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During these scorching summer days, let’s take a moment to check our collective B2B temperature. Just as monitoring your body temperature can help detect disease or sickness, so can monitoring various factors in your B2B sales and marketing strategies.

With the seesawing conditions we’ve encountered over the past few years, it’s crucial to maintain a deep understanding of your B2B health and wellness. Doing so helps you make informed decisions and positions your team for success – are you consistently inconsistent or on track?

Give this song by Hot Hot Heat a listen as we stay cool and see what the experts are saying this week.

Heat Alert! B2B Marketing Trends in 2023

Despite the looming threat of recession, 92% of marketers expect their budgets to increase or stay the same this year (at least for now). 86% say that data privacy regulations have impacted their marketing strategy over the past year. And most agree there’s one tactic that’s the biggest trend, has the highest ROI, and tops the to-do list for this year.

Those are just a few of the takeaways from HubSpot’s recently released The State of Marketing: Marketing Trends in 2023 from AI to Z report. This 46-page report is packed with stats and insights on all aspects of marketing from HubSpot and partners including Wistia and Litmus.

While the entire study is worth a read, here are some key takeaways and points of interest from the report:

1. SEO: Surprisingly Enticing Opportunity
   Given that organic search is one of the top two sources of traffic for business websites (at least on the B2B side), and has high conversion rates, it’s surprising that this research reports, “29% of marketers use a search-optimized website and blog to attract and convert leads.”
   Only 29%?! That doesn’t sound right. It’s also inconsistent with findings elsewhere in this study…
2. Video Marketing: Hotter Than Ever
   Video marketing is huge and somehow keeps getting huger. It’s been “the year of video” every year since 2017. Per the new HubSpot report, “Video is the most popular and effective media format for the fourth year in a row.”
3. Influencer Marketing: It’s Social (But Pick Your Platforms Carefully)
   Influencer marketing continues to grow in importance across industries, though priorities, platforms, and practices are much different between B2B and B2C influencer marketing.
4. The Last Word (Acronym, Actually) on Marketing Trends for 2023
   Likely because of the timing of the study, the research doesn’t say a lot about the impact artificial intelligence (AI) will have on marketing this year and beyond. It does note that AI is where everybody’s hanging out… marketing tools are now everywhere; they’ll help marketers with the perennial demand to “do more with less”; and “Content creators and marketers now have a new skill to learn – getting good at using AI.”

Streaming – Communism vs Capitalism?

I think sometimes we expect simple or quick answers to problems when the real solution is a horribly complex mess of contradictions that’ll chew you up and spit you out anyway. With that in mind, there was a weird peace of mind to be found in reading Will Page’s very interesting thoughts on the state of streaming.

Page likens the friction around streaming remuneration as being like communism meeting capitalism. The ‘communism’ view is that every song is worth the same. The ‘capitalism’ view is the opposite.

Seems that artists need to find other ways to generate revenue now, and need to be getting more adventurous, more inquisitive, and more playful in how they are connecting fans with music.

I don’t believe music’s cultural heft has diminished. But at some point, it’s like we all accepted that it’s just worth less now, and that was that. But like share prices, these things can move up as well as down, and perhaps we’re approaching a point where the value of music needs to be focused on a bit more.

What about B2B? As marketers and B2B professionals, unpredictability’s our responsibility. The value of certain things – including the goods and services that we provide – can go up and down unexpectedly. Things like a State of Marketing report can help mitigate some of that unpredictability, though.

So get more adventurous, more inquisitive, and more playful! How do you leverage data from reports like HubSpot’s to connect (or reconnect) with your fans?

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 Have You Done a B2B Temperature Check? 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!

Were you at Forrester B2B Summit last week in Austin? Over 2000 marketers convened last week at the conference – and the excitement was palpable. Was it the research? New technologies unveiled? I think the BIG news of the conference was just how… normal… things seemed overall!

Play this song by Austin’s own Black Pumas as we listen to what other people say this week.

#forrb2bsummit learnings

It was great to connect in person with colleagues and see first-hand new research and tech. But the excitement wasn’t all because of 2000 marketers eager to use their corporate expense accounts again – there were some interesting marketing and technology insights from the conference too:

Increased Prioritization of Customer Obsession. Mapping your organization to the 5 levels of customer obsession – customer naïve, customer aware, customer engaged, customer committed, and customer-obsessed.

The Power of Automation & AI. Three key opportunities for technology and humans to work together: support technology, CX, and improved performance.

The Power of Purpose. Just like B2C, B2B customers bring personal awareness and preference to the buying process.

Smarter Demand, Scaleable ABM. The number of B2B leaders who desire demand and ABM to be fully aligned – sharing people, processes, and tools – has increased from 54% in 2020 to 82% in 2022.

At last year’s summit, we learned that the number of interactions required to make buying decisions significantly increased from 17 (2019) to 27 (2021), indicating a new level of attention and due diligence for purchases during the pandemic. Additionally, more stakeholders and influencers are taking control of the decision-making process, resulting in 60% of purchases today having 4 or more people involved (compared with just 47% in 2017).

