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B2B Marketing Expert Interview Series: Feeling B2B with Ann Handley #MPB2B

MPB2B Forum 2023 Discount Code Image

We’re feeling the excitement mount as we are now just over two weeks away from the MaketingProfs B2B Forum!

As a lead-up to this event, we’ve been sharing an ongoing interview series, “Feeling B2B,” exploring the emotions behind B2B marketing with top minds in the industry. These conversations range from Joe Pulizzi’s insights into unconventional content marketing tactics to Ahava Leibtag’s thoughts on the nuances that separate B2C from B2B content experiences.

Today we’re touching on a topic that’s been on every marketer’s mind for most of 2023: the role of generative AI in B2B marketing. We are delighted to be joined for this discussion by marketing influencer and bestselling author Ann Handley. As chief content officer at MarketingProfs, Ann is renowned for her expertise in B2B marketing and her ability to connect with audiences through the art of storytelling.

This video interview series is created by TopRank Marketing in partnership with MarketingProfs B2B Forum, an event that gathers the brightest minds in the B2B marketing industry. The 2023 B2B Forum will take place in Boston October 4-6, and also has online participation options.

In this interview, Ann and TopRank Marketing co-founder Lee Odden have a frank and insightful conversation about the integration of generative AI in content creation. Ann opens up about her journey through building a relationship with this new tool and offers practical advice for marketers who want to harness the power of AI while staying true to their creative spirit.

Watch the video now and make sure to let us know if YOU are feeling B2B!

Ann also shares a sneak peek into the upcoming MarketingProfs B2B Forum, highlighting how the event is designed to be, in essence, an optimal B2B marketing experience. The Forum is designed to tackle serious business topics while providing the human connection and levity that make for a memorable event.

Stay tuned for more exclusive conversations in the #FeelingB2B series, and mark your calendars for the upcoming MarketingProfs B2B Forum 2023. This is where the industry’s trailblazers gather to exchange insights, share experiences, and propel B2B marketing into the future.

Visit mpb2b.marketingprofs.com to learn more!

PLUS: Get $200 off individual registration and $400+ for groups of three or more by using our special code, “TOPRANK” when you register here.

How to Connect with Ann:

Ann Handley on LinkedIn

@AnnHandley on X

Here is the full transcript from this conversation between Ann and Lee:

Lee Odden:

Welcome to the Feeling B2B show, a limited interview series featuring conversations with some of the top B2B voices in the marketing industry, brought to you by the fine folks at MarketingProfs B2B Forum. I’m Lee Odden your host, and today we’re speaking with none other than the queen of content in B2B marketing as far as I’m concerned, Ann Handley. Ann is a longtime friend, dog mom to Augie, tiny house owner, and a marketing influencer loved by millions. But wait, there’s more — Ann is also a Wall Street Journal bestselling author, a global keynote speaker, the publisher of an exceptional marketing newsletter, which you can find at AnnHandley.com, chief content officer at MarketingProfs, and she’s the brains behind the programming at the MarketingProfs B2B Forum coming up in October. Welcome to Feeling B2B, Ann.

Ann Handley:

Oh my God, I am feeling it after that generous intro. How are you today, Lee?

Lee:

I’m great. Are you ready to talk about your B2B feelings?

Ann:

I am ready. We’re going to get all up in our feelings today…

Lee: It’s really great to see you. Let’s kick it off — what do you love most about B2B marketing?

Ann:

What do I love most about B2B marketing? I mean honestly, we have what — three, four hours to talk about just this first question, right? I mean, there’s so much that I really deeply love about business to business marketing, but I think the thing that I love the most is that it’s always changing. If you had asked me this question five years ago, and you said “You know, let’s talk about tactics and opportunities,” I would have a very different answer than I do here in 2023. I think the evolution of B2B marketing — the way that it constantly challenges us as B2B marketers — is one of the things that truly keeps me engaged and energized.


“I think the evolution of B2B marketing — the way that it constantly challenges us as B2B marketers — is one of the things that truly keeps me engaged and energized.” — Ann Handley @MarketingProfs
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I would never have a career like that, over 20 years, if I worked in finance or if I were an actuary — no shade to financial people, CFOs, or actuaries — but I just wouldn’t be engaged in quite the same way. I feel like I would’ve done a midlife career shift already. I would’ve been like, all right, I get it — let’s move on.

But the thing about B2B marketing is that ultimately, you really never get it. What I mean by that is that because there are always new opportunities, there are always new tools and tactics and challenges that come up, and that’s truly what fuels me. I think it’s also what fuels all of us as B2B marketers.

Lee:

Absolutely. There are always exciting times in the B2B world, and there’s always something new, something changing, like you say, and what’s not to love about that, right? We all know about the quote from Maya Angelou, that people will forget what you said, but they’ll never forget how you made them feel. What role do you think this idea of feelings plays in modern B2B marketing?

Ann:

Oh my gosh — I think it’s enormous. We often associate B2B marketing as much more straightforward, you know — it’s all about the data and it’s all about how we sell solutions and we sell software or we’re in manufacturing, and we sell a service or whatever the case may be. But I think ultimately, the opportunity in B2B to think about telling the stories in a way that will truly connect with who we we seek to serve is so much richer than it is in almost any other kind of marketing. If you’re going to CVS and you’re going to pick out a piece of chewing gum, you’re not going to think about how this Big Red versus Juicy Fruit makes you feel.

