Lee Odden

Always On Influence: Definition and Why B2B Brands Need it to Succeed

Lee Odden on Apr 27th, 2020
Influencer Marketing

Always On Influence Series

Influencer Marketing in the B2B world is fast growing as an essential part of the marketing mix. How brands implement influencer engagement strategies varies from one off campaigns, to event activations to passive social engagement to the topic of this post: Always On Influencer Marketing.

According to research from Linqia. 42% of marketers have shifted to an “always on” influencer marketing strategy from individual campaigns. As B2B companies evolve in their influencer marketing maturity, confidence builds along with the realization that a relationship driven endeavor like engaging with influencers requires an ongoing effort.

The problem is, many B2B marketers still see influencer marketing as something you just turn on or off as needed. Such a short term approach does not yield the full benefit of developing strong content collaboration partnerships with industry influencers that can fuel thought leadership, be repurposed for demand gen and even sales enablement.

Always On Influence: Definition and Why B2B Brands Need it to Succeed

B2C vs. B2B Influencer Marketing – What’s the Difference?

Lee Odden on Apr 20th, 2020
B2B Marketing, Influencer Marketing

The vast majority of content and industry news coverage around influencer marketing is focused on those who engage consumer audiences: Instagramers, YouTubers, and as of late TikTokers. Of course the world of influence is not limited to consumer products and services. Influencers play an important role in businesses marketing to other businesses as well, whether it’s on LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook.

So what’s the difference between B2C and B2B influencer marketing? We’ve covered B2B influencer marketing here in depth already with case studies, strategy and best practices, what makes a great B2B influencer, key statistics and more. After 7 plus years of focusing on B2B influencer marketing for some of the top B2B brands in the world, we’ve learned a few things about the practice. From that experience, I’ll focus on what makes for good B2B influencer engagement as a way to understand the difference from B2C.

B2C vs. B2B Influencer Marketing – What’s the Difference?

Where’s the Marketing in Content Marketing? 10 Essential Promotion Tactics That Drive Results

Lee Odden on Apr 13th, 2020
Content Marketing

My marketing journey was born out of SEO roots, where the priority of content promotion has always been high in order to create the kind of accountable marketing performance that matters. In contrast, I see a lot of brands putting the majority or all of their investment towards content creation without qualitative or quantitative effort towards the promotion of that content.

An imbalance of content creation and promotion is not only frustrating potential marketing performance, but it’s wasting the investment made in creating great content. What good is that great content if no one sees it?

Below are 10 content promotion tactics that have stood the test of time and go beyond email blasts, social ads and simple social sharing on brand channels. When promotion is included in the content planning and creation process, it becomes part of a content marketing system that drives the kind of relevant, useful and engaging content customers are looking for.

Where’s the Marketing in Content Marketing? 10 Essential Promotion Tactics That Drive Results

Take the 2020 B2B Influencer Marketing Survey

Lee Odden on Apr 6th, 2020
B2B Marketing, Influencer Marketing

Update: data collection for the 2020 State of B2B Influencer Marketing Study has concluded. If you would like to receive a copy of the report, visit our report page here.

Influencer Marketing is positioned to address some of the key B2B marketing challenges of our time: declining buyer trust, improving content quality, reach and effectiveness.

On top of that, business marketers are now faced with the additional challenge of in-person marketing being taken out of the mix with many shifting to pure digital and and purpose driven programs.

Take the 2020 B2B Influencer Marketing Survey

Four Opportunities for Focus to Improve B2B Marketing

Lee Odden on Mar 30th, 2020
B2B Marketing

While uncertainty can be distraction, now is a time for focus in the B2B marketing world. Beyond figuring out the new logistics and operations of remote work, paused marketing efforts and the urgent need to keep employees, customers and community safe and healthy, there’s still a need for marketing. In fact, the areas of focus below are relevant in any time but are worth considering over the coming weeks and months.

Align content strategy with the entire marketing funnel.
Successful business marketers are doing more than ever to understand the customer journey and realize that in today’s environment, buyers are pulling themselves through 60-80% of the funnel with information they find on their own before ever contacting a vendor. Without real-world events and interactions, the current focus on digital engagement pushes that percentage even higher.

Four Opportunities for Focus to Improve B2B Marketing

Marketing During a Pandemic: Stop Pushing and Start Pulling with SEO

Lee Odden on Mar 23rd, 2020
SEO

Customer empathy is at the forefront of the best marketing and tone deaf promotions as if things were normal during the COVID-19 pandemic are probably some of the worst.

When it comes to understanding the customer state of mind right now, I think Dean Shaw from SAS summed it up well on Twitter:

Pro Tip to Companies on what your customers are thinking about right now:
– their health
– their family’s health
– their job
– their savings
– paying their bills
– how to transition to working from home
– their toilet paper supply
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– your product pitch

— deanshaw (@deanshaw) March 21, 2020

Marketing During a Pandemic: Stop Pushing and Start Pulling with SEO

Should COVID-19 Stop B2B Marketers From Marketing?

