New England's fall brings many wonderful things. Fall foliage is vibrant, changing temperatures, rowers on Charles River, and Halloween. Momentum ITSMA Marketing Vision has been a part of my life for nearly 20 years.

As an ITSMA partner for many years, I was able to attend the event in person. It showcases a plethora B2B marketing professionals, expert insights, points of view and cutting-edge research. As with everything else, the global pandemic caused havoc at events in person. Marketing Vision was no exception. Two years of virtual events demonstrated how to bring people together online and provide significant interaction and value.

Marketing Vision 2022 returned to Cambridge MA for an in-person event. We call it "wicked amazing" in the Boston area. While webinars and virtual events offer great content and increased interaction, there is nothing like an in-person event to network, interact with experts and have both formal and informal discussions. Marketing Vision 2022 was successful on all fronts.

In "ITSMA Marketing Vision 2020: My Top 10 "Insanely Awesome" Ah Hah Moments For Marketing Leaders", I discuss the main themes and lessons from a year ago. Steve Jobs, the late Steve Jobs, was the inspiration and David Letterman's "Top Ten" lists were the format. My "ah hah!" moments (some people call them epiphanies), revolved around Account Based Marketing (ABM), Marketing Technology(MarTech), Thought Leadership, along with key concepts like sales enablement, executive engagement and insights and intelligence.

One year later, I can see that my top ten list has aged well. They are all still relevant and essential for B2B marketing. Marketing Vision 2022 was centered on the theme of "The Year of Enablement". Although I included "sales enablement", there was another theme to this year's Marketing Vision 2022: skills development. This is in the context the "great resignation" and the unprecedented need for talent acquisition and marketing upskilling.

From a pre-conference workshop on Thought Leadership to keynotes and breakouts/workshops throughout the event, one concept remained constant: next-generation convergence. It was clear that the speakers and content discussed what felt like the next generation in B2B marketing.

Marketing is now a participant in the decision-making process. Sales and marketing alignment are key factors to being a leader. We have the best marketing strategy and a growing portfolio of Marketing Technology (MarTech). It's marketing's turn to be the leader in this exciting journey.

But, I was struck by DeJa'Vu.

There was once a concept of the "supermarketer" which meant that a B2B marketer needed to be capable of covering everything. This included content, execution, branding, marketing analytics, and, at the time, MarTech. After that, the pendulum began to swing towards specialization and the need for individual centers of expertise. The rise of Modern Marketing was followed by the need to have specific competencies and increased skills in specific areas.

The marketing funnel/waterfall has evolved from one tactic/individual into an account and a purchasing center team, just as B2B marketing has. Marketing excellence is driven by customer centricity and the team is the epicenter for marketing excellence.

These focus areas and other disciplines have combined to create the next generation in B2B marketing. It is not about the individual "supermarketer", but the entire "supermarketing team". This allows for collaboration, cross-functional competencies and enables marketing to have an inventory the necessary competency across the extended team.

Marketing has been a team sport since its inception (which hasn't changed). Collaboration has never been more essential. Although the CMO remains the "coach", the playbook and plans of the CMO must be aligned across multiple focus areas to achieve synergy. Classic "Orchestration as an Art Form" Marketing tools have never been more robust and rich, but they also offer unprecedented complexity and a multitude of options.

This year's top ten lists are not available. It's not about the top tens like "The Journey to Modern Marketing" from a past generation. Instead, it's about the key issues that a B2B marketing team, their CMO, and marketing leadership need to be focusing on. With an eye on how they all combine and create new synergies. Is this the marketing equivalent of "Theory of Everything?" The future will reveal.

This year, we will be focusing on five key recommendations

• 
  You can increase your marketing maturity and transformation in your organization, as well as your team and individually.
  
  Nobody wants to be a follower. Everyone wants to be a leader. This is fundamental to human psychology. Let's face it, no marketing organization invests in marketing plans or marketing strategies to be "average". A higher maturity level leads to greater value and a better customer experience (CX).
  • Momentum ITSMA research has shown that 85 percent of buyers perceive an increase in marketing's overall value, with-it consistency across delivery and value-added contents, personalization and delivery.
  • Content executives must also "want" to provide insights that enable them to make better business decisions, plan more effectively, and stay on top of the latest trends. This is a clear affirmation of the marketing role, according to CBX's latest research.
  • Customers spend an average of 13 hours per week reading external content. It must communicate value, offer guidance, and make recommendations. They prefer multimedia to read content.
  • We need to be able to mix digital and in-person experiences in a curated orchestration.
• 
  The Next-Generation Marketing Platform will be built with Account-based Marketing, Thought Leadership, Data and Marketing Analytics, Insights and Intelligence, and Key Principles and Key Elements.
  
  While working in financial services, I was struck by the way that an old technology tagline ("The network is your computer") had been replaced with a more modern concept ("The platform is your solution") Scott Brinker, who was a Marketing Vision speaker in the past, championed the rise and importance of the MarTech platform. While point MarTech solutions are growing, the platform is what really matters. B2B marketing is no exception. These are specific competencies that MarTech has developed. They can be viewed as a combination data and solutions supported by a platform solution. This allows for greater synergy and efficiency across key areas. These include:
  • Leveraging ABM for targeted campaigns and both a customer-first/centric approach and account marketing becoming a prerequisite for successful B2B marketing and creating increased value with existing customers
  • Engaging buyers with Thought Leader,. Provide innovation and business value through innovative content that buyers want to see (not just what you can offer) and a focus from the outside.
  • Measure what matters with Market Analytics. This is based on the best data that your company can provide. It uses an integrated platform that utilizes best-of-breed MarTech products to meet the diverse needs of your sales and marketing teams and delivers true Intelligence and Insights.

True alignment between sales and marketing allows for data- and insight-driven marketing and decision making. Although it's not easy work, it is worth the effort. Even though digital transformation has accelerated significantly since the pandemic, there is still much to be done.

High performers are organizations that achieve their marketing goals and have strong leadership in digital transformation. They also optimize the value of their MarTech investments. This is a result of the convergence of digital transformation and marketing maturity. It also demonstrates that integrated next-generation solutions are available to provide insights and orchestration across key areas.

• 
  Invest in Persona-Based Content, Messaging and Outside-In Content – and Double-down on Thought Leadership
  
  Although different speakers described it differently, Customer-focused was a common theme throughout Marketing Vision 2022.
  • Momentum ITSMA research has shown that customers are more loyal and the top business priority for leaders, up from last years. Content is important at all stages of the buyer's journey, regardless of how complex it may be. A well-curated, orchestrated customer experience (CX) is essential.
  • Customers know what content is needed: evidence-based with supporting data/research, innovation and best practice, as well as strategic and practical examples. Over time, people are more inclined to consume more content and to work with organizations that provide content they enjoy.
  • A well-designed piece of content will stand out in a crowd. Creativity translates into perceptions about quality and that leads to greater sharing. Poorly written, jargon- or acronym-filled content is a hindrance to the majority of people. It's important to note that this is driven by an external-in, strategic, and strategic view of life, not what your organization believes.
  • Buyer Personas that are based on a deep understanding of the customer is a requirement. They also allow for personalization and greater success with account-specific targeted marketing.
• 
  The Marketing Team should be able to enable and develop their skills.
  
  According to Momentum ITSMA research, improving talent acquisition, retention, and development is now a top three priority. Some organizations may have a Chief learning officer or other leadership function that focuses on marketing, but most do not. Marketing Vision 2022's theme was "year of enablement".
  • The speakers not only highlighted the data of the unprecedented "great retirement" but also the importance of people resources in a classic business, people, and technology equation for success.
  • People are the most important. Technology and processes follow (the former allowing flexibility and enabling business agility). These requirements are completed by data and leadership.
  • Marketing Enablement is the equivalent of Sales Enablement. It focuses on marketing and enabling success in roles with MarTech and processes. Organizations need to be more focused. Momentum ITSMA research found that 54 percent of organizations surveyed do not have the resources necessary to support Marketing Enablement. Only 37 percent do. They are more likely to report into the Marketing Operations function/office.
  • Not surprisingly, organizations that perform well have a higher focus on talent management, which means they are better at acquiring, developing and retaining marketing talent.
• 
  Create a community of interest, create a consistent and human voice, and you will have fans.
  
