Differentiating B2B Marketing Mediocrity from Marketing Excellence

We talk a lot about elevating B2B marketing on this blog, but we don’t always provide side by side examples of what approaches work and which ones don’t. What separates mediocre marketing from marketing excellence in B2B campaigns?

The short answer is: a lot. And certainly there is more that separates the good from the bad than could ever be covered by a single blog post. But to get you started, there are four main categories to consider when evaluating your marketing approach.

Let’s take a look at four factors that differentiate mediocre marketing from marketing excellence.

1 — Lazy vs. thoughtful

Is it harsh to call mediocre marketing lazy? Maybe. But I can tell you this: the opposite of genuine thought and effort is laziness.

What exactly does it mean to be lazy in marketing?

One version of lazy marketing is collateral that goes into detail about statistics, product features, or some other data the brand wants to tell you about and… they leave it at that. Aren’t these features great? Isn’t that statistic interesting? Sure, maybe. But also: so what?

If you don’t explain to me why your statistics or product features matter to me specifically, you have only done half the job. That’s where thoughtfulness comes in: tell me what your specific bits of data have to do with me. Talk me through how my day-to-day problems are solved by your product. Show me you have thought about me and I’m way more apt to act.

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“Talk me through how my day-to-day problems are solved by your product. Show me you have thought about me and I’m way more apt to act.” — Art Allen @punsultant
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2 — Boring vs. creative

The idea that only B2C marketing can be creative and B2B marketing has to be boring is dead. And it has been for a while! In fact, creativity in B2B marketing is so well developed that there are now awards honoring the best of the best.

Don’t worry too much about coming up with the most creative idea anyone has ever seen. This isn’t about writing the Great American Novel, it’s just about making your marketing content more enjoyable for your audience. Enjoyable content keeps people around, and creative content is generally more fun to consume.

But just being fun and creative isn’t enough. Over at LinkedIn, Alexandra Rynne recently wrote, “It feels good as a B2B marketer to make cool stuff. Yet if we’re only making cool stuff for cool stuff’s sake, we’re going to end up back at boring whitepapers (gasp!) touting features and benefits.” Now it’s not only boring, we’re getting into lazy territory. Double trouble!

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“It feels good as a B2B marketer to make cool stuff. Yet if we’re only making cool stuff for cool stuff’s sake, we’re going to end up back at boring whitepapers (gasp!) touting features and benefits.” — Alexandra Rynne @amrynnie
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3 — Brand-only vs. Influencer marketing

Does your audience trust you? If you’re trying to reach new customers, chances are gaining their trust is an uphill battle — which is to say no, they don’t trust you.

If you come to these new potential customers with a hard pitch, the best result you can hope for is that they’ll ignore you. What’s more likely is that they will see your branded content trying to convince them of something and decide “this is mediocre.”

But there is a way to reach these people and get them on your side: marketing influencers.

When we published the comprehensive 2022 B2B Influencer Marketing Report, one of the most striking responses we got was that 72% of B2B marketers say influencer marketing improves brand reputation. And it makes sense: third party endorsement of your product or service can go a long way in showing its value to an audience that may otherwise not have considered your brand.

Sure, influencer marketing may not be the right tool for every campaign, but its potential remains huge.

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“Third party endorsement of your product or service can go a long way in showing its value to an audience that may otherwise not have considered your brand.” — Art Allen @punsultant
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4 — Vanity metrics vs. Meaningful KPIs

We all want to do a good job! But vanity metrics are a staple of mediocre marketing. If all you’re measuring are things like impressions, page views, or likes on social media, you may feel good about how big those numbers are. But B2B marketing isn’t (just) about feeling good, it’s also about driving conversions.

Truly excellent marketing will still have impressive vanity metrics — because they’re easy to get. But it will also have impressive results for the KPIs that matter: sales, leads, downloads, or whatever results your campaign was built to drive. If the results can’t be tied to a measurable business outcome, it doesn’t matter how many millions of people may have seen it as they scrolled through LinkedIn.

For more insights into how to elevate your B2B marketing, follow the TopRank Marketing Blog.

