Life Lessons: What B2B Marketers Can Learn From Marathon Running

What can B2B marketers learn from marathon running? Even if you’ve never run a step and have no plans to, there are powerful lessons we can all learn from marathon running that significantly align with successful B2B marketing. I’ve been running marathons since 1998 and working in online communications and marketing since 1984 — two pursuits that may initially seem quite dissimilar, but which have much in common when you get down to it. The eleven marathons and ultra-marathons I’ve run — and the training to prepare for them — have taught me life lessons that have continued on long after any particular race has finished. Let’s take a look at a handful of the many take-aways that B2B marketers can learn from marathon running.

1 — The Power of Proper Pacing

In B2B marketing and in marathoning, always keep your goal in mind and map out the steps you need to take along the way to achieve it. Pacing is knowing when to take each of the actions that will make your goal possible, whether it’s running a sub-three-hour marathon or forming a business relationship with a Fortune 50 company. Pacing in B2B marketing is still more of a marathon than the sprint of the B2C marketer, even with buying cycles that have changed during the pandemic. Being as precise as possible when it comes to segmenting your goal into bite-sized and achievable parts is a trait that successful marathon runners and B2B marketers share. Map out all of those segments in a way that makes sense to you — whether it’s in the form of a timeline or another organizational technique — with an eye for keeping a pace that you can sustain throughout the entire effort. [bctt tweet="“If you want to run, run a mile. If you want to experience a different life, run a marathon.” — Emil Zatopek " username="toprank"]

2 — Putting In The Training

In running, knowing your own sustainable pace comes from miles and miles of training. In B2B marketing, deep knowledge of potential client pain points and an understanding of the route their buying journey is likely to take combine to get results. Every runner will ultimately train differently, and those who don’t allow themselves flexibility when working with a prescribed running training plan will likely pay the price in the form of setbacks such as injuries or frustration. Successful B2B marketers also each train and work in differing ways using varied tactics — so trying to stick too stringently to somebody else’s playbook without customizing it to create your own unique approach can ultimately dampen opportunities. Part of the joy of running marathons and B2B marketing is finding your own best training plan, and then seeing it come to life on race day or when the big deal is finally signed. [bctt tweet="“If the marathon if a part-time interest, you will only get part-time results.” — Bill Rodgers @BillRodgersRACE " username="toprank"]

3 — Going The Distance With Endurance

When it comes to endurance, it’s key to keep in mind that it takes two forms — physical and mental — and to understand that the two are forever intertwined, each playing a huge role in success in both marathon running and B2B marketing. In marathon running it’s often said that the race doesn’t really begin until mile 20, and that 90 percent of running is a mental game and a mere 10 percent a physical one, especially as the distance run goes up and into ultra-marathon territory. Focusing exclusively on physical training will build a strong body that may be able to run far and fast, however without a dedicated effort to build mental endurance, runners can’t reach their ultimate potential. In B2B marketing, relying only on using an ever-increasing number of automated tools and utilities or worn out conventional strategies can’t provide the results that come from a cohesive approach that also features the power of mental endurance. [bctt tweet="“Motivation remains key to the marathon: the motivation to begin; the motivation to continue; the motivation never to quit.” Hal Higdon @higdonmarathon " username="toprank"]

4 — Pushing To New Levels & Finding Your Limits

Another beautiful and rewarding aspect that marathon running and B2B marketing share is that both allow you to push yourself to new levels of success, and to ultimately push those limits and break through barriers that may have previously seemed impossible to budge. Expanding our limits is a phenomenon that transcends running and marketing, working its magic in many aspects of our lives when we learn how to carefully find our limits, train to expand them, and then successfully break through. There’s nothing like the first glimpse of the finish line up ahead in a marathon, as it seems to release your body’s final, hidden stores of energy — a special boost that only seems to come when the body knows its work will soon be done. If a runner is ever going to feel euphoric, it’s most likely going to come in the final push to the finish line of a marathon, knowing that nothing is going to stop you from crossing that line. It’s a great time to savor the moment and celebrate the weeks, months, or years of hard training and planning, and the same can be said for the culmination of a comprehensive, well-executed award-winning B2B marketing campaign. [bctt tweet="“Everything you ever wanted to know about yourself you can learn in 26.2 miles.” — Lori Culnane " username="toprank"]

Continuing Marathon & B2B Marketing Success

via GIPHY By practicing proper pacing, putting in the training, going the distance with physical and mental endurance, and pushing your limits, the world can be your oyster when it comes to running marathons or B2B marketing. We hope you've learned something new to help put an extra hop in your marketing step as we push ahead towards 2023 and a new year of marathon and marketing opportunities. For a deeper dive into the parallels between B2B marketing and running, check out our in-depth “26.2 B2B Marathon Marketing Lessons.” With hard work and smart training, a successful marathon can involve setting a new personal best, winning an age-group award, or at the highest level even winning a race outright. In B2B marketing, a stellar campaign can set company performance records, or even go on to win industry recognition, such as at this year’s Cannes Creative B2B Lions awards. Running marathons can help elevate our lives, enhance fitness, and bring a new appreciation of each day, and great marketing can do the same as we increase our B2B marketing fitness. Today more than ever, crafting award-winning B2B marketing that goes the distance takes considerable time and effort, which is why more brands are choosing to work with a top digital marketing agency such as TopRank Marketing. Reach out to learn how we can help, as we’ve done for over 20 years for businesses ranging from LinkedIn, Dell and 3M to Adobe, Oracle, monday.com and many others.

The post Life Lessons: What B2B Marketers Can Learn From Marathon Running appeared first on B2B Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

Mental Health in Marketing: 4 Communication Tips for Neurodivergent Marketers

The world isn't a one-size-fits-all place. Embracing diversity of experience, thought, and perspective is a practice we’re seeing grow throughout our industry and those adjacent to it. There’s no longer just one image of what a “professional” looks – or acts – like… there are many. Elevating those that don’t fit the traditional professional mold is something we believe should be a priority for all businesses, including our own. One area we’ve noticed a need for additional support is mental health in the workplace that goes beyond basic tips for stress relief. Did you know that somewhere between 15 and 20% of the population is estimated to be neurodivergent? Neurodivergent, in this case, being a word that encompasses conditions that lead to alternative interpretations of the surrounding world, including ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and dyspraxia. Just like the world isn’t a one-size-fits-all place, solutions for succeeding as a neurodivergent marketer aren’t going to be. That doesn’t mean we can’t make operating in the professional world a little easier for those who need it. Below you’ll find four workplace communication tips for neurodivergent marketers… gathered for you by a neurodivergent marketer.

1 — Don’t be afraid to send a post-meeting follow-up

One common trait among neurodivergent individuals is the fear of being misunderstood. In my personal experience with autism, I have a hard time following through on tasks unless the directions are incredibly clear-cut. The fear of misunderstanding what someone wants me to do and thus doing it incorrectly can paralyze and prevent me from doing the task itself. If you’ve ever felt that way, you are 100% not alone. How do we work around it? By sending a follow-up. Hear me out: no one is going to know what you don’t know unless you ask. Things that are clear for others might not be clear for you, and they’ll never know unless you tell them. Here are a few things to do during meetings to make sure that, if and when you do send a follow-up, that it’s well received:

• Take meeting notes during all meetings and 1x1s, making sure to call out any time you need clarification
• Let the people you’re meeting with know that you might have questions after you process the information from the meeting so they know to expect your message
• When you write your message, do your best to keep things concise: use formatting or color coding to call out action items, resist the urge to over-explain, try to send your follow-up as soon after the meeting as possible so nothing is lost in the shuffle

2 — Remember that it’s not all on you

Our first tip here is about how you can better communicate to meet your needs, but I don’t want you to think that you have to do all the work yourself. Your workplace can help. Your colleagues can help. The only hard part is that, most of the time, you’ll have to ask for it. Because it’s so challenging to ask for these things outright for fear of sticking out, I’ve made a list of common accommodation requests you’re free to copy and use for yourself.