  Global pandemic was a demonstration of how virtual events and communities fulfilled the human interaction need that in-person events had not provided. Marketing Vision 2022 demonstrated this again.
  • Momentum ITSMA research shows that digital transformation has allowed for a hybrid marketing experience. Many speakers pointed out that there is no such thing as excessive communication. Just make sure it's focused, targeted and personalized. This is essential to the top-level marketing need to improve customer experience (CX), and drive loyalty.
  • Stories and human connections are crucial to build empathy and a lasting customer relationship. David Meerman Scott's keynote, "New Rules for B2B Marketing To Build More Fans", highlighted the importance of building fans. It also demonstrated the "fanocracy", a group of people who share common interests and are motivated by passion and enthusiasm.
  • Scott's discussion on "Newsjacking", was fascinating. The way to "own" the narrative in the market by getting in earlier was great prescriptive communication advice.
  • Momentum ITSMA's "case study" is here. The Growth Hub, a network of B2B marketing professionals with curated access research, expertise and more, builds upon the quarter century legacy of ITSMA with a new, innovative approach.

Rob Leavitt asked for closing thoughts at the conclusion of Marketing Vision 2022. I agreed with Rob Leavitt about the concept of convergence and next-generation marketing and stated that it was an exciting time in marketing. It was very encouraging to see the end of the article that said marketing had "survived a pandemic storm", displayed tremendous agility, innovation, and had the confidence and proven results.

Marketing Vision events have been a place where I was able to provide real-time event ambassadorship and tweet during keynotes, sessions and workshops. This is something I've done for many years. This result has been compiled into several "tweetdeck collection" Marketing Vision 2022 was all about "great storytelling", and this tool is great to facilitate it. This year's Momentum ITSMA Marketing Vision conference twitter coverage was split into two parts.

• Keynotes and sessions for Marketing Vision 2022
• Marketing Vision 2022 Thought Leadership Workshop

As usual, I can't wait for the next year and Momentum ITSMA Marketing Vision 2030. Alisha Lyndon and Dave Munn, from Momentum ITSMA, are already planning a great event that will build on their research agenda, client interactions and projects. Marketing Vision is open! We hope to see you next year!

Join him online: Facebook, Twitter, Linked-In

A great holiday marketing campaign is essential to make the most of this year's most profitable period. Many e-commerce companies have already approved seasonal budgets and are implementing new strategies for driving sales.

These simple steps will help you create a holiday marketing campaign that will increase brand awareness, drive traffic, and maximize profits before the new year arrives.

Take the time to plan ahead and keep up with your competitors this season.

The Key Takeaways

• 
  Holiday ecommerce sales in the United States are expected increase by 16% compared to last year
  
• 
  You must first define your goals and the behavior of your target audience before you can plan your campaign.
  
• 
  Email, social media, and blogging are the best ways to promote your campaign
  
• 
  It is important to closely analyze this season's successes, and failures in order to improve future campaigns
  

The secret to holiday season success is to launch a marketing campaign that captivates your target audience.

Why Holiday Marketing Campaigns are Important

Holidays are the busiest shopping season of the year. Holiday e-commerce sales are expected to rise by 16% and reach $236 billion this year in the United States.

This opportunity is being taken advantage of by business owners all over the country who are creating holiday marketing campaigns to increase their company's profit. We recommend you follow these steps to maximize your holiday profits.

These steps will help you create your next campaign. However, the following tips are important to remember:

• Keep it simple
• Always have a backup plan
• For support, partner with brands and non-profits
• Both loyal and new customers should be considered
• Know your competition

This will ensure that your holiday season is a success for both you and your company. This step-by-step guide will help you plan the best holiday marketing campaign ever.

How to build your marketing campaign

Don't miss the chance to increase sales this holiday season. These seven steps will help you get started on your holiday marketing campaign.

1. Set Your Goals

Before you start planning your holiday marketing campaign it is important to establish your marketing goals. If you don't have a clear vision of your goals, it will be easier to launch a failed campaign.

Your marketing campaign goals should be clear, specific, measurable and attainable. They should also be relevant, timely, and easily accessible. SMART goals will ensure that your campaign achieves its goal of increasing brand awareness, traffic, and sales.

Image Source: Workamajig

While most holiday marketing campaigns are meant to increase sales, there are many other benefits. These are the questions you need to ask in order to make the most out of your holiday marketing strategy.

• How can I reach more people?
• How can I build new relationships with my collaborators and business partners?
• What traffic can I expect my campaign will drive? How will this affect my business's growth and success?
• How can I keep track of the progress of my campaign?
• What can I do to help my email list grow and make a positive impact on future sales?
• Are you looking to receive or build links? How will I improve my domain authority if I do?
• What number of social media interactions would you like to influence?

The answers to the above questions will help you create a campaign strategy that will ensure you reach your goals.

2. Understand Your Audience

How well you know your target audience is crucial to the success of your campaign. To maximize your campaign's effectiveness and ROI, gather as much information about your target audience as you can.

First, determine when your customers begin holiday shopping. Next, consider how much they are willing to spend. Next, ask yourself the following questions:

• Why do they shop?
• What are their hesitations
• What is it that they are most worried about and excited about?
• What marketing channels do they spend the most time on?
• What has your audience thought of past campaigns?
• Why would they choose you over your competitors?
• What feedback did they give you to include in your campaign?

It is crucial to tailor your holiday campaign to your target audience in order to create a strategy they will love and respond to. Watch the video to learn more about the importance of defining your target market.

Video Source: QuickBooks

3. Definition of an Offer

Once you have defined your goals and understood your audience, it is time to decide what you are willing to offer. There are many holiday offers, including:

• Coupons
• Events
• Templates
• E-books
• Online courses
• Videos
• Tools

When deciding which form to use, consider how long your audience is willing and able to spend accepting holiday offers. Many customers want a quick and easy reward during this busy time of year.

4. Create a landing page

Once you have clarified your offer, create a landing page for your audience to redeem their reward.

Design a landing page that is both persuasive and compelling in a saturated holiday campaign market. Some essential elements include:

• Attention Grabber Headline – Draw your audience in with a compelling headline
• Visually pleasing Layout and Images – Keep them busy with engaging visuals
• Clear definition of benefits – Let them know why your offer is too tempting to pass up
• For Conversion: Request customer information to exchange your offer

Combining a compelling design with a tempting offer will attract attention and increase your conversion rate.

5. Create a promotion plan

Visitors will appreciate your landing page, no matter how beautiful it is. Next, create a promotion plan that will spread the word and drive traffic to your landing page.

Every promotional message should be shared via channels that are optimized to convert customers or encourage them to accept your offer. Email marketing, blogging and social media are the best ways to promote your offer.

Image Source: Marketing Diagrams

Email Marketing

Having a previously-established email list puts you one step ahead of the game. Let your holiday recipients know what you are offering.

A compelling subject line, concise copy, and sharing options will draw them in. Personalization will make your audience feel more special and more likely accept your offer.

Social Media

To spread the word about your offer, you should post consistently to social media channels. To avoid repetition and increase viewer engagement, make sure you change your visuals and messaging.

You should also tailor each post for each channel. Twitter and Facebook offer great opportunities to share visuals. Instagram and TikTok are ideal platforms for short promotional videos.

Blogging

Blog posts are a great way to spread the word about your offer and to attract new visitors to your site.

Write a post that introduces the campaign and explains how readers can take advantage of it. People who read your post will know what to do next in order to accept their reward.

6. Go Live

Now that you have set yourself up for success it is time to put your plan into motion. To ensure that everything runs smoothly, it is a good idea for you to issue a soft launch before you go full throttle.

Ask your closest family and friends to test your campaign before you share it with your target audience.

