Anne Leuman

5 Olympic Lessons for Marketing Project Managers

Anne Leuman on Aug 3rd, 2021
B2B Marketing

Shattered world records. Nail-biting competition. Limitless sportsmanship. The Olympic Games are a sight to behold.

While we had to wait a little longer for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, they’re still captivating audiences with competition that pushes the limits of athletes and of humans.

As a long-time spectator of the games, however, I’ve found that some of the most memorable Olympic moments hold real-life lessons and even happen outside of the competition floor. Already at these Olympic Games, I’ve taken note of several moments that are unforgettable in life and in work. Especially as a marketing project manager, where we often have to coach our team members, I’ve learned several lessons from the first week of competition. To learn what those lessons are and how they can impact your marketing projects, read on.

5 Olympic Lessons for Marketing Project Managers

5 Common Barriers to Marketing Project Management & How to Overcome Them

Anne Leuman on Jun 15th, 2021
B2B Marketing

As a marketer, you know how important projects are.

They’re your course to success. Your path to excellence. A plan of action.

You also know just how out of sorts projects can get. Without successful marketing project management, timelines may slide, quality may slip, standards may be missed, and the work experience may suffer.

So what causes marketing projects to stray off course?

Having managed many marketing projects for TopRank Marketing, I’ve come across my fair share of barriers and challenges and learned from my experience with them. Below, I’m sharing the most common barriers to marketing project management success and how to overcome them so you can, too. And to help illustrate my points, I tapped the help of Schitt’s Creek — a show I only just started and can’t get enough of. I hope you’ll excuse how late to the party I am on that show, it’s a gem.

5 Common Barriers to Marketing Project Management & How to Overcome Them

7 B2B Content Marketing Tactics For Long Term Success

Anne Leuman on Aug 20th, 2020
B2B Marketing, Content Marketing

I have an important question for you:

Athlete A runs a marathon in under 3 hours. Athlete B runs a 40-yard dash in under 5 seconds. Which athlete is more impressive to you?

Athlete A can run the distance, but Athlete B is explosive. ?

via GIPHY

If you’re anything like me, you answered that they’re both very impressive. And you’d be right. Having both endurance and power are extremely important. So, why am I asking this question on a blog all about marketing? Well, the most successful content marketing strategies have tactics that cover those two qualities: endurance and power. AKA long-term and short-term tactics.

7 B2B Content Marketing Tactics For Long Term Success

Project Management FAQ: Top Questions B2B Marketers Ask About Projects and Process

Anne Leuman on Jun 11th, 2020
B2B Marketing

What is every B2B marketer’s favorite word?

Process.

Okay, I’m kidding. For people who live and work in a creative field like B2B marketing, process has a little bit of a reputation. A reputation for stifling the creative process with extra steps, procedures, and — depending on who you ask — hoops to jump through.

While it’s certainly true that too much process becomes a hindrance, it’s also true that not enough process becomes chaos. We need processes to onboard new staff, establish marketing innovations, create more efficient projects, and more.

With such a critical — and controversial — role in B2B marketing, it makes sense that marketers have a lot of questions when it comes to processes and the projects they aid. You may even be one of those marketers. To help you get the answers you seek, here are the most frequently asked questions B2B marketers have about process and projects.

Project Management FAQ: Top Questions B2B Marketers Ask About Projects and Process

5 Project Management Tips for Adrift Remote Marketing Teams

Anne Leuman on May 14th, 2020
B2B Marketing

“WILSON!”

“Wilson, I’m sorry!”

via GIPHY

Work, lately, feels a little like being a castaway.

Isolating yourself. Dreaming of the past. Trusting in technology — however advanced or primitive — to get us through.

And work could stay this way for a while.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought an unprecedented number of information workers, including marketers, home for work. In fact, 62% of American workers said they’ve worked from home at some point during this crisis. But many experts are estimating that this volume of distributed and remote work won’t decrease after the pandemic ends. They see that hundreds, if not thousands, of businesses are realizing they never really needed an office — they could have operated remotely all along.

5 Project Management Tips for Adrift Remote Marketing Teams

5 Examples of Effective B2B Content Marketing in Times of Crisis

Anne Leuman
B2B Marketing, Content Marketing

There has been no greater disruption to business in the modern era than the COVID-19 pandemic. For many, it seems as though the world has stopped turning. For marketers, it seems as though now is the worst time to try to promote anything.

But as our CEO, Lee Odden, said, “While there will be a period of adjustment, these changes do not mean the work stops. It doesn’t mean companies don’t need information, solutions, support, products and services.”