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Elevate B2B Marketing News Weekly Roundup: AIs Rising Use In B2B & Metas Swift Threads Launch

Younger B2B buyers are the main reason marketers need to refresh their social media marketing strategies
46.5 percent of B2B buyers use social media to connect with B2B brands, while 61.1 percent of U.S. LinkedIn users will be comprised of members of the millennial and Gen Z demographic by the end of 2023, according to newly-published forecast data. When it comes to how B2B buyers prefer reaching B2B sellers, email, phone, and social media were the top methods, survey data has shown. Insider Intelligence

In B2B, Being Good Is Good for Business [Merkle B2B Superpowers Index]
B2B buyers have seen a 74 percent rise in interest in sustainability, accompanied by a 17 percent increase in interest in developing sustainability programs — two of numerous findings of interest to B2B marketers contained in recently-released Merkle survey findings. ANA

In Bid to Improve CX, B2B Marketers Look to Expand Their Retention Strategies
43 percent of B2B marketers have said that customer retention was their top customer experience priority in 2023 — up from 40 percent during 2022 — with 39 percent pointing to investment in new creative and content, and the same portion noting better aligning teams and tactics to create a more seamless brand experience, according to newly-published survey data. MarketingCharts

AI has the power to change B2B market research forever
Generative AI is particularly well-suited for B2B marketing research initiatives, with ChatGPT and other AI tools able to assist in the expansion of brand category entry points and more, and Peter Weinberg and Jon Lombardo of LinkedIn’s The B2B Institute take a deep dive for Marketing Week. Marketing Week

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“AI will expand the market for marketers and market researchers. Every B2B (and B2C) brand needs to understand their customers at scale to build better marketing and build better products.” — Jon Lombardo @JonLombardo
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Mark Zuckerberg’s Twitter rival passed 30 million signups overnight — here’s how to use Meta’s Threads app and what’s missing
Facebook and Instagram parent Meta has rolled out its separate Twitter-like Threads app a day earlier that planned, with the new social media platform garnering over 30 million users in only the first 16 hours since sign-ups began, Meta recently announced.
. CNBC

FTC Requirements for Influencers
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has finalized an updated set of endorsement and testimonial guidelines for social media influencers and creators, and TermsFeed recently explored new disclosure best-practices and more. TermsFeed

Instagram Will Now Let You Add Up to Three Collaborators on Posts and Reels
Meta-owned Instagram has rolled out a new feature that increases its previous limit of one content collaborator to three, bringing a wide range of new content co-creation options to creators and influencers on the social platform, Instagram recently announced. Social Media Today

ChatGPT Forecasts Use To Grow Nearly 900% In 2023
By the end of 2023 some 61.5 million internet users will have submitted a prompt to the generative AI (GAI) tool ChatGPT, an 882 percent increase from 2022’s 6.3 million, while 20 percent of the U.S. population is expected to use a GAI platform as least once a month during 2023, according to newly-published AI forecast data of interest to B2B marketers. MediaPost

How animated creative ad formats could yield stronger attention, recall metrics [Study]
Brand recall was seen to increase by up to 25 percent for animated advertising over static ads, with additional recall benefits affecting attention, memorability, and engagement figures, according to recently-released ad format survey data of interest to digital marketers. DigiDay

LinkedIn’s Experimenting with Monetization Opportunities for Creators
Microsoft-owned LinkedIn has begun testing the ability for creators and influencers on the professional social platform to share a variety of collaborative campaign analytics with brands, which could lead to additional brand partnership opportunities. Social Media Today

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE:

A lighthearted look at the “5 Stages of Price Promotions” by Marketoonist Tom Fishburne — Marketoonist

Adobe’s Hilarious ‘Office Space’ Sendup Starring Hasan Minhaj Is a Tribute to 30 Years of the PDF — Adweek

TOPRANK MARKETING & CLIENTS IN THE NEWS:

• Nick Nelson — This Week in Marketing: Celebrating Collaboration — LinkedIn (client)
• Lee Odden — You’re Doing SEO All Wrong: How to Optimize Content for Search Intent — Content Marketing World
• Lane R. Ellis — The Happiest Man in Social Media & Marketing [Podcast] — Lane Ellis — Are You Happy Podcast

FRIDAY FIVE B2B MARKETING FAVORITES TO FOLLOW:

Andrea Fryrear @AndreaFryrear
Joshua Nite @nitewrites
Kathy Klotz-Guest @kathyklotzguest
Amy Balliett @AmyBalliett
Luvvie Ajayi Jones @iLuvvit

Learn more about TopRank Marketing‘s mission to help elevate the B2B marketing industry.