After everything has gone as planned, it's time for you to let the rip! Now you're ready for your holiday marketing campaign to begin!

7. Take Stock of Your Results

After you have launched your campaign, it is time to measure your results.

Reexamine your goals and see which ones you achieved. Analyze which tactics worked well and which failed to work as expected.

You can learn from your failures and successes to improve future campaigns. You'll be one step closer to perfecting your campaign strategy over the years.

Get your Holiday Marketing Campaign Started Today

A holiday marketing campaign tailored to your target audience will optimize your profits and maximize your profit margins. Determine your goals and create a promotional plan to drive more traffic.

Get started on your holiday marketing strategy by checking out our SEO Blog Writing Service. Or, schedule a consultation to find out more.

Businesses are paying more for poor content marketing than they have to.

Your content could be lost if you don't know how to navigate your marketing strategy. Ineffective strategies can halt a company's growth by 40% and reduce their chances of selling.

It's not too late if your strategy ship is sinking. Learn how to turn your mistakes into learning and build a content marketing strategy that will ensure smooth sailing.

Quick Takeaways

• 
  Great content marketing strategies create brand awareness, drive traffic, and generate quality leads
  
• 
  Marketing content with interesting visuals gets 94% more views that the content without
  
• 
  Create consistent content with a calendar that focuses on valuable blog topics
  
• 
  Building a genuine relationship with your target audience leads to increased visibility for your company
  
• 
  Professional writers and SEO experts provide consistent marketing material for your company
  

Learn how to avoid making mistakes in content marketing by building a strategy that works.

Content Marketing: The Value of Content

Consistency, transparency, and quality time are the keys to building strong relationships. Your customer relationships will be enhanced if you use the same content marketing principles.

Content marketing's purpose is to build brand awareness and generate quality leads. You must first establish a relationship with your target audience by regularly delivering valuable content.

Delivering quality content consistently builds trust and engagement with your customers. Establishing credibility and presence leads to new business opportunities as well as increased sales.

Image Source: Groove HQ

There is no room for content marketing errors in a digital world saturated with digital marketing. Your readers will be impressed by your genuine and relevant content.

Top 7 Content Marketing Mistakes

It is normal to expect high-quality content and strong marketing strategies are vital for survival. These 7 content marketing errors are not worth it. Make sure you make the most of your monthly marketing budget.

1. You should not use data to build your content marketing strategy

It is easy to spend time and money relying on intuition to determine your content marketing strategy.

Understanding your business is key to driving traffic to your website. However, defining a marketing strategy that will be successful requires you to leave all guesswork behind and use data.

Instead of channeling your higher self to evaluate the success of competitors, To determine which articles are most effective at SEO and driving the highest ROI, use the top-ranking ones (more about that later). Next, ask yourself these questions:

• What length are these posts?
• Is it worth recreating such content?
• Are there any key points missing from the article?
• What are the number of backlinks and external links included?

These answers will help you determine which articles can be improved by your team. Add these babies to your content marketing calendar, and you're done! Now you have a list with content topics that are backed up by data, not divination.

2. Not Speaking To Your Target Audience

Your content will fail regardless of how consistent it is. If your readers don't understand your message, your content will be a failure.

Begin each post by identifying your target audience. Then, determine what content is necessary for readers to gain value. Your audience will be more trusting if you share content that is educational and entertaining.

Your audience will share your content within their networks if they feel valued and seen. Social media news feeds contain more than half of the content that comes from peers. You'll likely reap the benefits of visibility and gain more loyal followers.

Source: Sprout social

3. Failure to focus on link building

Contrary to popular belief linking to other websites than yours will drive traffic to your site, not away.

Link building gives your readers references and increases credibility. Google will consider this a sign that your content is reliable. This also increases SEO and provides readers with added value, which can lead to increased visibility and a higher ranking for your business.

Start interacting with similar sites and build a friendship if you feel frisky. You may discover that you are the right match to embed links back to each others' content after getting to know one another. That's what we like to call "love at the first site".

Watch the video below to find out more about link building.

Video Source: Yoast

4. Publishing too little content or too often

It can be difficult to post the right amount of content, especially if you're just starting out in content marketing.

Understanding that content can only be helpful if it doesn't deliver value is the key. Even if the content is quality, publishing a small amount of content will not make a significant impact.

A solid plan is essential for content creation success. You must stick to your plan. Your business should publish between 1 and 2 blog posts per week, and 1,000 to 1,200 words each week in order to increase brand awareness.

Image Source: Orbit Media

Consistency is the key to consistency when it comes publishing content. Content calendars that are focused on valuable topics for loyal audiences are essential. You'll never run out of marketing material.

5. Not outsourcing experts

Are you sitting down? We're about to unleash a bomb on you.

75% of people don't scroll past the first page when searching for information. If you don't have an SEO expert, you will need to be able to rank your business on Google.

There are many content marketing agencies that can help your business grow, such as ours. They provide excellent SEO and written content for your clients.

An excellent SEO strategy is essential to rank, reach and engage your audience by including highly searched keywords within marketing content. You will be on the first page if your valuable content is in line with SEO research. You will be penalized for using keywords in the wrong way.

Quality writers are just as important as SEO professionals when it comes to creating valuable content. Online editing and creation tools can be used to correct grammatical mistakes. Only professionals can consistently create engaging, human-powered content that is appealing to real people.

Do not rely on your internal staff to perform a task that requires an expert. It is easy to kick-start your content strategy by entrusting it to an SEO researcher or creative writer.

6. Not diversifying your content marketing avenues

Someone once told you that your blog posts were the key to perfect content marketing. While blogging is a great way to drive traffic, there are some essential ingredients that you need to include in your content marketing strategy.

Consider your ROI-driven content topics to determine the best formats. Videos, interviews, case studies, social media and e-books are all options. Mixing a variety of media into your content can add flavor to your marketing strategy.

Image Source: HubSpot

7. Graphics, Creative and Graphics are lacking

LinkedIn reports that visuals get 94% more views than articles without them. Creative content design is an important part of any marketing strategy.

Visual content is essential to create engaging articles that are easy to read and understand. To break up the text, every post should contain at least one image for every 200-300 words. A video of less than two minutes can boost SEO and visual appeal.

It is a good rule of thumb to say that your audience won't read what you are writing if they don't like it. Add pictures, videos, and engaging text to your content to increase its value.

Master Marketing Today

It's easy to avoid content marketing errors if you know where they are hiding. Learn how to master content marketing and improve customer relationships, brand awareness, and generate quality leads.

Our content marketing specialists can help you create a winning strategy. Get high-quality content and drive traffic to your website by signing up for our weekly blogging service.

Are you looking to be a leader within your industry?

Oberer Homes is a semi-custom home builder and full-service realty company in Dayton, Ohio. This was their number one goal. Oberer Homes, a locally-owned business that is family-owned, aimed to be a local expert for current and future residents.

Traci Bohn, Marketing Director at Oberer, knew for a long time that content marketing was the best way to build this reputation. They knew that they had to change their approach in mid-2020 as the world was turning upside down and the realty industry was facing great uncertainty.

Two years later, Oberer has reached this goal. They are now a top-performing Google article publisher and have significant organic traffic and site views increases.

This case study will show you how Oberer Homes and Marketing Insider Group partnered to achieve these results. It also shows how you can do it for your own business.

Quick Takeaways

• 
  Content marketing success requires regular publishing and a solid SEO strategy.
  
• 
  You can work with agencies to create engaging content that represents your brand.
  
• 
  Oberer Homes has seen significant growth in organic searches, website traffic and overall search visibility.
  
• 
  Oberer has a large content library. Most of their most popular web pages are blog posts.
  
• 
  Oberer publishes 2 blog posts per week and takes very little time editing content.
  

The Problem:

Oberer recently switched their marketing focus to digital channels. This included a content marketing strategy that was centered around an active blogging blog. They had been working with many partners to produce content. Their efforts were not successful because they failed to focus on the right things and did not do enough research to be noticed by Google.

