Viva Video: B2B Buyers Prefer It Over Written Content, Study Shows A leading 70 percent of B2B buyers favor video when it comes to creating awareness of business problems, topping second-place research reports at 44 percent and webinars at 40 percent, while 95 percent have said that they're more receptive to sales communications after viewing video from an organization — two of numerous findings of interest to B2B marketers contained in recently-released survey data. MediaPost In-person events are back. What do marketers think about it? [Survey] While virtual events were still leading the way when it comes to marketing budgets, marketers said that networking opportunities were the leading reason for a return to attending in-person events, while webinars were seen as the top non-event marketing tactic, according to newly-released survey data. SmartBrief [bctt tweet="“For some types of events, in-person attendance will always be preferable.” — Harry McCracken @harrymccracken" username="toprank"] Analysis: Type of B2B Content Consumed May Signal Purchase Intent Timeline B2B executives have said that research reports, white papers, and articles are the top content formats for those looking to buy within three months, while tips and tricks guides, eGuides and cheat sheets came out on top for buyers with timelines of a year or longer, according to recently-released report findings. MarketingCharts LinkedIn Shares New Insights into the Most In-Demand Marketing Skills and Roles [Infographic] Social media marketing specialist, marketing manager, and content writer were among the most in-demand occupations according to newly-released LinkedIn (client) data, while marketing departments in the North American Region experienced a 121 percent increase in the share of remote jobs — two of several findings of interest to digital marketers released by the professional social network in infographic format. Social Media Today Meta to start testing money-making tools for its metaverse Facebook parent firm Meta has started testing virtual classes and several other initial areas, with new selling tools for Meta’s Horizon Worlds virtual reality (VR) platform, along with a new creator bonus program for certain users of the nascent platform, Meta recently announced. Reuters Advertisers Rate Their Most Effective Media Types Across Upper- and Lower-Funnel Goals When it comes to meeting advertising campaign objectives, digital video, paid search, and paid social occupy nearly 90 percent of top eight media content types — one of several statistics of interest to B2B marketers contained in newly-released marketing survey data. MarketingCharts 
Instagram's Removed In-Stream Video Ad Placements from its Advertising Options Meta-owned Instagram has implemented a change that makes its Reels format the suggested replacement for in-stream video ads, which the platform will no longer offer, as part of its move away from its Instagram TV (IGTV) video application that wound down in March, Instagram recently announced. Social Media Today Elon Musk Wants to Buy 100% of Twitter for $43 Billion in Hostile Takeover SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has initiated an offer to purchase social media platform Twitter for some $43 billion, seeking to make the firm a private company, while shareholders and Twitter's board may present obstacles to the attempted takeover maneuver. Gizmodo Snapchat Adds New ASL Alphabet Lens to Improve Awareness Around Sign Language With American Sign Language (ASL) gestures now available, Snapchat’s latest camera lens offering aims to boost communication options on the social media platform, which in turn could bring new options for digital marketers looking to utilize platform, Snapchat recently announced. Social Media Today Global Social Media Ad Market Expected To Skyrocket In Years To Come By 2028, the global social advertising market is expected to top $262 billion, a 12.4 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR), with growth being led by virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and artificial intelligence (AI), according to newly-released social media advertising budget survey data. MediaPost ON THE LIGHTER SIDE: 
A lighthearted look at “shopping cart abandonment” by Marketoonist Tom Fishburne — Marketoonist 3 ways to grab listener attention in a presentation, according to science — Fast Company TOPRANK MARKETING & CLIENTS IN THE NEWS:
- Lee Odden — Getting A Glimpse Of The Normal – A Conversation With Lee Odden [Podcast] — Your Life Design Journey
- Joshua Nite — MQLs, messaging, and the changing face of events – This is the weekly wrap up for April 12, 2022 — Cronycle
- Lee Odden — B2B Will Rock You [Video] — Ann Handley
The post B2B Marketing News: B2B Buyers Prefer Video, Upper Funnel Media Types Report, Marketers Weigh In On Events, & Meta’s New Monetization appeared first on B2B Marketing Blog - TopRank®.
How is IoT Reshaping the B2B Marketing Experience The Internet of Things (IoT) has brought new opportunities for B2B marketers looking to innovate, and MacTech Series takes a look at some of the ways the two seemingly-different areas can come together to form advantages in personalization, automation, and more for B2B marketers. 
A lighthearted look at “virtual reality marketing” by Marketoonist Tom Fishburne — 
Our LinkedIn respondents gave the nod to traditional content marketing, with 47 percent saying it was the tactic they were most optimistic about looking ahead. Influencer marketing followed in second with 29 percent, followed by values-driven marketing with 16 percent, and always-on marketing with seven percent. Luckily for B2B marketers, these methods are never entirely separate, however, and some campaigns may even include all of these four elements. 
42.9 percent of our Twitter poll takers also pointed to having the most optimism for content marketing, followed by 28.6 percent who said values-driven marketing, and 14.3 percent each for influencer marketing and always-on efforts. Our own 
49 percent of our LinkedIn poll respondents pegged TikTok as their top alternative choice for B2B marketing efforts, followed by Reddit at 24 percent, Meta at 15 percent, and Discord with 13 percent. 
Our Twitter poll respondents saw things somewhat differently, with a leading 35.7 percent pointing to Discord, 28.6 percent each to Reddit and TikTok, and 7.1 percent to Meta. Our own 
A leading 32 percent of our LinkedIn poll respondents said that the metaverse would play no role whatsoever, followed closely by 29 percent who noted a growing role for the nascent virtual online world, 24 percent who said it would play a small role, and finally 15 percent who said that it would play a significant role over the next 12 months. 
When we asked the same question on Twitter, our poll takers were more optimistic about the metaverse. A combined 71.4 percent said that the metaverse would play either a small or growing role in the coming year, with 28.6 percent saying it would play no role.
55.6 percent said they first looked to colleagues, peers, and their own network of connections for initial information, followed by 22.2 percent who said search engines, 11.1 percent who said industry experts, and 11.1 percent who noted industry trade-shows. As Lee observed in 
Some 40 percent of our LinkedIn poll respondents said that they were planning to attend an in-person marketing event, with 38 percent saying no and 23 percent noting that they were unsure. As time has passed, more B2B marketers have shown willingness to make the shift from all-virtual and hybrid events to in-person conferences and trade shows — a shift that the industry expects to see continuing throughout 2022. 
Our Twitter poll takers had a slightly different take, with 43.3 percent saying they weren't planning to attend any in-person events, with 36.7 saying they were, and 16.7 percent who noted that they were unsure. As B2B marketers move towards more in-person events, we recently published a collection of tips to ease that journey, with our "
Most will stick with Google Analytics 4, but some are shopping for new platforms 14 percent of marketers noted that they will utilize outside help with migrating to Google's forthcoming new analytics offering — one that will do away with access to most data from previous versions — while 70 percent said they would manage migration to Google Analytics 4 internally within their organization, according to recently-released survey data. 
A lighthearted look at “loyalty programs and personal data” by Marketoonist Tom Fishburne —