B2B Marketing Archives - B2B Marketing Blog

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

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)

50 Top B2B Marketing Influencers, Experts and Speakers To Follow In 2022

The business landscape of 2021 includes a wealth of B2B influencers who are shaping the future of marketing for 2022 and beyond.

To honor and celebrate our industry’s B2B marketing subject matter experts, including many who happen to be speaking at this week’s MarketingProfs B2B Forum virtual event, we’re thrilled to publish our annual list of some of the world’s leading B2B marketing influencers.

Each year MarketingProfs B2B Forum is filled to the brim with the latest insightful B2B marketing tactics and strategies presented by a powerhouse lineup of exceptional B2B influencers, and this year is no different.

MPB2B will take place October 13 – 14, 2021 and features a stellar group of B2B marketing professionals the programming team at MPB2B has carefully assembled, in an updated virtual format designed to bring you all the freshest industry knowledge without any of the screen fatigue.

50 Top B2B Marketing Influencers, Experts and Speakers To Follow In 2022

Boosting B2B Marketing Credibility with Social Proof and Influencers: 4 Tips

This is gonna be the greatest blog post EVER.

Did you believe me there? You probably didn’t.

Sure, I might think it’s an awesome piece of content. But I’m not exactly an objective source. Now, if you were to come across a post on social media from someone you know and trust, linking to this blog post and saying it’s the best thing they’ve read all year? That’s a different story.

Therein lies the immense value of social proof, which is only growing more impactful as businesses and society evolve into a new era. A survey from Kantar Media last year found that 93% of people trust brand recommendations from family and friends, while only 38% trust information from advertisers. Meanwhile, 84% of people say they trust online reviews as much as their friends.

Boosting B2B Marketing Credibility with Social Proof and Influencers: 4 Tips

How Influencers & Best Answer Content Help B2B Marketers Dominate in Search #CMWorld

Great content isn’t so great if it’s not easy to find. And findable content isn’t so effective if it’s not trusted.

Content is the reason search engines began and yet many B2B content marketers are not taking full advantage of opportunities to attract customers that are actively looking. Instead, the content marketing function at many B2B companies is more about creating content and not so much about promoting it.

Where Has the Marketing in Content Marketing Gone?

The problem with content marketing that focuses mostly on content creation is that the marketing is missing. Sure, B2B brands can throw advertising at their new content to attract visitors – but do B2B buyers love clicking on ads?

How Influencers & Best Answer Content Help B2B Marketers Dominate in Search #CMWorld

Equilibrium: 10 Tips to Balance Creativity and Process in B2B 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

Unite with Might: 12 Top Ways Successful B2B Influencers Are Building Powerful Marketing Collaborations

How can B2B marketers build powerful and enduring collaborations using influencers?

There are more tactics available today than ever for influencer collaboration in the B2B space, but how can marketers find those that are actually achieving ongoing success?

We’ve been fortunate to feature top influencers from a number of industries in our third season of the Break Free B2B Marketing series of video interviews, and we wanted to share their top tactics for both being an influencer in the B2B space, and for improving collaboration.

Let’s dig in and learn how 12 subject matter experts are creating powerful collaborations between influencers and brands, with insightful tactics you can implement in your own marketing efforts as we head toward 2022.

Ramon Ray of Smart Hustle Media

@ramonray
Founder, Smart Hustle Media

Unite with Might: 12 Top Ways Successful B2B Influencers Are Building Powerful Marketing Collaborations

Fuel Your Passion for B2B Marketing with These Famous Baseball Quotes

A few weeks ago, Major League Baseball enjoyed a historic moment with its Field of Dreams Game, played at the cornfield-surrounded site in Iowa where the legendary movie was based.

Naturally, this event brought on waves of nostalgia among those who cherish the 1989 classic and its many memorable quotes.

“If you build it, he will come.”

“Hey dad, you wanna have a catch?”

“This field, this game: it’s a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good and it could be again.”

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Baseball is a complex and strategically sophisticated game that has evoked many wise and thought-provoking words over the years — often with applicability beyond the ballpark. I’ve noted in the past baseball’s parallels to marketing: methodical and rhythmic pursuits driven by patience, sequencing, and learning from failure.