Traci shared that "over the years our digital strategy for marketing has been really disjointed." Traci said, "We have worked with many partners and nothing was ever consistent." Although we did have a content strategy, it was only two blogs per month and was not optimized for SEO.

Oberer knew they needed a solution but had reservations about hiring a partner. Budget was another consideration as there were too many cooks in their content kitchen.

Oberer Homes, a specialty builder, has offerings that don’t fit neatly into any one category and focuses heavily on their local area. It was difficult to find an agency or writer who could capture Oberer Homes' brand.

Traci, however, decided to make the leap.

The Strategy

Oberer's goal to establish their reputation as an industry leader as well as a local expert was at the forefront of MIG's mind as they developed their content plan. It was time to publish after reviewing their content and conducting keyword research.

Oberer's content strategy included a variety of titles in different categories, depending on the areas they were looking to build expertise. These titles included:

• Dayton city guides
• Here are some tips to help you navigate the custom home and new construction process
• Home improvement resources
• Design inspiration for your home.

Traci, a long-time resident of Dayton, felt the content was fresh and new even though she had been there for a while.

"What are the Dayton city guides? I was always amazed when I saw one of these blogs. It's amazing! My family has done many things that we wouldn't normally do now that we know Dayton has great parks and festivals. That's been great!

The Oberer team also worked seamlessly to maximize their content plan's ROI. They gave quick and constructive feedback, published articles frequently, on time, and met regularly with the MIG team in order to monitor progress.

The numbers started to show after a few months. Oberer had an engaging and well-developed content library that they could share with their audience.

Traci shared that almost all of our top pages are blog posts. They are looking at other pages, and visiting our site to learn more about us. It's a great way to show everyone that we are experts in our industry. It has been very beneficial."

The Results

Oberer has a lot of real estate. Pun intended! Google's search results pages. These are the numbers:

• Organic search is up 26% YOY in comparison to 2021
• The number of website visitors has increased by 17% in the same time frame
• 6 of Oberer’s top 10 web pages currently are blog posts

The rankings reports for Oberer's partnership period with MIG show even more remarkable achievements, such as 110+ keywords ranking within the top 20 Google search results and massive jumps in traffic and visibility (as shown below in their all-time performance Report).

The Oberer Team is most proud of their content and the way it represents their brand. Traci was able to publish articles thanks to the seamless collaboration with MIG.

Traci said, "The first few month I edited some articles." "I didn't edit too much, just changed some lingo or added something. The tone and voice have been perfect from the beginning. It's rare for me to make any edits."

The Takeaway

Content marketing is the type that produces serious results and improves performance. It takes consistency, time and expert knowledge in the right areas. Although it can be daunting to work with an agency to get up-to-speed on your business, it is true that no one knows your brand better than you.

Marketing Insider Group values real relationships with its clients. We will get to know you, your company, and everything that is important for your success.

Oberer's story is a great example of the success companies can achieve when they invest in the process. The best part? The best part? They can spend more time serving customers.

Are you looking for results like these?

Marketing Insider Group implements best practices in content marketing that have been proven effective. There is no single solution for content marketing. To create a customized strategy that delivers results, we align them with your company's needs and those of your audience.

You can get more traffic to you site by publishing quality content consistently. Contact us to schedule a consultation and learn how we can help your business earn more leads and traffic.

Are you ready to move up in your marketing career? You are not the only one. Oracle's 2021 survey found that 75% of employees feel stuck professionally and personally.

According to Google search trends professionals are seeking to improve their careers. This is the ideal time to make yourself stand out as companies are facing downsizing due to this difficult economy.

Are you feeling stuck in your career? Then ask these two questions:

• What is my mission statement?
• What are my core beliefs to ensure success?

Many people respond with the organization's mission statement or core values. It is written on the walls of the offices and the cups we use to drink our coffee. Leadership also repeats it at meetings.

To be clear, I am not asking for the beliefs of your organization. I'm asking for yours . These are the things that organizations repeat everywhere, let's face it. These beliefs create unity, purpose, sustainable growth, and collectively they breed success. A core set of beliefs is the foundation of all successful organizations. They are referenced daily. You can find valuable information on crafting a content marketing mission. You will find fewer articles about how to create your own mission statement.

This is an essential piece of the success formula in many organizations. Should it not be for your career (and business)?

These tips were very helpful to me:

These tips were heavily influenced my mentors, peers and experiences. They helped me grow my career from an entry-level position to an executive leadership role, managing a $400MM advertising budget. These six beliefs have helped me make the most of my "right time, right place" moments.

I worked in a small marketing agency with three people in 2012. I was able to be the master of many trades as we had only a few clients. Website, content, client pitches and paid advertising. SEO is just one of the many things I can do. What are the cons? Because we didn't have office space, we worked from Panera. What are the pros? The pros? Amazing opportunity.

Then I moved to a finance role at Fortune 200, where I felt like an average person. As I walked through the cubicle farm, I noticed a small picture frame inside one of the cubicles. The frame said, "Thanks for your 15 years of dedicated service." Very soon after, I left that company. I was looking for a new opportunity, but it was right in the middle. Although the agency is larger than mine, it's smaller than a Fortune 200.

The Goldilocks was what I found. It offered stability and career visibility that a Fortune 200 could not. It's the best of both.

• In sales, we made 35 million that year.
• Six years later, we have surpassed $1 Billion in sales.

I joined a company that had a great product and great people. They also had a hungry leadership team. This is the "right time, right place" combination. With these six beliefs, anything is possible.

6 Tips To Grow Your Marketing Career

1. Learn Something Every Day.
2. Prioritize tangible results
3. Positivity has the power to make you happy
4. Always assume the best intent
5. The Outcome is what you should be focusing on, not the process
6. You can make yourself replaceable (yes, seriously).

Tip #1 – Learn Something Every Day

Write down one thing you have learned each day. These learnings should be reviewed periodically. Do not force yourself to do the same thing twice.

Content is the king. Content is king in business and in our careers. Plus, marketers are well aware of the power content has. Every day brings us more thoughts than we realize, and you have learned something.

It doesn't always have to be a life-changing experience (I know there were days when I realized that I wasn't productive because I hadn't eaten breakfast). Not every day is a "shout it out from the rooftops" breakthrough learning experience.

Some days are worse than others. These days I realize that the idea could have taken off if I had taken an entirely different approach.

Don't force learning the hard way. This will help you to stay one step ahead of the rest.

The short version: Each night, write down what you have learned that day.

Tip #2 – Focus on tangible results first

Ask your leaders what you can do. You'd be amazed at how little they know.

Over the past several years, I've managed to lead a team that included 100+ marketers. It's surprising how many people are asking "What can I do?" With the increased use of project management tools, assembly line worker syndrome (I may have invented this term, but it is the "not mine until it gets me" syndrome). This has become a common occurrence. Many times, people feel that they have completed their day when they check off the last task on a project. Ask your leader to share their greatest short-term challenge after you have completed the final task on your list. It is worth taking some time to reflect on it and to come up with ideas.

Remember the bigger picture. It all depends on what organization you work for. While you might not feel it every day, you are making a difference. Keep that in mind and use it to encourage. It may seem impossible to realize, but your daily efforts could make the difference between someone's child attending a paid field trip and someone's child participating in dance class.

The bottom line: Ask how you can help. It's rare that leaders ask this question. And remember, the impact you can make.

Tip #3 – The Power of Positivity Is Real

Do your best to be a person who is excited to get to work every day.

It's Friday already? – You hear it every week. Some organizations hear it on Tuesday. It is a great job to be surrounded by people who are excited to get to work every day. No matter what your job title, smiling is a good thing. Your smile can spread across the group and flow to other groups.

The bottom line: Negativity is deadly; positivity thrives. Make a difference.

Tip #4 – Always assume the best intent

Before you interpret the tone via text, pick up your phone and make the call.

We've all been there. You know what it is: the snarky email or the brief text? Don't jump to conclusions before you pick up the phone or video chat with your colleague. Ask them to clarify their words. Keep the conversation short. This will help you determine the tone of the conversation without having to read it.

