The Difference Between Zero-Party, First-Party & Third-Party Data

Zero, first, and third-party data for B2B marketers group of marketers image

Zero, first, and third-party data for B2B marketers group of marketers image

We know — and even expect — brands to understand us and offer up personalized experiences. (And at this point, isn’t it annoying when a brand obviously doesn’t “get” us?)

While we’ve seen a major shift from third-party to first-party data over the past few years, the latest trend now relies on zero-party data. And, if used correctly, it will become the most powerful source of buyer information.

Quick definitions 

Before we dive much further, let’s quickly recap the different data sources:

  • Third-party data is obtained or purchased from an outside source. Think Apple or Facebook’s abilities to provide demographic or other interests based on information collected from those sites. The data is not exclusive to your company, meaning anyone can have access to the same data.
  • First-party data is collected by you. You collect it from your website, your app, or within your product itself. Typically, first-party data is behavioral data, such as a user clicking on three different screens — it shows you how the user engages with different experiences.
  • Zero-party data is collected from — and shared voluntarily by — the user. Rather than assuming three clicks on different screens shows an intent to buy, you would ask the user directly, such as through a survey.

There’s also second-party data which is the first-party data from another source. It might be a trusted business partner that opts to share the data with you, or data you purchase. But for this discussion, we will focus on third, first, and zero-party data.

Third-party data is more limited than ever

Third-party data used to reign supreme. It was easy to rely on the data of tech giants like Google, Apple, and Facebook — with access to hundreds of millions of users — for targeted advertising.

But that changed with increased scrutiny over privacy. GDPR was implemented in 2018, fundamentally changing how individuals can control access to their data in the EU. Apple introduced user privacy options in iOS 14.5 and higher, where users could choose how their data is tracked. And Google has announced its intention to phase out third-party cookies by the end of 2024.

Marketers have realized that they cannot rely on third-party data in the future, and that it’s better to collect the data — in some form — themselves.

First-party data makes assumptions

First-party data can range from simple web analytics to in-depth product analytics that track every step of the user journey. It can be used for retargeting, personalized experiences, finding that “sticky” factor, and more. First-power data powers the experiences we expect — like Netflix’s “More Items to Explore” recommendations.

First-party data goes far deeper than third-party data because it looks at user behavior. Rather than placing users into buckets based on characteristics, first-party data relies on what users do on your website and within your product. Do they spend two minutes looking at a product page? They’re probably thinking about a purchase. Do they click around to a lot of different screens during a free trial? They’re probably trying to see if it’s a good fit and maybe worth a paid subscription.

The key here is “probably.” Marketers still need to look at those behaviors and interpret what they mean. Sometimes, the intent is obvious. Other times, it’s speculation.

The data can get really complicated, really fast — particularly on the B2B buying journey.

[bctt tweet=”“First-party data can range from simple web analytics to in-depth product analytics that track every step of the user journey.” — Katelyn Drake @KB_Drake” username=”toprank”]

Zero-party data truly shows buyer intent

We’ve been talking about the future of SEO and an intent-based marketing strategy a lot lately. Gathering and utilizing zero-party data layers in even more insights to inform that intent approach, giving brands a deeper understanding of a potential buyer’s goals and intentions before they make an engagement or purchase decision. Brands can use that data to tailor messages and offerings for each individual customer on a much higher level than ever before.

What’s the best way to determine a buyer’s interest in your product? Ask directly.

Forrester Research coined the phrase “zero-party” data with the definition: “Zero-party data is that which a customer intentionally and proactively shares with a brand. It can include preference center data, purchase intentions, personal context, and how the individual wants the brand to recognize [them].”

Zero-party data is the information a consumer willingly shares with a brand, helping brands boost customer trust, personalization, and loyalty.

You might collect zero-party data from a survey, chatbot, or profile information or other form fill. You’re collecting very specific information that you can use to target the buyer, such as “What brought you to our site today?” — with a few different selections.

It’s even more credible and trustworthy than even first-party data because it removes the guesswork about the buyer journey. And it can reduce marketing waste because you know exactly what the buyer wants.

But zero-party data should be collected sparingly and used strategically. You can’t ask an individual customer to complete a 20-question survey or answer a pop-up on every website page of your website. And your follow-through has to be spot-on: if customers share their preferences and then don’t receive a personalized experience, they’ll wonder why they shared anything.

Know what to ask, when to ask, and what questions will drive the most value.

[bctt tweet=”“First-party data goes far deeper than third-party data because it looks at user behavior. Rather than placing users into buckets based on characteristics, (it) relies on what users do on your website and within your product.” — @Forrester” username=”toprank”]

Think beyond the initial purchase

Zero-party data should be an ongoing strategy and part of your full-funnel lead gen approach . Whether you’re looking for repeat purchases, upsells, or customer retention, you can always consider ways to get into the minds of your customers.

That might mean an email campaign asking about customer satisfaction that you can use to personalize future offers. Or you can craft a survey and offer an entry into a giveaway in exchange for answering a few questions. These asks should always have the same goal: to create elevated and personalized content experiences for everyone in your market, no matter where they are in the decision-making funnel.

The use of zero-party data should never feel forced. Instead, you’re showing customers that you understand — and respect — their buying decisions.

Learn more about crafting great B2B content experiences with our new free guide, Marketing with Intent: The Future of SEO & B2B Search Traffic.

Marketing with Intent: The Future of SEO & B2B Search Traffic

The post The Difference Between Zero-Party, First-Party & Third-Party Data appeared first on B2B Marketing Blog – TopRank®.

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TopRank Marketing Keynote in Paris: Human vs. Machine and The Future of Content for B2B Marketing

Next week, TopRank Marketing is going abroad. The first stop is in Paris for the BtoB Summit Paris 2023.

This is not our CEO Lee Odden‘s first time presenting in France, but it will be his first on a large stage there and we just hope he’s been brushing up on his French.

The BtoB Summit is a premier event within the industry and is the perfect conference for global B2B marketers looking to learn more about B2B marketing and strategies. The summit features expert-led sessions, panel discussions, networking opportunities, and workshops focusing on B2B content marketing, influencer marketing, and much more.

Lee is a featured keynote speaker and will be presenting on Human vs Machine: The Future of B2B Content Marketing:

The B2B content marketing world is at a crossroads: how do we balance artificial intelligence with authentic inspiration? Not since the advent of the internet itself has so much innovation (and hype) captured the attention of marketers as Generative AI. This keynote presentation explores how to navigate this landscape of the future by combining the power of Gen AI with the unique insights and emotional intelligence only humans can provide. Key takeaways will include:
  • Identifying opportunities for AI integration in your content marketing process
  • Tactics for maintaining authentic, relatable content in an AI-dominated landscape
  • Examples of successful human-machine collaboration in B2B content marketing

The BtoB Summit provides an excellent opportunity to engage in meaningful conversations with industry leaders, discuss best practices and strategies, and gain valuable insight into how to succeed in the increasingly competitive B2B space. Attendees are exposed to cutting-edge technologies and will learn about the latest trends in content creation, receive advice on how to leverage influencer marketing for business growth, and discover ways to increase visibility and engagement.

The summit will also feature round-table discussions that bring together B2B marketing leaders from around the globe to collaborate and share their experiences. This is a great opportunity for professionals to connect with other B2B markers, make meaningful connections, discuss the latest industry news and build valuable relations within the industry.

If you are in the region, there is still time to register and meet up with TopRank Marketing in person. Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to learn from leading experts in the field of B2B marketing and take your business to new heights! The BtoB Summit Paris 2023 promises to be an event that you won’t soon forget.

And don’t forget to “Élever le marketing lors de cet excellent événement.”

BtoB Summit Paris 2023 Lee Odden keynote image

The post TopRank Marketing Keynote in Paris: Human vs. Machine and The Future of Content for B2B Marketing appeared first on B2B Marketing Blog – TopRank®.

