26. As a corporate storyteller, Tim Washer
produces comedies, documentaries, and maybe
someday an infomercial. Currently at Cisco
Systems, he previously headed social media video
production at IBM. Tim’s work has appeared in
Advertising Age and The New York Times, and his
comedy credits include the Late Show with David
Letterman and SNL.!
Focus on telling the stories your customers
and innovative ways they have solved
problems and made the world a better place. !
!
We produced a short documentary about
how service providers, our customers, were
pioneered the development of the telecom
network. It received a lot of exposure on
YouTube, and was broadcast on TV this
summer. I don’t think that would have ever
happened if we focused on our company. !
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27. David B. Thomas leads efforts to learn from,
inform, and engage with the Salesforce and
Radian6 company communities. Previously, he
was executive director at New marketing Labs
and served as social media manager for SAS. He
is co-author of The Executives Guide to Enterprise
Social Media Strategy. !
The most important thing to remember,
whether you're doing B2B marketing or B2C
marketing, is that the B's and C's are all
people, and people love a good story. They
also love content that helps them do their
jobs better, and they are consuming it in
different ways then even a few years ago. !
!
Lots of corporate marketers think about the
format first. "It's time for a next monthly ebook."
Think about the story, and giving
timely information to your audience, and
don't worry so much about the format. A
three-minute video that imparts useful
information may work better than a 15 page
e-book. !
!
Give yourself permission to try new things.
Track the results and be flexible.!
28. Kami Watson Huyse is a national leader on the
use of social media for public relations.
Throughout her career she has collaborated with
such corporate-side clients as Time Warner
Cable, Google, PayPal, and Network Solutions, and
with nonprofit organizations including American
Red Cross and the National 4-H Council, among
others.!
The best B2B marketers focus on how to
creatively use new technologies and avenues
to build their brand. !
!
One of the best ways to be innovative is to
be creative. Look for ways to use the available
tools to better connect with your customers
in unexpected ways. Unlike B2C, you don't
have to worry as much about reach,
but instead you have the luxury of focusing
on depth. Be everywhere your customer is,
be helpful and be relevant, then they will turn
to you when they are in the narrow buying
window. !
!
Be sure they remember your name when
they are looking for solutions. Social media
can help with that. It gives you the ability to
connect with more people across multiple
touch points
29. Marti Konstant is a tech-marketing enthusiast
and growth hacker focused on kickstarting
market demand for startups and B2B tech
companies. At Open Kernel Labs, Marti helps
define the mobile virtualization space and creates
demand within the global mobile device market.
Result: the company's software is now in 1.5
billion mobile handsets worldwide.!
The most innovative aspect of marketing
right now is the ability to respond in real-time
to customer feedback and campaigns. Agile
marketing practices enable marketers to be
intentional about planning, yet do not focus
on the extensive marketing plan, rather a
shor ter-term marketing plan that is
implemented in 2-3 week sprints and leaves
room for fine-tuning programs along with
way. It is a flexible, rather than rigid platform
for marketing management and encourages
experimentation and creativity. !
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30. Lee Odden has consulted for B2B clients
including McKesson, Marketo, PRWeb, and
StrongMail for over 15 years. He's been cited
by The Economist and The Wall Street Journal for
his online marketing expertise, and is editor of
MarketingBlog.com. Lee is also the author
of Optimize: How to Attract and Engage More
Customers by Integrating SEO, Social Media and
Content Marketing.!
It’s difficult to listen if all you do is talk. And
most B2B companies are doing a LOT of talking
from Content to Social, to Advertising. !
!
Repeating the same tactics expecting different
results is a form of B2B Marketing insanity.
Innovation is essential to stand out and the first
step is simply to listen. #
#
Dig into the goldmine of information that’s
available directly from buyers and from data.
Web analytics, social media monitoring, surveys
and marketing performance information can all
reveal emerging trends, new ideas, and
opportunities to optimize performance. #
#
Create a cycle of continuous innovation and
marketing performance optimization with data
and customer insight. Then you’ll really have
something to talk about. #
31. Lynn O’Connell is the Creative Director of
O’Connell Meier, a digital + direct marketing firm.
Since founding O’Connell Meier in 1989, she’s
helped hundreds of trade and professional
associations market membership, conferences,
publications, and digital products. Today, she
strategizes and manages integrated marketing
programs designed to engage B2B professionals
online and off. !
The&most&important&thing&is&to&always&
remember&that&B2B&customers&are&people&
first,&B2B&buyers&second.&So&many&bad&B2B&
promoFons&look&like&they&were&created&for&
roboFc&buyers.&No&one&II&no&one&II&is&going&
to&be&inspired&to&buy&by&a&laundry&list&of&
product&features&or&a&shot&of&the&factory.&
Speak&to&their&dreams,&their&plans&and&
hopes,&and&even&their&fears.&&
&
Show&them&how&your&product&or&service&
will&help&their&company,&but&also&show&
them&how&it&will&make&their&job&easier!&It&
doesn't&ma/er&whether&you're&running&a&
tradiFonal&campaign&or&using&social&media&
channels...&the&message&has&to&appeal&to&
real&people&and&the&acFons&you&request&
need&to&be&things&real&people&do.&
32. Scott Williamson has over 17 years of marketing
experience in agriculture, technology, industrial,
non-profit, food industry and distribution. In his
current position at Strategy Concepts Mark has a
focus on branding and brand recognition,
statistical market and data analysis, sales channel
development, and social media marketing. !
B2B Marketing has to be more innovative in
the way direct selling is handled. The old "cold
call" ways are putting companies that still do
sales like this a step or 12 behind. It is the
marketing departments job to arm their sales
force with the ammunition. It cannot be,
"better price" without proof of quality. Little
things like emailing your lead an introductory
video of your product with a few captions of
the product in use can grab their attention. !
!
By setting the stage before the sales rep
arrives at his / her prospective account, the
marketing department has already gave them
a leg up. Now we have the option of showing
the product in use and outlining how it can
help the company you are meeting with prior
to the meeting. If done right, the prospect will
be talking about the product well before the
meeting ever takes place.
33. Joe has over 20 years experience in marketing in
the B2B environment, as well as over 10 years
teaching experience. As the Marketing Analyst
for a leading manufacturer in the professional
dental industry, Joe also serves as the social media
administrator and has been working on creating a
platform that is helpful to multiple types of social
media users: employees, distributors and dental
office staff. !
Marketers need to stop& focusing& so&much&
on&geOng&Likes&and&start&focusing&more&on&
geOng&people& to& "share”& your& posts.& This&
is&especially&true&for&your&own&employees!&&
&
Shares& of& updates& makes& a& bigger& splash&
and& is& more& likely& to& get& noFced& and&
hopefully,& shared& with&even&more&people.&
TopRank B2B Innovation Blog Winner! Simple,&but&it&can&make&a&big&difference!&!
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