Joshua Nite

Who Is the New B2B Buyer and How Do You Connect with Them?

Joshua Nite on Jan 11th, 2022
B2B Marketing, Influencer Marketing

We all know that Millennials are out-of-control college kids doing shots on Spring Break. And Gen Z are the 10-year-olds currently being raised by TikTok, right?

Hold onto your hats: The youngest Millennials are in their late-twenties. The oldest Gen Zs are 25 — that means they’re out of school and in the workforce. These two demographics are the fastest-growing cohort of B2B buyers.

And they don’t think like Boomers or Gen Xers.

So how do B2B marketers reach these mysterious digital natives? Here are a few pointers.

How to Connect with the New B2B Buyer

You don’t need the latest slang to speak authentically to younger audiences (though I find the new slang totes yeet). Just keep in mind these preferences.

Who Is the New B2B Buyer and How Do You Connect with Them?

B2B Tech Marketing Opportunities for a Remote Work World

Joshua Nite on Dec 2nd, 2021
B2B Marketing

Right now my co-worker is curled up at my feet, delicately snoring. That’s better than yesterday, when my other co-worker snuck off and shredded an entire roll of paper towels.

I should mention that I work at home, and Remy and Rosie are my co-workers:

Which is to say: Remote work is a whole different animal than office work. And while the pandemic was the catalyst that sent us home, remote work will be here long after it’s safe to go back to the office.

For B2B tech companies, remote work presents new opportunities for products and services. Here are a few trends our agency has been seeing, and how our clients have met them.

B2B Tech Marketing Opportunities for a Remote Work World

13 Top Strategies For B2B Marketers To Host & Promote Live Virtual Events

Joshua Nite on Nov 22nd, 2021
B2B Marketing, Other Events

Great news! It’s easier than ever to host a virtual event.

Not-so-great news! Every B2B brand you’ve ever heard of is ALSO hosting virtual events. And most of us are sick to death of staring at a screen 24/7.

That doesn’t mean to not do virtual events. But it does mean we have to be more strategic about putting one together. You have to bring all of your marketing might and prowess to bear in order to make sure your event is attended, and that the attendees have a great experience.

Let’s take a look at a few things you can do before, during and after a virtual event to kick it up to the next level.

13 Top Strategies For B2B Marketers To Host & Promote Live Virtual Events

How B2B Content Marketing Can Build Trust that Stands the Test of Time

Joshua Nite on Nov 15th, 2021
B2B Marketing, Content Marketing

Nothing sends up red flags faster than someone saying “Trust me.” It’s the same as “Honestly, I swear, it’s the truth!” You can’t build trust by demanding it — the more you talk about it, the less credible you sound.

Building trust takes continued action over time. It’s always a work in progress and it’s incredibly fragile.

Brands need to work on building that credibility with their audiences. In the 2020 Edelman Trust Barometer report, 53% of respondents ranked trust as a deciding factor in purchase decisions, second only to affordability. The report also found trust is a crucial indicator for customer loyalty, with half of respondents saying it played a major role.

But here’s the challenge: less than half of those surveyed — in 11 countries across the globe — said they trust major brands.

How B2B Content Marketing Can Build Trust that Stands the Test of Time

Amp It Up: What B2B Marketers Need to Know about Social Influencer Amplification

Joshua Nite on Nov 1st, 2021
B2B Marketing, Content Marketing, Influencer Marketing

Allow me one more scary story, even though Halloween is over…

Once there was a marketer who created an eBook with content from ten respected influencers in their industry. The marketer released the eBook, sent an email to notify the contributors…

And not one of them shared the content. Without amplification, the content was dead on arrival, and some say it haunts the marketer’s office to this very day…

Whew! Spooky story, right? One of the big benefits of influencer marketing should be built-in amplification of the content.

But influencers don’t always hold up their end of the bargain. Fortunately, there are a few things that B2B content marketers can do throughout the content co-creation process to help influencers follow through on amplification.

Amp It Up: What B2B Marketers Need to Know about Social Influencer Amplification

Why Empathy Matters More than Ever in B2B Content Marketing (And How to Get It Right)

Joshua Nite on Oct 20th, 2021
B2B Marketing, Content Marketing

B2B marketers, ready for some TRUTH BOMBS?

Here we go: We need to make our content more human and more empathetic. B2B content doesn’t have to be boring; in fact, it can’t be boring and be effective. B2B buyers are just people — we need to talk to them like people.

Are you blown away by the depth and breadth of my insight? Ready to book me at your next marketing conference?

Okay, all sarcasm aside: We all have heard the old “B2Me” speech a dozen times. I’m not here to give it to you again.

