Latest Columns

  1. B2B Content Marketing: The Importance Of Knowing What Your Prospects Care About

    “What should my content be about?” That is the most common question I hear from B2B marketers. Well, it should be about something your target audience cares about. For complex B2B purchasing decisions, target audiences are comprised of a buying team of a half dozen members or more working in collaboration to solve a problem, not necessarily buy something. To attract them, the content we create should be about the problems they’re trying to solve. Discovering our prospects’ biggest cares isn’t often easy, here are four ways to do it.

  2. What's Your B2B Marketing Superpower?

    Maurice Davis has a superpower, and it is understanding customers. I don’t mean the surface level demographics of age, gender, location, and business. He can see the world from a prospect’s point of view and apply that empathy in helping businesses develop marketing strategies, create content that attracts customers, and grow their businesses beyond their expectations.

  3. There Must Be A Better Way!

    Hayato Nakamura recalls the excitement he experienced when he reported for his first job out of college with a Fortune 500 company. His onboarding consisted of being walked to an office cubicle containing only a desk and a phone. He was handed a printed lead list and instructed to begin smiling and dialing. It wasn't long before his bliss melted away and the grind set it in. There must be a better way, he thought. Good news, there is!

  4. Behavioral Analytics: An Overview For B2B Marketers

    A perfect B2B marketing world of identifying purchasing intent isn’t as far-fetched as it seems thanks to advancements in behavioral analytics.

  5. From The Editor: Do Your Marketing Reports Actually Matter?

    Marketers can prove their value to sales and executive teams by showing data-driven metrics that are important (not just interesting) to the overall goals of the organization.

  6. Lessons Learned By A 40-Year-Old B2B Publisher

    The way buyers consume information has changed, but not all B2B publishing models have adapted.

  7. Is Your B2B Social Media Program Like A Self-Licking Ice Cream Cone?

    For years when a B2B company expressed an interest in starting a social media program, I often cautioned them that it was like a self-licking ice cream cone. Were they prepared to continuously put fresh scoops of content on their page? However, my advice was wrong!

  8. Measuring The Results Of B2B Marketing: Looking Beyond Sales Lead Attribution

    While there is an overwhelming amount of data that tells us the buyer’s journey begins long before direct contact with a salesperson, most B2B solution providers attribute leads to something that occurred right before the direct contact. For example, they saw our booth at a tradeshow, or they contacted us right after visiting our website. However, a single piece of marketing collateral rarely, if ever, converts someone from knowing nothing about you to a sales qualified lead. 

  9. Are Your Marketing And Sales Adrift Because Of Your Technology?

    The Hudson River flows from the Adirondacks southward to New York Harbor. In some places it is peaceful and picturesque, in others, busy with large commercial ships, high winds, and changing tides. If you’re navigating the river in a small boat, it’s important to pay attention to your surroundings and keep an eye on your destination. A boat that is adrift poses a great danger to itself and its occupants. 

  10. Outperforming The Competition With An Underdog Attitude

    We love underdogs. Remember when the US hockey team earned a gold medal with an astonishing defeat of the Soviet Union in the 1980 Olympics? Or how about the perennial underdogs, AFC Richmond, coached by our favorite uber-optimist Ted Lasso.