B2B Thought Leadership Content Study Shows Impressive Results
by MGB2B
The 2019 Edelman-LinkedIn B2B Thought Leadership Impact Study has been released, and here’s the key takeaway: thought leadership can be a veritable marketing goldmine. To make sure we’re all on the same page, thought leadership is trustworthy, authoritative content that taps into the talent and experience of your business. (For an example, check out our client Safety Products Group).
The study questioned over 1,200 business decision-makers on how they viewed thought leadership content. Turns out, thought leadership has a lot more influence on sales than marketers realize — and it’s growing. Take a look at the stats:
Thought leadership drives sales.
- 81% of decision-makers said thought leadership increased trust in vendor organizations.
- 60% of respondents said strong thought leadership led them directly to awarding business.
- 49% said thought leadership can command premium pricing.
- 47% of C-suite executives gave their contact info for thought leadership.
- 45% of respondents said thought leadership helps close deals.
But if poorly done, it drives risk.
Impressive, no doubt. But before you run to the nearest content mill, these stats offered a double-edged sword. Just as well-done content brought in impressive reactions, poorly executed pieces did just the opposite:
- 60% said they’d stop following a writer or organization if the content was poorly written.
- 46% said they decreased respect and admiration for such organizations.
- 29% said they’d decided not to award a piece of business on account of poor thought leadership.
Our two cents: you’d be remiss to shrug off thought leadership in your strategy. But if you can’t do it well, don’t do it without help.
Whether you’re in B2B sales or marketing, your goals are the same: bring in revenue. Thought leadership can be a heavy hitter in this capacity, but it’s not a job for the novice. Your content creators not only need to know your business inside and out but your verticals and audience as well. They’ll also need a solid content strategy in place. (If you don’t have one yet, this is a good place to start). If you want your thought leadership to have legs, it’s got to offer relevance, value, and trust. When you hit home with the right subscriber, they’ll share it with the decision-makers that count.
Continue ReadingSocial for the Holidays: Tempering Expectations
by MGB2B
Social media is a relatively new channel in the world of B2B marketing, and some are still reluctant to make the leap into this new digital landscape. That’s all well and fine, but for those who are in the trenches day in and day-out tweeting, updating, posting, and measuring metrics, it’s been a learning experience filled with lots of trial and error. Add in the holiday season, and you are faced with a dilemma: wanting to remain active on your channels during these months, while also knowing the return may not be as rewarding.
Let’s dive deeper into this…
During the months of November-January, there is a noticeable slowdown in nearly every area of business: leads, sales, marketing, social media, you name it– it seems like it’s put on hold. Why is that? Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanza all happen within a few short weeks of each other, and chances are your target audience is celebrating at least one of them. And with these celebrations come vacations. With vacations, come breaks from work emails, calls, meetings, and anything else that would require professional attention. Unfortunately, social media is no stranger to these breaks, so engagements, interactions, clicks, replies, and all other social metrics take a hit.
Here’s what you can do:
1 ) Prepare. If you had stellar growth or engagement the other 10 months out of the year, it’s okay to have one or two months that are slow. There is still success to be found during these times! The months of November and December (unless you are a B2C business), will be a change in pace, but only because attention is shifted to cooking meals, traveling, and buying gifts. Instead of trying to stand above the noise with new product offerings, launches, or updates, get in on the action. Integrate these holidays into your social calendars. Be sure to recognize them with their own social posts, wishing your followers a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, or Happy Kwanzaa. It’ll add a personal touch that will go a long way with your follower base.
2 ) Switch up your short-term strategy. Instead of blasting your social feeds with product launches, spotlights, white paper download calls-to-action, or other important business-related information, try to post about fun things your office may be doing to celebrate. Having a holiday party? Post pictures! Exchanging gifts? Let your audience know! These types of posts will resonate with your audience, show a human side, and potentially create a stronger relationship between buyer and seller.
3) Set realistic goals. Unless you’re running multiple paid campaigns, seeing substantial follower growth, engagements, or impressions during the holiday months may be a struggle. Instead, focus on other goals like maintaining a presence during the season (don’t go dark on social), or getting your holiday-related posts out there via your employees. Encourage them to retweet or share your company posts. This will help things like impression count and engagements while keeping everyone around you involved.
4) Have fun! This might seem a little on-the-nose, but it’s important to remember that at the end of the day, you’re maintaining a social media account to help your business. Sometimes that means getting in the holiday spirit, being creative, and enjoying yourself.
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Five Don’ts of B2B Email Marketing
by MGB2B
As a B2B marketer, maintaining a positive relationship is vital to your sales funnel. One of the best ways to do that is through B2B email marketing. It’s one of the most productive lead generation tools, but there are many ways to overstep your boundaries. When it comes to content, accessibility, and frequency, here are five things to keep in mind as you construct your next email campaign.
1. Sending Too Frequently
Many things are better in moderation, and marketing emails are no exception. We know what you’re thinking: we just told you that staying in touch with your customers is important. But flooding their inbox can have the opposite effect. Your customers receive hundreds of emails like yours, and it’s your job to ensure your email doesn’t get lost in the clutter. By sending emails less frequently, your customers will be less likely to feel badgered and opt out of future communications.
2. Lack of or Excess Personalization
There’s lots of talk of personalization these days, and with good reason. Consumers want to feel attended to and known. In fact, 82 percent of marketers reported an increase in open rates through email personalization, while 75 percent believe that personalization yields higher click-through rates. But keep in mind, this is more than simply a “Dear So & So.” It’s about knowing what your customers want. Sending them emails with products that match their previous interactions with you is one way to do it. But if you send them emails for products that don’t match their interest, or worse, products they’ve already purchased, your emails will become more white noise in their inbox.
This has to be done with a deft hand, however. Too much personalization can be a turn off in a creepy, big brother sort of way. It’s all about balance, folks. Fine tune your efforts so personalization is gradual, purposeful, and accurate.
3. Mobile-Unfriendly Layout
Though people still use their desktops, more and more people stay on top of their email from their phones. It’s important to make sure your content is optimized for all devices. If your images don’t load or your text is wonky, you can expect a swift delete.
4. Poorly Written Content
Customers are savvy. An elementary voice, grammatical errors, or poorly written content suggest your company shouldn’t be taken seriously. Furthermore, body copy that’s too wordy will be a turn off because no one has the time to read a tome.
5. Bad Subject Line
The subject line is the first written content your customer sees, and will define whether they open or delete it. Short, to the point, with just enough hook to pique their curiosity is the way to go. Otherwise, your email content will never be seen.
Considering that today’s marketers need to do more with less, email marketing gives us a whole lot of bang for our buck. And while other marketing trends come and go, email marketing remains a workhorse. To use it to its fullest potential, make sure you keep yours in line with the tips above.
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