital transformation, pivot to new go-to-market models focused on digital first customers, better experiences and more human B2B communications. Another key trend has been an increase (even if just slightly) by marketers, publications and companies in giving voice to those who are underrepresented. And that is where this post comes in: giving voice to talent.

If ever there were a time for the B2B marketing industry to raise the bar, level up and elevate – it is in 2022. For our small part, TopRank Marketing is focused on elevating B2B marketing in three key areas:

25 Women of Color Who Rocked B2B Marketing in 2021

Digital First B2B Marketing is Here to Stay and It’s All About Experiences

Lee Odden on Dec 20th, 2021
B2B Marketing

The marketing journey B2B brands have been on since the start of pandemic has accelerated digital transformation and the transformation of marketing faster than any time in history.

During uncertain times the pivots companies make often settle back into the status quo but this time it’s different. According to research from McKinsey:

96% of B2B companies shifted their go-to-market model during Covid-19
65% say their new go-to-market models were equally or more effective in reaching customers
80% will continue new go-to-market models for 12 months or more

And with Gartner reporting that 80% of B2B sales interactions between suppliers and buyers will occur in digital channels by 2025, the direction is clear: digital first is here to stay for B2B marketing.

Digital First B2B Marketing is Here to Stay and It’s All About Experiences

B2B Influencer Marketing Named Top Marketing Tactic for 2022: What You Need to Know

Lee Odden on Nov 29th, 2021
B2B Marketing, Influencer Marketing

B2B influencer marketing 2022

In HubSpot’s 2022 Marketing Industry Trends Report featuring insights from over 1,000 global marketers, influencer marketing was named the top marketing trend.

What is even more promising is that content formats ideal for engaging influencers including short form video and virtual events were also in the top 5 marketing tactics from the coming year.

As we bring 2021 to a close, Marketers all over the world are making decisions about how to come out of the pandemic era with trust, confidence and improved marketing results. More than ever, digital experiences, authenticity and the ability to connect with customers in meaningful ways are essential for success in the new year.

B2B Influencer Marketing Named Top Marketing Tactic for 2022: What You Need to Know

How Influencers & Best Answer Content Help B2B Marketers Dominate in Search #CMWorld

Lee Odden on Sep 27th, 2021
B2B Marketing, Content Marketing World, SEO

Great content isn’t so great if it’s not easy to find. And findable content isn’t so effective if it’s not trusted.

Content is the reason search engines began and yet many B2B content marketers are not taking full advantage of opportunities to attract customers that are actively looking. Instead, the content marketing function at many B2B companies is more about creating content and not so much about promoting it.

Where Has the Marketing in Content Marketing Gone?

The problem with content marketing that focuses mostly on content creation is that the marketing is missing. Sure, B2B brands can throw advertising at their new content to attract visitors – but do B2B buyers love clicking on ads?

How Influencers & Best Answer Content Help B2B Marketers Dominate in Search #CMWorld

Inside B2B Influence: Brian Solis of Salesforce on the Future of Influence in B2B Marketing

Lee Odden on Sep 19th, 2021
B2B Marketing, Influencer Marketing

If this is your first time, Inside B2B Influence is a podcast series that goes behind the scenes of B2B marketing and highlights insights with top business executives on influencer marketing for B2B companies. At TopRank Marketing we’re doing our best to connect readers and listeners with B2B marketing insiders on strategies, trends, tactics and the future to elevate the practice of growing influence within and outside of B2B brands.

In Episode 17 of Inside B2B Influence we have a returning guest who needs little introduction given his accomplishments and yet, we’d all be missing out if I did not mention that Brian Solis is Global Innovation Evangelist at Salesforce, an 8X best selling author, global keynote speaker, digital pioneer and has been a good friend for over 10 years.

Inside B2B Influence: Brian Solis of Salesforce on the Future of Influence in B2B Marketing