And he couldn’t be more right. Your audience may even have a greater need now for your solutions or expertise. They’re trying to navigate through this uncertain time, too. And they’re looking for help now more than ever before.

5 Examples of Effective B2B Content Marketing in Times of Crisis

A Well-Oiled Machine: Why Every B2B Marketing Team Needs Marketing Operations

Anne Leuman
B2B Marketing

What makes a B2B marketing campaign great?

Is it a creative theme that catches your attention? Is it the insightful expertise featured within? Is it the number of leads it produced?

Answer: it’s all of those things and more. Great B2B marketing campaigns have great ideas and great execution.

But great execution is hard to achieve. It demands excellent resourcing, swift approvals, streamlined processes, and more. And as you may have noticed, these aren’t marketing functions. They’re operational functions.

For your B2B marketing campaigns to truly be successful, you need someone leading the operational side of things. You need marketing operations.

What Is Marketing Operations?

According to MarketingProfs, marketing operations is “an emerging discipline that increases efficiency and drives consistent results in marketing-focused organizations. It builds a foundation for excellence by reinforcing marketing strategy with metrics, infrastructure, business processes, best practices, budgeting and reporting.”

A Well-Oiled Machine: Why Every B2B Marketing Team Needs Marketing Operations

Smooth Sailing: Our Guide to Effective Project Management for B2B Marketers

Anne Leuman
B2B Marketing

What does the word “work” mean to you?

A dictionary would tell you that work is, “activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result,” or maybe, “a task or tasks to be undertaken; something a person or thing has to do.”

But how do we know which tasks to tackle first? Or what specifically needs to happen in order to achieve our purpose?

That’s where project management comes in.

And for B2B marketing agencies or teams, there are a lot of nuances when it comes to project management. Launching several campaigns at once. Racing to meet tight deadlines. Ensuring important milestones are met and in the right order. These are not your typical projects. And the typical approach to project management just won’t cut it.

Smooth Sailing: Our Guide to Effective Project Management for B2B Marketers

What Is B2B Influencer Marketing in 2020? Change Is Coming

Anne Leuman
B2B Marketing, Influencer Marketing

You already know what B2B influencer marketing is. It is “the practice of a B2B brand engaging internal and industry experts with active networks to help achieve measurable business goals.”

But how is that changing in 2020 with social media distrust, the spread of misinformation, advertising regulations, and more?

B2B influencer marketing in 2020 has seen new challenges arise, requiring a shift in approach. From trust to transparency to accessibility, 2020 is set to be a transformative year for influencer marketing programs.

What is B2B influencer marketing in 2020 and how is it changing? We share the answers with you below.

In 2020, B2B influencer marketing is… niche and targeted.

That big-name influencer you’ve been working so hard to grab? You might want to pivot to a smaller, more niche expert.

What Is B2B Influencer Marketing in 2020? Change Is Coming

4 Questions to Drive More Productive Marketing Meetings

Anne Leuman
B2B Marketing

Allow me to paint a picture.

SCENE

INTERIOR – OFFICE

The CAMERA pans to a worker, furiously typing on their computer. Headphones on. The keys CLACK with productivity until–

— A LOUD CHIME rings out.

The CAMERA zooms slowly to the computer screen. A meeting alert flashes across the monitor.

— The worker’s head hits the desk with a soft THUD.

We CUT back to the worker. Head hung in exasperation, the worker stops their typing, rises, and departs to attend their call.

END SCENE

It’s happened to all of us. Stop work. Attend meeting. Rinse and repeat.

4 Questions to Drive More Productive Marketing Meetings

Digital Marketing News: More Facebook Stories Updates, CCPA Shakes Up the Ad Industry, GDPR Compliance in the U.S. & More

Anne Leuman
Online Marketing News

Image Credit: Marketing Land

Facebook Unveils New CTA for Brand Stories
Facebook has been hot on the Stories train and shows no signs of stopping with their latest update. With their recent update to Stories, users can now send messages to brands and businesses directly from Stories ads. This change allows brands to drive more engagement with their target audience with an easier, softer CTA on the platform. Marketing Land

87% of Consumers Would Opt Out of Ad Targeting Thanks to the CCPA
The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) is set to give consumers more control over their personal data starting Jan. 2020. To measure the potential impact the CCPA may have on the media and advertising industries, several studies are being conducted. The most recent studies from BritePool and Annenberg Research show that 87% of consumers would opt out of ad targeting when given the option through the CCPA, making it even harder for organizations to reach their target audience. Adweek

Digital Marketing News: More Facebook Stories Updates, CCPA Shakes Up the Ad Industry, GDPR Compliance in the U.S. & More