• Could you please provide audio transcripts of our meetings so I can review?
• Could we please use a different, dyslexic-friendly font for internal documents that I'll be working in?
• Can you please put the priority of the request in the subject line of emails you send so I'm better able to prioritize my workload?
• I'm struggling with being verbal today, but still want to be present at work. During our Zoom call today, I'd like to use the chat box to communicate so that I’m still able to collaborate with the team.
• Could I please have 24 hours' notice for any new meetings on my calendar?
• Could we include the outline for the meeting in the invite so that I’m best able to prepare?

I’d love to hear the unique accommodations you’ve asked for or received that made a difference for you at work. If you have any to add to this list, send them to us directly and we’ll include them.

3 — Find someone to anchor you when you enter a new workplace

You wouldn’t expect yourself to travel to France and be able to speak the language fluently upon landing. That’s why many people hire local travel guides to help them navigate the foreign waters until they’re comfortable on their own. Take this approach when entering a new workplace. If you’re not comfortable with opening up to your direct report, then take a look at other team members. Just like Spiderman can sense danger, neurodivergent folks and our outspoken allies can often sniff one another out. Resist the urge to be shy and hide yourself and instead seek out those connections and ask them for help with things that might be challenging for you like unspoken rules of etiquette, internal best communication practices, and the like. [bctt tweet="“If you’re not comfortable with opening up to your direct report, then take a look at other team members. Just like Spiderman can sense danger, neurodivergent folks and our outspoken allies can often sniff one another out.” — Sam Kirchoff" username="toprank"]

4 — Advocate for yourself

The hardest lesson I’ve learned during my ten years working professionally as an adult with autism is this: no one can advocate for you better than you can. You’re unique, not bad. You have a different perspective, but that doesn’t make it wrong. Not every place you work is going to offer you the flexibility to be truly yourself, but you’ll never know the places that do unless you’re being yourself. Unmask. Stim when you’re excited. Take your notes and ask your questions. Make life work for you and advocate for a workplace that supports that if you’re able to. Not everyone is – and that’s okay! – but if you are… go for it. Trust me when I say, the first time you have a coworker telling you that you helped them feel more comfortable being themselves at work, it’ll all feel worth it. [bctt tweet="“The hardest lesson I’ve learned during my ten years working professionally as an adult with autism is this: no one can advocate for you better than you can.” — Sam Kirchoff" username="toprank"] The final tip is… be yourself Society is made better by diversity. This goes beyond just the way we look or the way we move to the way we perceive, communicate, and connect. If you're a neurodivergent professional reading this: thanks for doing the hard work of making the world of business more accessible for others like yourself. We’re lucky to have you. If you’re a business wondering if you could be doing a better job supporting your neurodiverse employees, there are plenty of articles and resources out there just waiting to help.

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B2B Marketing News: Thought Leadership Connections, Google’s People-First Search Update, Digital Ad Revenue Climbs, & YouTube’s New Podcast Site

Digital Advertising Hits $189 Billion In 2021, Global Forecasts Predict 5% Yearly Growth Through 2027 U.S. digital advertising revenue of $189 billion in 2021 was the biggest increase since 2006, including audio advertising with a leading 57.9 percent growth rate, and newly-released report data predicts that the audio ad market will see a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.07 percent that will continue on through 2027. MediaPost Google Helpful Content Update Is Now Rolling Out The latest updates to Google’s always-in-motion search engine algorithm look to emphasize content written more for people and less for SEO, as the search giant began rolling out its "helpful content update" as part of efforts to surface more high-quality original content, Google recently announced. Search Engine Roundtable [bctt tweet="“The Google helpful content update will change how SEOs perform content strategies going forward, much like Panda and Penguin changed how SEOs did content and link strategies, respectively, a decade ago.” — Barry Schwartz @rustybrick" username="toprank"] YouTube Expands Access to Audience Behavior Insights, Adds New Creative Tools for Community Posts Google's YouTube video platform has launched new features including channel traffic thresholds that have been lowered, allowing more marketers to see data on the other videos their audience has watched and additional analytics information, along with new options for finding YouTube Shorts content, YouTube announced recently. Social Media Today CEOs from Dentsu, GroupM, Omnicom Media Group & Publicis Media agree Hispanics are the quintessential Growth Drivers Marketing strategies that don't recognize the U.S. population of more than 63 million Hispanics are increasingly at risk for slowing brand growth, and HispanicAd recently tapped top marketing CEOs to explore minority media investments and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) best practices. HispanicAd Sound investments: just how effective is audio branding? The number of brands rolling out sonic identities in 2021 grew by 22 percent, with new research showing a five percent increase in perceived value for brands that have a recognizable sonic identity, as more brands have become aware of the power of audio branding to tap into areas of the brain not reached through non-audio content. The Drum Twitter’s Developing a New ‘Reply Filter’ Option to Give Users More Control Over Their Tweet Experience Twitter has begun testing an optional reply filtering feature that could help brands limit negative interactions on Twitter, reducing potential exposure to harmful or offensive language and giving marketers new brand experience settings on the platform, Twitter recently announced. Social Media Today Google Launches Dedicated YouTube Podcasts Site YouTube has continued to refine ongoing testing of a new section of its platform dedicated entirely to podcast audio content, including a new podcast tab on YouTube's page for exploring content, as the Google-owned social platform seeks to provide podcasters its own alternative to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and its own Google Play, YouTube recently announced. MediaPost Facebook is losing its grip as a 'Top 10' app as BeReal and TikTok grow Facebook's mobile app has increasingly experienced periods during which it hasn't been among the top ten apps downloaded in the U.S., as rising entrants on the list including BeReal and TikTok have created greater competition for the Meta-owned firm's app, which plummeted momentarily to the number 44 spot earlier this year, according to app store data. TechCrunch Google Adds New Viewer Attention Metrics for Display and Video 360 Campaigns Google has rolled out a slew of new and updated data measurement features relating to viewer attention, which have been made available within its Google Display & Video 360 ad tools for managing programmatic and other campaigns across multiple channels, Google recently announced. Social Media Today Thought Leadership Being Used to Connect with Various Stakeholders 76 percent of business leaders use thought leadership to connect with customers or clients, with 75 percent for connecting to internal employees, 68 percent to make connections with general consumers, and 64 percent to reach prospects — four of several statistics of interest to B2B marketers contained in newly-released though leadership survey data. MarketingCharts ON THE LIGHTER SIDE: A lighthearted look at “The Algorithm Giveth and Taketh Away” by Marketoonist Tom Fishburne — Marketoonist This Man Set the Record for Wearing a Brain-Computer Interface — Wired TOPRANK MARKETING & CLIENTS IN THE NEWS:

• Lee Odden — What Revenue Teams Want From Social Media Teams — Agorapulse
• Lee Odden / TopRank Marketing — Las marcas B2B triunfan con el influencer marketing [In Spanish] — SocialPubli

Have you found your own B2B marketing news item this week that we haven't yet mentioned? If so, please don't hesitate to let us know in the comments below. Thank you for taking the time to join us for this week's TopRank Marketing B2B marketing news, and we hope that you'll return next Friday for another array of the most up-to-date and pertinent 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.