Lee Odden on Mar 16th, 2020
B2B Marketing

You’ve read the news, seen the reports, remarkable real-time graphs and updates from the CDC. Virtually all industry conferences are cancelled or postponed, major sporting events are postponed, most schools and many stores are closed and just about any venue for large crowds from malls to theatres are as empty as the toilet paper aisle at Target.

COVID-19 is serious business and is undoubtedly having an impact on business. Should it stop companies from marketing to other businesses?

We all have an obligation to make the changes necessary to minimize COVID-19 transmission through closures, postponements and having employees work from home like we just implemented at TopRank Marketing this week along with many other companies.

Should COVID-19 Stop B2B Marketers From Marketing?

How B2B Marketers Can Enter the Circle of Trust

Lee Odden on Mar 9th, 2020
B2B Marketing, Influencer Marketing

Buyer distrust of advertising and brand communications is one of the top challenges of our time for marketers.

As TopRank Marketing’s Nick Nelson has shared, “trust is currency” and that trust is “arguably the most valuable currency in today’s B2B marketing environment.”

Studies continue to show that business peers and experts have customer attention over brands. 95% of B2B buyers say they prefer credible content from industry influencers according to a study from Demand Gen Report.

As a result, it is more important now than ever for marketers to find ways to become part of this new “circle of trust” for buyers.

But how?

How B2B Marketers Can Enter the Circle of Trust

B2BMX 2020 Wrap Up: B2B Marketing Evolved

Lee Odden on Mar 2nd, 2020
B2B Marketing, Marketing PR Conferences

Over the past 10 years that our marketing agency has been focused on B2B marketing, there have been many changes: From the advent of marketing automation and social media to the growing popularity of interactive content, ABM and influencer marketing.

Staying on top of trends and best practices requires continuous innovation, education and cycles of marketing optimization. The reward for this continuous effort is staying one step ahead of the competition in the form of quality and performance.

Events play a big role in the ongoing effort to draw on the collective wisdom of the B2B marketing industry and last week TopRank Marketing wrapped up speaking and attending our 8th B2B Marketing Exchange conference. In case you missed the conference, here are a few highlights:

B2BMX 2020 Wrap Up: B2B Marketing Evolved

Award Winning B2B Influencer Marketing at B2BMX

Lee Odden on Feb 25th, 2020
B2B Marketing, Influencer Marketing

IT Vangards

The 2020 B2B Marketing Exchange conference kicked off today with great workshops, case studies and a green light keynote from the talented Tamsen Webster.

Tamsen Webster Keynote Speaker

After the last executive marketing leadership panel, our president Susan Misukanis and I had the good fortune to attend the B2BMX Killer Content Awards.

I am very proud to say that in the B2B Influencer Marketing category, all three finalists were TopRank Marketing clients: Dell Outlet, Alcatel Lucent Enterprise and SAP.

ALE Killer Content Awards 2020

We are happy to share that Alcatel Lucent Enterprise won the 2020 Killer Content Award for best B2B Influencer Marketing campaign!

This is the second “Finny” that Jen Holtvluwer and Alison Munn have won working with TopRank Marketing. You can read the ALE case study here, which was truly an innovative B2B influencer marketing campaign, which featured the elements outlined below.

Award Winning B2B Influencer Marketing at B2BMX

The Influence of ABM in B2B Marketing: Top B2BMX Sessions & Speaker Insights

Lee Odden on Feb 24th, 2020
B2B Marketing, Influencer Marketing

2020 marks the 8th year in a row that I’ve presented at the B2B Marketing Exchange. During that time there have been many changes: within the B2B marketing industry, the strategies and technologies driving performance and in the programming at B2B events like B2BMX.

ABM in particular has experienced a rise in the B2B marketing world and evidence of that momentum is evident in the session topics, martech vendors and attendees at this year’s B2BMX conference in Scottsdale, February 24-26.

According to research from Demand Gen Report, 50% of B2B companies have been implementing ABM programs for more than a year and that number will continue to rise. With growing popularity, increasing numbers of marketers are searching for ways to incorporate ABM into their B2B marketing mix.

The Influence of ABM in B2B Marketing: Top B2BMX Sessions & Speaker Insights

5 Key Traits of the Best B2B Influencers

Lee Odden on Feb 18th, 2020
B2B Marketing, Influencer Marketing

Marketers are still asking, what is B2B influencer marketing? Here’s a definition I’ve been using over the past 5 years or so:

B2B influencer marketing is activating internal and external subject matter experts with engaged networks to advocate and co-create content of mutual value that drives measurable business goals.

As the groundswell around influencer marketing rises and becomes a normal part of the B2B marketing mix, the volume of information and misinformation on the topic also increases.

One of the most popular questions people also ask about B2B influencer marketing focuses on what makes a good business influencer? By now we all know that popularity alone does not make someone influential. It’s certainly important, it’s just not the only thing.

5 Key Traits of the Best B2B Influencers