Online Marketing Blog

Carlos Abler of 3M Asks B2BMX Attendees: Can Marketing Save the World?

For many B2B marketers, it can be so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day tactics of marketing to where we don’t take the time to pause and ask ourselves: Can marketing save the world?

To help us answer that question, Carlos Abler, Leader of Content Marketing & Strategy at 3M took the stage for a keynote at the B2B Marketing Exchange conference in Scottsdale, AZ.

In his keynote, Carlos shared a variety of ways that B2B marketers can approach marketing differently to increase their impact on customers, prospects and the world. Below are some of the key takeaways.

3 Ways Marketing Can Save the World

Marketers as Publishers

In the 21^st century, it’s no surprise that the internet has become THE location for conducting business. We know that the majority of customer relations are done through content. Why? The internet allows consumers to self-serve.

Carlos Abler of 3M Asks B2BMX Attendees: Can Marketing Save the World?

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How B2B Marketers Can Make the Most of Interactive Content Tools

Caitlin Burgess on Feb 26th, 2019 B2B Marketing, Content Marketing, Interactive Marketing

Informative. Engaging. Entertaining. Inspiring. Interactive content is a rising B2B marketing star, allowing brands to break free of their “boring-to-boring” reputations to give their audiences bold, beautiful, badass experiences.

And to make it increasingly easy for B2B content marketers to deliver those interactive experiences, interactive content tools—from simple web-based tools to robust platforms—have proliferated.

But here’s the thing: From upping marketing efficiency to collecting unique audience data insights, the beauty and utility of many interactive content tools extends well beyond content creation and delivery.

So, if you truly want to make the most of your interactive content investments, you should take care in making the most of your tools of choice. How? Here are a few tips.

How B2B Marketers Can Make the Most of Interactive Content Tools

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Can’t-Miss Sessions at 2019’s B2B Marketing Exchange Conference #B2BMX

Ashley Zeckman on Feb 25th, 2019 B2B Marketing, Marketing PR Conferences

B2B marketers rejoice! This week marks the annual B2B Marketing Exchange (B2BMX) conference in Scottsdale, AZ. With the help of an amazing group of speakers, this event is designed to bring the latest and greatest B2B marketing trends to light in a way that enables teams to tackle any new marketing obstacles the year holds.

At B2BMX, TopRank Marketing CEO Lee Odden will help change the narrative as he tackles why B2B marketing doesn’t have to be boring in his session: Break Free of Boring B2B With Interactive Influencer Content. In this session, Lee will share ideas for top interactive formats for B2B, best practices for influencer content engagement, and how to pull it all together with examples from successful B2B brands. If you’ll be attending, please join us on Tuesday, Feb. 26 at 11:25 a.m. for Lee’s session!

Can’t-Miss Sessions at 2019’s B2B Marketing Exchange Conference #B2BMX

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Digital Marketing News: HubSpot’s Email Lead Capture Report, Adobe’s Content Survey, Facebook & Google Tops for Mobile Ads

Lane Ellis on Feb 22nd, 2019 Online Marketing News

2019 February 22 Backlinko Report Chart

We Analyzed 912 Million Blog Posts. Here’s What We Learned About Content Marketing
The performance of key elements in blog posts was the subject of a recent study by Backlinko and BuzzSumo, pulling statistics from 912 million posts and sharing findings relevant to many digital marketers. Backlinko

Influencers and Instagram Stories: A Perfect Marriage?
Influencer marketers have increasingly turned to Instagram Stories, with 34 percent of content containing the #ad hashtag on the service being posted in the story format, one of several findings of interest to digital marketers in a new study. eMarketer

Aiming To Reward Your Best Customers? Amazon Wants To Get Involved. For B2B marketers
Amazon launched a B2B marketing service, Moments, a reward and loyalty-based program backed by the online marketplace giant looking to get an even larger share of the $27 billion annual fulfillment business. MediaPost

Digital Marketing News: HubSpot’s Email Lead Capture Report, Adobe’s Content Survey, Facebook & Google Tops for Mobile Ads

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How B2B Marketers Can Win at Search with Best Answer Content

Nick Nelson on Feb 21st, 2019 B2B Marketing, Search Marketing, SEO

Marketers are engaged in a continuous battle to gain an edge when it comes to SEO, seeking those crucial advantages provided by top visibility where customers are looking. Multiple disciplines from technical SEO to creative content can be leveraged to win the search marketing game. At TopRank Marketing, we believe the best answer to this quandary is… well, to be the Best Answer.

To simplify and clarify, it might be helpful to take a step back.

In October of 2000, Larry Page laid out his ambitious vision for Google, a company he’d founded along with Sergey Brin just two years earlier.

Page foresaw his creation as “the ultimate search engine that would understand everything on the Web. It would understand exactly what you wanted, and it would give you the right thing.”

How B2B Marketers Can Win at Search with Best Answer Content

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B2B Brands Go Bold: 7 Great Examples of Interactive B2B Content

Joshua Nite on Feb 20th, 2019 B2B Marketing, Online Marketing

If you’re not convinced that interactive content in the B2B space can work: Well, first check out these interactive content stats.

If you’re still on the fence, here’s an object lesson from a master of audience engagement:

Freddie plays that 100,000-person crowd like an instrument. You can feel the energy, even through a tiny YouTube window.

When you invite your audience to be part of the show, the results can be magical.

Now, odds are your brand can’t match the raw charisma of Freddie Mercury in tight jeans. But you can still get your audience cheering with interactive B2B content.

Here are a few great examples to light your creative fires and open your B2B minds to the possibilities of interactive.

