Weekend Favs November 26

Weekend Favs November 26 written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

My weekend blog post routine includes posting links to a handful of tools or great content I ran across during the week.

• Vadoo – is a video hosting platform that helps brands and creators to engage and grow their audiences by uploading, recording, and sharing videos with just one click.
• Universe – is an immersive EdTech solution where educators and students can simulate a real classroom experience online. They can debate ideas freely with a 3D audio feature, maintain high attention levels with breakout rooms and custom-made quizzes, and drive engagement by rewarding students with points.
• Plask – is an AI tool that transforms videos of people into animated online characters in seconds. Just record yourself, drop the video into the platform and make the final edits to your animation. 

These are my weekend favs; I would love to hear about some of yours – Tweet me @ducttape

If you want to check out more Weekend Favs you can find them here.

from Duct Tape Marketing https://ift.tt/u03GO1B
via IFTTT

A How-To Guide On Getting Inside Of A Customer’s Brain

A How-To Guide On Getting Inside Of A Customer’s Brain written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

Marketing Podcast with Nancy Harhut

In this episode of the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast, I interview Nancy Harhut. Nancy is the co-founder and Chief Creative Officer at HBT Marketing. A frequent conference speaker and author of Using Behavioral Science in Marketing: Drive Customer Action and Loyalty by Prompting Instinctive Responses.

Key Takeaway:

Behavioral scientists have studied how people make decisions and what they found is very often people aren’t making these well-thought-out, well-considered decisions. What people are doing instead is we’re relying on decision-making shortcuts, which are these automatic, instinctive, reflexive behaviors that humans have developed over the millennia as a way to conserve mental energy. In this episode, Nancy Harhut joins me to talk about how we as marketers can increase the likelihood that people will engage with and respond to our marketing messages.

Questions I ask Nancy Harhut:

• [1:29] How do you define instinctive responses?
• [4:00] Do you ever worry that people might learn behavioral science and create instinctive responses that are not necessarily for good?
• [5:45] Where do you see marketers getting this idea of using behavioral science in the marketing realm?
• [6:46] How do we create emotion so that they get the opportunity to back it up with logic?
• [10:47] A lot of times we will do things to avoid pain or immediate loss before we will do things that are good for us. I’ve heard marketers talk about people will buy painkillers instead of vitamins. How does that one play into a marketer’s ability to get an instinctive response?
• [11:48] Are there positive ways to use scarcity and urgency?
• [13:45] How does reciprocation come into play with humans?
• [17:23] How do you bring some urgency and scarcity to businesses that have a very long sales cycle?
• [19:33] Do you find that any of these techniques or these approaches are more effective visually versus words or stories?
• [21:18] When a client comes to you and they’re struggling with a challenge, do you have kind of a checklist you use, or is every case unique?
• [22:23] One of the things you’ve done in the book is that you kind of break down at the end of the chapter with action steps. Do you also have some checklists and things that people can download as well?
• [23:22] Where can people learn more about your work, connect with you, and get a copy of your book?

More About Nancy Harhut:

• Connect with Nancy on LinkedIn
• Connect with Nancy on Twitter
• HBT Marketing
• Get a copy of her book — Using Behavioral Science in Marketing: Drive Customer Action and Loyalty by Prompting Instinctive Responses

More About The Agency Workshop:

• Apply for the Agency Workshop

Take The Marketing Assessment:

Like this show? Click on over and give us a review on iTunes, please!

Duct Tape Transcript

Email Download New Tab

Scroll back to top

Sign up to receive email updates

Enter your name and email address below and I'll send you periodic updates about the podcast.

powered by

This episode of the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast is brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network.

HubSpot Podcast Network is the audio destination for business professionals who seek the best education and inspiration on how to grow a business.