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Elevate B2B Marketing News: B2B Pipeline Study, AI’s Rising Video Use, Google’s New Verification Tools, & What B2B Buyers Want

2023 March 31 MarketingCharts Chart

2023 March 31 MarketingCharts Chart

B2B buyers want purchasing to be more social and entertaining
62 percent of B2B buyers have said that they would like more entertaining online purchasing processes, with 60 percent noting that they plan to increase their use of digital purchasing channels, while over 40 percent will abort an online buying process if it takes more than three seconds — three of numerous findings of interest to B2B marketers contained in newly-published survey data. Digital Commerce 360

B2B Sellers Should Include Financial Data In Emails, Not Sound Robotic: Study
81 percent of B2B sellers said that an understanding of a client’s financial performance is important when it comes to engaging executives, while 72 percent reported greater success when such financial data was used, according to recently-released B2B seller survey data. MediaPost

Elon Musk and others urge AI pause, citing ‘risks to society’
A six month development pause on the most powerful new variants of generative artificial intelligence (AI) has been urged by over 1,000 AI industry experts — including Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak — in an open letter from the non-profit Future of Life Institute, as the rapid pace of AI evolution has caused increasing concern across industry boundaries. Reuters

Google Announces The Ads Transparency Center And 2022 Ads Safety Report
Search giant Google is launching new advertising transparency data and tools with the global rollout of a new Ads Transparency Center — combining ad data from its Google Search, Display, and YouTube platforms — along with new insights from its most recent Ads Safety Report, Google recently announced. Search Engine Journal

Remove Boredom and Frustration from Your Customer Journey
Marketers who are able to recognize and overcome customer challenges relating to frustration and boredom along the purchasing path stand to connect with customers on new emotional levels, and the Harvard Business Review takes a look at the power of making new things familiar and familiar things new. Harvard Business Review

Digital Not Immune From Current Ad Recession, Falls 2% YTD
Overall U.S. advertising spending fell by 6.9 percent during January and February 2023, however the digital segment recorded a decline of just two percent, as digital’s share of overall ad spending climbed to 59 percent, according to newly-published Standard Media Index data. MediaPost

2023 March 31 Statistics Image

Is AI the Future of Video Creation? We Asked Wistia’s Head of Production
AI has seen growing use within video creation, as content creators look to increase efficiency and tap into a new realm of creativity made possible by the nascent technology, and HubSpot recently explored how Wistia’s head of production has implemented an AI workflow in the video creation process. HubSpot

[bctt tweet=”“AI is opening the door to new ideas, new executions, and new visuals that I may not have come up with on my own. It’s expanding my creative palette, not just saving me time.” — Chris Lavigne @crlvideo” username=”toprank”]

Five new ways to verify info with Google Search
Google has published new details about its updated “About this result” and other digital information verification tools, as the search giant seeks to bolster its digital fact-checking features and to help pinpoint contextual information gaps and increase information literacy, Google recently announced. Google

Zoom is adding new features to compete with Slack, Calendly, Google and Microsoft
Zoom has begun rolling out an array of new and updated features, including meeting summaries fueled by AI, whiteboard generation, and Zoom IQ for Sales which offers video call sales data, among other new functionality, Zoom announced recently. TechCrunch

To Boost Conversion Rates, B2B Marketers Look to Better Understand Their Pipelines
43 percent of U.S. B2B marketers have said that improving the quality of the leads they gather and the nurturing they perform is a top priority when it comes to increasing conversion rates, with 39 percent pointing to improved pipeline analysis, and 34 percent who pinpointed better having a better understanding of which leads convert in their organization’s pipeline — some of the findings included in newly-published survey data of interest to B2B marketers. MarketingCharts

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE:

2023 March 31 Marketoonist Comic Image

A lighthearted look at “AI Written, AI Read” by Marketoonist Tom Fishburne — Marketoonist

Two Hearted IPA’s new campaign celebrates its utter disdain for what’s trending — Ad Age

TOPRANK MARKETING & CLIENTS IN THE NEWS:

  • Lane R. Ellis — This Week in Marketing: Spring Cleaning for Marketing Strategies — LinkedIn (client)
  • TopRank Marketing — Manufacturing Best Practices for Influencer Marketing — Industry Today

FRIDAY FIVE B2B MARKETING FAVORITES TO FOLLOW:

Jenn Herman @jenns_trends
Allen Weiss @allenweiss
Ashley Faus @ashleyfaus
John Jantsch @ducttape
Pam Didner @PamDidner

Learn more about TopRank Marketing‘s mission to help elevate the B2B marketing industry.

Have you come across a top B2B marketing news item for the week that we haven’t yet covered? If so, please don’t hesitate to drop us a line in the comments below.

Thank you for taking the time to join us for the Elevate B2B Marketing News, and we hope that you will come back again next Friday for another selection of the most up-to-date and relevant B2B and digital marketing industry news. In the meantime, you can follow us on our LinkedIn page, or at @toprank on Twitter for even more timely daily news.

The post Elevate B2B Marketing News: B2B Pipeline Study, AI’s Rising Video Use, Google’s New Verification Tools, & What B2B Buyers Want appeared first on B2B Marketing Blog – TopRank®.

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Spring Forward: 3 Ways to Grow Your B2B Content Marketing Garden

Spring forward and grow your B2B marketing garden woman in garden at laptop image

Spring forward and grow your B2B marketing garden woman in garden at laptop image

For much of the world, spring has sprung. As readers may know, however, TopRank is a Minnesota-based company and — though we all work remotely now — I’ve made the somewhat-questionable decision to remain here in the land of 10,000 lakes.

This is what April “spring time” looks like here in Minneapolis.

Springtime in Minneapolis, Minnesota image of snowy scene from deck.
Pictured: a beautiful spring day

But despite (or perhaps because) of the fact that my own spring is taking its time outside, within my closed-up, heated apartment, at least one spring is springing: Content marketing in 2023. It’s going to be a very big year for content marketing, with marketers everywhere responding to big and often surprising shifts in our discipline by going back to basics and rethinking their content strategies from the ground up.

And it’s the perfect time to do so: to stick to the metaphor, the seeds we sow right now as content marketers will make or break our success in the season to come. So, in the spirit of spring (wherever it may be), let’s discuss a few ways we can all start growing our content gardens right now to ensure a beautiful bloom in 2023 and beyond:

1 — Prune your keyword lists with search intent

These days, most content marketers worth their salt start their process by cooperating with their SEO teams (even if they are their SEO teams) to derive a list of pertinent keywords. While this is still a great place to start, however, it’s not all content marketers should be doing to home in on what their audiences are interested in.

Search intent is a fundamental aspect of SEO, but it tends to be a little overlooked in content planning — especially when content marketers have limited time and/or resources to present their initial plans. While keywords alone can tell you what your audience is searching for, they can’t tell you why. That’s what intent is for.

By paying attention to search intent from the beginning of your content ideation, you can “prune” down your list of keywords to the most relevant to your goals… and maybe even discover some new subject matter in the process. Focus on keywords with intent you can actually build into your marketing pipeline, such as “commercial” intent keywords or “informational” intent keywords you can use to educate your audience on a Category Entry Point (CEP) they may not have considered before.

The more relevant and valuable your initial keywords are, the more relevant each piece of content you produce to support them will be! Before you keep producing, therefore, it’s worth taking a step back this spring to reevaluate how you’re speaking to your audience’s intent.

[bctt tweet=”“By paying attention to search intent from the beginning of your content ideation, you can prune down your list of keywords to the most relevant… and maybe even discover some new subject matter in the process.” — Harry Mackin @Shiitakeharry” username=”toprank”]

2 — Fertilize your content with ongoing care

One of the biggest mistakes even the best content marketers can be guilty of is “firing and forgetting.” We get so wrapped up in producing our next piece of content that we forget about the ones we’ve already sent out the door. This is a problem, because publication is the beginning of a piece of content’s lifecycle, not the end.

Whenever you produce a piece of content, it pays to produce a complete strategy and schedule for promoting that content. Experiment with different ways to promote the content: on different channels, at different times of day, tagging different people or using different hashtags, etc. You could even A/B test messaging and individual elements of the content itself to see if you can improve performance within the piece’s lifecycle. Then, you can use your findings to alter current and future promotional strategies.