Have you run into your own top B2B marketing news item that we haven’t yet covered? If so, please don’t hesitate to drop us a line in the comments below.

Thanks for joining us for this week’s edition of the Elevate B2B Marketing News, and we hope you’ll return again next Friday for another selection of the most up-to-date and relevant 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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Growth Strategy: How Content Marketing Propels B2B Brand Growth Today

It’s been 15 years since Seth Godin declared that content marketing is “the only marketing that’s left.”

Amusingly, Godin had not actually heard of the term “content marketing” back in 2008 according to Joe Pulizzi, who shared the experience of participating in a teleseminar for the reputed author’s book tour.

As Pulizzi described, Godin didn’t see much reason for distinction. “Teaching your customers and giving your customers the resources to believe you is new marketing,” Pulizzi paraphrased. “They become a fan of yours because you teach them something that makes them feel better about the world.”

All this time later, Godin’s assertion has proven remarkably prescient. In the modern digital business landscape, marketing and content marketing have become inseparable. You can’t have one without the other. Content is the draw that brings people in and sets your B2B marketing machine in motion.

And as such, content strategies are growing more important, not less. The latest B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends report from CMI and MarketingProfs found that nearly three in four respondents viewed B2B content marketing as more important than a year ago.

Even with its ubiquity and growing status, B2B marketers still express opportunities to get better at the craft. While a vast majority of marketers in the survey said they are having some success with content marketing, only 29% say their organization is very or extremely successful.

Let’s explore ways that B2B marketers can drive growth in today’s digital environment with the only marketing that’s left.

How Brands Drive Growth Today with B2B Content Marketing

From the creation process to optimizing user experiences to measuring results, these are some of the key tenets of modern B2B content marketing best practices.

1 — Bold and creative content that makes an impression

The new B2B Marketing Benchmark report from LinkedIn* found, among other things, that creative commitment is on the rise. This is no surprise to those who’ve been tracking the B2B industry as it increasingly celebrates bold creativity – such as the self-described “world’s most urgent IPO” campaign that earned Grand Prix for Creative B2B at Cannes Lions in June.

The B2B Marketing Benchmark shows that CMOs view “Creative Strategy & Execution” as the single most important skill in their current roles. More broadly, LinkedIn saw a 46% increase in creative skills added to marketers’ profiles in the past year.

At a time where content marketing has grown ubiquitous, creativity and innovation are the prime differentiators. Talent holds the foremost key to unlocking them.

• Boldly creative content in action: Learn how TopRank Marketing partnered with Smartsheet on a colorful, influencer-driven #FruitfulWork campaign that achieved sweet results.

2 — Content that brings brand purpose and values to life

As Creative B2B jury president Tom Stein said of the aforementioned award-winning EART4 campaign, “One of the biggest things for all of us on the jury was the growing realization of the systemic impact that B2B has [and] the real effect that the community can have on the world. Whether that’s from a social or a commercial impact standpoint – in many cases both joined together – [showing] the power of unity to lift economies and address the big problems that face the world.”

In other words, it’s time to think bigger with B2B content. Creativity is the preliminary requirement for engaging buyers and decision makers, but to keep their attention and drive action, you need a message with substance and personal resonance.

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“Creativity is the preliminary requirement to engage buyers, but to keep their attention and drive action, you need a message with substance. #B2Bcontent.” — Nick Nelson @NickNelsonMN
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As Mr. Pulizzi once said, “Content marketing is not about what you sell; it’s about what you stand for.”

3 — Accessible, mobile, user-friendly experiences

This is an important quality of effective B2B content that too many brands are overlooking. LinkedIn’s benchmark report found that while creating accessible content is the second-most common method for incorporating DEI efforts into campaigns, barely over half (52%) of respondents are doing it.

Following the principles of accessible web content in your B2B content marketing is an easy choice. If growth is the goal, it only makes sense to ensure your content welcomes as wide of an audience as possible. Sixty-one million people in the U.S. alone live with disabilities, many of which affect their abilities to interact with content online.