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Digital-First: Why B2B Marketers Need Digital Asset Management (DAM) More Than Ever

The pandemic has ushered in a new digital-first era for B2B brands, complete with an ever-deeper and more complex ocean of digital assets — but how can today’s organizations and marketing teams keep track of this influx of online content? Before the pandemic, digital asset management systems — DAM for short — were mostly seen as either a luxury that could be afforded only by large global corporations or as an über-nerdy technology used by musty librarians or professional photographers and videographers. Earlier this year however, Adobe’s Digital Trends Report revealed that nine out of ten business leaders said customers are now digital first, with 54 percent planning to spend more on customer data technology and 52 percent expecting to increase spending on customer experience management systems. B2B buyers have increasingly brought online whatever offline processes they still had in place, and research data from Salesforce has shown that 52 percent of B2B sellers expect more than half of their revenue to come from digital channels in the next two years. As more of the B2B ecosystem has shifted to digital-first operations, marketers can now see more benefits than ever from using a DAM system, from the speed and agility of digital asset delivery to optimized online content management and more. It comes as no surprise that the market for DAM solutions has rapidly grown, with the global DAM market valued at $4.7 billion in 2021, and expected to reach $13.4 billion by 2027, according to data from IMARC. Let’s take a look at some of the leading reasons why B2B marketers need digital asset management more than ever in a digital-first playing field. [bctt tweet="“As more of the B2B ecosystem has shifted to digital-first operations, marketers can now see more benefits than ever from using a digital asset management (DAM) system.” — Lane R. Ellis @lanerellis" username="toprank"]

1 — Digital-First Produces Mountains of Online Content

Digital assets are comprised of any computer files, stored anywhere — whether on your phone, tablet, desktop, network, or in the cloud. DAM software runs either on a local computer network or in the cloud, and has been built to pull in and make it easy to organize an unlimited number of files — all the digital assets that organizations are creating and using daily in our digital-first environment. The more complex your marketing strategies and the structure of your organization are, the bigger the benefits of using DAM software can be, especially over time, as the advantages of having conveniently managed digital assets pile up. In today’s digital-first marketing world, some of the greatest gains can come from increased workflow efficiency, and this is where DAM systems generally shine. B2B firms that use a modern DAM system have immediate access to all their digital assets, with nothing getting lost in un-indexed folders or in data that is stranded on individual laptops — all helping to save untold amounts of time compared to firms that don’t use DAM software. A proper DAM tool also helps B2B firms when it comes time to conduct an asset inventory, either for data analysis, capital investment tracking, or other purposes — an example of how organizations can find benefits from a DAM system that go far beyond public-facing marketing efforts.

2 — Digital-First Requires Faster Delivery & Response

Marketing campaigns, especially in the B2B realm, often involve many people and multiple teams, consisting of a complex variety of images, document files, videos, and other digital assets. Additionally, tracking multiple versions of files — with varieties specifically created for each social media platform involved in a campaign — can quickly get complicated, and many firms either use a cobbled together approach that may be known only to a few people in the organization, or end up bouncing around from one software solution to another. At the same time, B2B customers now want the information they need as quickly as possible, which means that organizations that have a smoothly-running DAM in place are generally better equipped to get best-answer content published online faster than those that don’t. Some of the top DAM solutions also offer transparent and robust import and export routines, so that organizations aren’t locked-in to one DAM environment with their digital assets held hostage, unable to easily migrate to other solutions if needed. Digital-first marketing benefits from using DAM through increased efficiency and time savings, which result in quicker content publishing times and ultimately more satisfied audiences. The type of savvy content management offered by DAM systems can save marketing teams 13 days annually per staff member, according to report data from Canto. The same research found that 41 percent of marketers said that digital filing inefficiencies had caused delayed project releases, and 54 percent revealed that they experienced frustration with inefficient filing systems — each an example of why more B2B firms are implementing DAM solutions in their digital-first content creation and publishing workflows. [bctt tweet="“Digital-first marketing benefits from using DAM through increased efficiency and time savings, which result in quicker content publishing times and ultimately more satisfied audiences.” — Lane R. Ellis @lanerellis" username="toprank"]

3 — All Digital-First Content Formats Get a Boost with DAM

Whether you’re dealing with content destined for traditional video or still imagery, or material meant for emerging social media platforms such as the metaverse and BeReal, a DAM system is more than up to the task of organizing all your organization’s digital assets. As with static digital assets, a powerful DAM system easily ingests and organizes video content, augmented or virtual reality files, and more — putting it all at the fingertips of each person in an organization who needs it, from video editor to social media manager to corporate executives. An additional benefit of a top-notch DAM solution is the ability to surface hidden, overlooked, or forgotten content in an organization’s archives, which can then be put to use where appropriate, oftentimes avoiding time-consuming efforts to re-do work that has already been completed but can’t easily be found. Re-purposing content on social platforms in digital-first initiatives can have a new lease on life when every digital asset can easily come into play and be creatively combined in new ways, thanks to the indexing and searching features of a powerful DAM system. For B2B marketers, the shift to always-on marketing is a perfect match to meeting the demands of digital-first customers, and here the advantages of a DAM solution shine brightly, removing many of the bottlenecks slowing down traditional marketing, by offering easy and swift access to a firm’s entire digital asset archive.

Boost Your Digital-First Muscles with DAM

via GIPHY In the new digital-first B2B marketing era, having the organizational muscle of a digital asset management system is more important than ever, and we hope that this brief look at some of the reasons why has been helpful. To learn more about DAM systems for B2B marketers, be sure to also check out our "Why B2B Marketers Should Give a DAM: Top Tips on Digital Asset Management," and "Why Digital Asset Management Matters in B2B Marketing." A DAM system is just one tool in the B2B marketer's digital tool-bag, yet one that successful organizations will increasingly omit at their peril as we head towards 2023. More than ever before, creating award-winning B2B marketing that elevates, gives voice to talent, and humanizes with authenticity takes considerable time and effort, which is why more brands are choosing to work with a top digital marketing agency such as TopRank Marketing. Reach out to learn how we can help, as we’ve done for over 20 years for businesses ranging from LinkedIn, Dell and 3M to Adobe, Oracle, monday.com and many others.

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Turn Influential Fans Into Brand Ambassadors With B2B Influencer Marketing

What turns an influencer into a brand ambassador?  One answer you might be hearing more often is, “A big ol’ wad of cash.”  But while it’s true that B2B influencers want to get paid (don’t we all?), there’s an enthusiasm and authenticity that money alone can’t buy. And once you have a group of true brand ambassadors on board, you’ve got something wonderful that your competition can’t duplicate. At the heart of it, creating brand ambassadors means pulling your influencers into a purposeful community united in common interests and goals. It means making an ongoing effort to engage and delight these folks so they can engage and delight their audiences. [bctt tweet="“At the heart of it, creating brand ambassadors means pulling your influencers into a purposeful community united in common interests and goals.” — Joshua Nite @NiteWrites" username="toprank"] In our 2022 B2B Influencer Marketing Report, we saw that marketers with ongoing influencer programs reported a higher degree of success than those with one-off campaigns. That’s the difference between hiring influencers and cultivating ambassadors. Here’s how to create an ambassadorship for your brand.

1 — Identify your influential fans

The first step is to find the folks who have an engaged audience, are experts on their subject matter, and ideally are talking about your brand already (that part’s helpful but less essential). Tools like Traackr and Meltwater can help you find people engaging on a particular topic or even directly mentioning your brand.  Don’t get too wrapped up in who has the highest follower counts — reach is an important part of the equation, but it’s not the only part. Look for:

• An engaged audience that shares and comments
• An engaged influencer who replies to comments and thanks people for shares
• A high degree of relevance to your brand’s area of expertise

Essentially, you’re looking for an influential conversation starter, not just someone broadcasting deep thoughts into the ether. It’s a good idea to look for up-and-coming talent, too: People who may not have built a big audience yet but have big ideas and could use a little promotion.

