With the social distancing, and (at times) forced solitude, have you learned something new or rekindled a previous interest? I have a guitar hanging in my office and there are times when a little ‘noodling’ helps calm and reset me. Give the Foo Fighter’s Times Like These a listen as you read through for some new insights!

Here is what the experts are saying, and some takeaways from the past week:

HubSpot Data Update

I spent some time looking at the HubSpot benchmark data again this week. It’s fascinating for those of us that love data….and some interesting findings:

  • Deals Created and Closed Deals continue to be over pre-COVID benchmarks, but maybe hitting a summer lull as they dip slightly in early August
  • Sales emails continue to trend way above pre-COVID levels, but sales calls remain below
  • Marketing emails continue to trend above pre-COVID level, with open rates performing 20% higher than pre-COVID in early August!

Check it out for yourself.

While we’re finding engaged prospects out there, our experience is that sales teams still have work to do in capturing that interest. You can have great targeted content (and you should!), but closing B2B business still requires sales professionals consistently executing a thoughtful plan.

No Social Media?

An SEO expert recently posed the question, “What do you do if your target audience isn’t on social media?” It got me thinking since some B2B marketers really can’t use the typical social media platforms as an effective way to engage. Here are three B2B marketing alternatives:

  1. Become an industry expert – this is about investing in becoming a useful resource
  2. Podcasts/webinars – increasingly popular way to communicate more creatively
  3. Research and whitepapers – conducting relevant original research builds brand leadership

It’s an interesting thought experiment – what if I lost a marketing channel? Do our current ‘go-to’ marketing channels prevent us from considering others? Remember, we’re living through crazy times!

Socially Distanced Music Pens

Recently, there have been concerts performed in the UK utilizing social distancing – small ‘pens’ are set up to keep people far enough apart. What do you think? Is this something you’d enjoy attending? Would you pay extra if venues need to charge more to cover the cost of fewer attendees?

I can’t help but wonder if this is a potential model for future B2B live events. Can we keep the Zoom-like world going or does the in-person contact return in a different format? At times like these, who knows what’s next?

Next Week’s Event – Webinar Aug 27

I am hosting another one of our What Do Marketers Do Now? ….in under 29 minutes events later this month – ‘4 Campaigns to Help You Hit Your Q3 and Q4 Numbers’! Want to pick up some timely lead generation campaign tips that stimulate sales? Join Us!!

As always, don’t hesitate to call me to brainstorm or ask how I can help.

Looking forward,
Rick

Rick Endrulat | President | Virtual Causeway | 519.866.1600 x622