 

 

from Duct Tape Marketing https://ift.tt/Dx4Ranr
via IFTTT

B2B Marketing News: Rising B2B Ad Spend, Top B2B Marketplaces, Influencer Marketing’s Resiliency, & WhatsApp’s New Business Search

The Top 50 B2B Marketplaces: A New Ranking B2B marketplaces have raised more than $1.7 billion during the first nine months of 2021, with Faire, Joor, and Indigo AG topping the list of B2B marketplace startups, according to newly-released report data of interest to digital marketers. Modern Distribution Management Why influencer marketing, still a small slice of digital budgets, seems recession-proof U.S. organizations are expected to spend $6.16 billion on influencer marketing during 2023, climbing from the $5 billion seen during 2022, as influencer marketing has appeared to be more resilient than other forms of marketing, with influencer marketing budgets staying strong, according to recently-published forecast data. Insider Intelligence 20% Of Media Buyers Report Investing In The Metaverse 52 percent of decision-makers at brands and agencies have said that they are investing in metaverse marketing in order to build brand recognition and awareness, with 48 percent doing so as a new way of engaging existing customers, while 46 percent pinpointed investment aimed at boosting brand perception — three of several findings of interest to B2B marketers contained in newly-released survey data. MediaPost Q&A with the director of Google Analytics: Getting Started with Google Analytics 4 With Google sunsetting its longstanding existing analytics incarnation in July of 2023, B2B marketers using the popular measurement system have some seven months to migrate to Google Analytics 4, and MarTech takes a look at how marketers and brands are moving to Google's replacement analytics platform. MarTech [bctt tweet="“When a customer is migrating to GA4, one of the first things they need to consider is how to get the data they care about the most into the system.” — Russ Ketchum of @GoogleAnalytics" username="toprank"] Twitter is working on a feature to divide long text into a thread automatically Twitter has tested the ability for its users to automatically split tweets longer than the 280-character limit — in place since 2017 — into multiple threaded messages, potentially offering marketers an additional way to share long-form content on the platform, Twitter recently announced. TechCrunch How LinkedIn users are banding together to help those laid off Microsoft-owned professional social media platform LinkedIn (client) has seen increasing use as a conduit for helping recently laid off workers find new positions, and WorkLife takes a look at the thriving practice on LinkedIn. WorkLife WhatsApp Launches New Business Search Functionality, Expands In-Stream Payments Meta-owned global messaging platform WhatsApp has rolled out new features that have made it easier to find businesses on the platform, giving brands an array of new exposure opportunities, WhatsApp recently announced. Social Media Today Ads Work Better When They're Near Relevant Content: Study Some 67 percent of U.S. consumers have said that they are more apt to notice digital advertising when it is relevant to the content they are viewing, while 61 percent noted that they would be less likely to buy from brands that have ads appearing alongside disinformation, according to newly-published survey data. MediaPost 8 Graphic Design Trends that Will Dominate 2023 [Infographic] Motion graphics with dynamic user experience (UX) designs, bold abstract shapes, artificial intelligence (AI)-generated imagery, and 3D elements such as typography and characters were among the top graphic design trends expected to grow in 2023, according to data from a recently-released design trend infographic. Social Media Today Ad spend projected to grow 5.9% in 2023 B2B digital advertising is expected so see a significant increase during 2023, rising some 20.8 percent year-over-year, as the top high-growth category in the latest forecast data from the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), which has also seen B2B advertisers placing increased interest in engaging streamers and the creation of brand-owned video content hubs. MarTech ON THE LIGHTER SIDE: A lighthearted look at “Black Friday & holiday shopping” by Marketoonist Tom Fishburne — Marketoonist New Sponsored Google Maps Feature Directs Every Driver To Denny’s — The Onion TOPRANK MARKETING & CLIENTS IN THE NEWS:

• Lee Odden — How to Break Free of Boring B2B Content Experiences In 2023 [Webinar] — Rock Content
• Lee Odden — The Impact of Building Long-Term Relationships with Influencers with Lee Odden — Justin Levy