People have bad days. It's better to be understanding than aggressive. Listen to what they are saying and don't react. In-person? Even better. Although it may seem awkward at first, you will soon master a skill. It's a good workout.

Do you want to learn more about creating a positive remote work environment? This article outlines 7 ways to increase communication within a remote team.

TL;DR: No font deciphers written tone. Technology can lead to miscommunication, especially via text/email/chat. Jump on a video chat to resolve any miscommunications.

Tip #5 – Focus on the Outcome and not the Process

Innovation and ingenuity are not created by a process. Innovation and ingenuity are only possible through authenticity.

What are the seven most dangerous business words? "We've always done it that way." The process is intended to accomplish a particular goal, most likely one that has already been accomplished before. It is to ensure repeatability. Sometimes, the process may need to be modified or altered slightly in order to achieve the best result. To remain flexible and lean, you should do this case-by-case.

Here's an example: Company Z sells widgets. Customers reach out to Company Z for a quote. The company contacts the consumer by phone or email, but wants to offer SMS text messaging. We all know that texting is preferred by consumers and that SMS marketing is increasing at 20% per year. Based on current workload, and other projects with higher priorities, adding texting to our technology stack would take us 60 days.

• Leaders who are focused on the process might say, "Let's have a meeting to discuss the 60-day plan. We can then get it into our enterprise project management system. Maybe we can reduce it to 50 days if some things are changed."
• Leaders who are focused on the outcome might ask: "What other solutions can we find to achieve the same outcome, while simultaneously figuring out the long-term resolution?"

It is interesting to note that one leader is pushing for a statement and the other leader pushing a question. You can move your career forward by asking questions and finding a way for it to happen.

The semi-automated solution was launched by the company in the above example and went live within a few hours. Although it took only a few clicks to send mass texts, the result was the same. Consumers were being contacted in the way that they preferred. The difference in the bottom line was amazing.

TL:DR: Don't sacrifice the outcome in exchange for the process. But, if you have to, then sacrifice the process.

Tip #6 – Make Yourself Replaceable (yes, seriously)

How do you get promoted the fastest? Find someone to mentor you, teach them everything, then return to #2.

I have seen digital marketers with incredible talent take on new roles and then automate their jobs within a week. I've seen content marketers use the latest technology to speed up their work. While leaders are not afraid to use technology to produce faster and better work than others, it is often difficult for them to raise the standards of their junior staff members.

My best advice to anyone working in their career would be to consider yourself as a replacement. Anyone who wants to move up in their career should plan for succession. Those who fail to cultivate the next level of talent will face glass ceilings. Find a mentor and let yourself go. Then, raise your hand to ask for help.

The bottom line: You should be focusing on creating leaders and not followers.

These are the Tips and Tricks to Use

Your career is an important part of your life, but it's not the only thing that matters. If you are committed to your career growth, you owe the company the same respect as you give to your personal growth.

• Every day, learn something new.
• Concentrate on concrete results.
• Positive thinking is key.
• Be the best version of yourself.
• Concentrate on the end result.
• Finally, be able to replace yourself.

Do you want to find more information on career growth? Networking is a powerful tool.

Ever been surprised by the creativity of social media users? Social media accounts that succeed have discovered the secret to a successful social media strategy.

It's not easy to keep up with social media algorithms, I'm sure. To put together your initial plan, it can take many days of continuous effort.

It's essential to take the time necessary to make sure it is done correctly. You should ensure that the plan is sustainable if you are going to spend many days or weeks creating it.

Quick Takeaways

• Social media marketing should be well thought out and supported by psychographic and demographic research about your audience.
• Reaching the largest number of customers doesn't necessarily mean you should cast the most wide net. Start small.
• A social media strategy that works will allow you to build stronger customer relationships, increase customer satisfaction, and give clarity around your brand.

What does a social media strategy that is successful look like?

A social media strategy that works effectively can reap the benefits

Social media is vital for today's businesses, as we all know. However, social media is not enough to drive growth. You can increase your brand's visibility by creating a strategy.

1. Awareness
2. Authority
3. Authenticity
4. Engagement
5. Efficiency

Social media platforms have blurred lines between customers and businesses. Social media can only be maximized if you are actively breaking down walls and showing up.

These are 8 steps that will help you make one.

Step 1: Understanding Your Audience

Understanding your target audience and what motivates them is the foundation of any social media strategy. You will need to look at a variety of psychographics and demographics in order to do this.

Demographics

Demographics is a statistical and descriptive description of a group of people. It includes their location, gender, occupation, and age. You may not need all these descriptions and statistics.

There are many ways to determine the demographics of your website visitors if you own one. Google Adwords is a useful tool. You can use Google Adwords to find a similar website or competitor site that you could use for your analysis.

Psychographics

Psychographics are a way to understand your audience's values, lifestyle, opinions, interests, and attitudes. These questions should be answered when you do your analysis.

1. Why would they want to know more about your product/service?
2. What is the importance of your product/service to your target audience? Is it part of their job? Or is it personal?
3. What do they prefer to learn? What type of media do they prefer? Text, video, audio, etc. and what channel or device are they using?
4. What are their most common questions about your product?
5. What level of knowledge do they have about your industry, product, or service?

Your social media strategy's success is dependent on your psychographics. This can be a difficult part to master, so make sure you are doing it right before you move onto the next.

Although there is no single tool that will give you the psychographic information about your target audience, there are some places you can look.

• Interview current clients
• Analyze website analytics
• Utilize subreddits
• Participate in community forums and focus group discussions
• Comment on blogs and social media

Keep track of the valuable information you discover about your target audience. This could be very useful when creating content!

Step 2: Targeting your channels

Do a social media audit to see what is working for you. Be open about what isn't.

These are some questions to consider:

• What is working for you? Take a look at the insights and business analytics you have on each platform.
• Is it your target audience? Are you reaching your target audience?
• What is your performance compared to the competition? Is their growth rapid?

You may want to be on every channel, especially if you are just starting out. It's best to focus your efforts on a few channels at first, or even master one before moving on to the next. Your social media strategy must be long-lasting, just like any other plan.

Focusing your efforts on the key channels will result in faster and better results. Then, you can expand your business as your team grows.

How do you decide which social media networks to start with?

First, you need to determine where your audience is located and then narrow down your options.

Age doesn't tell you everything. You need to examine your competition and determine which social media platforms are the most important. This can be done with Ahrefs or BuzzSumo.

Every business is not able to be everywhere. Concentrate your efforts on those platforms that have the greatest impact for you.

Step 3: Developing Your Content Strategy

Once you have a better idea of your target audience, and their preferred channels, it is time to create your content strategy. Think blog posts, videos, photography, quotes, quick tip.

Your target audience and the platforms you use will determine what kind of content you should create. You don't want your content to be self-promotional.

To help you keep your content organized and consistent, you can break down your ideas into categories. Below are some examples of how you can include diverse content in your plan.

Entertainment

This week, Hollywood's most ridiculous celebrity hosts are leading the media. Make red carpet events or the Royal Wedding entertaining memes that are related to your products or services.

Don't stop having fun! Here are some more ideas:

• Videos
• Lighthearted stories
• References to pop culture

Inspiration

You can attach your logo to any quote you find that resonates with you or your mission. Posts don't have to win prizes.

What other ways can your followers be inspired? Share more to get creative

• Industry gurus
• Trends
• Before and after

Education

Consider the core of your company. What do you do well? How do you do it effectively?

Think about how your knowledge can be made into an asset that will serve as a constant resource for your customers. You can tie it all together with an infographic or video tutorial.

You can create more graphics, posts, or stories about any topic you like.

• How to?
• Tips and Tricks
• FAQ

Oberer Homes is a Dayton-based custom home builder. They share helpful tips, tricks, and tips to help their customers along their home building journey. This is a graphic that Oberer Homes included in an article about bathroom color trends.