It’s also a good idea to keep paying attention to your results on a daily basis. Even lower performing content may see spikes at different times of day or with different audiences. All the insights you can glean from your analytics tell you something about how to create future content — and even how to better promote the content you’ve already put out.

[bctt tweet=”“Publication is the beginning of a piece of content’s lifecycle, not the end.” — Harry Mackin @Shiitakeharry” username=”toprank”]

3 — Hybridize your content for diversity, strength, and community building

This is going to be big in 2023: according to the Content Marketing Institute, tech marketers are diversifying their content investments in a big way, with up to 74% planning to invest in events and 73% in owned media assets. Short videos will also be a major trend, particularly short videos that are designed to be shared on social media.

An even more exciting trend is the way in which a lot of content marketers seem to be embracing content hybridization — that is, producing several different types of content to get at their point.

For example, a content marketing team might produce a major owned asset behind a paywall (to get at some of that sweet zero-party data), then proceed to support the release of that asset by breaking into smaller blogs, producing short-form videos to talk through different aspects of the insights contained in it in further detail and context, or even host a remote event where they talk through the findings with the writers or other experts. Discussing larger assets in collaboration with influencers in your industry can be a particularly good way to boost your content’s reach and establish your authority as a thought leader.

Producing this kind of hybrid content strategy is a great idea for a couple of reasons. First of all, it’s an excellent way to keep your ideas fresh and relevant in the minds and on the feeds of your audience, without simply resharing the same blog again and again.

Different people respond to different content mediums in different ways, after all; an audience member you might have missed with a blog could wind up clicking on the video you populate to their feed, then appreciating the video enough to go back and check out the blog!

Most importantly, supporting larger content ideas with multiple hybrid approaches also establishes and re-establishes your brand as up-to-date, agile, and passionate about what you’re doing. You’re not just creating content for the sake of content; you’re interested in starting conversations, responding to feedback, and moving the industry forward.

By committing to ongoing and diversified support for your biggest content initiatives, you can start a conversation and even build a community around your work. Not only does this lead to much more engagement, but it will improve your brand’s reputation with your most valuable audience.

Hopefully, these tips and the exciting opportunities they represent for content helped brighten your day… whether or not spring has actually sprung for you yet. 2023 is shaping up to be a really exciting year for B2B content marketing. If you want to talk about how to make your content spring to life this year, we’re ready to help.

The post Spring Forward: 3 Ways to Grow Your B2B Content Marketing Garden appeared first on B2B Marketing Blog – TopRank®.

Did you miss our previous article…
https://www.sydneysocialmediaservices.com/?p=6111

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B2B Marketers on the Move: Summer 2023 Marking Industry Talent & Trust

As the summer solstice nears, so to do new opportunities. As B2B marketers adjust to the changes that 2023 has brought, the industry continues to offer growth opportunities as well as unexpected shifts that often seem to happen so swiftly that they can be difficult to fully appreciate.

For more than 22 years, TopRank Marketing has had the honor of helping a diverse selection of the world’s leading B2B marketers and major global brands elevate and go beyond merely being competitive, to truly standing out from the crowd with creative and award-winning successes.

Throughout 2023 we’ve intensified our focus on elevating through intelligence, relevance, and the kinds of human touches that allow efforts to stand out from the increasing reach of those touched soley by artificial intelligence (AI) than by human hands. In this spirit, over the past several years we have regularly made a point of taking the time to honor and congratulate B2B marketing leaders who have recently seen career advancement.

When B2B marketers take on new leadership roles, it’s a natural time to seek out trusted resources that will help professionals in new positions hit the ground running, and TopRank Marketing is honored to be a go-to B2B content and influencer marketing agency for so many top marketers in new leadership roles. In 2023 we also continue to seek out B2B technology industry influencers advancing in their careers to partner with on compelling and unique content collaborations.

We extend our heartfelt soon-to-be summertime congratulations to each of the B2B marketing leaders featured in this tenth edition of B2B Marketers on the Move, and extend our thanks for sharing their insightful B2B marketing career advice.

B2B Marketers on the Move: Elevating Summertime B2B Marketing Leaders

Jennifer Griffin SmithJennifer Griffin Smith has taken a new position as Chief Market Officer at Acquia.

It’s a buyer’s world. Whether you’re in B2C or B2B, today’s customers have many choices. So you need to constantly ask yourself: Why should they choose to work with us? What do we have to offer that will truly make a difference to their business, their customers, and their lives?”

Jennifer Griffin Smith

Jennifer has been featured on the TopRank Marketing blog a number of times over the years, including “Jennifer Griffin Smith: Why Every Company Should Act Like a Media Company,” and “10 Years of Women Who Rock in Marketing.”
Brian SolisBrian Solis has taken a new position as Head of Global Innovation at ServiceNow.

There’s a saying that can’t help but think of in these times, ‘life isn’t happening to you, it’s happening for you.’ The gap between where we are and where we can be is only separated by what we unlearn, learn, and do differently moving forward.”

Brian Solis

Brian was featured in our “Inside B2B Influence: Brian Solis on the Future of Influence in B2B Marketing,” and in our comprehensive 59-page 2022 B2B Influencer Marketing Report.
Meisha BochicchioMeisha Bochicchio has taken a new position as Digital Content Marketing Program Manager at VMware.

What do you want to be known for? Pick a small subset of specific topics and focus a majority of your time and effort on those areas. The classic 80/20 split works well here.”

Meisha Bochicchio

Justin LevyJustin Levy has been promoted to Sr. Director, Influencer Marketing & Head of Community at Demandbase.

Do you know what the single most important job of a community manager is? Providing value to the communities that they are responsible for. Full stop.”

Justin Levy

Justin has been featured in our “Inside B2B Influence: Justin Levy of Demandbase on Optimizing B2B Marketing with Influence,” and “20+ Reasons B2B Brands Are Increasingly Moving To Influencer Marketing.”
Caroline ForseyCaroline Forsey has taken a new position as Principal Marketing Manager at HubSpot.

Learning how to mold AI into the type of tool that fits our existing priorities and quality metrics will be key to retaining the audiences we’ve worked so hard to build. At its core, we know AI can’t replace the humanity behind marketing. So we won’t try to.”

Caroline Forsey

Caroline was featured in our “How B2B Influencer Marketing Offers Brands an Ideal Alternative to In-Person Events.”
Ryan ArnholtRyan Arnholt has taken a new position as Director of Business Development at TopRank Marketing.

The idea of elevating B2B marketing is about creating relationships, and understanding what you can do in marketing, business development, and sales, to create deep, meaningful connections.”

Ryan Arnholt

Ryan recent sat down with our director of agency marketing Katelyn Drake to share his B2B marketing insight, in “Marketers on the Move: Meet TopRank Marketing’s New Director of Business Development,” and has contributed to our blog as an author, in “B2B Ignite USA 2023 Wrap-Up: The Importance of Being Human.”
Jacqui MurphyJacqui Murphy has taken a new position as Chief Market Officer at Fellow.app.

Jacqui has been featured on our blog over the years, including in “50 Influential Women in B2B Marketing Who Rocked in 2020.”

Dennis GoedegebuureDennis Goedegebuure has taken a new position as VP Brand & Creative Marketing at Bitdefender.

Sometimes it’s hard to help, and if an opportunity to help is presented, you dive right in.”

Dennis Goedegebuure

Dennis has been featured in our “14 Search Marketing Influencers at Top B2B & B2C Brands.”
Lidia SantosLidia Santos has been taken a new position as Global Brand Management Director, Oral Care at SUNSTAR GLOBAL.

Do you want to train your brain to concentrate better and be more effective? Practicing meditation makes us happier and more creative, and helps us cope better with stressful moments.”

Casey May
Casey May has taken a new position as Director, Global Campaign and Content Marketing Strategy at Xerox.

