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Traveling back into the city after spending some days in the country (or in my case, at the lake) is always a shock. The noise – it hits me hard! You don’t realize it until you’ve been away from it. Eventually, it turns into background noise, but it’s quite a shock at first.

How do you handle all the business noise out there – are your sales teams able to cut through to their prospects?

Whether you’re in the mean streets of the city or the relative tranquility of a quiet weekend getaway, give this song by Van Halen a listen as we see what the experts are saying this week.

Cutting Through the Noise

Simply getting on prospects’ radar is a major hurdle in B2B lead gen today. Every channel is clogged with marketing – both good and bad – and marketers are challenged to make the most of their automation investments and create content that connects.

Over the past month or so, I’ve been saving cold emails I’ve received from vendors trying to sell me stuff – and it’s been horrible. I see so many of the same subject lines over and over from different senders – are they so lazy that they all just use the same templates from their sales and marketing tech? Like Van Halen says, I see the same old faces and I hear that same old talk.

So how do you cut through the noise and get in front of those prospects? Some say intent data is the answer… but what kind? First, second, and third party intent data all have specific advantages and disadvantages – and it comes down to four factors: accuracy, cost, control, and quantity.

This infographic explains the pros and cons of each and helps you understand which one is best for meeting your business objectives.

My experience with second and third party intent data has been… iffy. Maybe you’ve had a different experience? But anything you can do to break the routine and reach the right person with the right message at the right time is key – and an integrated campaign with both human and digital touches is the way to go!

Spotify’s White Noise

I stumbled on this super interesting article the other day. As you may know, Spotify acquired the podcast creation app Anchor in 2019 in an attempt to scale their podcast business quickly. Now over 40% of all podcasts are being hosted on that platform. In particular, one segment of users found massive success with Spotify’s tools: white noise creators.

As of January, white noise and ambient podcasts accounted for 3 million daily consumption hours on the platform, inadvertently boosted by Spotify’s own algorithmic push for “talk” content (versus music).

Once Spotify realized how much attention was going to white noise podcasts, the company considered a move that would redirect audiences to comparable programming that was more economical for Spotify, boosting the platform’s gross profit by up to $38 million annually.

Spotify says they haven’t moved forward with this plan… though podcasters say their podcasts have vanished from their accounts and their downloads have dropped dramatically.

Spotify’s challenge with white noise podcasts mirrors a similar conversation happening in the music world. Universal Music Group and Warner Music have both voiced their displeasure at the fact that songs filled with noise are paid out of the same royalty pool shared by their superstars.

But what Spotify and these music giants don’t seem to realize about the biggest streaming platform’s push into podcasts: taking listeners’ time away from Drake or Taylor Swift (or Van Halen) removes them from the music ecosystem long before they’re driven to white noise soundscapes!

Are you seeing something similar in B2B? Our prospects are always searching for the latest thing, and that could be you. But if you’re having trouble getting in front of them, maybe what’s pulling their attention away is something you hadn’t even thought to watch out for!

As always, don’t hesitate to call me to brainstorm or just say hello!

Looking forward,
Rick

Rick Endrulat, President | ricke@v-causeway.com | www.linkedin.com/in/rickendrulat

The post B2B Messaging: Cutting Through the Noise appeared first on Virtual Causeway.

What Do B2B Marketers Do Now? is an ongoing email. Join the mailing list to be the first to receive these weekly insights!

Can you hear that?

Every time I ask Alexa to do something, I wonder – who’s listening? Where’s this data going? And when I start my car every morning, I get a message saying that data is reported back to the manufacturer… how paranoid should I be? I try to do as much as I can to limit the chance that personal information on my phone can be used against me.

Hmm… does that make my Samsung phone a paranoid android??

“Alexa, play Radiohead on Spotify”… and please listen with me as we see what the experts are saying this week.

What’s Your Smart Speaker Collecting?

