Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®

14 Search Marketing Influencers at Top B2B & B2C Brands

Lane Ellis
Lane Ellis on Mar 11th, 2020
B2B Marketing, Search Marketing, SEO

Skyscrapers towering overhead image.

Search marketing strategy is undoubtedly vital for most B2B brands today, yet there are several elements that play important roles in its ultimate success that may surprise you.

Leading the search engine optimization (SEO) program for a major brand is a vital role that’s only taken on greater importance over the years, as even the rise of social media marketing hasn’t eliminated the need for B2B marketers to have a strong search marketing strategy.

With search marketing influencers at top brands facing a nearly constant barrage of new SEO challenges, how do smart search industry leaders build successful campaigns?

Non-paid organic search efforts have some of the lowest website visitor traffic bounce rates for B2B and B2C campaigns alike, which is why SEO practitioners at major firms continue to play such an important role in successful marketing efforts.


14 Search Marketing Influencers at Top B2B & B2C Brands

What Is B2B Influencer Marketing in 2020? Change Is Coming

Anne Leuman
Anne Leuman on Mar 10th, 2020
B2B Marketing, Influencer Marketing

Woman looking at phone image.

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

How B2B Marketers Can Enter the Circle of Trust

B2B Marketing Circle Buyer Trust

Buyer distrust of advertising and brand communications is one of the top challenges of our time for marketers.

As TopRank Marketing’s Nick Nelson has shared, “trust is currency” and that trust is “arguably the most valuable currency in today’s B2B marketing environment.”

Studies continue to show that business peers and experts have customer attention over brands. 95% of B2B buyers say they prefer credible content from industry influencers according to a study from Demand Gen Report.

As a result, it is more important now than ever for marketers to find ways to become part of this new “circle of trust” for buyers.

But how?


How B2B Marketers Can Enter the Circle of Trust

Digital Marketing News: B2B Brand Purpose, LinkedIn’s New Stories, CMO & Authoritative Content Reports, & B2B’s Expanding Verticals

Lane Ellis
Lane Ellis on Mar 6th, 2020
Online Marketing News

2020 March 6 SEMrush Chart

More vertical marketplaces are dotting the B2B landscape
There are more than 70 B2B vertical industry marketplaces today comprised of over 13 industries, and due largely to millennial business buyers, the number is expected to grow, according to recent-released report data. Digital Commerce 360

3 Secrets To B2B Marketing Success: Winning Inside To Win Outside
A recent study examining brand purpose within B2B showed that 73 percent of purpose-centric employees are satisfied and see output some 100 percent higher, while inspired workers exhibit even higher output, at 225 percent — several findings in a recent Association of National Advertisers (ANA) report. Forbes

LinkedIn Begins Internal Testing of Its Version of the Stories Format
LinkedIn (client) has conducted internal trials of its own professional business flavor of the popular Stories content type, with the new conversational format test aimed at eventually augmenting conversations on the Microsoft-owned platform. Adweek


Digital Marketing News: B2B Brand Purpose, LinkedIn’s New Stories, CMO & Authoritative Content Reports, & B2B’s Expanding Verticals

10 SEO Books for B2B Marketers in 2020

Birdie Zepeda
Birdie Zepeda on Mar 5th, 2020
B2B Marketing, SEO, SEO Training

Open book over scenic landscape image.

There are plenty of resources online that can break down what search engine optimization (SEO) is, how search engines work, and how to improve your website to rank better in search engine results pages (SERPs). This is the age where you can Google every question that pops into your head and receive an answer in roughly 280 characters, after all.

Call this millennial old-fashioned, but some questions are worth buying, borrowing, or downloading a book for and deep-diving into a subject. Nothing beats the ability to physically highlight, write in the margins or flyleaf, and dog ear as one learns.

In 2020, over 64% of marketers are actively invested in SEO. With organizations funding SEO improvements in hopes of inbound marketing growth, this year may be the perfect opportunity for B2B marketers to learn more about what they’re investing in and understand the secrets behind the search engines that run our info-driven world.


10 SEO Books for B2B Marketers in 2020

32 Top Social Media Marketing Influencers To Follow

Lane Ellis
Lane Ellis on Mar 4th, 2020
B2B Marketing, Twitter

32 Top Social Media Marketing Influencers To Follow

The social media marketing industry is bursting with innovative professionals — people who push the boundaries of existing social platforms, embrace new ones, and ditch low-performers.

With so many fine social media marketers, how do you find new innovators to follow on Twitter and learn from?

We’ve put together a list of 32 top social media marketers that includes a number of fantastic folks who may not already be on your Twitter “following” list, in addition to some industry stalwarts who those new to social media marketing would be wise to follow.

We’ve added a quote, tip, or short lesson from each to help inspire your own social media marketing efforts.