Kristine WebbKristine Webb has taken a new position as Senior Manager, NAMER Field Marketing & Events at LinkedIn*.

Accessibility is an integral part of diversity, equity and inclusion and a human right.”

Kristine Webb

Adrian FulleAdrian Fulle has taken a new position as Global Chief Marketing Officer at ByoPlanet®.

If marketing were solely about manipulating people into making purchases, none of us would truly be passionate about this field.”

Adrian Fulle

Tom KendallTom Kendall has taken a new position as Global Field Activation Programs Manager at IBM.

You really cannot overestimate the importance of customer experience; it will require a mind-set change for many businesses.”

Tom Kendall

Klaudia TiricoKlaudia Tirico has taken a new position as Content Director, B2B Marketing Exchange at Demand Gen Report.

It’s super rewarding to work for a company and with people who fight for you to help get what you deserve. I’ve been so lucky to have bosses who always had my back. I’m forever grateful and strive to be that person to my team. But no matter what position you take on, always remember that the life you live outside of work is more rewarding than your career. So, take that PTO and step away from the computer screen on your break… enjoy the little things, buy yourself flowers and even take on a side hustle… and be unapologetic about it! In fact, be unapologetic about everything you’re passionate about — in and outside of work — even if it ticks some people off.”

Klaudia Tirico

Kelly FarrellKelly Farrell has taken a new position as Product Marketing Manager at Intercom.

Your greatest accomplishment in life is not your work but rather, showing up and being fully present for people when they need you.”

Kelly Farrell

Ben HarmanusBen Harmanus has been promoted to Principal Editorial Lead, New Media at HubSpot.

At the end of the day, it’s all about the customer experience.”

Ben Harmanus

Ben was featured earlier this year in our “B2B Marketers on the Move: Spotlighting New Leadership & Talent To Kick Off 2023.”
Ashley Amber SavaAshley Amber Sava has taken a new position as Director of Content Strategy at Alight Solutions.

Writers and content creators — if you want to produce something new, consider utilizing original research and actually interviewing SMEs, clients, prospects and internal experts.”

Ashley Amber Sava

Marc MeyerMarc Meyer has taken a new position as Senior Global Social Media Lead at Revvity.

Content isn’t just king in the world of social media – metaphorically speaking, it’s a dictator. From determining what people see to influencing how they feel and motivating action, content has the power to exercise absolute authority over your audience. As a content creator, it’s important to recognize the power of your content and use it wisely to build a loyal and engaged following on social media.”

Marc Meyer

Alice BedwellAlice Bedwell has taken a new position as Content Marketing Manager at Ometria.

It’s more than email engagement and soft metrics. It’s about understanding customers and where they are in their purchase journey to ensure you and your team are supporting their needs in the most proactive way.”

Alice Bedwell

Alice has been featured in our “B2B Marketers on the Move: Celebrating May B2B Industry Movers & New Opportunities.”
Julia KaplanJulia Kaplan has taken a new position as Senior Director, Head of Brand & Content Marketing at Howl.

It’s the people, the mission, the product and the potential to create a brighter future that are the magic.”

Julia Kaplan

Gary GerberGary Gerber has taken a new position as Head of Product Marketing at PayNearMe.

It’s about building a relationship that’s built on trust, not on hype.”

Gary Gerber

Gary has been featured in our “Break Free B2B Marketing: Gary Gerber on Scaling ABM without Losing Focus,” and “28 B2B Marketing Insights To Energize & Humanize Your 2021.”

Amber KroselAmber Krosel has been promoted to Senior Program Manager, Content Marketing at Indeed.com.

Volunteering is a great way to meet new friends as well as strengthen existing connections with friends, family or coworkers. As a volunteer, you’ll typically interact with people from diverse backgrounds, which allows you to learn other perspectives.”

Amber Krosel

Ben HibshmanBen Hibshman has taken a new position as Senior Director of Marketing at ZenBusiness.

Christine NurnbergerChristine Nurnberger has taken a new position as Chief Marketing Officer at OutSystems.

Think of your organization as a three-legged stool representing sales, marketing and operations. When one of the legs of the stool is not working right, you have a problem. If you have the best sales team in the world but the marketing team doesn’t identify a buyer and understand their needs, you will fail.”

Christine Nurnberger

Christine has been featured in our “B2B Marketers on the Move: An Autumn Celebration of B2B Industry Marketing Leaders.”
Alexander HoffmannAlexander Hoffmann has been promoted to Senior Industry Manager & Data Strategy Lead at Google.

Sean CrowleySean Crowley has taken a new position as Vice President, Product Marketing at BigTime Software, Inc.

At the end of the day, its the PEOPLE at the company your targeting that ultimately make the decision to buy your products. Sure, there are economic, strategic, operational and tactical criteria your product has to fulfill, but you’ve got to build personalized experiences that reach and engage the right people to even have a chance of winning their business.”

Sean Crowley

Sean has been featured several times on the TopRank Marketing blog over the years, including a full video interview in our “Break Free B2B Marketing: Sean Crowley on Cracking the Alignment Code.”
Amy HigginsAmy Higgins has taken a new position as Director, Content Strategy at Lyra Health.

You should look at your content marketing like a locomotive where you’re going in one direction, but there are many parts that you need to consider to stay on track. The focus should be quality over quantity.”

Amy Higgins

Amy is a TopRank Marketing alumni, and has been featured in our “Top 25 B2B Content Marketing Influencers and Experts To Follow #CMWorld 2022,” and “Top B2B Marketers Share their Content Marketing Predictions for 2021.”
Brian McDowellBrian McDowell has taken a new position as Director of Audience Management at Yahoo.

In the 2020s we have AI and a whole new world of platform efficiencies for collecting and sharing information. We are at a turning point where you either learn to master and leverage these technologies, or get left behind.”

Brian McDowell

Brian has been featured in our “Prepping for #Pubcon Pro Las Vegas: 11 Presentations We’re Looking Forward to Most.”

Thanks To Each of These Inspiring Leaders For Helping Elevate B2B Marketing In 2023

We offer many thanks to each of the talented B2B marketing professionals we’ve featured here, who have all recently been promoted or taken on new industry positions. We’re certain that all of you will elevate with intelligence, relevance and a human touch, and reach new heights in 2023 and beyond.

You can find our previous edition of B2B Marketers on the Move here, and if you want to talk about how to make your own content spring to life this year, we’re ready to help.

You can also learn more about the future of B2B marketing from our CEO Lee Odden, who will be presenting a keynote address during B2B Summit 2023 in Paris, France on June 6, 2023, exploring “Keynote : Human vs. Machine: B2B Content Marketing for the Future.”

BtoB Summit Paris 2023 Lee Odden keynote image

*LinkedIn is a TopRank Marketing client.

Ready to elevate your B2B brand? Connect with our team to learn more today!

Schedule A Call

The post B2B Marketers on the Move: Summer 2023 Marking Industry Talent & Trust appeared first on B2B Marketing Blog – TopRank®.

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B2B Marketers on the Move: Celebrating Spring 2023 Leadership & Talent Growth

Honoring spring B2B marketers on the move running woman image

Honoring spring B2B marketers on the move running woman image

Springtime epitomizes new growth and the possibility for harvesting future successes, and as B2B marketers adjust to the changes that 2023 has brought, the industry continues to offer growth opportunities as well as shifts that often seem to happen so fast that they are difficult to fully appreciate.

For over two decades TopRank Marketing has had the honor of helping a diverse selection of the world’s top B2B marketers and major global brands elevate and go beyond merely being competitive, to standing out from the crowd with creative and award-winning successes.

In 2023 we’ve increased our focus on elevating through intelligence, relevance, and the kinds of human touches that allows efforts to stand out from the increasing reach of those touched more by artificial intelligence (AI) than by human hands. In this spirit, for over a year now we have regularly made a point of taking the time to honor and congratulate B2B marketing leaders who have recently seen career advancement.

