Business marketing Archives - Trade Press Services

Strategy vs. Tactics: How to Align Vision with Execution

Posted on October 27, 2025 by Gerri Knilans

Ask any leadership team about their business strategy, and they will likely provide a list of projects, target markets, or long-term plans. Ask again in six months, and they might give a completely different set of responses. The root issue? Many companies confuse strategy with tactics, treating them as interchangeable terms. Instead, they serve completely different purposes. This confusion leads to insufficient planning, misaligned execution, and long-term goals that fizzle out. Understanding the difference is a necessity for organizations that want to grow sustainably.

How to Foster Empathy to Drive Powerful Marketing Campaigns

Posted on November 26, 2023 by Gerri Knilans

Empathy-based or empathetic marketing is a topic often discussed in the B2C space. Evoking empathy in B2B buyers, however, isn’t always easy. In an environment marked by “professional” and less “emotional” communication, it can be more challenging to connect with buyers on a deeper level. The solution to this challenge starts from building an empathetic culture within the organization.

How to Create Content that Empowers Business Development Teams

Posted on October 17, 2022 by Gerri Knilans

Content marketing plays an important role in the business development process. Its goal is to attract target audiences through the creation and distribution of valuable, relevant and consistent content. The business development team uses this content to build relationships that bring in new customers and drive sales.

7 Tips for Successful Marketing in a Recession

Posted on August 8, 2022 by Gerri Knilans

Talk of a U.S. recession is getting louder amongst economists, business leaders and individuals. In fact, most Americans think the country has already entered a recession or will do so within the next 12 months. The ebbs and flows of the economy can be predictable but also can be quickly rocked by events like a pandemic or geopolitical unrest. Because recessions can cause high unemployment rates, business failures and bankruptcies, knowing how to survive an economic downturn is a requirement for business success. That’s where strategic marketing decisions come into play.

How to Turn Influencer Marketing into a B2B Asset

Posted on July 18, 2022 by Gerri Knilans

Typically, the term, “influencer” brings to mind celebrities and social media stars using their platforms to showcase and endorse consumer products to large audiences. These influencers have a dedicated social following and are considered authorities in their fields. In the B2C world, this form of social proof can yield incredible results for brands.

3 Customer Expectations Every Marketer Needs to Understand to Drive Business Growth

Posted on April 11, 2022 by Gerri Knilans

Every business wants to meet the expectations of its customers. From product offerings to customer service to marketing, the clients’ needs and expectations come first. With ongoing advancements in technology and an ever-changing business and societal landscape, understanding and maintaining that standard is no simple task.

How to Use Color Psychology to Influence B2B Buyers

Posted on February 7, 2022 by Gerri Knilans

According to noted psychologist and psychiatrist Carl Jung, “colors are the mother tongue of the subconscious.” Jung is credited with early studies that reveal how color affects the human mind. Using the results of his research, Jung developed a form of color art therapy that encouraged patients to express their emotions through color and images. In combination with color theory based on Sir Isaac Newton’s color wheel, color psychology considers how different colors have different meanings, associations and psychological impacts across a variety of individual and cultural norms.

How the Current “Great Resignation” Impacts Marketing

Posted on January 24, 2022 by Gerri Knilans

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, during the months of April, May and June of 2021, 11.5 million workers quit their jobs. The term “Great Resignation” began popping up everywhere and still fills headlines today. As the mass fluctuation of employment continues in 2022, its impact is seen in businesses of every size and industry. As such, there’s a natural trickle-down effect to the marketing department.

The Value and How To’s of Video Testimonials

Posted on January 3, 2022 by Gerri Knilans

When it comes to making a purchase decision, potential customers want to know what current customers think. In fact, nine out of 10 people say they trust what a customer says about a business more than what that business says about itself. When customers share their experiences, it creates social proof that helps brands attract viable prospects, showcase what a company can do and shorten the sales cycle. And one of the best ways to utilize customer opinions is through video testimonials.

How to Expand Business Growth Using Customer Engagement

Posted on November 29, 2021 by Gerri Knilans

Did you know that 65 percent of a company’s business comes from existing customers? In fact, the probability of selling to an existing customer is 60-70 percent, while the probability of selling to a new prospect is between five and 20 percent. With statistics like that, it’s no wonder why enhancing customer engagement plays a key role in business growth.

15 Questions to Ask Before Pressing Send on Your Next B2B Email

Posted on September 27, 2021 by Gerri Knilans

As one of the most valuable and cost-effective marketing methods available, B2B email is still a pillar of business communication. In fact, the value of email continues to grow. In 2020, 78 percent of marketers said email is important to overall company success, compared to 71 percent in 2019. At the same time, think about the sheer volume of emails being sent and received each day—306 billion according to a report produced by Statista.

How to Earn Trust and Engage Target Audiences

Posted on January 18, 2021 by Gerri Knilans

Marketers are always discussing “pain points.” This is for good reason. If sellers don’t understand the challenges of their target market, they cannot understand how best to address them. It is marketing’s job to research, identify and frame those challenges, and then come up with compelling messaging that communicates how the seller can solve them

Do Your Prospects and Clients Trust You?