32 Top Social Media Marketing Influencers To Follow

4 Qualities Only Great B2B Marketing Agencies Possess

Alexis Hall
Alexis Hall on Mar 3rd, 2020
B2B Marketing

Northern Lights Over Lake Image

Is your agency a vendor or a partner?

In response to the shifting market and evolving role of the CMO, agency-brand partnerships are shrinking in average duration, less than three years now, compared to over seven in 1984. But strategic, strong partnerships between brands and agencies have become increasingly important as 64% of CMOs expect to feel more pressure to demonstrate tangible short term results in the next 2-3 years.

This pressure also signals a big opportunity for CMOs to demonstrate the value of marketing as a strategic function with organizations. The right agency, that can support the brand in a true partnership, can be critical in helping CMOs achieve their goals and win over the rest of the C-suite.


4 Qualities Only Great B2B Marketing Agencies Possess

B2BMX 2020 Wrap Up: B2B Marketing Evolved

B2BMX B2B Marketing Wrap Up

Over the past 10 years that our marketing agency has been focused on B2B marketing, there have been many changes: From the advent of marketing automation and social media to the growing popularity of interactive content, ABM and influencer marketing.

Staying on top of trends and best practices requires continuous innovation, education and cycles of marketing optimization. The reward for this continuous effort is staying one step ahead of the competition in the form of quality and performance.

Events play a big role in the ongoing effort to draw on the collective wisdom of the B2B marketing industry and last week TopRank Marketing wrapped up speaking and attending our 8th B2B Marketing Exchange conference. In case you missed the conference, here are a few highlights:


B2BMX 2020 Wrap Up: B2B Marketing Evolved

Digital Marketing News: B2B Content Lifecycle Study, LinkedIn’s New Featured Section, B2B Millennial Report, & Facebook Adds Story Discovery Feature

Lane Ellis
Lane Ellis on Feb 28th, 2020
Online Marketing News

2020 February 28 Skyword Chart

Millennial buyers want better content from B2B marketers
Better B2B content is a top concern among Millennial buyers, as the demographic accounts for some 33 percent of overall B2B buyers, a portion Forrester’s newly-released report expects to grow to 44 percent by 2025. Digital Commerce 360

LinkedIn Launches New ‘Featured’ Section on Profiles to Highlight Key Achievements and Links
LinkedIn (client) began a gradual roll-out of a new “Featured” section, where users’ key achievements will appear near the top of profiles when starred from updates, the Microsoft-owned platform recently announced. Social Media Today

How the Fastest-Growing US Companies Are Using Social Media
87 percent of Inc. 500 firms used LinkedIn for social media during 2019, topping a list of how the fastest-growing U.S. firms are using social media, outlined in a recently-released UMass Dartmouth report of interest to digital marketers. MarketingProfs


Digital Marketing News: B2B Content Lifecycle Study, LinkedIn’s New Featured Section, B2B Millennial Report, & Facebook Adds Story Discovery Feature

The B2B Marketer’s Journey To Experiential Content at #B2BMX

Joshua Nite
Joshua Nite on Feb 26th, 2020
B2B Marketing, Content Marketing, Interactive Marketing

Ryan Brown Ceros

What makes an experience an…

B2B Marketing Experience?

Full disclosure: I am not on the design team at TopRank Marketing.

But you know what I mean. You’ve eaten dinner at dozens, if not hundreds of restaurants in your lifetime. But there are likely one or two that stick out in your memory. What makes them memorable?

That question drove an intriguing presentation at B2B Marketing Exchange, led by four expert marketers:

B2BMX Speakers 2020

Short answer: What makes experiences different and memorable is if they’re really good… or really bad. Anything in the middle tends to blur together in our recollection. Only the extremes stand out.


The B2B Marketer’s Journey To Experiential Content at #B2BMX

Award Winning B2B Influencer Marketing at B2BMX

IT Vangards

The 2020 B2B Marketing Exchange conference kicked off today with great workshops, case studies and a green light keynote from the talented Tamsen Webster.

Tamsen Webster Keynote Speaker

After the last executive marketing leadership panel, our president Susan Misukanis and I had the good fortune to attend the B2BMX Killer Content Awards.

I am very proud to say that in the B2B Influencer Marketing category, all three finalists were TopRank Marketing clients: Dell Outlet, Alcatel Lucent Enterprise and SAP.

ALE Killer Content Awards 2020

We are happy to share that Alcatel Lucent Enterprise won the 2020 Killer Content Award for best B2B Influencer Marketing campaign!

This is the second “Finny” that Jen Holtvluwer and Alison Munn have won working with TopRank Marketing. You can read the ALE case study here, which was truly an innovative B2B influencer marketing campaign, which featured the elements outlined below.


Award Winning B2B Influencer Marketing at B2BMX