When B2B marketers take on new leadership roles, it’s only natural to seek out trusted resources that will help professionals in new positions hit the ground running, and TopRank Marketing is honored to have been a go-to B2B content and influencer marketing agency for so many top marketers in new leadership roles. In 2023 we also continue to seek out B2B technology industry influencers advancing in their careers to partner with on compelling and unique content collaborations.

We offer heartfelt springtime congratulations to each of the B2B marketing leaders featured in this ninth edition of B2B Marketers on the Move, and extend our thanks for sharing their insightful B2B marketing career advice.

B2B Marketers on the Move: Elevating Springtime B2B Marketing Leaders

Tequia Burt
Tequia Burt has been promoted to Editor in Chief, LinkedIn Collective & LinkedIn Ads Blog, Senior Content Marketing Manager at LinkedIn*.

Though it’s satisfying and rewarding to be in a place where you are fully in command of your job (hey, I can do this in my sleep!) the minute you find yourself becoming too comfortable, it’s time to shake things up. When you’re not enjoying yourself and learning new things in your work, your career growth will surely stall. Don’t get threatened by something new at work – whether it’s a new process, tool, or manager – embrace change and make it work for you.

Tequia was featured in our “Top 25 B2B Content Marketing Influencers and Experts To Follow #CMWorld 2022.”

Abby Johnson
Abby Johnson has been promoted to Senior Director Communications at Gray.

I can’t imagine a more exciting industry to be part of than marketing! Marketing is fun, and sometimes, the fun is forgotten. Stick with your passion, don’t be afraid of hard work, never stop learning, and above all, demonstrate authenticity, care, and compassion.

Abby was featured in our “25 Women Who Rock Social Media – 2014.”

Geoffrey Colon
Geoffrey Colon has been promoted to Senior Director, Digital Marketing at Dell Technologies.

All opportunities are found at intersections where things connect. This requires skills like critical thinking and pattern recognition. Don’t try to be 100 percent analytical or 100 percent creative. Strive to be a little of both. Being exposed to different concepts than what we’re used to is great at understanding the world around us and how people navigate it. And remember to stay humble, hungry and curious.

Kate Asleson
Kate Asleson has taken a new position as Marketing Consultant / Sr. Marketing Manager at Antea Group USA.

Steve Kearns
Steve Kearns has been promoted to Group Manager, Global Head of Content, Marketing Solutions at LinkedIn*.

CMOs and CFOs can be an unbeatable team together. You share the language of value: investment, return on investment, expenses, revenue. If you’re not working on attribution models that connect your actions to revenue, this is the time to start.

Cecilia Marshall
Cecilia Marshall has been promoted to Sênior Director, Americas Marketing for Taulia + SAP | Working Capital Management at SAP.

Polina Medvedeva
Polina Medvedeva has taken a new position as Head of Marketing at Bits & Pretzels.

My career path was messy. I started by marketing BIO dog food, continued with Gucci shoes, then entered the FinTech world full of fun and fraud, followed by B2B SaaS. Finally, after ten years, I decided to take a break to figure out where and how I wanted to continue developing myself as a marketer. Switching industries is challenging, but it is definitely worth it if you know what you want.

Jared Johnson
Jared Johnson has taken a new position as Director of Marketing at SalesRiver.

Jared was featured in our “50 Top B2B Content Marketing Influencers To Follow in 2021 #CMWorld.”

Anna Griffin
Anna Griffin has taken a new position as Chief Market Officer at Commvault.

Every business has to change because the customer expectation is now for that frictionless experience, and that’s going to be required in every interaction they have, particularly now, going into B2B. It’s a fascinating time to be in this next evolution of tech and what’s going to be possible.

Anna was featured in our “50 Influential Women in B2B Marketing Who Rocked in 2020.”

Jared Del Prete
Jared Del Prete has been promoted to VP Performance Marketing at SmartAsset.

Kimberly Krause Berg
Kimberly Krause Berg has taken a new position as Accessibility Design Lead at Bread Financial.

During my own career journey in web design and SEO, I realized the missing piece is the basic right to choose how to navigate our digital environment. Accessibility as a design practice is simply a way to lend a hand so people with disabilities can complete the tasks they want to.

Nick Eubanks
Nick Eubanks has taken a new position as Head of Digital Asset Acquisition at Semrush.

Em Seyb
Em Seyb has been promoted to Account Executive – Mid Market at Smartsheet.

When considering a move to another organization, the first impression that a sales executive has is with a recruiting team. “Are they responsive? Are they transparent? Are they giving me an accurate view into what the role looks like?” These are the questions I ask myself in the beginning of a process to help evaluate if this could be a good fit for my long-term growth.

David Burnand
David Burnand has taken a new position as Chief Marketing Officer at Staffbase.

David was featured in our “12 Ways to Ignite Your B2B Marketing #IgniteB2B.”

Jess Larkin
Jess Larkin has taken a new position as Senior Manager Strategic Marketing at Confluent.

Invest in the tools that will enable your strategic marketing team to build and then scale. You have to spend money to make money, I think is a good way to put it, and that’s especially true in ABM. We do need tools to be able to get the motions up off the ground, and it’s really important to have that budgeted when things are starting off.

Stephen MacIntyre
Stephen MacIntyre has taken a new position as Senior Digital Marketing Specialist at Grantek.

Success in B2B hinges on customer needs and innovation. Be an empathetic trailblazer, solving their problems with ingenuity. Tackle their challenges, deliver exceptional solutions.

Liana Li Evans
Liana Li Evans has taken a new position as Adobe Analytics Senior Manager at Protiviti.

Jennifer Baier Anaya
Jennifer Baier Anaya has taken a new position as Senior Vice President Global Marketing at Ingram Micro.

This continuous journey we’re on is all about people, our ecosystem and the experiences and growth we share. My work and personal life are changed for the better because I see what’s possible first, and for that I am so grateful.

Michelle Peterson
Michelle Peterson has taken a new position as Content Marketing Manager at NetSPI.

Show up and say yes! I gained this mentality while volunteering with Minnesota PRSA and MnSearch over the years. It’s amazing the opportunities that come your way when you simply show up and say yes. I take this a step further with the commitment to doing what you say you’ll do. Show up, say yes, and have follow-through. The sky’s the limit with this perspective!

Jamie Gier
Jamie Gier has taken a new position as Chief Marketing Officer at DexCare.

Create your own personal board of directors. Carefully select trusted individuals who can provide honest feedback, serve as a sounding board for career choices, and connect you to new opportunities. Cultivate these relationships to build a strong support system for your professional growth.

Beverly Jackson
Beverly Jackson has taken a new position as Vice President of Brand and Product Marketing at Zillow.

I will always push for candid and direct feedback in team environments. It’s the best gift when building powerful and effective teams.

Beverly has in featured in our “10 Marketing and Communications Leaders to Inspire You in 2021,” and “10 Inspiring B2B Marketers Who Spark Greatness.”

Rachael Goulet
Rachael Goulet has been promoted to Director, Social Media at Sprout Social.

Here’s to the future of social. Here’s to anyone who wants to carve a career path out of nothing.

Leslie Cozatt
Leslie Cozatt has been promoted to VP, B2B Corporate Content Marketing + C-suite Audience Engagement at Optum.

Leslie was featured in our “50 Influential Women in Digital Marketing: North Stars & Rising Stars 2016.”

Sandy Carter
Sandy Carter has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer at Unstoppable Domains.

Sandy was featured in our “50 Influential Women in B2B Marketing Who Rocked in 2020” and “32 Top Social Media Marketing Influencers To Follow.”

Michael Newman
Michael Newman has taken a new position as Vice President Marketing, Demand Gen at ON24.

As the #CreatorEconomy continues to grow, the creators’ voice is growing stronger and it has a simple message for the companies they work for: The end-to-end payment experience is important and we’ll leave if it’s not simple or payment errors persist.

Amanda Todorovich
Amanda Todorovich has been promoted to Executive Director, Digital Marketing at Cleveland Clinic.

I want to tell the world that the fight is worth it. That enduring the pain, sweat and struggles of this marathon can mean everything to your customers and can truly change your career, your life. Content marketing is special.

