The planning and execution of effective marketing require a significant investment of time, effort and money. That commitment can involve days, weeks and even months of research, analysis, design, implementation and testing. But sometimes the best-planned marketing campaigns can fall flat. When hard work goes into a marketing program, it can be difficult to
With the rise of remote workplaces, artificial intelligence tools, and data utilization, it’s easy to assume that relationships are founded on a network of technologies. These digital transformations sometimes cause customers to lose sight of the people behind a brand. The personal, human touch plays a vital role in successful business relationships. Empathy makes that genuine connection possible in an increasingly digital and global marketplace. Roger Ebert stated that “empathy is the most essential quality of civilization.” Does this make empathy the most essential quality of a successful, customer-centric marketing approach?
As the saying goes, “The only constant in life is change.” This is especially true in business. Whether facing reorganization, leadership shifts, acquisition, technology upgrades, rebranding or culture modifications, change is a part of our everyday lives. Adjusting to it, however, can be challenging, disruptive and exciting all at the same time.
Marketing metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) are vital factors to monitor, record and measure the success of marketing initiatives. They are a critical component of any marketing plan. Without them, marketing teams are unable to track performance and effectiveness. The most appropriate metrics and KPIs vary by organization, platform and campaign.
Marketing is a vast umbrella term for a complex and constantly changing business necessity. A familiar, but ever-evolving dichotomy is the concept of “push” versus “pull” marketing. Today, push versus pull strategy goes by many names: outbound versus inbound, direct versus indirect, and interruption versus permission. No matter what you call it, “push” and “pull”
As businesses grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic, there were many changes in how, where and when work was performed. Many companies provided work from home options. While that opportunity helped deal with government-mandated shutdowns, it had other unintended consequences. One consequence resulted in an unanticipated shortage in the labor force. During 2021 alone, 47 million workers quit their jobs in an era now called “The Great Resignation.”
More than 104 million Americans listen to podcasts regularly—that’s one-third of the country’s population. Podcasts make consuming valuable content possible in any setting, whether at the office, at home or while on the go. They are an excellent source for professionals in any industry to engage with prospects, clients, referrals and strategic partners.
With the fast pace of technology, it’s easy to keep our eyes on the horizon for the next digital communication trend. That said, at more than 50 years old, email remains one of our most valuable means of communication, especially in business. Thanks to its familiarity, flexibility and cost-effectiveness, email continues to thrive as a formidable marketing channel.
Email marketing is a channel of choice for many marketers, especially in B2B organizations. According to the Litmus 2020 State of Email Report, which surveyed more than 2,000 marketers, four out of five respondents said they’d give up social media initiatives before giving up email marketing. Mastering the channel includes many skills, not least of which is the subject line.
Of the various types of media available to marketers, earned media might seem the most difficult to predict and control. It’s one thing when an organization creates its own content, pays for media coverage and shares it across multiple marketing channels. It’s far more powerful when authentic, authoritative and third-party sources mention your brand and share your thought leadership.
When B2C companies want to create a buzz, attract media attention or take their messaging viral, they may turn to guerrilla marketing tactics. This generally involves using unconventional methods that evoke surprise, wonder or shock in their target audiences.
As the pace of Marketing transformation accelerates, marketers are tackling the hardest task of all: creating value that improves organizational results. Business author Eric Jorgenson says value creation is the foundation for business. In fact, Marketing’s fundamental mission is to create customer-centric profitable growth. A high-performing Marketing function adds tremendous value toward achieving business goals and informing
Marketing encompasses countless business activities aimed at stimulating business growth. With a wide variety of tactics to implement and an increasing level of expertise required, it’s easy for marketing teams to go on overload. To accomplish goals and drive real results, it may be time to outsource. When organizations recognize the need for an outsourced partnership, they free up time for in-house teams to focus on their priorities, while bringing a fresh perspective and new skills to the table.
There’s one cardinal sin when it comes to thought leadership: self-promotional content. In fact, it’s often the first guideline marketers will hear when talking with editors, event planners and podcast hosts. Self-promotion is for marketing assets and advertising, not for thought leadership.
In marketing, a “call to action,” or “CTA,” is a small but mighty element of every marketing initiative. It answers the question “what now?” after a prospect consumes a blog, article, video, advertisement, email or other types of content. The call to action, whether digital or print, encourages prospects to take immediate action. Whether you urge a prospect to buy now, subscribe to a newsletter, schedule an appointment, download a white paper or connect with a customer service rep, effective CTAs keep potential customers engaged and guide them through the buying journey. How can marketers maximize these small but powerful tools in a strategic way?
Wikipedia may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about content marketing. Yet, despite the lack of traditional peer review, Wikipedia pages rank at the top of Google search results. This makes it a pillar resource for initial research of all kinds. But can it play a part in your marketing strategy?
ply chain is the network of those involved with the production and distribution of a company’s products or services. Supply chain operations include the internal and external steps and processes required to design, create, market and deliver products and services to customers. They cross department lines and involve multiple activities, people, entities, data, information and resources.
There’s no doubt that the holidays are a big part of business-to-consumer marketing. Consumer holiday ads from companies big and small are sometimes as familiar to us as decorations and time-honored, family traditions. But is the season ripe for B2B marketers as well?
Using key performance indicators (KPIs) in marketing provides information that, when identified and harnessed, helps keep your business on track for continual growth. These measurements, however, are not just about sales revenue or clicks. To use marketing KPIs requires a deeper understanding of behaviors and data which tell the “rest of the story.”
Personalization is becoming a strategic marketing imperative. Marketing personalization uses data to deliver customized brand messages to individual prospects and customers. Unlike traditional marketing, which casts a wide net, personalized marketing delivers the most relevant message at the ideal time through the right channel.
When it comes to marketers, there are two basic groups of professionals. The first, considered the “old guard” takes a traditional approach with marketing values, tapping into the subconscious of their target audiences, digging deep into buying motives and psyche. The newer generation of marketers was raised with the internet and has been trained in a digital-first era. But what would happen if we could combine both skill sets?
Business leaders have discussed the differences and similarities between sales and marketing for years. Too often, the conversation ends there, without any clear and actionable takeaways. Yet, there are many insights to be gained that can lead to better sales results, deeper understandings of one another’s needs, and more camaraderie, collaboration and engagement. This process is known as sales enablement.
Most companies understand the importance of the marketing planning process. They create plans that include quantifiable goals, activities to engage in, assignment of responsibilities and a budget to fund the plan. That process, however, overlooks one key element: a strategic approach to marketing. When it comes to marketing, strategy should be the foundation or cornerstone of the marketing plan.
In 2020, we faced significant challenges in the way we communicated, engaged and conducted business. From a marketing perspective, trade shows, conferences and other events were among the traditional initiatives that suffered the greatest losses. Cancelations due to the COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected revenue and profits for hotels, convention centers, restaurants, transportation, travel and others that sell at these venues or support events on a global scale. To compensate, event marketers needed to adapt quickly. And one of the solutions that evolved was the shift from in-person to virtual events.
