The 8 Hardest-Rockin' Takeaways from
The B2B Marketing Exchange (B2BMX) 2019 provided so many lessons, tips and inspirational ideas that it might be challenging to decide what to do first now that you’re back in the office. It will be an even greater task if you missed the event entirely! Fear not, the Content Strategy team at Content4Demand is here to share their top ideas and best practices from B2BMX. We curated this list to help you focus your marketing efforts for the rest of the year. Pick one (or all) and get started!
People are hungry for human connections.
A running theme was humanizing our content marketing. In his keynote, David Meerman Scott noted that “the pendulum has swung too far toward superficial online communication.” He emphasized that people are hungry for human connections, and businesses need to treat customers as people.
Don’t be afraid to be human.
David Meerman Scott, Marketing Speaker & Best-Selling Author
To market to, collaborate with and connect to the digitally plugged, regardless of age, Brian Fanzo said to keep this important point in mind: “Millennials want to feel they are heard and that they are part of something.”
Millennials crave authentic communication.
Talking to Digital Natives
• Real-time, authentic communication is preferable to perfection. • Talk with people, not at people. • Be transparent. • Communicate how they want and where they are (their channels, not yours). • Don’t tell them what you do but why you do it.
Brian's Tips:
Conductor created its own version of Cards Against Humanity.
PathFactory tapped a Star Wars design concept to raise GDPR awareness.
Sigstr used Vogue’s September Issue as inspiration for an e-book.
CONSIDER
You may think that B2B is no place for cultural references, but many of this year’s Killer Content Award winners prove the contrary.
Tap pop culture.
Tying marketing performance to revenue dollars is becoming a must. Rethink which metrics you are using so they speak to executives.
Simplify your metrics.
“At the end of the quarter, our board comes to us and they don’t ask about MQLs created. They ask how much pipeline did you create? And what are your conversion rates?”
Bill Binch, CRO of Pendo
Influencer marketing is hot, but don’t settle for doing the same thing as everyone else. Many options exist.
Get on the influencer wagon.
How to Engage with B2B Influencers
• Guest blog post • Written Q&A • Social media activation • In-person events • Long-form content
Amanda Maksymiw, Content Marketing Director, Fuze
• Quote requests • Video participation • Podcast interview • Roundtable • Webinar speaker
If the panels on podcasting and blogging proved anything, it’s that these formats can’t be last-minute additions to your content plans. Rather, they must be integrated into your multi-channel, end-to-end content strategy.
Get the most out of new formats.
Bonus Tip #1
Blogging is a great way to test different word counts, editorial styles and even different visuals.
Bonus Tip #2
Podcasting can provide a wealth of valuable insights that can be reused and reimagined for different formats, such as ebooks, checklists and social posts.
Advocates for moderate use of gated content were popping up everywhere as thought leadership (such as influencer content), and it’s proving more valuable than a list of names and email addresses.
Open the gates.
“The contact-for-content model is very broken. We must acknowledge the fact that our customers are in charge of the journey, and we can do that by not asking those form-fill questions.”
Steven Casey, Principal Analyst at Forrester Research
Make a calendar and mark your calendar.
We won a Finny Award for a creative interactive calendar and are sharing some tips. We also can’t wait for next year’s #B2BMX, Feb. 24-26, 2020.
We Rock! And so can you. See our Interactive Calendar Tips
Webinar: Content Marketing Hit-Makers
Infographic: Cast Your Buyers in Starring Roles
2019 Demand Gen Benchmark Report
A few more helpful resources just for you:
Inspired to take action? Dying to get more tips? Well lucky for you we love talking all things B2B marketing.