Amanda was featured in our “Top 25 B2B Content Marketing Influencers and Experts To Follow #CMWorld 2022” and “Break Free B2B Series: Amanda Todorovich on Creating Content that Pays Off.”

LaSandra Brill
LaSandra Brill has been promoted to VP, Global Digital Marketing at NVIDIA.

‘What got you here won’t get you there’ has inspired me since I first heard it at a Women’s Unlimited leadership workshop. It serves as a reminder for me to constantly strive for self-improvement while also acknowledging that the rules of the game may change with each step forward.

LaSandra was featured in our “32 Top Social Media Marketing Influencers To Follow.”

Shannon Sullivan Duffy
Shannon Sullivan Duffy has taken a new position as Chief Marketing Officer at Asana.

Marketing leaders need to focus their innovation strategy on customer data. Right now, only one in three marketing leaders is satisfied with their ability to reconcile customer identities across data sources. Technologies like customer data platforms will help brands manage data across any channel to get that all-important unified customer profile. And then be able to personalize every interaction for them based on those insights.

Shannon has been featured in our “50 Influential Women in B2B Marketing Who Rocked in 2020.”

Thanks To Each of These Inspiring Leaders For Helping Elevate B2B Marketing In 2023

Thanks to each of the talented B2B marketing professionals we’ve featured here, who have all recently been promoted or taken on new industry positions. We’re certain that you’ll elevate with intelligence, relevance and a human touch, and reach new heights in your new roles in 2023.

You can find our previous edition of B2B Marketers on the Move here, and if you want to talk about how to make your own content spring to life this year, we’re ready to help.

*LinkedIn is a TopRank Marketing client.

The post B2B Marketers on the Move: Celebrating Spring 2023 Leadership & Talent Growth appeared first on B2B Marketing Blog – TopRank®.

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Elevate B2B Marketing News: B2B Marketers See Uptick in Business, Google’s New AI Ad Tools, Falling Instagram & Facebook Effectiveness, & LinkedIn’s Video Success

2023 April 7 HubSpot Chart

2023 April 7 HubSpot Chart

Very Few B2B Salespeople Say They Typically Deal With A Single Decision-Maker
30 percent of B2B salespeople have said that their sales teams generally deal with between two and four people, with seven percent interacting with just one person, while 14 percent pointed to intra-departmental buying committees of five or more people — three of the findings of interest to B2B marketers contained in newly-published survey data. MarketingCharts

Some B2B agencies see a spike in business as market conditions remain unclear
46 percent of B2B marketers are placing more emphasis on expanding services with existing customers, with 37 percent increasing marketing budgets to boost market share, as some B2B agencies are seeing an uptick in business, with more marketing tools being put to use to help counter economic uncertainly, and DigiDay takes a look. DigiDay

[bctt tweet=”“There’s a blurriness between sales and marketing in B2B that you don’t see in consumer ad spending.” — Brian Wieser @BrianWieser” username=”toprank”]

What B2B Marketing Teams That Outperform the Competition Do Differently
25 percent of B2B marketers at high-performing firms have said that their brand activation efforts are extremely creative, compared to just eight percent of firms in lower-performing categories, while 20 percent at high-performing firms said they had a common plan and worked as a team with sales, compared to some 13 percent noted by lower-performers, according to recently-released survey data. MarketingProfs

Google Ads Tests AI To Help You Create Ads
Search giant Google has conducted tests that allow artificial intelligence (AI) to aid in the creation of ads within its Google Ads platform, including using the technology to suggest ad headlines and descriptive information, Google recently announced. Search Engine Roundtable

The secret sauce behind LinkedIn’s $5bn advertising business
Microsoft-owned LinkedIn (client) will reach its 20th birthday during May, and expects to top the one billion user threshold during the next few years, and The Drum has taken a look at how the professional social media platform continues to enhance marketer opportunities specifically in the B2B sector. The Drum

Despite All The Hype, Dentsu Survey Finds Just 27% Of Consumers Have Used Generative AI Tools
42 percent of U.S. consumers have said that they are interested in generative AI, while over 70 percent said they believed that brands should disclose its use — two of several findings of interest to B2B marketers contained in newly-published survey data. MediaPost

2022 August 12 Statistics Image

New Study Highlights Key Tips for LinkedIn Video Campaigns, Based on Analysis of 16k Campaigns
When it comes to what works in LinkedIn video efforts, the inclusion of relevant statistics, data-rich notes, and highlighting key campaign points early on were all seen as helping to increase video engagement rates, according to recently-released joint LinkedIn and VidMob study data. Social Media Today

Agencies’ Confidence in Instagram and Facebook’s Effectiveness Wanes
45 percent of marketing agency professionals have said that they are either confident or very confident in Instagram when it comes to driving marketing success during the first quarter of 2023, which is a six percent drop from the same period in 2022, with fellow Meta-owned firm Facebook seeing a drop in confidence from 59 percent last year to 44 percent this year, according to recently-published survey data . MarketingCharts

LinkedIn Adds Algorithmically Suggested Posts to Boost Engagement
LinkedIn has rolled out expanded suggested posts within its users’ content feed, in a move that could increase new and trending content exposure opportunities for brands on the professional platform, LinkedIn recently announced. Social Media Today

How Video Consumption is Changing in 2023 [New Research]
A robust 91 percent of businesses have said that they utilize video in marketing efforts, with consumers being 52 percent more likely to watch video content than other types, while 66 percent said they had watched video content in order to learn about a product or brand during 2022 — three of numerous statistics of interest to B2B marketers contained in newly-released HubSpot report data. HubSpot

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE:

2023 April 7 Marketoonist Comic Image

A lighthearted look at “Navigating AI Hype” by Marketoonist Tom Fishburne — Marketoonist

Facebook Entirely Memorialized Accounts — The Onion

TOPRANK MARKETING & CLIENTS IN THE NEWS:

  • Lee Odden — This Week in Marketing: Redefining the Qualified Lead — LinkedIn (client)
  • Lee Odden — Tips for partnering with a B2B influencer on LinkedIn — CPA Australia

FRIDAY FIVE B2B MARKETING FAVORITES TO FOLLOW:

Charlene Li @charleneli
Duena Blomstrom @DuenaBlomstrom
Efi Pylarinou @efipm
Cathy Hackl @CathyHackl
Kimberly Bryant @BlackGirlsCode

Learn more about TopRank Marketing‘s mission to help elevate the B2B marketing industry.

Have you found your own top B2B marketing news item for the week we haven’t yet covered? If so, please don’t hesitate to drop us a line in the comments below.

Thanks for joining us for the Elevate B2B Marketing News, and we hope that you’ll return next Friday for another assortment of the most up-to-date and relevant B2B and digital marketing industry news. In the meantime, you can follow us on our LinkedIn page, or at @toprank on Twitter for even more timely daily news.

The post Elevate B2B Marketing News: B2B Marketers See Uptick in Business, Google’s New AI Ad Tools, Falling Instagram & Facebook Effectiveness, & LinkedIn’s Video Success appeared first on B2B Marketing Blog – TopRank®.

Did you miss our previous article…
https://www.sydneysocialmediaservices.com/?p=6042

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Top 10 Take-Aways From Forrester’s B2B Summit North America

What can B2B marketers learn from the top presentations that were on tap during Forrester’s recent B2B Summit North America 2023 event?

Forrester’s B2B Summit North America conference — which took place in Austin, Texas as well as online — explored how B2B sales, marketing and product leaders can defy uncertainty with consistent and scalable B2B growth, and featured an array of top industry speakers.

Let’s take a peek at some of the key B2B marketing takeaways from this compelling event, in the form of social messages surrounding the event that have particularly resonated with B2B marketers.