Have you come across your own important B2B marketing news item for the week that we haven't yet mentioned? If so, please don't hesitate to drop us a line in the comments below. Thank you for taking the time to join us, and we hope you will return next Friday for another array 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 B2B Marketing News: Rising B2B Ad Spend, Top B2B Marketplaces, Influencer Marketing’s Resiliency, & WhatsApp’s New Business Search appeared first on B2B Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

from B2B Marketing Blog – TopRank® https://ift.tt/ncTb1B3
via IFTTT

What fractional CMOs can do for small businesses

What fractional CMOs can do for small businesses written by Editor read more at Duct Tape Marketing

Want to grow your business and position your brand for success? One of the greatest ways to do so is hiring a CMO or Chief Marketing Officer, an experienced, result-driven executive responsible for all your marketing efforts. 

But with an average annual salary of over $330,000 many small to mid-sized businesses can’t easily afford a CMO. Facing tight budgets and strained resources, these companies must embrace the idea of the fractional CMO and outsource their marketing efforts if they want to grow. 

That’s what I want to discuss today. What is a fractional CMO and the services they provide for small to medium-sized businesses. 

What is a Fractional CMO

Let’s start by explaining something a bit simpler; What is a CMO?

CMO stands for chief marketing officer, and it’s the job of the person who defines strategic direction and marketing implementation in a business. The concept of a Chief Marketing Officer comes from large enterprises, but it is a role that has grown exponentially in the last couple of years.

A fractional CMO is basically a part-time version of this position. Just like fractional accountants, fractional Chief Financial Officers, or fractional Chief Technology Officers, a fractional Chief Marketing Officer is an executive that leads the marketing strategy and execution of a company on a part-time basis.

What is the difference between a marketing agency, a marketing coach, a consultant, and a Fractional CMO?

The number of options businesses have to get marketing help can be overwhelming. But if we focus on strategy and implementation, the choices you’ll come across are hiring a marketing agency, a marketing coach, a marketing consultant, or a fractional CMO. 

Marketing Agency

A marketing agency is a company that serves various clients in one or more areas of marketing. Agencies sometimes get involved in strategy, but they often focus on the implementation side of the business. They are useful for companies that have a strategy already in place and need some extra help with execution.

Marketing Coach

A marketing coach normally assists business owners or marketing teams with training material, acting as an accountability partner and recommending strategic actions, but is not involved in the implementation at all.

Marketing Consultant

Marketing Consultants are experts in a specific field who help companies by giving advice and developing their marketing strategies. However, they outsource implementation to freelancers or an external marketing team. 

Fractional CMOs are particularly relevant today because they have the strategic approach of a consultant, can execute as an agency, and act as a marketing coach for your team, while being accountable for delivering measurable results for your business.

Fractional CMO Responsibilities

A typical Fractional CMO has a mix of responsibilities, all designed to meet the needs of the companies they serve.

These can include:

1. 1
   Defining Goals and Developing a Marketing Strategy
2. 2
   Managing the Marketing Department
3. 3
   Establishing Marketing Metrics and KPIs
4. 4
   Increasing Sales and Revenue
5. 5
   Act as a consultant for the marketing team

Defining Goals and developing a marketing strategy 

A fractional CMO should be able to develop and communicate clear goals for the marketing team. And align those goals throughout the organization.

Fractional CMOs are also responsible for developing a brand's marketing strategy (budget, vision, team makeup, customer journey, systems, and tactics). They must narrow the marketing focus to crucial marketing channels and formulate a winning and repeatable plan for the business. 

Effective fractional CMOs can direct the strategy from a marketing standpoint. For example, they could help define the ideal clients, propose the best markets to target, and choose the most appropriate marketing channels that lead to more business.

This is the most important part of the role because it helps the company stand out from its competition in the minds of their ideal customer.

To develop a winning marketing strategy the fractional CMO should start with these four concepts;

1. Identifying the brand's ideal client
2. Finding the problem the brand is trying to solve and promise to solve it
3. Make content the voice of strategy and establish the brand as an authority online
4. Create a complete buyer journey

Fractional CMOs looking for a proven system to help them grow

Join the Agency Workshop

Business owners looking to hire a fractional CMO to help them grow

Find a certified fractional CMO

 

Managing the marketing department

Fractional CMOs may have their own team to implement the strategy or be responsible for managing an internal department. Hiring, managing, and sometimes promoting employees are commonly known responsibilities of a fractional CMO.