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“If growth is the goal, your content should welcome as wide of an audience as possible. Sixty-one million people in the U.S. alone live with disabilities. #B2Bconten #WebAccessibility.” — Nick Nelson @NickNelsonMN
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Creating more accessible content can sometimes require a few additional steps in the creation or publishing process, but it’s not a substantial added effort, and well worth it. As a starting point, the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) offers some helpful tips on writing for web accessibility – these might be worth incorporating into your brand guidelines.

4 — Measurement that connects content to business impact

B2B marketers understand that content marketing drives ROI. Business leaders understand this too – CMI’s report found that half of content marketers expected their budget to increase in 2023, even amid economic concerns. (One might even argue that content marketing is inflation-proof.)

Demonstrating the business impact of content marketing in clear, convincing, and compelling terms holds the key to future success. While content works across the funnel, and late-stage lead gen initiatives are easier to connect directly to revenue, B2B marketers should focus on continually emphasizing the importance of investments in brand building.

To do this, develop a measurement strategy that blends short-term sales impact with the long-term value of growing your brand’s profile through content. Analyze and incorporate future-facing brand metrics like share of voice and brand lift. Take advantage of increasingly powerful attribution technology, where AI is starting to play a key role.

A recent study found that the top 100 B2B firms globally have $1 trillion in untapped business value in their brands. “This is a dynamically growing sector, and we’re thrilled that B2B has rightfully earned its place in the spotlight, gaining momentum as a creative, emotional, and brand-led channel,” International Advertising Association UK executive director Kirsty Giordani told Marketing Week.

Put your content strategy at the center of driving brand growth, and you’ll reap ultimate rewards via increased brand salience and demand.

Strategic B2B Content Marketing Is Essential to Future Growth

High-quality lower-funnel content can be excellent for generating leads and converting customers. But if you want to keep the pipeline flowing down the line, it’s critical to invest now in a brand-forward content strategy as part of an integrated full-funnel approach.

Creating content that is boldly creative, purpose-led, accessible to all audiences, and measurable in its impact will put your organization on the track to sustained revenue growth.

After all, it’s the only marketing that’s left.

Learn more about TopRank Marketing’s industry-leading B2B content marketing services.

*LinkedIn is a TopRank Marketing client.

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B2B Fireworks: 3 B2B Marketing Lessons from the Independence Day

Happy Independence Day! It’s the middle of summer, which means we’re all feeling a little ready for a break. That had me thinking about one of the most fun parts of summer: the blockbuster movie. And what better movie to talk about than this holiday’s namesake: Independence Day.

Independence Day is a classic that has stood the test of time, but it also has a few enduring lessons for B2B marketers. Let’s take a look at three things you can learn from Independence Day to elevate your B2B marketing practice.

1 — Listen to the experts when they tell you something big is about to happen

Like any great disaster movie, Independence Day has a scientist (Jeff Goldblum) who warns the president about an imminent attack. But, like any great disaster movie president, he doesn’t want to act too quickly for fear of causing a panic.

Oh, if only they had listened to Jeff Goldblum!

While the stakes for B2B marketers are significantly less dire, the lesson here is the same: when an expert tells you to act, you should act. Whether it’s the internet, social media, AI, or the next marketing revolution—you ignore it at your own (professional) peril.

Sure, being an early adopter can be a little scary at times. But consider the flip side: if you opt not to act while your competitors are moving into position, they will be experts while you’re still learning the ropes.

If you want to avoid having your proverbial marketing White House blown up, you should listen when marketing experts tell you to use the next big thing. Play around with it, make mistakes, learn, and eventually triumph.

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“When an expert tells you to act, you should act. Whether it’s the internet, social media, AI, or the next marketing revolution — you ignore it at your own (professional) peril.” — Art Allen @Punsultant
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2 — Sometimes old ways of doing things just don’t work anymore

One of the first hurdles the humans of Independence Day face is how ineffective their missiles are against the aliens’ protective force-field. Of course, defeating the aliens on the first attempt would make for a pretty boring movie, but what makes for an exciting plot also makes for a good marketing lesson.

Do you ever feel like you’re firing your best marketing missiles at your target audience but they just fizzle out and nothing happens? That’s because audiences are constantly evolving, and your ways of targeting them need to keep changing with them.

This is not just about making sure you’re using the latest tools. You need to pay attention to campaign analytics to see where your audience is, what messages are resonating, and what is driving conversions for your KPIs. The data will tell you where and how your audience is responding.