B2B Summit North America
Forrester’s B2B Summit North America

1 — Augmented Reality Without A Headset

2 — Celebrating Women Leaders In B2B Marketing

3 — Business Buyers & Customer-Obsessed Growth Engines

4 — Galactic Growth Genius & Luna

5 — The Four-Plus Dimensions Of Value

6 — Learning From Early Adopters

We’ve featured insight from several B2B marketing industry speakers from Forrester here on the TopRank Marketing blog over the years, including our CEO Lee Odden’s “Forrester: Most Thought Leadership Isn’t Thoughtful or Leading: We Need to Fix That!,” featuring Lisa Gately, principal analyst at Forrester.

Gately presented during B2B Summit North America 2023, and pointed out how early adopters pushing the boundaries of AI have lessons to help B2B marketers improve their efforts.

7 — B2B Magic From The Blending Of Art & Science

8 — Race To Win & Be Bold

9 — AI Summarization & A Shift In Where B2B Buyers Search For Data

10 — That’s A Wrap

Forrester also summed up its B2B Summit North America 2023 event in a series of tweets.

Elevate B2B Marketing With Event Insights

Through its series of events, Forrester and the top speakers it has gathered together have helped raise the bar in B2B marketing.

TopRank Marketing was the first and only B2B marketing agency offering influencer marketing as a top capability in Forrester’s “B2B Marketing Agencies, North America, Q1 2019” report, and since then B2B brands have increasingly embraced the power of influence in B2B.

We hope that the insight we’ve shared here from speakers and attendees at the B2B Summit North America 2023 event will help you in your own efforts to elevate B2B marketing throughout 2023 and beyond.

More than ever before, creating award-winning B2B marketing that elevates, gives voice to talent, and humanizes with authenticity takes considerable time and effort, which is why more brands are choosing to work with a top digital marketing agency such as TopRank Marketing.

Ready to elevate your B2B brand? Connect with our team to learn more today!

Schedule A Call

The post Top 10 Take-Aways From Forrester’s B2B Summit North America appeared first on B2B Marketing Blog – TopRank®.

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Why Intent-Qualified Organic Traffic Will Power the Future of B2B Marketing

The future of intent-qualified organic traffic woman at laptop deep in thought image

The future of intent-qualified organic traffic woman at laptop deep in thought image

At the heart of every B2B purchase decision lies a motivation. The buyer is trying to solve a problem, or improve a process, or gain an edge over their top competitor. Maybe all that and more.

These underlying motivations propel unique journeys that will, hopefully, lead to your brand and solution. But you don’t want to leave it to chance, and that’s why marketing exists.

B2B marketers have grown very adept at using data to find their target audiences across digital channels and media. But too often, they stop short of understanding why prospects and customers are where they are.

An intent-based SEO content strategy centers on buyer motivations, supporting their journeys at various stages with helpful, enlightening, problem-solving content that makes a powerful impression.

[bctt tweet=”“An intent-based SEO content strategy centers on buyer motivations, supporting their journey with problem-solving content that makes a powerful impression.” — Nick Nelson @NickNelsonMN” username=”toprank”]

It’s why we believe intent-qualified organic traffic will be foundational to B2B marketing success going forward, as we explain in our new free guide, Marketing with Intent. Within you will find a process for creating content that excels based on this framework.

Here, you can learn a little bit more about why adopting this philosophy is essential to future growth in B2B.

Search engines are evolving around user intent

The first thing to understand about search engines like Google is that they are very smart, and getting smarter. You’re not going to game them with keyword stuffing, or empty long-form content, or AI-generated muck. The best way to reach the top of the rankings – and earn the valuable organic traffic that entails – is to create helpful, useful, high-quality content that perfectly matches the intent of the search query.

“Many of us have experienced the frustration of visiting a web page that seems like it has what we’re looking for, but doesn’t live up to our expectations,” acknowledged Danny Sullivan, Google’s public liaison for search, in a 2022 post. “The content might not have the insights you want, or it may not even seem like it was created for, or even by, a person. We work hard to make sure the pages we show on Search are as helpful and relevant as possible.”

Indeed, Google’s big algorithm update late last summer was known as the “helpful content update,” making no secret of the qualities their engine is looking for in prioritized results.

[bctt tweet=”“Google’s big algorithm update in summer of 2022 was known as the ‘helpful content update,’ making no secret of the qualities their engine is looking for in prioritized results.” — Nick Nelson @NickNelsonMN” username=”toprank”]

Not all organic traffic is equal

Organic search traffic is the lifeblood of a sustainable and efficient B2B content marketing strategy. A report from BrightEdge found that 53% of traffic to business websites is accounted for by organic search, making it “the dominant source of trackable web traffic and the largest digital channel.”

Ryan Leighty quote image

With that said, organic traffic is not universally all that valuable. To make a business impact, it needs to be qualified for relevance to your brand, and the simplest method is by orchestrating your SEO strategy around intent.

This way, marketers can ensure that each piece of content they’re creating serves a distinct audience-focused purpose and will generally attract a specific type of individual: folks who are interested in your industry or specialization, educating themselves on key topics and concepts, or keeping up on the news and trends.

Sometimes search intent will drive a person directly toward product evaluation and making a purchase. Obviously those opportunities are extremely valuable, which is why lower-funnel and demand-based content are key components of any B2B SEO strategy, but it’s critical to keep in mind that at any time, a vast majority of your potential buyer audience is not in-market.

That doesn’t mean they aren’t carrying out their job duties everyday, solving problems and answering questions that relate to their role and your solution category. An always-on strategy that accounts for the entire spectrum of buyer needs and motivations ensures you’re providing full coverage and casting a wide net that still filters for relevance.

Jane Bartel quote image

Example of an intent-driven content experience that delights

Let’s say Joan is a senior financial decision-maker at a major brand, and you’re marketing a tech product geared toward automating financial processes. Joan’s great with numbers but struggles with managing her organization’s expansive and inconsistent digital data. She’s a good fit for what you sell, although she’s not currently aware it exists and not actively seeking it out as a solution.

You create a page all about financial data management and analysis, with content that comprehensively answers the common industry-specific questions your research surfaced around this topic: how to do it, the best tools for the task, and links to resources.

Because your team took the time to strategically plan around user intent, and created stellar content to match that intent, you reached the top end of the search engine results page (SERP) for several related queries. Joan finds your page, loves it, and shares it with her team.

Why was this experience so valuable for your company?

  1. You were able to qualify Joan as relevant to your brand without requiring any personally identifying information or tracking data – tools that are going extinct in the age of cookie deprecation. The same dynamic is at play for almost anyone who visits this page via organic search: their mere interest in the topic, and their intent in seeking out the information, makes them relevant to your brand in some way.
  2. Joan clicking on your result near the top of the SERP is a win, not only because it brought her to your content but also because she is smart enough to know what a high-ranking result means: that other searchers have found the content helpful, and that Google deems its source credible and trustworthy.
  3. When Joan clicks through to the content, she finds out why these things are true. Your company knows what it’s talking about in this area, and there’s plenty more on your website to explore. She clicks around. She shares content to her team. Your brand has made a salient impression in her mind.

That’s a content experience money can’t buy. Lucky, you didn’t need to – the click was free! Investing up-front in strategic and focused SEO content sets the stage for these kinds of budget-efficient, needle-moving engagements to take place in perpetuity.

Grab your guide to intent-based B2B search strategy

The effectiveness of this approach is no simple hypothesis: At TopRank Marketing, we’ve been watching it pay dividends for big-name B2B brands we partner with each day. The premise is fairly straightforward (and nothing revolutionary) but there are certain key things that you’ve got to get right, and most don’t.

By downloading our guide, Marketing with Intent: The Future of SEO and Qualified B2B Traffic, you can unlock tips from our experts and a framework for developing content that ranks for the right keywords.

By reaching out to us, you can get started on putting this model into motion with the help of a proven agency partner.

The post Why Intent-Qualified Organic Traffic Will Power the Future of B2B Marketing appeared first on B2B Marketing Blog – TopRank®.

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Digital Harmony: The Secret Power of Consistency in B2B Marketing

The secret power of B2B marketing consistency woman marketer image

The secret power of B2B marketing consistency woman marketer image

What is consistency’s secret power in the 2023 world of B2B marketing, and why aren’t more marketers taking advantage of it?