2 — Build a relationship

One thing all influencers have in common: They want their work to be seen and recognized. So the fastest way to build a relationship is to offer sincere and public praise for their work. And don’t stop at kind words: Share their content from your brand and individual social media accounts. When you share, pull out a key point they’re making or a quote you especially admire. Let them know you’re actually reading their stuff, not just resharing blindly. Once you’ve engaged a few times publicly, you can ask for a quick quote to go in a blog post or infographic. Something quick and easy: 50-100 words to answer a question that’s square in their wheelhouse. This is where a lot of B2B influencer programs stop. But it’s the next two steps that turn an influencer into an ambassador.

3 — Make it official

Once you have established that someone meets your criteria for a brand ambassador, and you’ve worked with them on small projects, it’s time to take it to the next level. That means:

1. A long-term plan for consistent engagement (at least 3 months)
2. Agreement on deliverables & compensation
3. Tight alignment on mission and goals

For example, you might sign the influencer to a quarter-long pilot program where you will give them early access to your solution’s beta builds in return for X number of social media posts about the experience. While you’re executing that agreement, introduce your influencer to others who are working with the brand. Make them feel like they’re part of a community, with the opportunity to co-create content, bounce ideas off other thought leaders, and cross-promote their work. The idea is to build a purposeful community of influencers who benefit from working with each other and with the brand. Look at what Adobe is doing with its Insiders program for inspiration. [bctt tweet="“Build a purposeful community of influencers who benefit from working with each other and with the brand.” — Joshua Nite @NiteWrites" username="toprank"]

4 — Keep the romance alive

Once your influencer is participating in discussions with a brand-affiliated group of fellow subject matter experts, you’re most of the way there. There’s just one more level-up: from long-term influencer to ambassador.  This stage is all about exceptional experiences. What can your brand offer that will delight your influencers? Think about ideas like:

1. Thoughtful gifts. Are they into running? Get them some sporty headphones. Woodworking? A nice set of monogrammed chisels. Price is less important than demonstrating that you see the influencer as a person and care about delighting them.
2. One-of-a-kind experiences. Bring them to in-person events like conferences, product launches or showcases. Give them an unforgettable VIP experience and you’ll not only get goodwill, but you’ll also get more social promotion as they post about the experience.
3. Networking opportunities. Look for mutually beneficial introductions you can make, both within and outside of your organization. 
4. Advance peeks at cool stuff. Bring them behind the scenes for exclusive first looks at your latest product. If they’re already excited by the work your organization is doing, they will be thrilled to see what’s next and flattered to be one of the first to see it.

5 — Share the love

I absolutely love working with influencers the way our agency does it. Even when we’re paying influencers for specific deliverables, it never feels purely transactional. Every interaction is driven by mutual respect and enthusiasm. We like each other and are thrilled to be working together. The agency is helping these people succeed, and they’re helping us create killer content.  I’m not saying all B2B influencer marketing has to be a lovefest — but it’s a whole lot more fun for everyone involved if it is. If you follow the steps above, you can create a community of brand ambassadors who are genuinely motivated to share their great experiences with the brand, and to share their knowledge with your target audience. See how TopRank Marketing and Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise achieved amazing results with B2B influencer marketing. 

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B2B Marketing News: B2B Content Key To CX, Video Consumption Changes, Falling Business Confidence, & LinkedIn’s New Discover Feed

B2B buyers aren't always happy campers when purchasing online [Report] 94 percent of B2B buyers have said that they prefer working with suppliers that have continually-evolving digital capabilities, while some 97 percent report having experienced at least one pain point during the online purchase process — two of several findings of interest to B2B marketers contained in newly-released survey data. Digital Commerce 360 B2B Digital Marketers See Content as Vehicle to CX Improvement Some 42 percent of B2B marketers have listed investment in new content and creative assets as the top priority for improving customer experience (CX) over the next year, with 40 percent pointing to strengthening customer retention strategies, and 36 percent pinpointing better alignment of teams and tactics — three of numerous statistics of interest to digital marketers included in recently-released CX survey data. MarketingCharts Four Steps to Stronger B2B Case Studies: Bob Wiesner on Marketing Smarts [Podcast] Building credibility, clear problem articulation, and the inclusion of a compelling story-line are among the key ingredients that many successful B2B case studies prominently feature, and MarketingProfs explores the elements of top B2B case studies. MarketingProfs Canva's Latest 'Design' Effort Promotes Teams, New Products Team-oriented whiteboards are among the new collaboration features that online design platform Canva has recently rolled out to users of its Canva Pro product, along with a variety of other brand-management features, Canva recently announced. MediaPost LinkedIn Tests New ‘Discover’ Feed, New Groups Elements in Order to Enhance Engagement Microsoft-owned LinkedIn has rolled out a separate content feed focused on discovering new conversations, people, and events that match user interests on the professional platform, along with an array of new job listing enhancements, all contained in the latest update from LinkedIn (client), the firm announced recently. Social Media Today How Instagram users interact and connect with brands 92 percent of U.S. Instagram users have said that they follow a business on the Meta-owned social platform, with the majority noting that they keep tabs on between six and ten brands on Instagram, with 58 percent of users pinpointing Instagram Stories as their favorite content type — three of numerous findings of interest to B2B marketers contained in newly-released survey data. SmartBrief The Public’s Confidence in Big Business Drops to A Record Low Confidence in big business fell from 18 percent in 2021 to 14 percent in 2022, while large technology firms fared somewhat better, while also experiencing a decrease from 29 percent in 2021 to 26 percent this year, according to recently-published report findings. MarketingCharts Meta Launches New Reels Features, Including Stories to Reels Conversion and Improved Analytics Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta has rolled out a new tool to convert both Facebook and Instagram Stories into Reels video clips, as part of a new set of features also including updated content performance metrics for Reels, and bringing several features formerly only available to Instagram users to the Facebook platform, Meta recently announced. Social Media Today LinkedIn’s 20 Most Popular Courses Are Free – For Now LinkedIn has given its users free access to any one of its 20 most-utilized online professional learning courses through the end of August, including offerings exploring unconscious bias, utilizing questions to improve critical thinking and curiosity, and others, LinkedIn recently announced. Search Engine Journal How Video Consumption is Changing in 2022 [New Research] A leading 36 percent of consumers have said that the optimal length when it comes to marketing video content is between one and three minutes, with 27 percent pointing to videos in the four to six minute range, while 16 percent preferred marketing videos less than a minute in length — three of several findings of interest to B2B marketers contained in newly-published HubSpot survey data. HubSpot ON THE LIGHTER SIDE: A lighthearted look at “word-of-mouth marketing” by Marketoonist Tom Fishburne — Marketoonist Audio creatives crown the all-time best jingles and sonic brands — The Drum Post-punk Parents Decide to Name Newborn Child “Untitled” — The Hard Times TOPRANK MARKETING & CLIENTS IN THE NEWS:

• Lee Odden / TopRank Marketing — Is unlimited time off a win for all? — LinkedIn News
• TopRank Marketing — What You Need to Know About the 2022 B2B Influencer Marketing Research Report — Net Influencer
• Lane R. Ellis / TopRank Marketing — Free social media training, B2B marketing budgets, and reasons your funnel isn’t working — Cronycle
• Lee Odden / TopRank Marketing — Le marketing d’influence, un levier porteur pour 86% des marques B2B [In French] — BtoB Leaders

