B2B Marketing Archives - B2B Marketing Blog

B2B Marketers: It’s Time to Make Inclusive Language a Priority. Here’s How.

Nick Nelson on Jan 19th, 2022
B2B Marketing

If you’re in the business of marketing, I don’t need to tell you that words have power.

They have the power to influence. The power to endear. The power to alienate.

If you’re in the business of marketing, I don’t need to tell you how undesirable that last effect is.

It’s the risk today’s brands are running if they fail to make inclusive language a priority. The words used in content and communications speak volumes about a company’s values.

Following a few simple guiding principles can make a big difference in projecting a brand culture and community that are welcoming to all, both externally and internally.

B2B Marketers: It’s Time to Make Inclusive Language a Priority. Here’s How.

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

What Cannes Lions’ New Creative B2B Award Categories Mean For Marketers

Lane Ellis on Jan 17th, 2022
B2B Marketing

The venerable Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity has been around in one form or another since the 1950s, offering brands worldwide the opportunity to showcase their top marketing work and advertising talent.

They haven’t had specific B2B marketing awards, however. Until now.

What do B2B marketers need to know about the new Creative B2B Lions, which will launch during Cannes Lions 2022 this summer?

Let’s explore what’s on tap with the launch, and what B2B marketers and other creative professionals can look forward to learning from the new B2B awards portion of this preeminent event.

Welcoming The Creative B2B Lions

The new Creative B2B Lions event and awards have been established in conjunction with the B2B community, most notably The B2B Institute, the industry think tank funded by LinkedIn* that researches the future of B2B marketing and decision making.

What Cannes Lions’ New Creative B2B Award Categories Mean For Marketers

5 Timely B2B Marketing Tips I’ve Learned From 15 Years As A Remote Worker

Lane Ellis on Jan 12th, 2022
B2B Marketing

With hybrid and remote work here to stay and digital-first marketing on the rise, how can B2B marketers make the most of these important shifts?

Although I’ve written about remote work before, in pieces including “Remote Communication Opportunities For B2B Marketers,” “Day 4,777: Remote Work Tips From 13+ Years As A Distance Marketer,” and “Hybrid & Remote Work Trends That Will Alter The Future Of B2B Marketing,” the permanent changes to where and how we work have significant implications that will affect B2B marketers forever, so it’s time to reassess.

Let’s take a close look at five ways B2B marketers can make the most from remote and hybrid work and digital-first brand interactions, from the perspective of someone who’s been working entirely remotely for 15 years, and from several top voices on the future of work.

5 Timely B2B Marketing Tips I’ve Learned From 15 Years As A Remote Worker

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?

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

5 Micro-Scale B2B Influencer Marketing Moves That Can Make A Monumental Impact

Lane Ellis on Jan 5th, 2022
B2B Marketing

Can seemingly minute marketing maneuvers combine to make a truly monumental impact?

When you’re talking about the power of influence in B2B marketing, even some of the tiniest digital interactions can — when done smartly — lead to the loftiest of business successes.

These tiny digital touches can create enduring relationships, amplify talent, feed the increasing need for unique B2B content experiences, and even supercharge our connections with more compelling stories.

Just as a single small stone joins others to form huge mountains including K2 and Mount Everest, sometimes it’s the smallest moves marketers make that end up on the highest summits of B2B marketing success.

Let’s start our trek together and explore five micro-scale marketing moves that can make a monumental impact on your B2B influencer marketing success in 2022 and beyond.

5 Micro-Scale B2B Influencer Marketing Moves That Can Make A Monumental Impact

Broadcast Your B2B Marketing with a Brand Voice that Rings True

Nick Nelson on Jan 3rd, 2022
B2B Marketing

Last month, the sports world mourned the loss of John Madden, an iconic broadcaster who – for many of us – became the voice of NFL football.

Overshadowing his illustrious career as a head coach, which included a Super Bowl victory, Madden is best known as a legendary color commentator – likely the most recognizable and beloved in the history of football, if not all of professional sports.

What is it about Madden that made his voice and narration so resonant with fans? If you read through some of the various tributes to emerge since his passing, a few recurring themes stand out.

He made things simple for his audience, while still managing to educate them on the nuances of the game.

Broadcast Your B2B Marketing with a Brand Voice that Rings True

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

Happy Holidays & 2022 Wishes from the Team at TopRank Marketing

Lane Ellis on Dec 22nd, 2021
B2B Marketing

Positivity may not be what first comes to mind when B2B marketers the world over describe 2022, yet during this holiday season it’s the positive energy, outlook, and attitudes from our team, clients, associates, family and friends that spring forth.

Overcoming the world’s continuing shared challenges with positivity has brought us closer together in new ways, even as most of us collaborate in creative remote and hybrid ways, and as we enter the holiday season all of us at TopRank Marketing bring you special wishes for health and happiness.

We wish you and your family a joy-filled holiday season filled with warmth, laughter, and friends.

We also wish you a happy 2022 that eases some of the greatest challenges we’ve all faced the past two years, and sees newfound levels of positivity in your professional and personal life.

Happy Holidays & 2022 Wishes from the Team at TopRank Marketing

Why There’s a Need for Creative Storytelling in B2B Tech and How Influencer Marketing Can Accelerate Results

Debbie Friez on Dec 21st, 2021
B2B Marketing, Influencer Marketing

Today’s B2B marketers have more challenges than ever, making it hard to cut through the noise and deliver results for their companies. In all of their efforts they must maintain a focus on connecting with new audiences, expanding their reach, and building relationships founded on a sense of mutual trust.

Here are a few examples of some of the biggest challenges today’s B2B marketers are facing:

Finding ways to boost marketing efficiency: Marketers are often expected to achieve greater results with fewer resources, so finding ways to maximize efficiency is critical to achieve success within budgetary parameters.
Increasing marketing impact: Marketers are expected to deliver a higher return on investment (ROI) on their marketing efforts.

Why There’s a Need for Creative Storytelling in B2B Tech and How Influencer Marketing Can Accelerate Results

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