The job of a fractional  CMO is one of the most challenging. The average CMO lasts just 40 months, so they have to be prepared to make an impact fast. 

That’s why most fractional CMOs have their own implementation team, and based on our experience training successful marketing managers and consultants, having a network of professionals that can help you execute your plan is essential to achieving  consistent growth as an agency.

The Duct Tape Marketing Agency Workshop certifies fractional CMOs to license the complete Duct Tape Marketing System for their agency. Completion of the workshop includes an invitation to a community of like-minded business professionals who come together for strategic partnerships, continued training and events.

Establishing Marketing Metrics and KPIs

A fractional CMO is responsible for establishing clear marketing goals, metrics, milestones, and key performance indicators (KPIs). These are used to measure progress and determine if the marketing team is meeting the goals of their campaigns. 

Some of the commonly known metrics for a marketing department are the number of qualified leads in a given period, sign-ups or appointments generated, lead conversion rates, lead-to-customer conversion, cost per lead, monthly recurring revenue, and others.

Metrics can help fractional CMOs understand the challenges, and therefore deliver consistent and long-term results.

Increasing sales and revenue

A Fractional CMO's mission is to increase sales by developing an all-around marketing plan that will help the organization gain a competitive advantage and make more revenue. They are also responsible for overseeing how the marketing budget is spent and managing the quality of the marketing campaigns.

In today’s digital world, Fractional CMOs not only have to be proficient at strategy and execution, but they also need the communication and leadership skills required to motivate and inspire the marketing team and other cross-functional teams.

A vast experience and ability in fields like product marketing, content, brand & design, Pay-Per-Click advertising, paid social, and project management is highly relevant to succeed as a fractional CMO. Also an understanding of commonly used marketing tools like Google Analytics, HubSpot, Salesforce, Marketo, Mailchimp, and others.

Act as a consultant for the marketing team

Successful chief marketing officers, both full-time and fractional, often have a strong sense of purpose and can implement a set of values within the organizations they serve. They are not just order takers, but they are strategists, consultants, and coaches.

Other responsibilities of a Fractional CMO are creating programs that support employees in different ways. For example, they could create and run mentorship programs or training for their team or their clients' teams.

Fractional CMOs might also implement the marketing strategy with their own team of experts. This can be far more effective than attempting to spread out these tasks throughout your company, or creating and hiring a whole new department.

Fractional CMOs looking for a proven system to help them grow

Join the Agency Workshop

Business owners looking to hire a fractional CMO to help them grow

Find a certified fractional CMO

from Duct Tape Marketing https://ift.tt/J2Vn3KP
via IFTTT

An Action Plan For Embracing Change

Growing Gratitude: What the TopRank Marketing Team is Most Thankful For

As the U.S. celebrates Thanksgiving Day this week, we can all look back at another unique year of opportunities, challenges, and changes in the B2B marketing landscape. Despite the challenges we’ve all faced, we’ve grown, adapted, and overcome, and now is an ideal time to look back on those parts of our lives for which we're the most thankful this holiday week. In 2022 our team here at TopRank Marketing has continued to expand, and we'd like to take this opportunity to reflect on thankfulness in both our professional and personal lives, continuing our annual traditional post sharing messages of gratitude. Our ability to see and express gratitude even in challenging times can be especially meaningful and even replenishing. Let’s take a moment to open our hearts and take in sentiments of thankfulness from our team.

What the TopRank Marketing Team is Most Thankful for in 2022

Jane Bartel

Director of Search & Content Marketing This year I'm celebrating five years with TopRank Marketing, and am grateful to continue working with a team who takes such pride in their work. We are focused on making content marketing more data-informed, and it's been inspiring to see all the ways my colleagues contribute to that process, and the truly impressive results that it produces for our clients. My husband and I welcomed our first child last December. She's healthy and goofy, and has enforced a certain balance in my life that I'm thankful for (and almost adjusted to).