B2B Brands Go Bold: 7 Great Examples of Interactive B2B Content

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Why Always-On Is Always Better for Driving B2B Influencer Marketing Success

Caitlin Burgess on Feb 19th, 2019 B2B Marketing, Influencer Marketing

Show of hands: How many of us brush our teeth at least twice a day? All of us? Great.

Now, a follow up question: Why?

The reasons are numerous, right? We care about maintaining our hygiene on a daily basis. We want to keep our smiles bright. We need to defend against offensive bad breath. We want to ensure the long-term health of our teeth, gums, and mouths. And, mostly, we want to successfully avoid pricey and painful dental work now and in the future.

via GIPHY

The moral here? With consistency and commitment we reap both short- and long-term benefits—and avoid a whole lot of pain. And the same is true when it comes to B2B influencer marketing.

Why Always-On Is Always Better for Driving B2B Influencer Marketing Success

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Break Free of Boring B2B with Interactive Influencer Content

Lee Odden on Feb 18th, 2019 B2B Marketing, Influencer Marketing

Click Here to see the Break Free from Boring B2B Guide in Full Screen Mode

B2B doesn’t need to mean “boring to boring” and yet much of business marketing has earned its reputation. In a world of information overload, buyers expect engaging content from sources they can trust.

So what’s the solution for marketers that want to break free of boring B2B marketing?

Since 81% of marketers agree that interactive content grabs attention more effectively than static content (CMI) and 70% say interactive content is effective at converting site visitors (ion interactive), B2B marketers need move away from simply educating and to start creating content experiences that allow customers to engage.

Break Free of Boring B2B with Interactive Influencer Content

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Digital Marketing News: LinkedIn’s Live Video, CMI’s New Content Marketing Agency Report, Google on SEO, & Reddit’s $3B Valuation

Lane Ellis on Feb 15th, 2019 Online Marketing News

2019 February 15 CMI Report Chart

Do Agencies Practice the Content Marketing They Preach? [New Research]
Agency content marketing statistics and budgeting trends for 2019 are examined in a new report from the Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs, with the release of the new “Agency Content Marketing 2019: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends” survey. Content Marketing Institute

LinkedIn debuts LinkedIn Live, a new live video broadcast service
LinkedIn (client) has began launching a live video feature, LinkedIn Live, to build on the success of its standard video offerings which are already the fastest-growing format on the platform, the firm has announced. TechCrunch

In-app ad spend grows but KPIs slow to catch up, study finds
Advertisers are spending 45 percent of their budgets on mobile formats, and 92 percent of firms expect to see those budgets expand during the next year, two of the take-aways from a new joint survey from Forrester and PubMatic. The Drum

Digital Marketing News: LinkedIn’s Live Video, CMI’s New Content Marketing Agency Report, Google on SEO, & Reddit’s $3B Valuation

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Lovestruck: Why We’ve Fallen in Love with B2B Content Marketing

Anne Leuman on Feb 14th, 2019 B2B Marketing, Content Marketing

Once upon a time, in a land of rainbows, butterflies, and evil content overload, a gripping love story is unfolding.

But this love affair isn’t what you’d expect — it’s no “Romeo and Juliet” or “Sleepless in Seattle.”

Rather, it’s an unlikely courtship with a bond sealed by three little words: Business-to-Business.

That’s right. We’ve said. The secret’s out. For the last decade, we’ve been head-over-heels in love with B2B content marketing.

We know what you’re thinking. B2B can’t hold a candle to B2C. B2B is boring. B2B lacks sex appeal. But you don’t know B2B like we do—she’s a knockout and a showstopper.

via GIPHY

What’s so darn attractive about B2B content marketing? Let us remind you of all there is to fall in love with.

Lovestruck: Why We’ve Fallen in Love with B2B Content Marketing

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10 Memorable Marketer Moods, Memed

Joshua Nite on Feb 13th, 2019 B2B Marketing, Content Marketing

As a content marketer, I’m always looking for more effective and efficient ways to communicate. I love the way communication is evolving online (with the exception of, say, YouTube comments).

Think about it: A hundred years ago, it was much harder to convey a mood in text.

You could trail off (…)
You could ask questions (?)
You could shout (!!)

And that’s about it.

Emoticons opened up the possibilities a bit, with “slight smile :),” “big smile :D,” and “guy wearing sunglasses sticking his tongue out 8P.” Emojis added even more nuance.

Now, though, we have the ability to embed images and GIFs in our blog posts, emails, and messages. We can convey extremely specific moods, thoughts, and insights with a single image. Like, for example, the feeling when you’re wearing socks and step in something wet:

10 Memorable Marketer Moods, Memed

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Tip of the Iceberg: A Story of Trust in Marketing as Told by Statistics

Nick Nelson on Feb 12th, 2019 B2B Marketing, Content Marketing

“Step up on the railing. Hold on, hold on. Keep your eyes closed.”

Jack is holding Rose around her waist, cautiously lifting her up to the Titanic’s bow.

“Do you trust me?”

He was a stranger up until days earlier, but still, her response is almost instantaneous.

“I trust you.”

Moments later, Rose opens her eyes and she’s flying, arms outstretched as the mighty liner propels her forward. She and Jack hold hands; they kiss. Celine Dion’s music wafts in the background. Teenage boys in the theater start gagging, while romantic types swoon.

There’s a good chance you lived through this very experience. James Cameron’s 1997 cinematic landmark Titanic was an unprecedented hit, holding the title as highest-grossing film of all time for 14 years. The scene described above is perhaps its most famous — the linchpin in a love story sparked by deep, genuine trust that materialized almost out nowhere.

Tip of the Iceberg: A Story of Trust in Marketing as Told by Statistics

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