Posted on July 27, 2020 by Gerri Knilans

If you’re the only game in town, customers don’t have to like or trust you. But in this competitive marketplace, that’s rarely the case. To develop and retain a strong customer base, companies need to build rapport and earn trust. They go hand-in-hand. Building trust in one’s personal and business life starts with integrity. Are

Buyer Enablement – What It Is and Why It Matters

Posted on July 6, 2020 by Gerri Knilans

It’s no question that we see the value in content to establish thought leadership. In fact, 72 percent of marketers agree content marketing increases engagement. In previous blogs, we’ve shared insights into how to develop high-quality content, which mediums to prioritize for your organizational goals and how to build a strong content strategy. But do you know how well your content is helping customers make buying decisions?

Reflections on a Decade: 10 Ways Business Has Changed

Posted on December 30, 2019 by Gerri Knilans

The end of the year is a good time to look back on the last 12 months and contemplate strategies and priorities for the year ahead. But as we come to a close of this decade, it’s even more powerful to reflect on the last 10 years and evaluate the amazing ways in which business has changed. Let’s look at some of those shifts and see what implications there are for business growth as we enter the third decade of the 21st century.

How to Put Theory to Practice Using A/B Testing

Posted on December 11, 2018 by Gerri Knilans

When investing time and money in marketing, it’s critical for your company’s resources to be directed toward the most effective initiatives. Therefore, it is important to review and analyze the performance of all marketing programs. Analysis helps fine-tune marketing efforts and enables you to make adjustments that will generate a higher ROI. Earlier blogs have explored the analytics process and its potential uses. But, there’s a step before analysis that is often not given the focus it deserves: testing.

How to Use Website Pop-Ups Effectively

Posted on October 9, 2018 by Gerri Knilans

Most of us don’t think favorably of the word pop-up. In fact, today’s browsers come preinstalled with pop-up blockers for those of us who remember the days of blinking “$1,000,000 cash winner!” pop-ups from unsafe websites. If you feel this way, you’re in the majority as 73% of people dislike pop-up ads. With a stigma like that, it’s hard to imagine why professional businesses utilize similar pop-up marketing on their websites.

How to Capitalize on Seasonal Marketing Opportunities

Posted on October 2, 2018 by Gerri Knilans

When it comes to B2C marketing, seasons and holiday campaigns bombard us from all angles. Oftentimes, we’ll find winter merchandise and advertisements even before the weather starts to change. Seasonal marketing is trendy, urgent and predictable—three words not often associated with the counterpart B2B marketing. However, does that mean there’s no place for seasonal marketing in the B2B space?

The New Face of Public Relations

Posted on May 21, 2018 by Gerri Knilans

Gone are the days when public relations was limited to reputation management, press release distribution and media outreach to newspapers, radios and television. With the introduction of the Internet and additional communication channels, opportunities for PR are increasing dramatically. While companies still use press releases to spread their news, businesses and agencies have adopted newer and faster ways to get the word out about their organizations. To remain competitive, marketing and PR professionals need to adapt to these changing marketplace dynamics.

Business Marketing: How to Avoid Burying Your Head in the Sand

Posted on November 13, 2017 by Gerri Knilans

Burying one’s head in the sand refers to an individual’s desire to avoid confrontation, reality, guilt and real or imagined danger. While we most often think of this behavior occurring in our personal lives, it’s common in business marketing as well. Here are a few examples of this ostrich phenomenon. The company operates without a

4 Reasons Why B2B and B2C Marketing Are Different

Posted on September 5, 2017 by Gerri Knilans

Marketing is marketing whether you are speaking to businesses or individuals, right? Not so fast. While customers in both segments may have similar personal needs, using consumer-focused strategies in a business-to-business marketplace can be costly both in the short- and long-term. To maximize your marketing resources and opportunities, consider these four key differences between B2B and B2C marketing.

The 5 Do’s and Don’ts of Video Marketing

Posted on July 18, 2016 by Gerri Knilans

Video marketing is hot. It’s dynamic, engaging and delivers brand messages in a meaningful and memorable way. In fact, according to a 2015 survey, “75% of marketers are creating custom videos for their target audiences.” As the use of video marketing expands in B2B and B2C markets, use the following five suggestions to take advantage

The 7 Essentials of a Marketing Curriculum

Posted on July 11, 2016 by Gerri Knilans

As the role of the marketer becomes more complex, organizations require a specialized skill set for those entering the marketplace. Unfortunately, a bachelor’s degree in marketing doesn’t mean that the graduate is prepared for real world. Think about it. If you were hiring a young (or not so young) graduate, what marketing curriculum coursework would

5 Fast Facts Everyone Should Know About Your Business

Posted on July 5, 2016 by Gerri Knilans

Building long-lasting business relationships with customers and prospects is essential for growth. Part of this process includes getting to know and understand your target audiences’ needs and challenges. It’s also important for customers and prospects to know your company. For example: Who are you? What do you believe in? Why should they do business with