Maybe your audience has always been on Facebook, but now they’ve migrated over to LinkedIn. Or maybe your audience used to respond really well to text-based Google ads, but now they respond better to video. Shifts like these happen all the time, and if you rely on the old way of doing things without examining new opportunities, you’ll be in trouble.

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“Pay attention to campaign analytics to see where your audience is, what messages are resonating, and what is driving conversions for your KPIs. The data will tell you where and how your audience is responding.” — Art Allen @Punsultant
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3 — Even the most advanced tech still needs a human operator

To defeat the aliens, Jeff Goldblum writes a little computer virus that will take down the alien shields. But there’s just one problem: they have to get it onto the mothership! The ship needs a pilot and the virus needs someone to upload it, so Will Smith flies himself and Jeff Goldblum into the alien ship so they can get the job done — in person.

Once again, an automated process here would have been pretty boring to watch. But the lesson it gives B2B marketers is more salient than ever: a high tech solution, whether a shield-busting computer virus or generative AI — just doesn’t work without someone to operate it.

While you absolutely should be using generative AI, you should be using it as a tool, not as a coworker. Tools like ChatGPT, Midjourney, and others are good at getting close to what we as marketers are after, but they remain error prone and sometimes even produce content that is filled with lies.

It’s true in B2B marketing and it’s true in outer space: even when you have a computer helping you, if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.

For more lessons about how to elevate your marketing skills, follow the TopRank Marketing Blog.

Ready to elevate your B2B brand? Connect with our team to learn more today!

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The Five Rules for B2B Branding Success: Unlocking the Power of Memory

Being able to attend LinkedIn’s first B2B Marketing conference, B2Believe was a real privilege and amazing experience. Hearing from the wealth and depth of B2B marketing and business expertise that exists within LinkedIn was equally informative and inspiring. One of the presentations that really stuck with me was about the power of Memory for B2B branding.

In the fast-paced world of B2B branding, standing out from the competition and being remembered is crucial. In this blog post, I will share the key rules for effective B2B branding, drawing insights from a presentation by Mimi Turner, Head of EMEA & Latin America, The B2B Institute at LinkedIn.

I think we can all agree that by understanding the power of memory and leveraging strategic techniques, B2B businesses can gain access to the untapped opportunities in brand building. Here’s a summary of the five essential rules Mimi shared that can help shape your B2B branding strategy.

Rule 1: The 95/5 Rule – Understanding the Buying Cycle

One of the fundamental insights revealed in Mimi’s presentation was the 95/5 rule. I’ve heard Ty Heath also talk about this concept. It states that at any given moment, only 5% of B2B buyers are actively in the market, considering a purchase. The remaining 95% are not actively engaged in the buying process. This highlights the need for two distinct strategies: one for in-market buyers and another for out-of-market buyers. By recognizing these two groups and tailoring approaches to each, businesses can effectively capture attention and create brand recall.

Rule 2: The Power of Memory and Consideration

Memory plays a pivotal role in B2B branding. To be considered during the decision-making process, a brand must be remembered by potential buyers. Research indicates that buyers often start with a shortlist of familiar vendors when making a purchase. Therefore, being part of the consideration set is critical. Building memory structures through storytelling, colors, codes, and even catchy jingles can enhance brand recall and increase the chances of being selected.

Rule 3: Emotional Context in B2B Decision Making

Contrary to the belief that B2B decisions are solely rational, emotions and social considerations heavily influence the choices made. B2B purchases have far-reaching consequences, impacting teams, bosses, and job security. Acknowledging the emotional and social dimensions of these decisions allows brands to connect with buyers on a deeper level. By understanding the context and motivations of B2B decision-makers, brands can develop messaging that resonates and fosters stronger relationships.

Rule 4: Reach Maximization vs. Reach Minimization

B2B and B2C branding strategies exhibit distinct differences. B2C brands tend to adopt a reach maximization approach, utilizing a wide range of channels and creative strategies. In contrast, B2B brands often adopt a reach minimization approach, narrowing their focus to specific channels and emphasizing informational and educational content. However, to truly stand out and reach potential buyers, B2B brands can benefit from adopting a broader reach maximization strategy, effectively leveraging various channels and creative techniques.

