B2B Marketing Blog - TopRank®

B2B Marketing views, news and interviews.

The Difference Between Zero-Party, First-Party & Third-Party Data

Katelyn Drake
Katelyn Drake on Mar 29th, 2023
B2B Marketing, Online Marketing Strategy, Web Analytics

Zero, first, and third-party data for B2B marketers group of marketers image

We know — and even expect — brands to understand us and offer up personalized experiences. (And at this point, isn’t it annoying when a brand obviously doesn’t “get” us?)

While we’ve seen a major shift from third-party to first-party data over the past few years, the latest trend now relies on zero-party data. And, if used correctly, it will become the most powerful source of buyer information.

Quick definitions 

Before we dive much further, let’s quickly recap the different data sources:

  • Third-party data is obtained or purchased from an outside source. Think Apple or Facebook’s abilities to provide demographic or other interests based on information collected from those sites. The data is not exclusive to your company, meaning anyone can have access to the same data.

The Difference Between Zero-Party, First-Party & Third-Party Data

How Music Can Help Make Your B2B Content Sing

Joshua Nite
Joshua Nite on Mar 27th, 2023
B2B Marketing, Content Marketing

Music Inspired B2B Content

I asked ChatGPT to write the introduction for this post. Here’s what it gave me:

In the world of B2B marketing, creating engaging and effective content is crucial for attracting and retaining customers. However, the process of brainstorming ideas and putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) can sometimes feel daunting and unproductive. That’s where music comes in. Listening to music has been shown to have a multitude of benefits for the brain, including improved mood, increased focus, and enhanced creativity. In this blog post, we’ll explore how incorporating music into your writing process can help B2B marketers produce better content and connect with their audience on a deeper level.


How Music Can Help Make Your B2B Content Sing

Feeding Today’s Hunger For Better B2B Content Marketing Experiences

Art Allen
Art Allen on Mar 22nd, 2023
B2B Marketing, Content Marketing

3 types of B2B content sure to win readers over jumping marketers image

It’s a great time to be a B2B content marketer. The appetite for content marketing within B2B audiences is high, and content marketers say it remains by far the best tactic in terms of ROI.

But as content marketers we have to tread carefully: to paraphrase the old proverb, an opportunity is just a crisis waiting to happen. We need to make sure we are giving our readers what they want, because if we don’t, they’ll look elsewhere — and they might not come back.

And we don’t have to look far to know we can’t take our audiences for granted. The wild and frankly erratic moment happening in the world of social media has seen participation and engagement on social channels drop significantly. All except for TikTok, that is.


Feeding Today’s Hunger For Better B2B Content Marketing Experiences

Humanize, Organize, Strategize & Personalize: 4 Ways To Boost B2B Influencer Marketing With Generative AI

Lane Ellis
Lane Ellis on Mar 20th, 2023
B2B Marketing, Influencer Marketing

4 ways to boost B2B influencer marketing with generative AI man and robot image

How can B2B brands best harness the power of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools to help take their influencer marketing to the next level?

At this point, it seems unlikely content that has been created with at least some AI-generated tool assistance will be shunned, making it likely that for better or worse it will soon be the rule rather than the exception — if it isn’t already.

Some organizations may put policies in place that forbid the use of generative AI, however for those that don’t there are many helpful and creative ways these tools can be harnessed to take B2B influencer marketing to the next level.

Let’s explore top ways B2B marketers can use generative AI to humanize, organize, strategize and personalize when it comes to influencer marketing.


Humanize, Organize, Strategize & Personalize: 4 Ways To Boost B2B Influencer Marketing With Generative AI

What is Search Intent and Why Is It Fundamental to SEO?

Harry Mackin
Harry Mackin on Mar 15th, 2023
B2B Marketing, SEO

Search intent and why it's fundamental to SEO hands at holographic image

When you googled “what is search intent,” you had the informational intention to seek out an answer to your question and learn more about a topic you’ve been hearing about.

As you can see, we understood that intent and wrote this blog post to answer your question. In other words: you’ve clearly come to the right place!

Search intent isn’t a “new” concept in SEO, but it is a surprisingly overlooked concept, especially in B2B. This is a problem for a couple reasons:

First and foremost, there’s the scary reason. As SEO becomes more and more competitive and third-party cookies go the way of the dinosaur, B2B businesses really have their work cut out for them if they want to stand out. Just targeting high-volume keywords isn’t going to cut it anymore; we’ll need to reach the right audience with the right message using the right keywords.


What is Search Intent and Why Is It Fundamental to SEO?

5 Steps to Building Authentic Relationships with Influencers

Alex White
Alex White on Mar 13th, 2023
B2B Marketing, Influencer Marketing

Building more authentic influencer relationships black and white image of women marketers smiling

Has there ever been a time when you were trying to work with an influencer, but found it challenging to get their attention? Having your emails go unanswered and being left unread on LinkedIn is a silent form of rejection we’ve all encountered at some point in time — it’s just inevitable. But there is a method to increasing the chances the expert you have your eye on not only replies to your messages but does plenty more — and I’m not talking about simply using money as a motivator.