Have you come across your own top B2B marketing news item this week that we haven't yet mentioned? If so, please don't hesitate to let us know in the comments below. Thanks for joining us for this week's TopRank Marketing B2B marketing news, and please come back again next Friday for another selection of the most up-to-date and pertinent 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: B2B Content Key To CX, Video Consumption Changes, Falling Business Confidence, & LinkedIn’s New Discover Feed appeared first on B2B Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

How B2B Brands Can Embrace The Metaverse, BeReal, & Other Developing Social Channels

Should B2B brands embrace the metaverse, BeReal, and other developing social communication channels, and if so, when is the right time to start becoming involved? Part of what keeps the online world indispensable for marketers is the fact that social media platforms are forever either being created — in the form of new ones — or seeing their flames dim and eventually extinguish, in the case of those that don’t make it. The web graveyard is littered with the digital skeletons of so many formerly promising social platforms, including some that were once seemingly poised to rise to the echelon of the most-used forms of online communication. This social media platform churn is also what helps keep the web interesting and alive, yet there’s no doubt the turnover has made it harder for B2B marketers to invest in new and developing social channels. The most frequently heard social channel of the future has over the past several years been the metaverse, while other new platforms have already taken off in earnest, such as BeReal, which recently supplanted TikTok as the most-downloaded mobile social media app. Let’s take a look at how B2B marketers and brands can best assess new social channels, and in particular what they need to know about the metaverse and BeReal.

1 — BeReal: Enhancing The Human Face of Brands

BeReal — the mobile social media app that recently overtook TikTok as the most-downloaded among users worldwide — features posts that simultaneously capture front and back camera photos that are published at differing times each day on the up-and-coming platform. One element BeReal offers that could prove particularly useful for B2B markets is its inherent aim of showing the more slice-of-life human side of its users — something brands have increasingly sought to reveal. B2B marketers can consider utilizing B2Real in efforts that take advantage of the platform’s humanizing element, with just a few examples being:

• Behind-the-scenes double-image looks at company team-members, from corporate executives to freshly-hired interns.
• Candid looks at how customers are using a firm’s products and services in their day-to-day lives, showing both how they interact with on-screen or other physical elements and how these interactions make customers feel.
• At industry events B2B brands can offer up unique daily BeReal looks at conference activity and learning.
• B2B influencers and creators have a new canvas on which to share their ongoing efforts in creating and sharing content that answers key questions, in a new format that keeps things different.

Those are only a few of the many ways that savvy B2B marketers can experiment with BeReal content, and as with most rapidly emerging social media platforms, a great deal can be tested out and accomplished with relatively little cost or effort. "If BeReal ends up going the mega-platform route, it could start attracting big-name brands, too," Lizzy Lawrence and Sarah Roach recently suggested for Protocol in "BeReal wants close connections. Can it stay that way forever?" [bctt tweet="“One element BeReal offers that could prove particularly useful for B2B markets is its inherent aim of showing the more slice-of-life human side of its users — something brands have increasingly sought to reveal.” — @lanerellis" username="toprank"]

2 — Marketing Maneuvers In The Dark: Metaverse B2B

The metaverse — a term coined in a 1992 novel — is presently a disconnected hodgepodge of holographic hopes and digital dreams that may or may not eventually reach the sustainable velocity to capture the hearts, minds, and wallets of the public and private sectors. A key danger the metaverse faces is falling into the siloed social media platform trap, with walled gardens of many metaverse-like instances each owned by separate entities and all not being able to — whether on purpose or otherwise — talk to one another, or even willfully trying to stop people from leaving their particular slice of metaverse pie. The metaverse — as with a search engine — is lifeless without content, in the same way that social media platforms and web properties would be empty wastelands without the digital lifeblood of the digital information we call content, yet whether B2B brands will make it a staple in their social plans remains uncertain. Brands not quite ready to enter one of the currently available metaverse test-beds can also hold tight and keep tabs on how the technology plays out as we head towards 2023, while keeping potential metaverse-friendly content in mind to eventually begin trying out in the format. While the metaverse is primarily still in its wild west stage, savvy B2B marketers will want to keep on top of the developments it’s currently going through, and keep informed about the changes that it will inevitably see as it evolves. For a closer look at what the metaverse may mean for B2B marketers, check out our "5 Timely Ways B2B Brands Can Conquer Metaverse Marketing." [bctt tweet="“The metaverse is still in its wild west stage, and savvy B2B marketers will want to keep on top of the developments it’s currently going through as it evolves.” — Lane R. Ellis @lanerellis" username="toprank"]

3 — Humanize With B2B Influencer Marketing

Those B2B brands possessing an understanding of the role they want to play in the metaverse will have a strong advantage over those that have taken a purely wait-and-see approach. Similarly, some B2B marketers who are seeking to increase the human side of today's brands are already testing out emerging social media platforms such as BeReal and others. Another way that more marketers than ever are shifting to tap into the people-powered and humanizing side of marketing is through the strength of B2B influencer marketing. “Skeptical of leadership, brands, and conventional authority, buyer perceptions have changed making relationships a critical piece of the marketing ROI equation," Tamara McCleary, CEO at Thulium recently observed. "People make purchasing decisions based on recommendations and perceptions of people (not brands) they respect and trust. Influencers will be essential for humanizing B2B brands in 2022,” Tamara added, as one of many insights and predictions shared in our recently-published 59-page 2022 B2B Influencer Marketing Research Report, as we covered in "10+ B2B Influencer Marketing Predictions From Top Experts & Influencers." [bctt tweet="“People make purchasing decisions based on recommendations and perceptions of people (not brands) they respect and trust. Influencers will be essential for humanizing B2B brands in 2022.” — Tamara McCleary @TamaraMcCleary" username="toprank"] Learn more in our all-new 2022 B2B Influencer Marketing Report preview, or jump right in and download the full data-packed report PDF.

Make Time For B2B Marketing Success Today & In The Future

via GIPHY Thankfully, you don't need a time machine to know that great content can be seamlessly adjusted to succeed in virtually any medium or format, so brands that are presently crafting winning content are already poised for doing well in the metaverse or on BeReal — especially when it's specifically tailored for each and incorporating B2B influencer marketing. We hope that you'll find the information and tips that we've shared about BeReal and the metaverse — along with our look at how B2B brands and marketers can embrace new social channels in general — to be helpful in your own marketing efforts. Creating award-winning B2B video marketing that elevates, gives voice to talent, and humanizes with authenticity takes considerable time and effort, which is why an increasing number of firms are choosing to work with a top digital marketing agency such as TopRank Marketing. Reach out to learn how we can help, as we’ve done for over 20 years for businesses ranging from LinkedIn, Dell and 3M to Adobe, Oracle, monday.com and others.

The post How B2B Brands Can Embrace The Metaverse, BeReal, & Other Developing Social Channels appeared first on B2B Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

How to Foster a Strong B2B Brand Digital-First Experience That Differentiates

B2B marketers can relate to customers who’ve rapidly shifted into all-out digital mode in their daily professional lives. That’s because so many of us have done the same, with numerous departments and agencies transitioning to remote or hybrid work in the wake of COVID. At TopRank Marketing, we’ve been fully remote since March of 2020. And while that setup brings with it plenty of welcome perks and advantages, there are undeniably things that go amiss from a distance. We were reminded of some during our first in-person TopRank Summit in Minneapolis earlier this month. Having an opportunity to see coworkers face-to-face drove home for me the relative challenges of engaging people, developing rapport, and creating emotional connections through a screen. This dilemma is one that the B2B marketing industry is grappling with at large. Just as the day-to-day rhythm of Zoom meetings and Slack conversations can become monotonous, so too does the daily drumbeat of digital ads and content that buyers and decision makers are exposed to. How can marketers deliver customer experiences that differentiate, drive growth, and delight in today’s digital-first brand landscape? A session during the aforementioned TopRank Summit inspired me to put the first of those terms at the forefront.