Rule 5: Building Strategic Assets

While many B2B brands focus on short-term, response-driven campaigns, the true opportunity lies in building long-term strategic assets. These assets are ideas or campaigns that are committed to over time, maximizing reach, and creating lasting brand recall. Surprisingly, only a small percentage of B2B marketers focus on these strategic assets, presenting a significant opportunity for businesses that embrace this approach.

Making B2B Marketing memorable with AJ Wilcox and Mimi Turner at B2Believe 22

As you can see, B2B branding success can depend a lot on understanding the rules that govern the memory and decision-making processes of buyers. By embracing the 95/5 rule, optimizing for memory, recognizing the emotional context of decisions, adopting a reach maximization strategy, and building strategic assets, B2B businesses can position themselves for success. The untapped potential in B2B branding is vast, and those who take a proactive and strategic approach can differentiate themselves and leave a lasting impression in the minds of buyers.

Connect with Mimi on LinkedIn and The B2B Institute here.

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Elevate B2B Marketing News Weekly Roundup: CMO Tech Budgets Hold Steady Ad Index Grows & LinkedIns AI Push

CMOs’ Major Resource Allocations to Remain Steady Amid Budget Pressures
Marketing technology budgets have held steady from 2022 to 2023, as 75 percent of chief marketing officers say they are confronted by pressures to do more with less, while 49 percent expect to increase their influencer marketing spending — the area least likely to see budget cuts, according to newly-published CMO survey data. MarketingCharts

U.S. Ad Index Expands For First Time In 11 Months In May
60 percent of overall U.S. media spending came from the digital sector during May, 2023 — up from 56 percent a year earlier, as the overall ad spending level increased for the first time in 11 months, according to recent ad index data. MediaPost

LinkedIn Launches Live Test of Generative AI Posts
Microsoft-owned LinkedIn has expanded its testing of optional generative AI technology for the creation of posts on the professional social platform, offering first-draft suggestions to certain users, LinkedIn recently announced. Social Media Today

Most Social Media Marketers Are Confident in Their Ability to Adopt AI for Marketing
49 percent of social media marketing professionals have said that they see customer behavioral segmenting and targeting as the top use for AI, with 45 percent pointing to predictive analytics and the use of dynamic pricing based on real-time data — three of the findings contained in recently-published survey data of interest to B2B marketers. MarketingCharts

Long taglines using ‘rare’ words are most memorable but least liked, study reveals
Choosing whether to focus on being remembered or being liked is a key decision when it comes to brand slogans, as brands seeking long-term recognition benefit from slogans that incorporate unusual and concrete words, according to newly-released research data. MarketingWeek

Forrester: Nearly One-Third Of Ad Agency Jobs Will Be “At Risk” From Automation By 2030
Despite almost of third of advertising agency jobs being at risk from automation by 2030, double-digit growth for market research and marketing specialists is expected by 2030, according to recent Forrester and U.S. Bureau of Labor data. MediaPost

Marketing When Budgets Are Down
When it comes to marketing effectively during challenging times, clarity, courage, and connection hold increasing importance in 2023’s era of less, and the Harvard Business Review recently took a look at measures to deliver marketing results and grow business despite economic challenges. Harvard Business Review

Google In Hot Water: Billions At Stake As YouTube Ads Found To Violate Terms Of Service
Search giant Google has come under pressure for having possibly misled businesses advertising on its YouTube and other properties through its Google Video Partners program, according to newly-published report data, as Google has in turn rejected the report findings as inaccurate. Search Engine Journal

YouTube Launches First Stage of Thumbnail A/B Testing in YouTube Studio
Google’s YouTube has begun tests that allow users of the video platform to perform comparison performance tests between several different video thumbnail images, which could lead to new opportunities for B2B brands to conduct A/B testing, YouTube recently announced. Social Media Today

How AI is impacting search advertising’s growth
Search engine advertising has begun seeing shifts due to the incorporation of generative AI technology in offerings from Google and Microsoft’s Bing, as spending for search advertising was expected to climb to $279.3 billion in 2023 — up from $251.7 billion in 2022, according to recently-published search advertising data of interest to digital marketers. DigiDay

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“The turmoil unleashed by new AI tools and a changed landscape will be the best thing ever for SEO.” — Eli Schwartz @5le
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ON THE LIGHTER SIDE:

A lighthearted look at “Innovation and TikTok” by Marketoonist Tom Fishburne — Marketoonist