They used a graphic created by an industry expert to create the graphic.

Conversation

Use your captions to spark conversations in the comments. Perhaps you are sharing an opinion that isn't popular or a hot take on a topic in the industry. Invite your friends to join the conversation. Here you can also do some psychographic research.

Here are some more examples of conversational posts:

• Questions
• Fill-in-the-blanks
• Surveys

Connection

Customers love to see the behind-the scenes. You can share a story about how your product was made or packaged or what you did on a typical day at work. This makes you more human to them.

Here are some more ways to connect with your audience.

• Personal wins
• Your "Why"
• Shoutouts for businesses/followers

Promotion

You should reuse a blog post you are proud of for your social media profiles. Make graphics or a video based on the content.

Other examples of promotional posts are:

• Product launches
• Discounts or sales
• Client testimonials

It's safe to adhere to the 80/20 rule, which is non-promotional content to promotional content. If you share your big launch and want to promote more, make sure to include other useful content.

What content types should you share?

Start by creating a list with the most popular keywords related to your topic or product/service. As a starting point, you can use Adwords Keyword Planner. Next, go to Ahrefs or BuzzSumo and enter your keywords. Then sort by the channel that you are interested in. It will take time but you will have a list with proven topics that your audience is interested in.

Step 4: Find Inspiration

First and foremost, authenticity is important. Social media is a place where you can be yourself and represent your brand well.

However, that doesn't mean you shouldn't be inspired by others who do it well.

Consider your favourite brands

What keeps you coming back time and again to their site? Which type of content do you find most appealing as a potential buyer or viewer?

These tactics can be applied to your strategy, but you can make them yours!

Scroll down to find the top hashtags

You don't have to scroll mindlessly.

Pro tip: Set a timer for your phone to scroll through one or two hashtags every 15-30 minutes. You can leave with only one new content idea, regardless of whether you are scrolling through the reels tab on Instagram or engaging in passionate conversation on Twitter.

But don't stop there. You can start by creating a blank sheet. Then organize your ideas into tabs or sections for each content category. It will be amazing to see the results of letting your ideas flow.

Ask your followers

They are there for a reason. Why do they choose to stay?

Ask them for the content they would like to see more of. This can be done through your regular posts, stories or, if you have one, your email list.

Maximize engagement by working smarter, not harder.

Step 5: Creating a Content Calendar

You must be excited to share more content now that you have started growing your readership and following. To achieve your goals, you need to create a content calendar.

Frequency

There is a lot of discussion about how often to post on each platform. It's possible to get so frustrated trying to achieve each algorithm perfect.

These numbers may not be sufficient. You might need to share more than this, so test it to see if you can optimize your strategy. Here is a guideline:

• Instagram (feed): 3-7 times per week
• Facebook: 1-2 times per day
• Twitter: 1–5 times per day
• LinkedIn: 1-5 times per day
• Blogs: 1-2 times per week

These frequencies may not be possible in your early years. That's okay. You can still use Instagram if you feel it is the right place for you. You can start somewhere!

Variety

Combine the information you have learned in steps 3 & 4 to create valuable content your audience will love. Your social media feed can be used as a place for your audience to come together and share all the information you want your customers to know about your industry.

Step 6: Automating for Success

Consistency is the key to social media success.

Do not get caught up in analysis paralysis, where it takes you weeks to decide what post to make. You're more likely than not to follow a schedule for your messaging.

If you decide that 5 a.m. is the best time to post, you may find it difficult to get up at 5 a.m. every morning to write content. Automating your content flow is the best way to ensure consistent posting.

You can automate your posts with a variety of paid and free tools, including Buffer and Hootsuite. Hootsuite is used to post all articles across all of our employees' LinkedIn accounts.

Step 7: Maximizing Traffic

It takes time and money to create new content. You should share old content as well as new content to maximize your efforts in creating new content. This can double, and sometimes even triple, your traffic.

However, you don't want the same post shared four times per day. On Twitter, for example, you might want to share an older post within 2 hours of your first tweet and then promote it again the next day or next week or next month.

You should use different descriptions to promote old posts in order to maximize traffic. Your readers and followers will see the same descriptions and likely ignore them.

Reach out to influencers within your network to encourage them to share the post. This will increase your exposure and help you get more traffic to your content.

Step 8: Tracking the Results

You need to measure the results of your social media strategies to see which ones are working and which ones aren't. This will help you to know where to make improvements in the future.

To see which social media posts and content are driving traffic to your site, you will need to keep track of all social shares. This includes impressions, shares, clicks, clicks, and shares. These stats can be gathered using great tools like Google Analytics, Buffer and Hootsuite.

You can track these numbers frequently to learn which pages get the most clicks and reads. Then you can revise your strategy to increase your results.

Now you know how to build your social media strategy.

You want to implement some of the strategies shown on MIG's website but need advice or help? Marketing Insider Group is home to a group of 35+ writers who are ready to create content for your business. Get a consultation or check out our blog content.

In 2016, I wrote about the Top Five B2B Marketing Strategies You Can't Forget. There are still many marketing platforms, software and tools available that can generate leads and convert them. They also offer the highest ROI.

However, there have been many other world-changing events since then, which have transformed every industry in many ways. This has led to some significant strategic changes within the B2B marketing space.

Research revealed that digital aspects such as website design, functionality, paid search and social engagement were the most popular B2B marketing strategies. These were:

• Mobile-friendly web development and UX design
• Rebranding and launch of a brand
• SEO that focuses on content marketing
• Focus on Google Ads in SEM
• LinkedIn sponsored content enables social media engagement

According to the most recent B2B Marketing Mix Report, (MMR), while certain elements have remained the exact same, marketers place greater emphasis on brand strategy. This includes personalization and employer branding. Regardless of your goals, the order in which these tactics are placed will be different. However, each one will have an impact on every successful B2B marketing campaign.

These are five B2B marketing strategies you shouldn't overlook in 2023.

Use Social Media and Branding to Increase Awareness

Marketing was a priority in the past. It was important to generate qualified leads that could be sold and marketed. With so many businesses rushing to search engines to get found, it's easy for professionals to see why they are spending more time and energy building awareness for their brand and products.

This trend is in line with MMR findings regarding the top marketing tactics and areas where spend is most effective. It's high time you start to take your social media and website seriously.

Marketers also experience higher engagement on Twitter which can help with brand awareness and reputation management. Businesses can use the platform's post style to create relatable brand personalities.

Twitter truly is a multifunctional platform that provides a valuable service for B2B professionals. Tweeting can be a great way to engage with relevant audiences, support customers, share industry news and provide thought leadership.

Personalization can be increased for your audience

We saw the largest pushes towards personalization in marketing last year. When marketers are focused on what prospects value most, personalization in B2B can help build brand loyalty.

Marketers should continue to use empathy and best practices in order to keep up with the 2021 push for more personalization in email, account-based marketing, and inbound marketing. 41% of respondents to the survey believe personalization will be a key part of their 2023 marketing and sales strategy, tied with social media marketing.

This means that there are still many teams who haven't tried modern personalization techniques and capabilities. You'll find out what personalization strategies work for you and your audience the more you experiment with them.

Prioritize Organic & Paid Social Media Marketing

SEM and SEO each had a spot in the top five in 2016, but we now see them all together. These two digital strategies are being pushed to the forefront by businesses as they rush to improve their online presence.

Social media rose from being the second most used tactic in the MMR to becoming the first. 83% of respondents say that social media advertising and social media marketing are their top marketing strategies. 34% consider it to be a top marketing area.

Marketers are realizing the benefits of both paid and organic social media marketing and choosing to invest in both for their online success. This allows marketers to build highly targeted groups of prospects and position themselves in the right places at right times using retargeting ads. Brands can easily identify, connect, and engage qualified leads with platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook.

Try Video Marketing

With the advent of TikTok, the reels and stories that can be shared across the various platforms, video marketing has seen a surge in popularity. YouTube remains the most popular video platform in terms of both audience size and ad usage, but all platforms have something to offer marketers regarding what their audiences are looking for.