This year’s summit didn’t provide updated stats, but I think it’s safe to assume they’re consistent, and we still wanna know our customers better to effectively market in today’s buying environment!

Piano Lessons Delay Dementia

Remember those painful piano lessons you had as a kid? Well, maybe it’s time to get it together and pick them back up in your golden years…

There’s already proof that learning a musical instrument is associated with the brain’s ability to change and adapt, and that music can help protect our brains against cognitive decline with age. A new study has investigated how 6 months of piano training can affect the brain compared to simply listening to and learning about music, in healthy older adults who have had no formal musical training.

This is a topic near and dear to me, so seeing these positive results gives hope. And if it is to you as well, maybe it’s something to consider to help some loved ones and watch them shine.

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 Map Your Organization to Your Customers 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!

Sometimes I feel a bit stir-crazy at this time of year. So in celebration of those feeling the same way and needing something a little bit different, listen to Hüsker Dü’s take on “Sunshine Superman” as we look at what the experts are saying…

15 Tech Marketing Trends in 2021

So we’re just past the half-year mark, and Forbes’ article is worth reviewing as we think about the rest of the year. Here are some technology marketing trends that can have a significant impact this year:

1. User-Generated Content Tools
2. Data-Driven Content
3. Audio-Based Apps and Voice-Controlled Virtual Assistants
4. Integrated and Multi-System Martech Architectures
5. Continued Focus on Remote and Virtual Strategies
6. Non-Fungible Tokens
7. Digital Human-to-Human Engagement
8. Chatbots and Conversational Marketing
9. Branded Calling Solutions
10. More Robust Data Asset Management Plans
11. Forms of Communication Beyond Webinars
12. B2C Strategies Being Used for B2B Marketing
13. Real-Time Shoppable Video Content
14. The Expansion of Account-Based Marketing
15. True Creativity in Content Creation

Have you used any of these to boost your marketing and sales? We continue to press into content marketing, human engagement strategies, branded calling, and account-based marketing, among other things. I’ll tell you right now, any trick in the book can be worth a try!

Assessing Account-Based Marketing (ABM)

This past year seems to have been the ‘Year of ABM!’ We’re helping clients kick off new ABM programs every week! If that’s something you’re considering, then I recommend you check out our recent webinar with Forrester. I had a great conversation with Alisa Groocock – we talked ABM readiness, structure, risks, and of course – sales and marketing alignment! Check out 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 Martech Trends at the Halfway Point 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!

How is your 2021 stacking up? This time of year tends to be a time of growth and optimism, yet some industries continue to thrive while others continue to struggle. The past year has been one of paradox, which can make us feel like a bunch of walking contradictions…

Give this song by Green Day a listen with me as we see what the experts are saying this week:

What Are You Investing In This Year?

I spend a lot of my time talking to clients about their sales and marketing priorities. And, where possible, I like to use industry data – knowing where we stand against peers and competitors allows us to better position ourselves and uncover areas of opportunity. HubSpot’s Executive Marketing Leadership Survey provides some great insight into where marketing leaders are spending in 2021:

Growth Marketing – Building and retaining a customer base over time, including design elements and unique content to connect your brand with your audience. Stay adaptive, consistent, and recognizable to your target market!

Reacting at Speed – Developing unique, creative content at a fast pace and adapting quickly to trends is integral to marketers. 11% of respondents say that responding to global environments is a barrier to productivity.

Investing in Marketing Tech – 60% of marketers indicated that they are set to increase their marketing tech spend in the next 12 months. These investments are directly related to the above marketing trends, as they will help marketers retain and delight their audiences and react at speed when necessary.

Also clear in the survey is that marketing leaders are struggling with the transition to remote work:

• 43% said their team workload has increased since COVID-19 hit
• 80% find it difficult to motivate their teams & improve productivity

There’s clearly an opportunity for growth, with 46% of marketing leaders reporting an increase in web traffic since COVID-19. While that may be positive, this data shows a major predicament – there’s more work to be done, but employees are having a hard time getting motivated to put it together. Victim of a catch twenty-two?

Thinking of Running for President?

Well, you might be running against Green Day. Apparently Billie Joe Armstrong has filed the paperwork to start a campaign for the U.S. Presidency in 2024. Who knows if it’s a truly serious run – or if it’s just that, in his own words, his wallet’s fat and so is his head. Did you know there are a number of other musicians who have attempted to run for president in the past?

Alice Cooper has run for president in a tongue-in-cheek way in every election since 1972. Joe Walsh of the Eagles made a half-baked run in 1980 with a promise of cheeseburgers for all. There was a 2020 campaign by Ozzy Osbourne even though he was ineligible because he was born in the UK. And, of course, we’re all familiar with Kanye West’s 2020 attempt and all the press surrounding it.

There is that adage that ‘any press is good press.’ But does that hold true? I think you need to always be conscious of your personal brand and voice and ensure that any of your publicized activities are consistent with that voice. And, of course, your personal brand needs to align with your corporate brand where possible. Talk is cheap and lies are expensive – don’t be a walking contradiction!

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 Marketing Investments in 2021 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.