Argonne Aurora A21: All’s Well That Ends Better — The Next Platform

TOPRANK MARKETING & CLIENTS IN THE NEWS:

• Ty Heath / LinkedIn — B2B advertising doesn’t need to be boring: why creativity is a key driver of profitability — ClickZ
• Lee Odden — Here Are 6 Reasons Social Media Is Terrible: Why You Should Still Use It — Spartan Alliance
• Lane R. Ellis — The Happiest Man in Social Media & Marketing [Podcast] — Lane Ellis — Are You Happy Podcast

FRIDAY FIVE B2B MARKETING FAVORITES TO FOLLOW:

Carla Johnson @CarlaJohnson
Gini Dietrich @ginidietrich
Ardath Albee @ardath421
Joe Lazauskas @joelazauskas
Zontee Hou @ZonteeHou

Learn more about TopRank Marketing‘s mission to help elevate the B2B marketing industry.

Have you uncovered a key B2B marketing news item that we haven’t yet covered? If so, please don’t hesitate to drop us a line in the comments below.

Thank you for taking the time to join us for this week’s edition of the Elevate B2B Marketing News, and we hope that you will return next Friday for another array of the most up-to-date and relevant 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 Elevate B2B Marketing News Weekly Roundup: CMO Tech Budgets Hold Steady, Ad Index Grows, & LinkedIn’s AI Push appeared first on B2B Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

AI & Creativity: Key B2B Marketing Insights From The 2023 Cannes Creative B2B Lions

As more B2B marketers than ever gathered recently for the Cannes Creative B2B Lions at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, it’s natural to wonder — just what are the key insights that emerged, and how can B2B marketers best put them to use?

Although the event celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2023, it was only the second year where B2B marketers had their own special section of the festivities in the form of the Creative B2B Lions, including an array of B2B-specific marketing award categories.

Let’s jump right in and examine some of the key themes and trends from this year’s second-annual Cannes Creative B2B Lions.

AI Top of Mind & Poised To Touch Every Aspect of Marketing

Generative AI continued its run as 2023’s centerpiece topic at Cannes just as it has in nearly all segments of society, as marketers in B2C and B2B have continued grappling with how to best use the technology while maintaining — and growing — brand authenticity and trust.

“AI has the potential to revolutionize every single part of marketing,” Marie Gulin-Merle, global vice president of ads marketing at Google, suggested after presenting curing Cannes.

Because of the AI innovations 2023 has seen, Guilin-Merle called this an exciting time for marketers. “Marketing is about connecting brands and products to people,” she noted. “The ‘what’ remains the same. The ‘how’ is changing again. Marketers, we can finally get back to marketing,” she observed, while offering up a list of some of the AI tools that Google’s own marketing teams are working with, including:

• Bard experimental conversational AI service
• Imagen and Phenaki text-to-image and text-to-video tools
• PaLM API for generating social media copy
• Gmail and Google Docs “Help me write” feature

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“AI has the potential to revolutionize every single part of marketing. The ‘what’ remains the same. The ‘how’ is changing again. Marketers, we can finally get back to marketing.” — Marie Gulin-Merle @MarieGulin
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Our own CEO Lee Odden recently delivered a keynote about AI’s impact on B2B marketing, presenting “Human vs Machine: The Future of B2B Content Marketing” during the BtoB Summit Paris 2023 conference.

Lee began his presentation explaining how generative AI essentially “makes you more of what you already are,” with poor content simply being turned into even more sub-par content if that’s what a marketer brings to the AI table, while those who instead present creativity and imagination to AI tools will be rewarded with even more quality B2B marketing content that is creative and imaginative.

As the team at Think With Google recently looked at as its weekly “big topic,” it’s more a matter of AI plus creativity, and not AI versus creativity.

As a hot topic at Cannes, AI and how it can best be used by B2B marketers is an issue we’ve spent considerable time effort to explore here on the TopRank Marketing blog, including the following pieces:

• A Home-Run for Humanizing B2B Content: Why Generative AI Can Only Get Your Business to First Base
• Top 5 Insights B2B Marketers Need To Know About Google’s AI Search Future
• Humanize, Organize, Strategize & Personalize: 4 Ways To Boost B2B Influencer Marketing With Generative AI
• 5 Key Ways Generative AI is Changing the Future of SEO from Google’s Bard to Microsoft’s Prometheus-Based Bing
• Standing Out From AI: Why Humanizing B2B Marketing Is Key In 2023
• The Prompt Whisperer: ChatGPT’s Rising Reach In B2B Marketing & The AI Revolution

Creativity Drives Profitability And Pushes Boring B2B Aside

Creativity is playing an even more important role in B2B marketing in the age of generative AI, simultaneously helping to increase brand awareness and drive profitability — all qualities that surfaced time and again during Cannes.