Fuel Your Passion for B2B Marketing with These Famous Baseball Quotes

In-Person & Hybrid Learning: Autumn B2B Marketing Conferences to Elevate & Inform Your Strategy

What are some of the top autumn B2B marketing conferences that will take place both in-person and in hybrid fashion?

As we move ever closer to 2022, more physical marketing events are on tap than were available last year, although most either offer a hybrid online option or are still entirely digital experiences.

To help you sort out the B2B marketing conference options available this fall through the end of the year, we’ve compiled our latest list of the top B2B marketing events to elevate and inform your business strategy.

Marketing conferences undoubtedly offer a wealth of benefits to marketers seeking new learning, networking opportunities, and the latest industry research and insight to increase brand awareness, but finding events that match your business and B2B marketing needs can be a challenge.

In-Person & Hybrid Learning: Autumn B2B Marketing Conferences to Elevate & Inform Your Strategy

Break Free B2B Marketing Season 3 Wrap Up: Developing New Horizons with 12 Industry Influencers

What can we learn about breaking free from the same old thing from some of the top subject matter experts in B2B marketing?

A robust and exciting third season of TopRank Marketing’s Break Free B2B Marketing video and podcast series has now wrapped up, and as we look at the totality of the powerful episodes it’s clear that shaking things up can lead to newfound marketing successes.

Interviewing a strong group of 12 of the smartest B2B marketers in the industry, we’ve explored how they’re developing new horizons and reinventing the role and function of B2B marketing in 2021, and learned what they see ahead in 2022 and beyond.

Break Free B2B Marketing Season 3 Wrap Up: Developing New Horizons with 12 Industry Influencers

Break Free B2B Marketing: Ramon Ray of Smart Hustle Media on Small Business Success & Thinking Big

How can small businesses work together with big clients and form powerful partnerships that make good things happen?

For our third season of Break Free B2B Marketing video interviews, we’re featuring conversations with leading B2B influencers, and examining the issues that each subject matter expert is influential about in their specialized industry.

2020 was a difficult year for business owners, and 2021 hasn’t quite been the return to normal many had envisioned. In 2020 profits were down, stress was up, and everyone was questioning how they were going to not only survive, but thrive, in the coming year.

These worries were more real for small business owners than anyone else. After all, when you own a small business, you’re not afforded the same protections or options that larger companies might have. You have to be smart, adaptable, and relentless in your pursuit of your goals.

Break Free B2B Marketing: Ramon Ray of Smart Hustle Media on Small Business Success & Thinking Big

What 5 Recent Search Marketing Changes Mean For B2B Marketers

How can B2B marketers adapt to the latest changes in search engine marketing?

Google, Bing, and other search engines have continued to refine their services, bringing changes that B2B marketers need to be aware of.

Holding the dual roles of the world’s most popular search engine and its biggest search advertising provider, Google and its parent company Alphabet saw an especially strong 70 percent increase in advertising revenue during the second quarter of 2021, the firms recently disclosed. That equates to some $560 million is advertising revenue per day during the quarter, and a year-over-year increase of 62 percent, rebounding from the firm’s only revenue decline a year ago due to the global health crisis.

What 5 Recent Search Marketing Changes Mean For B2B Marketers

5 Olympic Lessons for Marketing Project Managers

Shattered world records. Nail-biting competition. Limitless sportsmanship. The Olympic Games are a sight to behold.

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While we had to wait a little longer for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, they’re still captivating audiences with competition that pushes the limits of athletes and of humans.

As a long-time spectator of the games, however, I’ve found that some of the most memorable Olympic moments hold real-life lessons and even happen outside of the competition floor. Already at these Olympic Games, I’ve taken note of several moments that are unforgettable in life and in work. Especially as a marketing project manager, where we often have to coach our team members, I’ve learned several lessons from the first week of competition. To learn what those lessons are and how they can impact your marketing projects, read on.

5 Olympic Lessons for Marketing Project Managers