Katelyn Drake

Director of Agency Marketing I am beyond thankful that I've joined the smart, dedicated team at TopRank Marketing this year! Personally, I am always thankful for family, friends that feel like family, and the entire village that surrounds me helping balance kiddos, work, life and my sanity (most of the time). My Thanksgiving wish for all of us is that we find space to breathe, disconnect and enjoy the season!

Danielle Motley

Account Manager Professional: The people. I've never worked at a company where the overall culture has been so positive and the people have been so friendly and kind. Personal: I'm grateful that my personal passions are successfully evolving and my years of hard work are slowly but surely paying off.

LaTanya Williams

Social Media & Influencer Marketing Coordinator I am thankful for having the opportunity to work with an incredible team of professionals at Top Rank Marketing. I can't say enough about how amazing they are! I'm also thankful to have time to spend with my family and a chance to build new friendships in my personal and professional life.

Lane R. Ellis

Social Media and Content Marketing Manager 2022 held many new wonders and delights, a few challenges, all coming together to form a year I’m extremely thankful for. I’m especially grateful for my wonderful family, friends, and associates. Celebrating 21 years of marriage with my amazing wife Julie Ahasay tops my thankfulness list, along with the continuing joy of having my parents Konnie and Bob in my life, as well as my astounding and always-inspiring 105-year-old grandma Lilly Haldorsen, who still lives in her own house and gets out often. I’m grateful for nearly 39 years of using the Internet, and thankful to still be able to run and mountain bike the beautiful trails of Duluth. I'm grateful to have been able to set a new longest-known cross-country ski streak of 202 days in a row, and for our loving cats Kukla Francis Oliver Ahasay and our new kittens Twister Laszlo Ellis and Arlo Gurthie Ellis. Thanksgiving is the perfect time to reach out and give the world and its endless opportunities a cozy wintery embrace, so here’s a big virtual hug to all of you I’m fortunate enough to know, lovely family and friends. Thank you.

Zack Armstrong

Senior Account Manager I'm thankful for the opportunity to join the TopRank team and am excited to grow personally and professionally within the organization in the coming years.

Theresa Meis

Content Strategist I am eternally thankful for the privilege of watching my children grow into two of the most creative, kind, and hilarious people I know.

Mike Odden

Research Analyst I am thankful for the opportunity to expand my knowledge of marketing that TopRank Marketing has given me over the years and the opportunity to work with such a great team.

Debbie Friez

Senior Manager, Social & Influencer Marketing Health and wellness top my thank you list again this year. I have been lucky to avoid the ‘Rona, as have many in my family. But, I also know so many who have had health struggles, and I hope they know my thoughts are with them. I would be remiss if I didn’t say thank you to my TopRank Marketing team for all they do and for blessing me with the opportunity connect with amazing thought leaders. I get to learn from so many great minds and my world is better for it.

TopRank Marketing Gives Thanks For You

All of us at TopRank Marketing are grateful for you, and thank you for being the supportive fans, amazing clients, friends, and enthusiastic influencers that have allowed us to elevate B2B marketing and achieve personal, professional, and brand success. Happy Thanksgiving! Sincerely, The TopRank Marketing Team

The post Growing Gratitude: What the TopRank Marketing Team is Most Thankful For appeared first on B2B Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

from B2B Marketing Blog – TopRank® https://ift.tt/aPXnTEL
via IFTTT

LinkedIn #B2Believe and The Playbook for Promise Making in B2B Marketing with Jim Habig

[caption id="attachment_31669" align="alignnone" width="600"] Selfie with Tusar Barik & Jim Habig of LinkedIn at #b2believe[/caption] How can marketers put promise making into practice? LinkedIn Vice President of Marketing, Jim Habig, shared the keys to the power of storytelling, the importance of creativity, and the exciting opportunity ahead for B2B marketers at LinkedIn's inaugural B2B marketing conference, B2Believe in San Francisco last week. Without a doubt these are interesting times and many B2B marketers are experiencing a challenging economic market. Jim challenged the 800+ marketers in attendance that we need to prove our value more than ever before. Despite challenges of budget reductions, hiring freezes and an uncertain economic forecast, there is hope.

