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Prep for Success: Four B2B Marketing Trends to Consider in the New Year

January 5, 2018Lori Rohrbach

It can be overwhelming to keep up with all of the latest marketing tools and trends – there’s always something that’s declared a must-have for boosting your marketing efforts. So, how’s a business owner or marketer to know where to focus his or her energy (and budget)?

We’ve done some of the legwork for you by rounding up the hot topics in marketing right now. Here are the hottest trends you might want to follow and what you can skip.

The content calendar
The content calendar is nothing new, but according to a 2017 survey from The Content Marketing Institute, only 37% of B2B marketers have a documented content marketing strategy. By developing a content calendar, you can identify key campaigns and topics, define clear requirements, and easily measure the success of each content campaign or rollout. That’s not to say that there won’t be content needs outside of those documented in the calendar – of course there will – but the calendar is a great starting point to take your content creation and production to the next level.

Who’s it for? Organizations that want to increase the amount and quality of their content.

Old school thought leadership
Speaking of content marketing, it’s going back to its roots. There’s so much content out there that buyers can easily spot a thinly veiled sales pitch, even when it’s presented as a blog post or column. What will make buyers click and read through your content? Articles that are valuable, relevant and targeted to a clearly defined audience. True thought leadership content should educate buyers with statistics, real-world examples and insights, and research results. While the goal is clearly to position your company leaders as experts in their field, the articles themselves should not promote specific products or companies.

Who’s it for? Businesses looking to step up their blog efforts, land media placements and increase reader engagement.

Account-based marketing
Account-based marketing (ABM) has been widely discussed in B2B marketing circles during the past few years, and it really became a hot topic in 2017. Inbound lead gen will always have its place, but a strategic approach of personalizing and coordinating marketing and sales efforts can be a very powerful way to win and expand business. By communicating with customers through 1:1 marketing, you can help them feel valued and understood, increasing the likelihood that they will continue to work with you (and contribute to your revenue stream).

Who’s it for? B2B companies with long, complex sales cycles. ABM can provide some “quicker wins” to keep the business going strong.

DIY videos
If you’ve been holding off on doing video because you don’t want to blow the marketing budget on fancy equipment or an external firm, now’s the time to rethink that strategy. You don’t necessarily need an expensive camera or cameraman to make a professional-looking video. Grab a smartphone, set up a tripod, and do a bit of research and reading about how to create effective videos and storylines. Need some proof that DIY videos can make a difference? Check out this case study from Search Engine Journal – their average Facebook Live engagement was 178% higher than their average post engagement!

Who’s it for? Companies who are already using social media marketing, but want to increase engagement.

There are certainly other marketing trends that will emerge this year, but this list should help you give you some ideas on how to refresh, shake up and improve your marketing efforts in 2018.

RELATED: How Does Your Marketing Stack Up?

 

Author: Estera Hayes

 

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Eight Work-From-Home Etiquette Tips

Eight Work-From-Home Etiquette Tips

 

Whether telecommuting is old hat or something you’ve been forced into as part of the COVID-19 shutdown, here are a few tips to make the experience run smoothly for both employers and employees.

 

Managing expectations

Successful work-from-home strategies always begin with clearly communicated expectations. Make sure your employees have any necessary equipment, tools and resources.  Will they need to track their time? Participate in regularly scheduled meetings? Be available at certain times of day? For employees, know what you’re accountable for and clearly communicate any challenges you’re having.

 

Constant communication

Keep the lines of communication open and be accessible. Check in with employees regularly through apps like Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts and Skype, or even an old-fashioned email or phone call. Be genuinely interested in how they’re doing but don’t overdo it. Foster a feeling of trust by not micromanaging.

 

Nine to five…ish

While having a daily schedule is ideal, it may not always be practical right now. Make sure your people know when you need them to be available and try to offer flexibility at other times. They may be juggling school schedules as well as work schedules and working at “off-shift” times may be necessary. Be mindful of employees in different time zones as well.

 

For employees, try to work when you’re at your best, and not when you’re exhausted by kindergarten playtime and fourth grade math. Make sure people know if you will be unavailable at certain times.

 

Taking a break

Getting up and moving clears the head and helps with creativity and problem-solving. Whether it’s a walk around the block or a break for lunch, make time to get away from your desk throughout the day.

 

Signing off

Working from home does not mean being available 24/7. Set an actual end to the workday if possible. Don’t send and respond to messages at all hours. Sign out of messaging apps and close work programs. Understand and respect these boundaries.

 

Location, location, location

When setting up a home office, think about where you will have the fewest distractions – for yourself and for those who may be seeing you and your background on a video conferencing platform. Try to avoid busy spots that may include semi-clad people walking behind you, barking dogs and kids vying for your attention.

 

Conferencing and calls

Be clear about whether you expect people to turn on their cameras during meetings. If so, be clear about how they should be dressed. During calls, mute your phone when you’re not talking to avoid background noise. Headphones can also help with call quality. When speaking, pause frequently so others can participate in the conversation.

 

Social engagement

It’s ok for managers and employees to have some down time together, which may help ward off feelings of isolation. Keep up your normal level of interaction, perhaps with a virtual coffee break or happy hour. Managers should set the tone for how casual to be. Let employees choose what they would like to share, and never pry into areas that were off-limits before.

 

 

Author: Erin Alderfer

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