I love my smart speakers. And I’m not alone. Google Assistant, Alexa, Apple’s HomePod… tens of millions of units are sold every quarter. These devices are fun and useful, but what else are they doing? Watching? Listening? Spying?

As a consumer and a marketer, I’m paranoid about what data I’m giving up – but also very intrigued by how the data is being used. If you’re going to the trouble of collecting the data, you might as well use it! And if you can make my life easier in the process… so be it!

Smart speakers are always on because they’re listening for their “wake word” (“Ok Google,” “Hey Siri,” etc)… and they record and remember everything said after the wake word. The problem is, some smart speakers use third-party developers outside the manufacturer. And according to Alan Cross, this is where the paranoia should kick in.

If one of these third parties is hacked – or unscrupulous – you could end up with eavesdropping and information theft. Alexa speakers are great for buying stuff. But without appropriate precautions, it’s (at least theoretically) possible for someone to buy stuff on your credit card using your Alexa device.

This makes me think about B2B – what data are we collecting from our clients and prospects? Many B2B marketers use intent data in their campaigns – but how accurate is it? Is this crossing the line and trying to act on those people’s activities? Your preference here is of no consequence – just make sure you’re transparent and USING the data intelligently.

Speaking of Streaming…

It was inevitable that after Spotify announced layoffs last week, all sorts of analysis would take place. Music Business Worldwide has picked apart all manner of stats – all of which leave you wondering what on earth is going on at the streaming giant.

A few stats that leaped out at me:

• Over $1B spent on podcasting in the last three years
• Only $200M earned from podcasting in 2021
• Nearly $500M (50% of operating costs for Q3 2022) – spent on sales and marketing
• $26M paid to Dawn Ostroff over three years

One can’t help but read through the article and feel that too many poor decisions have been made, the results from which have been entirely underwhelming.

Yes, Spotify has to be aggressive – but it also needs to be successful. Right now that is arguably not the case, with profit still eluding the company some 12 years in, and podcasting not shaping up to be any kind of competitor to music for revenue. I guess ambition makes them look pretty ugly…

I also wonder if we’re seeing a general return to sanity – not just around Spotify, but tech in general. Valuations have become ludicrous, as have salaries. As belts tighten, I wonder what Wall Street’s appetite for this will be in coming months and years.

As always, don’t hesitate to call me to brainstorm or just say hello!

Looking forward,
Rick

Rick Endrulat, President | ricke@v-causeway.com | www.linkedin.com/in/rickendrulat

The post Smart Speakers and Intent Data appeared first on Virtual Causeway.

What Do B2B Marketers Do Now? is an ongoing email. Join the mailing list to be the first to receive these weekly insights!

We’ve all wanted something we can’t have. Or maybe needed someone that didn’t need us back. Things change. People change. But how do you deal with it? We’re more than halfway through 2021, and how are your sales and marketing teams handling it – are they pining away for those lost customers, or moving on and building their Q3 and Q4 pipeline?

Give this classic by Cheap Trick a listen with me as we see what the experts are saying this week…

I Need You to Need… My Solution!

Demand Gen Report’s 2021 B2B Buyers Survey is out – maybe it sheds some light on how to get those buyers to want YOUR solution!

When researching new solutions, primary decision-makers, internal influencers and researchers agreed that the top three factors that influence buying decisions are:

• Easy access to relevant content that speaks directly to their company
• Easy access to pricing and competitive information
• Content that spoke directly to and demonstrated expertise around the needs of the organization’s specific industry

All three groups agreed that the first step of the buying process was conducting anonymous research. I wonder – how could intent data help to move these leads along sooner if that’s the case?

Also of note was how the B2B purchase timeline has changed, on average, compared to one year ago:

• Increased significantly – 21%
• Increased somewhat – 34%
• Stayed the same – 38%
• Decreased somewhat – 6%
• Decreased significantly – 2%

I think we can all agree that the past 18 months have been tough. There have been ups and downs, and the B2B world as we know it has changed. However – the process still works and there are many ways to continue moving buyers through their journey. The question is, Do they want you as much as you want them?