We B2B marketers can't always get what we want. But if we try sometimes we will find, we can get what we need.

Sound familiar? Who knew the Rolling Stones had insight into B2B marketing tenacity? With the current economic and business environment, B2B marketers are urgently seeking direction on how to survive and thrive. Many revert to the same old playbook of cutting and reducing marketing investments which often ends up being counter productive. Marketing is what keeps the pipeline of sales active and helps brands stay relevant when buyers finally become in-market for solutions. So what is LinkedIn's perspective? Jim shared that B2B marketers need to move from a product mindset to a promise mindset. We need to translate complexity to simplicity for customers and we need to unlock the promise of our brand. So who do you do this? There are some basic building blocks for making a promise to your customer. Jim shared that a promise for brands needs to be 3 things: Memorable - If you're not memorable, you're not worth being bought. Stories are one of the most effective tools for being memorable. Brand assets can also connect with customers subconsciously along with characters, catchphrases and jingles that sink into your brain. Valuable - They key to making your promise valuable is in understanding your customer. The right buying situation is what makes your promise valuable. For example: when an IT manager needs a solution, what needs to change, and who needs provide buy in. Deliverable - If you can't deliver on a promise, don't make it. So what are some examples of these 3 in action? The Naysayer's Favorite Word from Commercetools   Promise: "When your legacy tech just isn't up to the task" A Smooth CRM for Rough Seas from HubSpot Promise: "Treat customers like people not conquests." "The New Frontier" Super Bowl Ad from Salesforce Promise "Look no further than our home planet." These brands make promises and they create memory structures to be more memorable. But we don't need famous actors to become more memorable, valuable and deliverable. We simply need creativity, distinctiveness and the power of building memory. LinkedIn is clear about it's promise. LinkedIn Marketing Solutions is built for B2B and LinkedIn is investing in making a better world for B2B. What's your B2B brand's promise? What are you doing to make sure that promise is memorable, valuable and deliverable? The answers to those questions might just be the fuel to elevate your B2B marketing into 2023 and beyond. If you would like to watch the following main stage presentations from B2Believe, they will be available on demand soon.

• Shaping the Future of B2B Together: LinkedIn Ads Product Roadmap Get an inside look at our product vision and how we’re working to build the right tools for B2B marketers from our VP of Product Management, Gyanda Sachdeva.
• Pushing Creative Boundaries: A Conversation with Ben Stiller In this session, Ben Stiller, actor, producer, director and Hollywood legend, will join Ty Heath, Director of Market Engagement, The B2B Institute at LinkedIn, for a conversation on creativity, storytelling and handling adversity in today's constantly evolving world.
• Fireside Chat with Michael Park, CMO at ServiceNow Hear from Minjae Ormes, LinkedIn VP of Global Brand & Consumer Marketing and Michael Park, ServiceNow Chief Marketing Officer, on the changing talent and macroeconomic landscapes, and the importance of storytelling.
• Marketing in Today's Macroeconomic Climate Hear from LinkedIn Chief Economist, Karin Kimbrough, for a discussion on the evolving landscape and how marketing teams can adapt.

The B2Believe event from LinkedIn was full of relevant, informative and inspiring content - hats off to LinkedIn for putting together some really compelling programming and for assembling such a diverse and talented group of speakers to share their insights and the perspectives of LinkedIn.

The post LinkedIn #B2Believe and The Playbook for Promise Making in B2B Marketing with Jim Habig appeared first on B2B Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

from B2B Marketing Blog – TopRank® https://ift.tt/QEBo5Vd
via IFTTT