Instead, I want to get deeper into the specifics of what it means to be empathetic and provide value with content.

Why Empathy Matters More than Ever in B2B Content Marketing (And How to Get It Right)

Equilibrium: 10 Tips to Balance Creativity and Process in B2B Content Marketing

Joshua Nite on Sep 21st, 2021
B2B Marketing, Content Marketing

Marketers have to continually earn and reward people’s attention. If we fail at that task, there are plenty of other content options out there. People — yes, even B2B buyers — want engaging, entertaining and valuable content.

That’s great news for those of us on the content side! It means we should be regularly exercising our creative muscles, breaking free of boring B2B, and coming up with new ways to delight our readers. How cool is it, for example, to make Ghostbusters references… for your job?

But as fun and creative as the work can be, there’s a cerebral and analytical side to marketing that we can’t neglect. If you came into marketing through creative writing, not the other way around, you may need to develop the left-brain part of the job:

Equilibrium: 10 Tips to Balance Creativity and Process in B2B Content Marketing

Write from the Heart for More Memorable B2B Content Marketing

Joshua Nite on Jul 20th, 2021
B2B Marketing, Content Marketing

B2B marketers have been pushing for personalized content for a good long while. Now we’re also trying to humanize content — to make the case that B2B buyers are human beings who want to connect with other humans on an emotional level.

Isn’t it remarkable that we still have to make that argument?

But I’m not here to write another 1000 words about humanizing content. I want us to take it a step further, beyond personalization, humanization, personality and empathy.

B2B content marketing needs to come from the heart.

True, genuine heart is the last frontier in content. Every brand has an Instagram with behind-the-scenes content to boost authenticity. Every brand is striving to give at least the appearance of sincerity, personality and transparency.

Write from the Heart for More Memorable B2B Content Marketing

6 B2B Content Marketing Summertime Sizzlers To Increase Audience Engagement

Joshua Nite on Jun 1st, 2021
B2B Marketing, Content Marketing, Influencer Marketing

I’m going to knock on wood as I type this, but: It looks like we might have a (mostly) normal summer this year in the U.S. After the lockdowns, isolation, anxiety and fear of 2020, it finally feels like things are opening up.

This is all great for everything except getting people to read your marketing content. In 2020 we had a captive audience starved for entertainment. Now we’ll be competing with everything from music festivals to movies to walking in the park.

The way to break through and have a “hot brand summer?” First, don’t use phrases like “hot brand summer,” because you’ll just make people hate you. Second, it’s all about customer engagement. That means connecting with people on a personal level, offering something novel and fascinating, and using that contact to build a meaningful relationship.

6 B2B Content Marketing Summertime Sizzlers To Increase Audience Engagement

What B2B Marketers Can Learn from Stand-Up Comedy

Joshua Nite on May 25th, 2021
B2B Marketing, Content Marketing

Stand-up comedians need to make a connection with their audience. It starts with getting attention, then stoking interest, developing a rapport, and ultimately provoking a reaction.

To do it right, you need empathy, knowledge of your audience, creativity…oh, and a spark that makes you unique.

B2B marketers: Does any of the above sound familiar? I’ve been a professional marketer and an amateur comedian for over a decade, and it’s surprising how much the two inform each other.

Here are just a few lessons that B2B marketers can learn from standup.

Keep It Real

In the early 19th century, standup comedy depended on wordplay and absurdism. For example: “Take my wife…please!” or “The other night I shot an elephant in my pajamas… how he got into my pajamas, I’ll never know.”

What B2B Marketers Can Learn from Stand-Up Comedy

B2B Content Marketing: 10 Tips to Level Up Your Writing Skills

Joshua Nite on Apr 27th, 2021
B2B Marketing, Content Marketing

What is the biggest challenge a writer faces?

Nothing.

Well, by “nothing,” I mean a blank white screen and a blinking cursor.

It mocks you with its unlimited potential. It fills you with fear that anything you put on that screen won’t be an improvement over its pristine emptiness.

We content marketers have to face this challenge nearly every day, and somehow find a way to write content that connects, engages, and persuades.

I’ve spent my entire adult life working in the content trenches — first as a comedy writer, and now as a content marketer. Here are a few tips I’ve picked up that can elevate your writing and make that blank screen less daunting.

10 Tips for B2B Marketers to Elevate Their Writing Skills

#1: READ

B2B Content Marketing: 10 Tips to Level Up Your Writing Skills

Joshua Nite

How to Connect with the New B2B Buyer

The Problem with Most B2B Social Media Marketing

Keep It Real

10 Tips for B2B Marketers to Elevate Their Writing Skills