Dare to (B2)Be Different

During our agency get-together, we had the privilege of being joined by world-class speaker and author of Fascinate: How to Make Your Brand Impossible to Resist, Sally Hogshead. She gave a talk centered on this idea: different is better than better. Yes, we should always aspire to be the best, and that mandate has been ingrained in many of us throughout our careers. But simply aiming to be better means we’re trying to improve upon an existing model or archetype. Is that the path to standing out in an increasingly crowded digital space, amid changing customer expectations? [bctt tweet="“Simply aiming to be *better* means we’re trying to improve upon an existing model. Is that the path to standing out in a crowded digital space? Brands need to be DIFFERENT.” — Nick Nelson @NickNelsonMN #B2BMarketing" username="toprank"] Drawing from the perspectives of Sally and other visionaries, let’s explore the elements of a customer experience that differentiates in a digital-first world.

1 — Button up the basics

Before you can start breaking new ground, you’ve got to make sure you have your bases covered. I recently wrote here about three essential components of impactful B2B marketing content:

• Influential
• Authentic
• Credible

While there is tremendous flexibility within these parameters, you want to be sure that any brand experience conveys this trio of qualities. Every time a customer or prospect interacts with your brand you want them to perceive it as leading industry conversations, staying true to itself, and demonstrating expertise.

2 — Figure out what your audience likes about you, and wants from you

One exercise we did with Sally was a Fascinate Test, designed to help us understand our skills and strengths through the eyes of others. The idea is to move past our own assumptions (and perhaps self doubts) to more objectively recognize the value we bring to the team. Brands can benefit from a similar exercise. You might have an idea of how your company is viewed by customers, or how you want it to be viewed. But what do people actually see as unique and fascinating about your brand, compared to others in the same space? There are many ways to go about investigating this. You might review past content to look for high performers with notable creative characteristics. Or, you might dive into your search performance data to find any distinct or unexpected keywords that are bringing people to your website. You might even simply ask customers what they mentally associate with your brand! In the complex, competitive, and interconnected world of B2B, identifying your actual points of differentiation is not always straightforward. But doing so holds the key to capitalizing on them. [bctt tweet="“In B2B, identifying your brand’s actual points of differentiation is not always straightforward. But doing so holds the key to capitalizing on them.” — Nick Nelson @NickNelsonMN #B2BMarketing" username="toprank"]

3 — Build creativity into the heart of your processes

Ty Heath recently wrote for the LinkedIn Collective* about the science of creativity in B2B marketing, illustrating the urgent need for a greater industry focus on creatively effective advertising. Research from leading authorities like the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute and WARC underscores the immense long-term value of creating emotional and memorable experiences that build mental brand associations. There’s clear evidence that these investments are more, not less, important during a recession. (Source: LinkedIn Collective) Creativity doesn’t happen on its own. It needs to be fueled, nurtured, and incentivized. It needs to be sought out as a specialization – a focal point of agency selection and talent acquisition. LinkedIn points out that the growth of technical skills has vastly outpaced creative skills over the past five years on their Economic Graph. Is your team fully equipped to devise, develop and deliver experiences that differentiate?

4 — Invest in strategic experimentation

Creativity is about experimentation at its core. You can’t be different by endlessly sticking to the same fundamental playbook. This is why Harvard Business Review, in a recent article on Closing the Gap Between Digital Marketing Spending and Performance, makes a case that marketers should “double down on strategic experimentation.” “We recommend companies increase these investments with an eye toward more strategic-level experimentation that can offer opportunities for breakthrough growth,” they wrote. “Too often marketers get bogged down in tactical experiments, such as whether customers like green or yellow, instead of testing the relevance of new offerings, innovations, or customer segments.” These times call for bold and audacious thinking, not a timid allegiance to the status quo. To truly elevate your customer experiences, lean hard into those points of brand differentiation you’ve identified, even if it takes you in new directions. [bctt tweet="“These times in #B2Bmarketing call for bold and audacious thinking, not a timid allegiance to the status quo.” — Nick Nelson @NickNelsonMN" username="toprank"] These types of experiments could be perceived as risks, but I’d argue (and so would Sally, I bet) that the biggest risk lies in stagnating. So long as you’re tethering your experimentation to broader customer-driven movements like these, you can be confident your brand won’t be left behind:

• Use emerging technologies and platforms to deliver dynamic interactive experiences that engage users.
• Incorporate inclusive messaging and creative to reflect increasingly diverse audiences.
• Tap into the community-building power of social and influencers. (According to a recent report, B2B marketers cite social media as the most effective digital channel.)
• Optimize your experiences for mobile and remove accessibility barriers.
• Put your brand’s purpose and values forward.

The bar is raised for breaking through with customer experiences in this densely populated digital brand landscape. Ready to meet the challenge? * Disclosure: LinkedIn Marketing Services is a TopRank Marketing client

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B2B Marketing News: Faster B2B Marketer Journeys, LinkedIn’s Collective, Meta’s New B2B Targeting, Brand Media Investment, & Instagram’s Native Scheduling

Meta Launches New B2B Advertising Audiences to Help Marketers Reach Key Decision Makers Facebook-parent company Meta has implemented an array of new advertising campaign enhancements, including targeting segments for technology and other business decision-makers, aimed specifically at B2B users on its platform, Meta recently announced, as the firm seeks to ramp up its B2B advertiser base. Social Media Today B2B Purchasers Are Speeding Up Their Journeys: Study Some 55 percent of B2B executives have said that the length of their purchase timeline had increased either somewhat or significantly on average in 2022 compared to 2021, while six percent said their B2B purchasing timeline had decreased, with 38 percent reporting no change from last year — several of numerous findings of interest to B2B marketers contained in newly-released buyer behavior survey data. MediaPost LinkedIn Goes All-In on B2B Marketing Microsoft-owned LinkedIn (client) has launched a comprehensive new B2B marketing community on its professional social network, with the release of the LinkedIn Collective — a resource for business marketing insights and inspiring "what B2B can be," LinkedIn recently announced. Content Marketing Institute The Creator Economy: Making Dollars and Sense Out of Social Partnerships [Report] 62 percent of marketers work with creators to build engagement and 60 percent to reach new audiences, according to newly-released creator survey data, which also shows that the top challenges marketers face when working with creators include budget, lack of resources to manage relationships, and difficulties in finding creators who align with brand values. Sprout Social The Average Brand Invests 3.8% of Revenues into Media. Is That Enough? Digital display and social media were the top media channels for revenue and brand metrics, according to recently-published media return-on-investment (ROI) report data from Nielsen, which also found that only 36 percent of channels were seen as delivering on both brand and revenue goals. MarketingCharts Meta is testing a new livestreaming platform for influencers called ‘Super’ Instagram and Facebook parent Meta has ramped up testing of its standalone live-stream platform for creators and influencers — named Super — which the social giant has been developing over the past two years, incorporating an array of features similar to Twitch along with its own takes on live-streaming and engagement options, Meta recently announced. TechCrunch Instagram Takes Inspiration from BeReal with New Test Features The front-and-rear camera post feature of the recently-popular BeReal app has been added to Instagram, along with a QR code location-finding option test. Social Media Today BeReal wants close connections. Can it stay that way forever? BeReal — the mobile social media app that recently overtook TikTok as the most-downloaded among users worldwide, features posts that simultaneously capture front and back camera photos that are published at differing times each day, and Protocol takes a look at the up-and-coming platform and whether more brands will begin utilizing it. Protocol [bctt tweet="“If BeReal ends up going the mega-platform route, it could start attracting big-name brands, too.” — Lizzy Lawrence @LizzyLaw_ & Sarah Roach @Sarahroach_" username="toprank"] Google Updates Searches With Quotes To Show Location Of Page That Contains Quoted Words Search giant Google has implemented a search refinement that brings an extra level of highlighting to its precise-match searching, in an effort to help those power searchers who typically use quotes around words and phrases more easily locate the exact matches found on webpages, Google recently announced. Search Engine Roundtable Instagram Moves to Next Stage of Development with its Native Scheduling Tools Instagram has moved closer to including the ability to schedule post content natively within its mobile app, as it has been performing increasing tests of the scheduling functionality, which will be a helpful addition for B2B marketers who use the platform when eventually rolled out. Social Media Today ON THE LIGHTER SIDE: A lighthearted look at “Generation Alpha” by Marketoonist Tom Fishburne — Marketoonist New Study Finds 15% of US Economy Just Subscriptions You Forgot to Cancel — The Hard Times TOPRANK MARKETING & CLIENTS IN THE NEWS:

• Lee Odden / TopRank Marketing — UMortgage lifts the lid on its influencer marketing strategy — Mortgage Professional America Magazine
• Lee Odden / TopRank Marketing — The 7 Best Influencer Marketing Resources — Planetic

Do you have your own top B2B marketing news item this week that we haven't mentioned? If so, please don't hesitate to let us know in the comments below. Thank you for taking the time to join us for this week's TopRank Marketing B2B marketing news, and we hope that you will return again next Friday for another array of the most up-to-date and pertinent 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: Faster B2B Marketer Journeys, LinkedIn’s Collective, Meta’s New B2B Targeting, Brand Media Investment, & Instagram’s Native Scheduling appeared first on B2B Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

Conference Connection: 25+ Top Late Summer & Fall 2022 B2B Marketing Events

As we look ahead to autumn and the push towards 2023, what are some of the key events, conferences and trade shows — whether in-person, virtual, or hybrid — where B2B marketers can learn the latest from leading marketing industry speakers? There are plenty to choose from, and to help you sort out the many B2B marketing conference options available during the rest of 2022, we've compiled our latest list of some of the top B2B marketing events to elevate and inform your business strategy. Marketing conferences truly offer a wealth of benefits to marketers looking for the latest learning, new networking opportunities, and recent industry research and insight to help increase brand awareness — but sometimes finding events that match your business and B2B search marketing needs can be challenging. In just the last decade the number of marketing-related conferences has risen drastically, making it seem harder than ever to hone in on the ones that can best help build your business, expand your networking opportunities, and provide the most relevant new industry education from top speakers, especially in the specialized world of B2B marketing. For this late summer and fall, we've gathered together a powerful slate of events, and are happy to present them here, in chronological order. Let's jump right in and explore our collection of some of the top B2B marketing and related conferences and events taking place as we head towards 2023.

Top Late Summer & Fall 2022 B2B Marketing Conferences

JULY

MozCon — #MozCon When: July 11-13, 2022 Where: Seattle, WA. and virtual Theme: SEO and Search Marketing About: MozCon will take place in Seattle over three days in July in 2022, exploring the latest search, SEO, conversion marketing, and local search marketing trends, featuring top speakers including Aleyda Solis of Orainti, Petra Kis-Heczegh of Yext, Amanda Natividad of SparkToro, and others.

AUGUST

Marketing Artificial Intelligence Conference — #MAICON22 When: August 3-5, 2022 Where: Cleveland, OH. and virtual Theme: Marketing Artificial Intelligence About: In-person for 2022, the Marketing Artificial Intelligence Conference (MAICON) focuses on the successful use of AI in marketing, with programming created to understand AI and learn how to select, pilot, and scale the right use cases with the right AI-powered technologies. MAICON will feature five next-generation workshops, eight keynotes, 20 breakout sessions, and plenty of networking opportunities. Speakers include Vedant Misra of Google, Domhnaill Hernon of EY, Domhnaill Hernon of Adobe, and others. B2B Sales and Marketing Exchange — #B2BSMX When: August 8-10, 2022 Where: Boston, MA. Theme: Marketing & Sales About: B2B Sales and Marketing Exchange brings together thought leaders in ABM, revenue marketing and demand generation, including an array of top speakers including Melissa Vega of BMC Software, Vanessa Porter of VMware, and others. Digital Summit Series Minneapolis — #DSMPLS When: August 18-19, 2022 Where: Minneapolis, MN. Theme: Digital Marketing About: The two-day 2022 edition of the Digital Summit Series Minneapolis conference is slated to feature top digital marketing speakers including futurist David Shing, Ron Davis of GoDaddy, and others presenting sessions such as "Why Video Marketing Works and How to Pull It Off" and "Content-First Omnichannel Planning."

SEPTEMBER

INBOUND 2022 — #INBOUND2022 When: September 6-9, 2022 Where:Boston, MA. and virtual Theme: Marketing & Sales About: INBOUND 2022 will present some of the biggest names and brightest minds in sales and marketing and other industries, and offers speakers including President Barack Obama, Dr. Jane Goodall, and others from firms including Intuit, HubSpot, Twitter, and more. Past sessions have focused on SEO strategies derived from product design methodology and more. Product Marketing World San Francisco Summit — #PMMWorld When: September 7-8, 2022 Where: San Francisco, CA. Theme: Product Marketing About: Product Marketing World's San Francisco Summit will offer some 100 top industry speakers exploring the intersection of product, marketing, and sales. Speakers include Rukma Sen of Google, Sudha Ranganathan of LinkedIn*, Misha Sokolnikov of Microsoft, and many others. Brandweek — #Brandweek When: September 12-16, 2022 Where: Miami, FL. Theme: Brand Marketing About: Adweek's 2022 edition of the Brandweek conference will be the fifth edition of the event, returning to in-person status after a pandemic switch to virtual, and will feature top brand marketing speakers including futurist Faith Popcorn, Brian Povinelli of Marriott, and many others for five days of sessions, presentations, and more. SaaStr Annual 2022 — #SaaStr When: September 13-15, 2022 Where: San Francisco, CA. Theme: Software as a Service (SaaS) About: SaaStr Annual 2022 offers a cloud-focused business event bringing together B2B founders, executives and investors for the largest non-vendor SaaS conference, including speakers Ben Chestnut of Mailchimp, Chris Merritt of Cloudflare, Jen Dawson of AWS and many others. Content Marketing World — #CMWorld When: September 13 - 16, 2022 Where: Cleveland, OH. and virtual Theme: Content Marketing About: 2022's Content Marketing World conference is set to explore the best in content marketing to grow your business and inspire your audience, featuring top speakers including Jessica Bergmann or Salesforce,  Tequia Burt of LinkedIn*, Kim Sterling of Adobe Stock, our own CEO and co-founder Lee Odden presenting a session exploring "The Secrets of Creating Inspired B2B Content Experiences," and other speakers to be announced in the lead-up to the event. Advertising Week New York — #AWNewYork When: September 19-21, 2022 Where: New York City and virtual Theme: Marketing & Sales About: The 2022 Advertising Week New York event will serve as a worldwide gathering of marketing, advertising, technology and brand professionals, offering major speakers including Linda Boff of GE, Danny Guillory of Dropbox, Renata Altenfelder of Lenovo, and others. Growth Hackers 2022 — #GHConf22 When: September 20, 2022 Where: San Francisco, CA. and virtual Theme: Marketing & Sales About: Growth Hackers 2022 will take place in hybrid format, exploring the next generation of growth tactics and the leaders building those tactics, featuring top speakers including Lucia van den Brink of Speero, Sarah Nance of Designit, and others. Dreamforce — #Dreamforce When: September 20-22, 2022 Theme: Salesforce Marketing About: For 2022, Salesforce' Dreamforce event will feature an array or top speakers from major brands and keynotes from Matthew McConaughey, Allyson Felix, Bono, Alex Honnold, and others. Midwest Digital Marketing Conference — #MDMC22 When: September 22, 2022 Where: Saint Louis, MO. Theme: Digital Marketing About: The Midwest Digital Marketing Conference is set to offer a day exploring a variety of digital marketing topics including influencer marketing, LinkedIn for B2B, paid advertising, and more. Speakers include Finola Austin of Meta, Ryann Ariano of LinkedIn*, Kunur Patel of Twitter, and other top marketing experts. Martech — #MarTechConf When: September 28-29, 2022 Theme: MarTech About: Martech's free 2022 online event focuses on actionable tactics in marketing technology to solve marketing problems, with speakers including Darrell Alfonso of Amazon Web Services, Lisa Peyton of the University of Oregon, and more.