Video marketing can be engaging and affordable for all budgets. Video content is easy to create with the camera built into most modern devices. It can also be a great way to highlight your brand's personality and tone. Videos can be informal or professional and cover any topic. They can also be presented in a variety of formats such as product and service promotions, interviews, testimonials and tutorials.

If you don't have the funds to hire a professional, there is a wealth of video production companies that can help you create visually stunning, well-written pieces.

Use LinkedIn to Targeted Lead Engagement

LinkedIn remains the most trusted social media platform to find and engage with leads after six years. A variety of ad formats allow you to reach targeted audiences. You can share your thought leadership, offer demos and consultations, or showcase your work. Reaching niche-specific audiences through contact and company lists is possible. This can be difficult with other channels. Marketers can use both outbound and inbound marketing strategies to reach key accounts and business stakeholders quickly with an account-based strategy.

It's all in the end

There are many tools and platforms that can help companies plan, strategize and execute B2B marketing strategies. However, without extensive tactical experience and a vast amount of data, it can be difficult. Sagefrog's stepwise marketing strategy is based on the belief that "strategy with tactics is a dream" and "tactics with no strategy is a nightmare." Let's chat if you need assistance in implementing these strategies or any other marketing strategy for your brand.

There are some aspects of your business that are more difficult to measure than others. Sales figures and budget reports can provide information about revenue, expenses, customer acquisition, and other metrics. However, qualitative data and surveys can help determine customer satisfaction.

These metrics can help you improve your business. How can you ensure that your marketing strategy is reaching the right customers with the right messages? Promotional metrics such as overall engagement volume only take into account a small part of your marketing strategy. What do customers think about your products? What are customers saying about your products?

This article will help you to improve your approach to measuring marketing strategy. It will discuss three new promotional metrics.

1. Net Promoter Score
2. Engage with Social Media
3. Support for Influencers

You may already be using metrics such as clickthrough rate and traffic, but additional metrics are useful to supplement these data. Your business can take a more holistic, modern, community-oriented marketing approach if you use these metrics in conjunction with your other metrics.

1. Score of the Net Promoter

Many consumers don't believe that ads are true. They are more inclined to believe that a product is worth its hype if they hear rave reviews from friends and family than they are from a company they don't know. You can track your net promoter score to measure word-of-mouth marketing power across many industries.

The net promoter score is a measure of customer satisfaction and gives an estimate of the likelihood that customers will recommend your business. Your net promoter score can be determined by asking customers to rate your product or service.

The average net promoter score can be calculated by splitting responses into three groups.

• 0-6: Customers who reply with a 0-6 are detractors. They may be negative about your business.
• 7-8: Customers who respond with a 7- or 8 are passives. These customers are usually satisfied with your business, but don't feel the need for you to keep them coming back.
• 9-10: Customers who reply with a 9/10 are promoters. They have had a positive experience with your company and will likely recommend it to others if the opportunity presents itself.

Add the number detractors to the number promoters to calculate your net promoter score. Your net promoter score could be negative, which is a sign that you need to reevaluate your customer experience.

Your net promoter score can be improved by looking at customer feedback from satisfaction surveys. You should look for common problems that customers have, such as poor customer service, suboptimal ordering, and poor packaging. Although each of these may seem minor, they can all make a difference in determining whether a customer is a promoter or a shopper.

2. Engage with Social Media

Surveys show that as many as 80% of consumers have reported that social media has changed the way they shop. Businesses cannot ignore the impact of their social media posts, as internet-native generations like Millennials, and Gen Z are now the majority of the workforce.

Every social media platform offers its own analytics tools. However, you can still measure your engagement rates by looking at your:

• Comments, likes, shares. The easiest way to gauge engagement is with comments, likes and other sharing posts. To find out which interactions drive the algorithm, research the platforms where you post regularly. Twitter prioritizes engagement which means that a lot of comments can help your post get more attention. This information could be used to create promotional tweets that ask questions such as what design customers would like to see on a T-shirt.
• Direct outreach response. Direct messaging platforms can be very useful in building customer relationships. You can send a message to customers if they comment positively on a post about a product that you have just purchased. This will allow you to thank them for the purchase and offer other deals. Direct social media marketing is possible using many of the same strategies as email marketing. However, your messages should be concise and to-the point.
• User-generated content. Monitoring user-generated content will allow you to see your net promoters at work. These are comments that customers make about your products or services. These can be detailed reviews or photos of customers wearing your brand merchandise. You can't answer every Facebook post or tweet, but it can help you to monitor the conversation surrounding your brand for future marketing campaigns.

Your branding should be easily identifiable to grab potential customers' attention while they scroll through social media. Customers who aren't familiar with your brand need to be able connect the different versions of your logo easily, regardless of whether they see it on a promotional post for your business or printed on a tee-shirt that an influencer is wearing to promote your products.

Customers who have previously connected with your brand via social media channels can be contacted as well. Use a social media append for insight into the platforms and content that your customers are using, as well as how you can appeal to them.

3. Support for Influencers

There are influencers in almost every industry, including financial management and health. Partnering with an influencer who is well-known in your field can help you leverage both word-of mouth marketing and social media.

To estimate how successful an influencer will be, it is important to look closely at their audience. An influencer who has a lot of followers and whose main content is not directly related to your business might have great marketing strategies, but may lack the connections necessary to reach the right audience. A niche influencer may have more followers, but they will still be interested in your company.

You'll need to provide the tools necessary to market your products to influencers after you have partnered with them. You might provide a script for them to read aloud, affiliate link to your product pages, or sample images of your products. Also, make sure your product pages are professionally designed so that you can attract new customers to your brand.

Tracking links and website traffic can help you measure the impact of your influencers. You can also monitor overall sales. You should also monitor your reviews once you have brought in an influencer.

Your business may also benefit from the involvement of more influential influencers. A business might invite influencers to join a charity walkathon sponsored by the company. Some brands invite those who have consistently promoted their products to design customized versions of their products.

Marketing strategy is constantly changing. How you measure it must also change. Referrals and social media are two of the most powerful forces in marketing. Your business can capitalize on them by keeping up-to-date on the latest trends, as well as monitoring your metrics.

In the last few years, technology and the services that link them have experienced a huge growth. We are only just beginning. We now have software that can teach software how to create better software, thanks to Artificial Intelligence (or Machine Learning).

Content marketing was a key driver in the early days of IT and IT Service company marketing strategies. Marketing was initially resisted by many engineers and product people who saw it as a negative word and similar to lying. IT professionals don't like being sold to (or lied to) and they won't say it. Many of these product engineers called me a "marketeer" early in my career. It wasn't a compliment.

Content marketing was able to shift the conversation. The context of new technology is important for IT Service and Technology buyers. Engineers saw the value of content marketing and realized that it could help them. Publishing and creating content that answers questions of prospects and customers is how to build trust and get measurable traffic on your website. It also helps you to generate leads for your IT services.

The Big Picture of Content Marketing

Content marketing is a strategy that consistently publishes customer-focused content to your website. This allows you reach and convert customers for your business.

Content marketing does not include ads, product promotion, lies, or brochures.

In industries with high educational requirements, content marketing is more relevant. This is why content marketing is most popular in IT Services, Finance, Healthcare, and Finance. Because it's what your customers want.

Quick Takeaways

• Content marketing is a cost-effective way to reach new clients and convert them to your IT Service company.
• Publishing useful content that educates your audience will be more effective than traditional forms of paid advertising.
• To achieve a Compounding Marketing ROI, it is important to maintain a consistent content marketing schedule.

We've compiled a list of things you should know and how to implement content marketing to your brand in order to maximize the return on your content marketing efforts for or your IT Services business.

Content Marketing Your IT Services

Know Your Audience [WHO] ]

Understanding your buyer persona is the first step to deciding what content you should write.

Your target audience for a B2B IT service is typically business owners and technology executives. As I love to say: Personas can be great, but they can also be a pain. You won't be able to create great content if they don't care what you call them, or how old they are.