It’s well established that consistency is a key component in the world’s most successful B2B marketing efforts.

The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity — in existence since the 1950s and beginning last year the home of the Cannes Creative B2B Lions awards — highlights consistency as a vital ingredient in the most creative marketing.

“The rudiments of the most effective creative work have not changed – topicality, building intrigue, and consistency and commitment to a universally appealing brand platform, are proven qualities of the most impactful work,” the organization noted in its most recent event wrap-up.

Consistency is especially important during uncertain times, when we tend to seek out the surety and comfort of the tried and true.

“Brand is purpose and the purpose is the brand,” Michael Park, chief marketing officer at ServiceNow recently observed during LinkedIn’s* inaugural B2B Summit event, B2Believe.

“Without consistency, you produce a thousand points of dim light. The recession is a known pattern; we’ve seen this before. Use the macro crisis as an opportunity; have the courage to align to a new vision; we own the narrative and can address concerns with a positive tone,” Park added.

TopRank Marketing was at B2Believe, where our CEO Lee Odden shared insight from LinkedIn vice president of marketing Jim Habig, on the challenges uncertain times present and more, in “LinkedIn #B2Believe and The Playbook for Promise Making in B2B Marketing with Jim Habig.”

The secret power of consistency, however, comes when it is used with the right combination of other marketing qualities to form a unique state of digital harmony.

Let’s jump in and find out four of the top ways to incorporate consistency into your B2B marketing efforts and built a more harmonious strategy.

[bctt tweet=”“Without consistency, you produce a thousand points of dim light.” — Michael Park CMO at @ServiceNow” username=”toprank”]

1 — Increase Consistency With Your B2B Marketing Tool-Belt

B2B marketers in 2023 have a wealth of tools at our disposal — AI and otherwise — that can sometimes prove overwhelming, however finding the ones that perform the best for your particular way of working and adding them to your tool-belt can take your marketing efforts to new levels.

Using the right tools not only makes life easier for B2B marketers and helps them create better client outcomes, but can also help marketers create consistency through efficiency – especially when certain tasks can be automated using the ideal tool for a particular task.

Some see consistency as one of the most vital elements in 2023 B2B marketing efforts.

“Consistency is more important than genius,” Mark Schaefer, B2b marketing author and speaker, recently observed.

“To become a habit with your audience, you have to show up on time,” Schaefer added.

37 percent of enterprise content marketers said that achieving consistency with messaging was a top challenge at their organization, according to Content Marketing Institute’s recent “Enterprise Content Marketing: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends – Insights for 2023.”

CMI / MarketingProfs Chart

To help you find the right B2B marketing tools, we’ve published lists such as “Marketer’s Toolkit: 10+ New Tools To Enhance Your B2B Marketing Stack,” and looks at some of the key tools being put to use in the generative AI side of  marketing in 2023, in “Humanize, Organize, Strategize & Personalize: 4 Ways To Boost B2B Influencer Marketing With Generative AI.”

[bctt tweet=”“Consistency is more important than genius. To become a habit with your audience, you have to show up on time.” — Mark Schaefer @markwschaefer” username=”toprank”]

2 — Ingrain Consistency With The Habit Of Scheduling

Turning something new into an ingrained habit will come more naturally to some people than others.

Achieving harmony in your consistency takes time and effort, and with it comes the ability to recognize just the right content publishing cadence, as our own senior content marketing manager Joshua Nite examined in “How B2B Content Marketing Can Build Trust that Stands the Test of Time.”

“Customer experience expert Shep Hyken says the secret to creating a raving fan is to consistently exceed expectations,” Nite observed.

“It’s the ‘consistently’ part that makes all the difference. For B2B content, that means establishing a regular cadence for publishing high-quality content and continually following through. It’s much better to publish one amazing content piece a month than four mediocre ones. Set your content calendar to a level of commitment that combines consistency and quality,” Nite added.

A harmonious consistency can apply equally well to customer and internal experiences, as Patrick Bosek, CEO at Heretto recently suggested.

“The key is consistency. We need to deliver the same knowledge to employees and customers consistently throughout their journey,” Bosek noted.

Diligently building consistency by making certain tasks part of your daily routine also takes time, yet the rewards can last a lifetime, as we explored in “Enduring Engagement: 5 Easy Ways To Build New B2B Marketing Connections & Make Them Last.”

[bctt tweet=”“It’s much better to publish one amazing content piece a month than four mediocre ones. Set your content calendar to a level of commitment that combines consistency and quality.” — Joshua Nite @NiteWrites” username=”toprank”]

3 — Differentiate With Consistency and Influence

Once you have it in place and running smoothly, don’t be afraid to promote the consistency of your B2B marketing content. With so much content being produced hourly — by human hands and by AI — efforts that stand the test of time have the opportunity to rise above less consistent efforts.

In B2B influencer marketing consistency is also important, as our own Lee Odden recently observed in a new Partnershup Unpacked podcast interview with Mike Allton, head of strategic partnerships at Agorapulse.

“To be successful at influencer marketing in the B2B space, invest in the relationships with people, and that means an always-on, ongoing effort. It doesn’t mean a lot of effort, but it does mean a persistent effort, just like any other kind of relationship. It requires care and feeding,” Odden shared in “Why So Many Brands Fail At B2B Influencer Marketing w/ Lee Odden.”

Allton has also recognized the power of consistency, especially when it comes to building trust.

“Consistency is key: Regularly sharing valuable content with your audience is crucial for building trust and credibility. Develop a content strategy and commit to consistently posting on your chosen platform,” Allton recently observed.

[bctt tweet=”“Consistency is key: Regularly sharing valuable content with your audience is crucial for building trust and credibility. Develop a content strategy and commit to consistently posting on your chosen platform.” — Mike Allton @Mike_Allton” username=”toprank”]

4 — Elevating Your B2B Marketing With Consistency

When is the right time to expand on what you have already made a consistent part of your B2B marketing?

Once a tactic or task has become ingrained in your business routine, consistency has been achieved, yet do find digital harmony you’ll want to take on new challenges, try new techniques, or expand on an existing element of your B2B marketing strategy.

80 percent of the top-performing technology marketers said organizations that give customers a consistent experience across their journey was a top priority, while just 62 percent of all technology marketers agreed, according to Content Marketing Institute’s most recent “Technology Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Insights for 2023.”

“Maintaining brand consistency may be challenging, but the benefits are worth it,” May Habib, co-founder and CEO at Writer, recently shared in Advertising Week’s “3 Reasons Why Brand Consistency Should be Top Priority.”

“Don’t miss out on growth opportunities by underestimating this powerful element in a marketing strategy,” Habib added.

You can learn even more about the importance of consistency in B2B marketing in our “Steady As She Goes: Why Consistency Builds Better Long-Term B2B Marketing.”

[bctt tweet=”“Maintaining brand consistency may be challenging, but the benefits are worth it.” — May Habib @May_Habib” username=”toprank”]

Make Harmony Your B2B Marketing Secret Power

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As important as consistency is, it’s also good to keep in mind that practicing it doesn’t have to mean giving up on creativity, new ideas, or exploration. One of the reasons for consistency’s great power is its versatility, as it can easily be applied to an endless stream of new digital marketing tactics.

We hope you’ve found this look at the usefulness of consistency — especially when taken to the next level with a well-rounded digital harmony — to be helpful, and that you’ll be able to incorporate some or all of these insights into your own B2B marketing efforts.

More than ever before, creating consistent B2B marketing that elevates, gives voice to talent, and humanizes with authenticity takes considerable time and effort, which is why more brands are choosing to work with a top digital marketing agency such as TopRank Marketing. Reach out to learn how we can help, as we’ve done for over 20 years for businesses ranging from LinkedIn, Dell and 3M to Adobe, Oracle, monday.com and many others.

*LinkedIn is a TopRank Marketing client.

The post Digital Harmony: The Secret Power of Consistency in B2B Marketing appeared first on B2B Marketing Blog – TopRank®.

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