1 — Don’t jump directly into their DMs

After hours of searching, you finally find an influencer who’s the perfect candidate for your campaign. Is your first thought to send them a message on social media? You’re not alone. That said, it’s important to hold off for the time being and do some homework.


5 Steps to Building Authentic Relationships with Influencers

Intent-Based Strategy is the Future of SEO

Nick Nelson
Nick Nelson on Mar 9th, 2023
B2B Marketing, Enterprise SEO, Search Marketing, SEO

As any B2B company can attest, the most vexing type of problem is that which you have a solution for … you just don’t know how best to use it.

B2B marketers face monumental challenges today, aiming to increase targeted brand awareness in crowded marketplaces with tightening budgets. We’re feeling pressure to hit stricter KPIs and ambitious growth goals by increasing trust, engagement, reach, and ultimately ROI.

Meanwhile, we face all of these challenges during a period of economic uncertainty, rising digital advertising costs, and — oh yeah, the end of third-party cookies.

The good news? There’s a solution right in front of us. Optimizing for organic search is as effective as ever in the age of content proliferation and generative AI; B2B marketers just need to be more strategic and savvy in how they approach it.


Intent-Based Strategy is the Future of SEO

12 Women in B2B Marketing Worth Celebrating This (and every) Month

Katelyn Drake
Katelyn Drake on Mar 8th, 2023
B2B Marketing

12 women in B2B marketing worth celebrating collage image

Historically, women have been underrepresented in the B2B marketing space, but we all know there are endless inspiring stories of female leaders driving innovation and creating revolutionary strategies.

March marks Women’s History Month, and today is International Women’s Day. This month — and every month — let’s celebrate all of the amazing women in B2B marketing who are leading the industry with boldness, bravery and innovation.

From marketing mavericks to storytellers, from unique strategic approaches to creating a brand and culture of diversity and inclusion, these executives are setting powerful examples for others – especially young professionals — to follow. Let’s take a look at just some of this remarkable talent that is pushing forward progress on behalf of businesses around the world!


12 Women in B2B Marketing Worth Celebrating This (and every) Month

What Does B2B Content Marketing Look Like in 2023?

Katelyn Drake
Katelyn Drake on Mar 6th, 2023
B2B Marketing, Content Marketing

B2B content marketing in 2023 woman and man looking at ideas on glass board image

Sometimes marketers can spot trends as they are on the rise and sometimes we are hit over the head with them (can we say ChatGPT?).

What we’ve seen so far this year has been a mix of both: trends that have been gaining steam for a long time and quick pivots as marketers adapt. The past six months alone have given us everything from AI writing to Twitter uncertainties. Everyone loves to talk about their predictions at the start of the new year, but it’s always interesting to watch reality unfold.

Are we crystal ball-gazers? Of course not! But we’ve been watching and listening and have seen some themes emerge for B2B content marketing — trends that will likely continue beyond 2023. 


What Does B2B Content Marketing Look Like in 2023?

That’s A Wrap – Top Take-Aways from B2BMX 2023

Katelyn Drake
Katelyn Drake on Mar 3rd, 2023
B2B Marketing, Marketing PR Conferences

That's a wrap on #B2BMX 2023

B2B marketers are facing more and more challenges. We are asked to do more with less, cultivate human connection balanced with high-tech experiences, all with the threat of artificial intelligence (AI) coming for our jobs.

Staying ahead of trends, finding efficiencies that drive impact, maintaining a growth mindset and looking for inspiration are ways TopRank Marketing commits to our missions to elevate the B2B marketing industry. All of this is fueled by community: seeking, creating and engaging in the B2B marketing community of brands and thought leaders doing the work and sharing their highs and lows throughout the journey.

This week, our team had the opportunity to attend the annual B2B Marketing Exchange conference in Scottsdale, Arizona. Talk about community — this event was packed with experts, topics and opportunities to connect and collaborate. In case you missed the conference, here are a few highlights and top takeaways:


That’s A Wrap – Top Take-Aways from B2BMX 2023

Tired Of Chasing Vanity Metrics? Drive Better Marketing Outcomes & More Sales! – B2BMX

Katelyn Drake
Katelyn Drake on Mar 1st, 2023
B2B Marketing, Marketing PR Conferences

Tired of chasing vanity metrics panel of speakers at the B2BMX marketing conference image

 

 

 

 

 

While reviewing metrics, it can sometimes be hard to identify the metrics that matter vs vanity metrics.

Vanity metrics are metrics that may look impressive on the surface but do not provide meaningful insights into the performance of a marketing campaign or business. They are called “vanity” metrics because they make us feel good but are ultimately superficial and not indicative of real success. Some examples of vanity metrics for marketers include:

  1. Likes and followers on social media: While having a large following on social media may look impressive, it does not necessarily translate into actual engagement or conversions.

Tired Of Chasing Vanity Metrics? Drive Better Marketing Outcomes & More Sales! – B2BMX