B2B Marketers on a Mission

Many B2B companies talk about trying to have some kind of strategic differentiation, yet they resort to creating content that is generic and not insightful. How can they turn this around and provide a perspective that’s truly differentiated and helps to build them as an authority in their space? The answer lies in how content marketers can leverage the company’s subject matter experts (SMEs).

That’s why we’re talking to B2B content marketing and AI expert Jeff Coyle (Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer, MarketMuse) about how companies can utilize SMEs for strategic differentiation. During our conversation, Jeff explains why “the rise of the SME” is already here and what pitfalls marketers should avoid. He also talks about how to get buy-in from SMEs, and how they can shed light on key insights that will be instrumental in creating the right marketing assets.

In many B2B organizations, the C-suite inherently distrusts the marketing department. There is this ideological disconnect between marketing, the C-suite, and the rest of the organization. One side is thought and process-driven and then there’s marketing which requires unconventional thinking, experimentation, and a deep understanding of human behavior. How can B2B marketers bridge the trust gap and build credibility inside and outside their organizations? How can they effectively get “buy-in” from the C-suite?

That’s why we’re talking to B2B marketing expert Gee Ranasinha (Founder & CEO, KEXINO) about how marketers can build trust with senior management and other business units. During our conversation, Gee discussed the pitfalls marketers should avoid, the importance of understanding your audience, and why it’s imperative to find those internal champions within the organization.

Many B2B companies need help with developing content that resonates with their audience. They tend to focus more on features rather than moments in the buyer’s journey. This is why conducting customer research and creating the right target personas are paramount. When done right, personas can help you craft copy and content that converts and generates better responses from the target audience.

That’s why we’re talking to B2B SaaS copywriting expert Naomi Soman (Founder, Storylogick Consulting) about how B2B marketers can develop the right personas to adapt the B2B messaging across the funnel. During our conversation, Naomi highlighted the pitfalls to avoid and how marketers can leverage customer research to create personas that are actually useful. She also talked about the importance of mapping B2B messaging across the customer journey and at different stages of the funnel.

There is so much pressure for B2B marketers to produce content consistently that much of it ends up being uninteresting, generic, and not very helpful. A lot of content also immediately starts with SEO and this leads to marketers drowning in a “sea of sameness.” How can marketers break out of this mold to produce content that provides a unique perspective?

That’s why we’re talking to copywriter and content marketing expert Joe Sweeney (Content Marketing Strategist, The Content Marketing Commute) about how B2B marketers can develop truly differentiated content. During our conversation, Joe highlighted the pitfalls to avoid and why boring B2B content is a thing of the past. Joe also discussed the importance of conducting research and why B2B marketers should build relationships with subject matter experts (SMEs).

In B2B, there tends to be a huge disconnect between marketers and engineers. This gap can be bridged once marketers understand how engineers think and work, how they search for information, and what resonates with them. When done strategically, they can also capitalize on the knowledge, experience, and expertise that engineers have to develop assets and campaigns that will help to differentiate their B2B company in the market.

That’s why we’re talking to SaaS marketing expert Dr. Masha Petrova (CEO, Nullspace) about how B2B marketers can market complex products to engineers. During our conversation, Masha talked about the pitfalls to avoid and how marketers should probe properly to extract better insights from engineers. She also talked about the importance of finding an engineer who can be the subject matter expert and advocate for the company.

Many B2B websites fall flat because they’re often designed for someone’s ego and internal opinions. When you’re able to shift that mindset, you can turn your website into an incredible revenue-generating machine. Design it for your ideal customer and ensure that the content addresses their problems, motivations, goals, frustrations, and how you plan to help them.

That’s why we’re talking to B2B website and SEO expert Sam Dunning (Founder, Breaking B2B) about how companies should create websites for revenue, not vanity. During our conversation, Sam highlights the “deadly sins” of B2B websites, how to fix them, and which SEO pitfalls to avoid. He also leaves us with some actionable tips on how to build SEO from scratch for your website.

Many B2B marketers don’t realize this, but it’s in their interest to seek out and build relationships with industry analysts. Not only are they knowledgeable and influential in the market, but if marketers can nurture that relationship, analysts can advocate on your behalf and mention you to potential clients.

That’s why we’re talking to leading industry expert Robin Schaffer (Principal AR Consultant, Schaffer AR) about how smart B2B marketers can start conducting outreach to analysts. During our conversation, Robin talked about what relationships with analysts entail and why this is important to B2B marketers. She also elaborates on the pitfalls to avoid, the process of analyst outreach and relationship building, and how to craft the right pitch.

Creating partnerships and leveraging someone else’s network of followers is one way for B2B companies to scale strategically. Interestingly enough, this remains a largely untapped opportunity that B2B marketers should be looking into. How can they do it the right way? How can you create mutually beneficial partnerships?

That’s why we’re talking to partnership expert Joran Hofman (Founder, Reditus) about how B2B companies can help to build trust through partnerships. During our conversation, Joran discussed the pitfalls to avoid, what is needed for an effective partnership outreach, and why B2B companies should use influencers. Joran leaves us with some actionable tips and tells us which key metrics to pay attention to.

When done correctly, demand generation campaigns can help B2B companies generate the right noise in the right channels at the right time. It’s about reverse engineering with intention and positioning your company as the top choice for potential customers. You also need to be open to new strategies and digital channels, and deliver relevant and helpful content.

That’s why we’re talking to marketing expert Eddie Saunders, Jr. (Founder, Speak Friend) about how B2B companies can craft better demand-generation campaigns that deliver measurable results. During our conversation, Eddie discussed why it’s important to start with a campaign audit and which demand-gen techniques he thinks are obsolete. He also highlighted which pitfalls to avoid and which key metrics to focus on.

B2B podcasts that have been around for a few years have managed to build a credible online presence as well as a loyal audience who tunes in regularly. It would then make sense from a strategic perspective for B2B companies to leverage these podcasts to help grow their own brands. How can they do it? What should they be looking out for?

That’s why we’re talking to marketing expert Eric Melchor (Founder, B2B PodPros) about how B2B companies can grow through podcasting. During our conversation, Eric discussed why he feels this is an untapped opportunity for B2B brands and highlighted which pitfalls to avoid. He also talked about the three ways to grow, the importance of having a good pitch, and which metrics to pay attention to.