WHAT are They Inquiring in?

Focus on your interests. What are their top concerns, challenges, and questions? What are their interests? What are the most popular topics in your industry?

Source: Forbes

Why do they care?

Like we did here, you need to answer the WHY of your persona and its relationship to your business. There are many other ways! Why are privacy, security and digital transformation so important?

WHEN to post

Research shows that businesses who publish more than once per week see 4-5x the traffic and leads than those that don't publish as often or at all.

Remember that buyers search for solutions to top business problems every day.

Google loves to hear that your website should have a beat, a cadence and a rhythm. This is something that I love to tell you.

WHO Written

Excellent technicians, service personnel, and sales representatives are essential to your IT company, whether it is a startup or an established pillar. They are experts in their respective fields and champions for excellence.

They are not writers. You will need to find quality bloggers with journalism or blog writing experience if you don't have it yet. You should be looking for people who are experts in cybersecurity and tech to help you build your website and improve your content marketing efforts.

However, hiring bloggers directly can be expensive and time-consuming. You have two options: hire freelancers, or work with an agency.

Both have their pros and cons, but there are options for content creation in your digital marketing campaigns. Outsourcing content is a way to gain an edge because it allows you to get experienced writers at a fraction of the cost of full-time employees and requires less effort than hiring them.

Blog writing is not the only content that you should consider when marketing your content. Videos, animations and demos as well as customer testimonials are all important nowadays.

This is SaberVox Cloud Software's example:

They will explain why your company needs them by using expert analysis and real-world applications. Content marketing is all about leading your prospect to this conclusion. Hire experienced videographers and content creators to help you create similar content.

How to Create Your Content Marketing Strategy For IT Services

The framework that we have provided should help you get started. You can also call us to have it done for you. You should always consider these things, no matter what you do.

1. 
   Who are you writing to? What are their questions?
   
2. 
   What are you publishing? Your website is the best way for new leads to be attracted.
   
3. 
   Who does the work. It is crucial to find someone who can help you build your content strategy.
   
4. 
   How frequently will you publish?
   
5. 
   How will the content be distributed? Are there ways to automate certain aspects of promotion?
   
6. 
   How do you measure your results
   

WHAT MUCH Value Does It Provide

Content marketing is only half the battle. You need to measure the results and be able read your analytics to gain insight into your audience. You need to track how many customers you reach and convert.

• 
  
  
  
  
• 
  
  Engagement
  
  
• 
  
  Conversion
  
  

Traffic to your content is the number of people who visit your site. During analysis, you should ask yourself important questions such as where my viewers are coming from, how many, and with whom are they most popular. These questions will give you an accurate picture of the viewership for your content marketing and provide a solid foundation to work with.

Engagements are the sharing, commenting and interactivity with your content on social media. This includes comments, likes, conversations, and discussions about what your page has posted. Social media platforms that have higher engagement are more likely to share your content with new eyes.

Your content's conversions include the number of viewers who become customers through your content. This is because the goal of conversions on your content is to convert prospects into loyal, returning customers and clients. This will allow you to determine which content has the highest overall viewership and gives you the best chance of increasing your bottom line.

These metrics should be used to guide your content marketing strategy. It is important to be able look at the trends in your content online and see the details. You might find some things that work better than others. Find out what works and do more.

Know Your Site(s)

Good UI (user interface), is essential to the user experience. If your web experience is poor, then who would call you to implement IT Services?

It is also important to know what your social media presence and presentation look like so that you can maintain a positive brand image for prospects and clients.

This checklist is compiled by us after working with many companies on a website relaunch.

Your main website is not the only one. Social media channels can be powerful tools for sharing your services to the world. IT services are best if they can be shared through professional channels like LinkedIn and Facebook.

See what industry leader Tata Consultancy Services has to say on LinkedIn. They have over 10 million followers and are promoting their brand voice to customers and prospects around the globe. They are able to show their authenticity and credibility by effectively using a professional platform.

You don't necessarily have to be on Snapchat if you are an IT Service provider. However, identifying your communities across Twitter and Facebook can help you get in the conversation.

Wrap up

It is difficult to stand out in IT services. You must be able to present the information that your prospects need to convert to research-oriented businesses. You can increase awareness about your services by knowing your audience, creators and analytics. Get to it

Are you looking for a marketing consultant to help your IT service provider? You have come to the right place! MIG offers a weekly blog service and a complimentary consultation.

B2B companies can benefit from account-based marketing (ABM). ABM is about identifying, obtaining and marketing targeted, high-value accounts. It also involves communicating directly with business leaders and executives who have the authority to make large contractual or purchasing decisions.

ABM suits the B2B market by targeting decision-makers from the beginning, filtering out unqualified prospects, aligning sales and marketing on strategy, content and engagement for each account. ABM allows for a quicker turnaround of qualified leads, highly targeted campaigns and builds trust with decision-makers in the B2B space.

ABM ensures that your money is only used for the highest quality leads. This means you have shorter sales cycles, better lead nurturing strategies, and better alignment between marketing and sales. ABM is most beneficial to the following industries:

• Healthcare & Life Sciences
• Software & Technology
• Commercial Business Services
• Manufacturing
• Industrial Services

These are the top indicators that account-based marketing should be tried by your business.

Your products and services are targeted at a narrow audience.

ABM can be a great strategy if you already have a list of companies that you want to do business with. The more specific your target is, the better ABM will work. It's easier to target the companies you are interested in and create a targeted, successful campaign.

Your ideal target begins with looking at your customers and sharing data about their spending habits with you. Take a look at what your customers spend their money on and how high is your retention rate. This will allow you to paint a clear picture of your ideal customers, strengths and weaknesses. It will also help you improve your business.

Be sure to update your data and then get in touch with people looking for your products or services.

The top 20% of your customers are the most likely to generate revenue.

ABM will yield a greater return on your investment (ROI). ABM can be used to increase the revenue of top 20% of your customers. This is because if you spend a lot of time on cross-selling and upselling with your existing customers, your marketing budget will be much lower. Instead of wasting resources trying to sell to prospects or smaller customers, expand the accounts of your top clients to earn more.

This type of account expansion is common in B2B companies. It can be seen in product launches, cross-sales following acquisitions, company-wide expansions and updated branding. Although the revenue comes from an existing customer you can make more by offering them bigger and better products and services.

Remember that your ABM success will be greater if you target and sell to smaller clients than to larger clients. Your ABM success will be strengthened by retaining high-value clients.

A long sales cycle is necessary for your product or service.

ABM works best for companies with a longer sales cycle. Because of the long-term nature and complexity of B2B products and services, many have lengthy sales cycles. This is because they are complex. ABM can reduce the time it takes to convert leads.

ABM is a great way to ensure your product or service sells well over a long period of time. ABM eliminates the need to guess as you wait for marketing leads to pay off. Instead, you want to make sure that your marketing efforts are focusing on customers who have real potential.

Reach key decision-makers in your target accounts.

It is one thing to know who you want to target, but it is quite another to be able to reach decision-makers. It can be difficult to reach key decision-makers. Partnering with an agency that is equipped can help. Sagefrog, for example, uses RollWorks and other ABM tools to offer our B2B customers an ABM platform that suits their needs.

Your company has the resources necessary to support your ABM efforts.

Be sure to be ready to invest in both third-party marketing and expert resources before you jump in. You will get the best out of ABM if you invest in experts. Their efficiency and expertise will maximize your chances of success. A digital agency can help you develop your ABM strategy, content and project management. This will ensure that you get results and ROI.

Your ABM goals are shared by your sales and marketing teams.

ABM is only possible if your sales and marketing teams are on the same page. Marketing is responsible for setting goals and creating content. Sales should be focused on outreach, executing strategies, and getting feedback. Account-based marketing won't work if both teams don't align and are working toward the same goals.

Sagefrog can assist you in launching an account-based program. Sagefrog can help you with your account-based marketing program. Read our infographic "6 Ws" and get in touch with Sagefrog today.