OCTOBER

Influencer Marketing World North America — #IMW2022 When: October 5-6, 2022 Where: Santa Clara, CA. Theme: Influencer Marketing About: The Influencer Marketing World North America event, held in conjunction and co-located with the Digital Marketing World Forum, offers marketers a two-day event featuring top speakers including Lisa Routel of Verizon, Mark Reynolds of Meta, Estelle Shaw-Latimer of Citi, Flora Noble of Group GTI, and others, all gathered to explore the future of digital and influencer marketing technologies. MarketingProfs B2B Forum — #MPB2B When: October 12-14, 2022 Where: Boston, MA. and virtual Theme: B2B Marketing About: At MarketingProfs B2B Forum top leaders, innovators, and people who make things happen gather to share their secrets to success, with a stellar lineup of speakers including Ann Handley of MarketingProfs, Mona Chalabi of The Guardian, and our own CEO and co-founder Lee Odden, who will be presenting a session examining "10 Creative Content Ideas You’ll Want to Try Today." Marketing Summit at Oracle CloudWorld — #OCW When: October 17-20, 2022 Where: Las Vegas, NV. Theme: Oracle B2B Marketing About: The inaugural Marketing Summit at Oracle CloudWorld takes a multi-faceted look at how global marketing professionals use Oracle products, with keynote speakers to be announced in the lead-up to the event, and sessions including topics such as "Bringing Marketing and Sales Together with Oracle Fusion Marketing," and "Building Trust through Permission-Based Marketing." The Influencer Marketing Show — #IMSLONDON22 When: October 20, 2022 Where: London, UK. and virtual Theme: Influencer Marketing About: An hybrid event in London, The Influencer Marketing Show offers brands, agencies, content creators and technology platforms a full day on influencer marketing education and strategy, with 40+ top speakers and over 30 exhibitors. State of Search Conference — #StateOfSearch2022 When: October 24-25, 2022 Theme: Search Marketing About: The two-day virtual State of Search Conference is set to explore search marketing, pay-per-click (PPC), and other search elements of digital marketing, featuring a variety of top industry speakers. ANA Masters of Marketing Conference — #ANAMasters When: October 25-28, 2022 Where: Orlando, FL. and virtual Theme: Marketing & Sales About: The Association of National Advertisers’s 2022 ANA Masters of Marketing Conference is about learning, networking, and growth, offering the latest marketing insight by leading speakers from top speakers including Tony Wells of Verizon, Elizabeth Rutledge of American Express, Maggie Schmerin of United Airlines, and many others.

NOVEMBER

AI Summit Austin — #AISummit When: November 2-3, 2022 Where: Austin, TX. Theme: Artificial Intelligence (AI) About: Expected to take place in-person, the 2022 version of AI Summit Austin presents all things artificial intelligence for business marketers, featuring leading speakers including Tara Nair Shah of PayPal, Katie DeGraaf of General Motors, Rob Bence of United Airlines, and others, providing looks at modernizing the search stack using AI, quantum computing, and other topics. B2B Marketing ABM Conference — #B2BMarketingABM When: November 2, 2022 Where: London, UK Theme: Account-Based Marketing (ABM) in B2B Marketing About: The 2022 B2B Marketing ABM Conference is aimed at a deep-dive into the world of ABM for B2B marketers, with multiple content streams and two days of learning on-tap, and speakers including Rachel Dye of Cisco, Olga Gregory of WSP, and many others, with sessions exploring intent data and more. ANA Multicultural Marketing and Diversity Conference— #ANAdiversity When: November 6-8, 2022 Where: Hollywood, FL. and virtual Theme: Multicultural Marketing About: The Association of National Advertisers’s 2022 Multicultural Marketing and Diversity conference will celebrate its 24th year with a November event that focuses on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), featuring professionals who produce multicultural marketing, with speakers including Marissa Solis of the National Football League, Ying McGuire of the National Minority Supplier Development Council, and many others. Content Marketing Conference — #CMC22 When: November 9-11, 2022 Theme: Content Marketing About: For 2022's hybrid event, Content Marketing Conference offers marketers actionable content marketing tools and tactics to humanize your brand, with top speakers including Larry Kim of WordStream, Tyler Lessard of Vidyard and many others. SMX Next— #SMX When: November 15-16, 2022 Theme: Search Engine Marketing About: SMX Next explores actionable tactics to overcome today's many search marketing obstacles, with session tracks dedicated to pay-per-click (PPC), SEO, link-building, and more, delivered by top speakers to be announced.

DECEMBER / TBD / On-Demand / 2023

Adobe Summit — #AdobeSummit When: Continuous Theme: Digital Experience About: Adobe Summit is a free virtual event with more than 200 sessions available on-demand, exploring the re-imagining of customer experiences with leaders in marketing automation, advertising, commerce and analytics, and feature speakers including Ryan Reynolds, Kristen Bell, Allyson Felix, and many others. Social Media Marketing World — #SMMW23 When: March 13-15, 2023 Where: San Diego, CA. Theme: Social Media About: Social Media Marketing World will hold an in-person conference in March, 2023, with a deep-dive into social media marketing focusing on new ideas and quality networking opportunities, including top presenters. BtoB Summit Paris 2023 — #BtoB When: TBA, 2023 Where: Paris. France Theme: B2B Marketing About: In 2023 the BtoB Summit Paris will return to offer B2B marketers in Europe and the world over major keynote presentations to be announced in the lead-up to the event, along with round-table talks, masterclasses, and more, all surrounding the B2B marketing and sales community.

Pick Up B2B Marketing Events On Your Radar

via GIPHY No matter which of the wide array of marketing events we've shared here you plan to attend either in-person or virtually, we hope you've found at least a few new ones to put on your radar and attend this year or in 2023, and that they'll help you elevate your own B2B marketing. To help you make the most of whichever B2B marketing events you attend, be sure to also check out our "In-Person, Virtual & Hybrid: How To Get The Most From B2B Marketing Events." Building award-winning B2B marketing takes considerable time and effort, which is why more firms than ever are choosing to work with a top digital marketing agency such as TopRank Marketing. Talk with us about how we can help, as we’ve done for businesses ranging from LinkedIn, Dell and 3M to Adobe, Oracle, monday.com and others. * LinkedIn is a TopRank Marketing client.

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