The Creative B2B Lions event and awards were established in 2022 in conjunction with the B2B community — most notably The B2B Institute — the industry think tank by LinkedIn* that researches the future of B2B marketing and decision making.

Tyrona Heath, director of market engagement at The B2B Institute at LinkedIn, shared some of the many ways that creativity adds value to today’s B2B marketing efforts, in “B2B advertising doesn’t need to be boring: why creativity is a key driver of profitability.”

“Creativity plays a significant role in building and expanding your brand size,” Heath explained.

“It leads to increased brand recognition, differentiation, customer loyalty, and ultimately having a larger market presence. And investing in creativity has a positive impact on financial performance because it serves as a multiplier,” Heath added.

As Cannes wrapped up, Heath further reflected on the increasing power of creativity.

“In this second year of the Creative B2B Lions, I am inspired by the caliber of work we encountered. Imagining what the future holds, I can’t wait to see how B2B creativity will continue to evolve 5, 10, and 15 years from now,” Heath — who served as a juror during the event — noted.

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“In this second year of the Creative B2B Lions, I am inspired by the caliber of work we encountered. Imagining what the future holds, I can’t wait to see how B2B creativity will continue to evolve 5, 10, and 15 years from now.” — @Tyrona
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During Cannes Lions the LinkedIn Collective broadcast live from the event, with a variety of LinkedIn Live sessions exploring the trends and challenges surrounding AI in B2B marketing, now available on-demand in, “AI-Powered B2B Marketing: Trends & Dangers,” and a lively conversation about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) within the B2B marketing landscape, in “Prioritizing DEI in B2B Organizations.”

B2B marketing is undergoing significant shifts, if not an outright renaissance, as Tom Stein, chairman and chief growth officer at Stein IAS and Creative B2B Lions jury president, noted that, “This is B2B’s decade. It started on stage in Cannes last night.”

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“This is B2B’s decade. It started on stage in Cannes last night.” — Tom Stein @Tom_Stein
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As another of the key trends at Cannes this year, the rising power of creativity in 2023 has been the subject of several articles we’ve recently published, including:

• Elevate B2B Marketing Podcast: Creativity & Inclusivity in B2B Marketing with Ty Heath
• What B2B Marketers Need to Know from LinkedIn’s New Benchmark Report
• 4 B2B Marketing Lessons from Disney’s The Little Mermaid
• Equilibrium: 10 Tips to Balance Creativity and Process in B2B Content Marketing
• Solvable Strategy: 4 B2B Marketing Take-Aways from Board Games

Use AI & Creativity To Elevate B2B Marketing

Generative AI and creativity may initially appear as two altogether different endeavors, however as our take-aways from Cannes have shown, both offer compelling justifications for B2B marketers to use, especially when each is factored into the other’s strategy.

The future of B2B marketing is poised to feature a uniquely human touch optimized with AI for creative storytelling.

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“The future of B2B marketing is poised to feature a uniquely human touch optimized with AI for creative storytelling.” — Lane R. Ellis @lanerellis
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We hope that the Cannes insight we’ve shared here will help you in your own efforts to elevate B2B marketing throughout 2023 and beyond.

To learn more about B2B marketing imagined by humans and optimized by machines, be sure to catch our CEO Lee Odden presenting during B2B Ignite London on Thursday, June 29, 2023 at 2:00 p.m., with a presentation entitled, “The New Kingdom of Content in 2023 and How to Wear the Crown.” Get the full details — including Lee’s list of eight must-see sessions during the event — in “The New Kingdom of Content for B2B Marketing – TopRank at B2B Ignite London.”

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.

* LinkedIn is a TopRank Marketing client.

The post AI & Creativity: Key B2B Marketing Insights From The 2023 Cannes Creative B2B Lions appeared first on B2B Marketing Blog - TopRank®.