At the end of this post (which was originally published by B2B Marketing Magazine just before the start of Europe’s 2018 football seasons), I’m going to share a few analogies that have always helped me as I’ve sought to build and reinforce B2B brands. But before I get to them, I’m going to share both a warning and, right now, an apology. … Some helpful analogies for B2B brands (and a potentially offensive warning)
Welcome to the latest in a series of blog posts that tenuously link topical marketing issues to classic movies (e.g. see this past B2B marketing take on Bridget Jones). In this tongue-in-cheek tale (originally posted on B2B Marketing Magazine) I tackle the importance of both short-term and long-term thinking in B2B marketing, while paying homage to the Pixar masterpiece Toy Story. And at the end I’ll explain why I believe long-term brand building holds a key to the success of Account-Based Marketing (ABM) and other sales activation tactics… … Are you playing with the right marketing toys?
In this post (originally published on B2B Marketing Magazine), I dedicate a poem to my fellow B2B marketers. It’s a poem about avoiding publishing marketing content that totally sucks. I’ll get to it in about three minutes, but first I thought I’d share with you the disappointing B2B marketing circumstances that inspired me to write it. I have a sneaking suspicion the scenario will be all too familiar to you… … Your marketing sucks – a B2B poem
“To deliver marketing activity that stacks the odds in your favour of delivering growth, the first step is a great brief. You must challenge and work with the business to understand:
1) where your best sources of growth lie;
2) what is stopping the business from unlocking those opportunities; and
3) how will we know if we’re on the right track?”
courtesy of Stack for Business
This great 2017 chart from BBH, based upon research from Kantar Millward Brown, shows that delivering one message is more effective than delivering many.
There’s a lesson in here for all marketing communicators… Bill Bernbach’s letter to the owners of Grey Advertising on Fifth Avenue where he was Creative Director. (Via ‘Letters of Note’ and @VikkiRossWrites).
Following my team winning the Content Marketing Campaign of the Year award at last year’s B2B Marketing Awards (#ShamelessHumblebrag ;-), I was delighted to be interviewed by B2B Marketing Magazine earlier this year for one of their print editions. The topic of conversation was how to prove the value of content marketing. Here are the questions and I was asked, and a quick summary of the opinions I offered… … 5 helpful tips to prove the value of your B2B content marketing