I’d Love You to Love… Some Top Musicians of 2020

Although Cheap Trick isn’t on this list, there are many musicians that are showing some big numbers in terms of earnings for 2020. Apparently we DO want them. And, we’re willing to pay for it!

Here’s the quick list of top paid musicians in 2020:

• Taylor Swift – $23.8 million
• Post Malone – $23.2 million
• Celine Dion – $17.5 million
• Eagles – $16.3 million
• Billie Eilish – $14.7 million
• Drake – $14.2 million
• Queen – $13.2 million
• The Beatles – $12.9 million
• YoungBoy Never Broke Again – $11.9 million
• Lil Baby – $11.7 million

An interesting mix of artists. And, as you’d imagine, streaming is a significant portion of each artist’s income. As things open up this year, it will be interesting to see how the list changes, and how the revenue mix changes for each artist.

How are you seeing your revenue split in your B2B world?

As always, I’m begging you to… call me to brainstorm or just say hello.

Looking forward,
Rick

Rick Endrulat, President | ricke@v-causeway.com | www.linkedin.com/in/rickendrulat

The post Wants and Needs and Timelines appeared first on Virtual Causeway.

What Do B2B Marketers Do Now? is an ongoing email. Join the mailing list to be the first to receive these weekly insights!

It’s over. Q1 2021. Done. Can you believe it? As always, the quarter ends and it’s time that we begin again! How are things shaping up in your organization? Even though the first day of spring has passed, give this cool alt-rock song by The Gandharvas a listen as we read on and see what the experts are saying this week:

Prioritizing Buyer Intent Data

As buyer behaviours continue to change, and the level of competition scales up, B2B buyer intent data is becoming increasingly valuable. According to DemandGen’s 2021 State of ABM, 63% of marketers are already using intent/behaviour signals (an 8% increase over 2019), with 28% indicating they plan to incorporate them.

So what’s the big deal? Many martech providers are pushing intent solutions, especially as part of ABM strategies and technologies. But what are the benefits of a good intent data strategy? According to HubSpot, a strong intent data strategy can help an organization:

• Catch qualified leads in the research phase
• Stand out with your sales and marketing
• Meet warm leads early in the buyer journey

Have you invested in buyer intent data? As this technology matures and adoption increases in 2021, it will be very interesting to see what gains companies can realize. I’d love to hear from you and see what YOUR results are!

Disappearing NFTs and Thriving in the Live Music Business (Kinda)

Live Nation Entertainment recently announced their 2020 numbers. And (no surprise) they were dreadful – losing $1 billion as revenue dropped by 84%! And yet – earlier this year their stock surged and hit an all-time high.

We know the live music industry was shattered in 2020. But for some reason, Live Nation shareholders value the company most when its core industry is shut down! Speculation is that its stock price might be high not because it’s making money now, but because its dominance blocks a path for new entrants to the marketplace. When the industry does open back up, this could be bad news for all of us – with such a dominant player and so little competition, this impacts artists’ abilities to play at smaller venues. As a result, we could see the whole music scene change.

And speaking of losing money… we discussed the hype around NFTs a few weeks back. Have you been amassing your own collections of NFTs since? If you have, or if you’re interested in purchasing in the future, give this story a read first – and ensure your expensive NFTs don’t disappear! There’s no way to know how long it’ll last…

Last Chance for Free Forrester ABM Report

Join our webinar on Thursday, and get the Forrester ABM research report! “Are You Ready for B2B Account-Based Marketing?” is coming up soon – sign up now! Can’t make it? No worries, we’ll send you the recording.

As always, don’t hesitate to call me to brainstorm or just say hello.

Looking forward,
Rick

Rick Endrulat, President | ricke@v-causeway.com | www.linkedin.com/in/rickendrulat

The post Buying Signals and Intent Data appeared first on Virtual Causeway.