Instead, I think it’s much more of a snap, in-the-moment decision. Also, there are no great stakes, but I think the opposite is true in B2B marketing, where we do need to think pretty deeply about how these services and solutions, if you will, fit into our lives. How will they make our lives better, not only as people, but also within organizations. The stakes are higher, and I think that the emotional resonance ultimately can be a lot deeper. What does that mean? I think it’s incumbent on us to think about how do we bring some emotion into B2B marketing, because people’s lives and their jobs are on the line every single day. That’s a pretty high stakes environment, and there are a lot of feelings all up in there. I think there are lots of opportunities to really embrace emotions in B2B marketing.


“I think it’s incumbent on us to think about how do we bring some emotion into B2B marketing, because people’s lives and their jobs are on the line every single day.” — Ann Handley @MarketingProfs
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Lee:

Totally. You know we’ve all heard that adage that people make decisions based on emotion, justified with logic. When you think about the buying committee, there are other humans involved. There’s consensus that you have to achieve when making recommendations on vendors and things like that. There are emotions involved with that — the more people who are involved, and I love what you said about storytelling, because there’s another expression: facts tell, story sell — and what better method is there to connect with people on an emotional level than through effective storytelling?

Ann:

Yes, and you know, I’ve never given a speech, written a newsletter, or publishing a blog post that a few years down the line, when I bump into somebody at an event or when I have a conversation with somebody, what they remember from all of those interactions with me is usually a story that I told. If you extrapolate that more broadly, it’s exactly what you just said. Stories sell. They stick in our brains. We remember them at a much higher degree than we do just from say a bunch of facts or features about a B2B solution or tool. I think it’s incumbent on us to really harness that power and that opportunity.

Lee:

Absolutely. For a lot of content creators and marketers, generative AI and artificial intelligence represents a sort of threat, but in some ways you have embraced it. I’m curious, what advice do you have for coming over to the dark side? Just kidding — what advice do you have for marketers trying to make sense of AI and content?

Ann:

I don’t think of it as a threat, honestly. I did go through this sort of Kubler-Ross five stages of grief, or seven stages of grief, where I got to some pretty dark places when ChatGPT came on the scene. November 30th, 2022 is a date that is burned in my brain because I remember that feeling of, “OK, well it’s been a good run. Guess I better go become an actuary now, you know, because my life in B2B marketing is done. It’s over. I have nothing left.” If I am showing up as a writer and a creative every day, and if that’s what ultimately engages me, then what does that mean in a world where the robots are writing for us? So I had to work through that on my own.

Ultimately I came out the other side with a definite feeling of acceptance. But more than that, I would say actually some excitement around it, because I see it as much more of an opportunity for us to create in a way that is unprecedented, really. I know those are some big words, but I really do believe that I think of generative AI more as an efficiency tool than I do as a straight up writing tool. We call them writing tools, because that’s an easy way to talk about them. But I see them much more as efficiency accelerators than anything else, in B2B marketing. That’s how I think of it. Again, we could talk about this for another three or four hours, but you know, at a high level, that’s how I think about it.


“I think of generative AI more as an efficiency tool than I do as a straight up writing tool. I see them much more as efficiency accelerators than anything else, in B2B marketing.” — Ann Handley @MarketingProfs
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Lee:

Thank you for that, because I think there are a lot of folks in that situation, trying to make sense out of this technology. What does it mean to them? We’ve both been around for a little while, and we remember when things like social media were brand new, and there was a sort of phase that a lot of folks went through where they’re just wondering what is it? You know, who cares — the old taking photos of my food kind of thing. And obviously it’s a pretty big platform, and it’s ubiquitous in how people communicate these days. I think generative AI is the same way. We’re just getting started really, with all the plug-ins and add-ons and things that really can help optimize tasks and creativity.

I got to give a presentation on generative AI and content when I was abroad recently, and the thing that stood out with a lot of people was this idea of generative AI making you more what you are. Kind of like, if you’re a broke jerk and you get a lot of money, you’re just a rich jerk. If you put crap into a generative AI platform, you’re going to get crap out, right? So a lot of people who are sort of not really seeing it aren’t really necessarily maybe bringing imagination to the situation, and having that imagination of what’s possible. It’s the people who do that are really seeing those productivity and creativity gains.

Ann:

I love that. I think that is so accurate. I love what you just said about how it amplifies more of who we are at our core, and I think that’s where I had to get to when I went through those five stages of grief to get to acceptance. And now I’m using it very much as a — well, I call it my fairy godmother, you know — it’s the kind of thing where I have no idea how to start this presentation. True story: Recently I spoke to a group of entrepreneurs, but also their spouses at an event in Missouri. I’m used to speaking to business audiences, but I thought, spouses — I have no idea how to speak to this audience — but you know who really helped me there, to talk through almost like a fairy godmother, to help me talk through what does this audience need, what are the elements of what I talk about with AI that actually would be relevant to a broader audience.

AI was enormously helpful. Now, I could have done some market research. I could have called up some of the spouses and spoken to them one-on-one. That probably would’ve been great too, but it was an enormous time saver just for me to ask ChatGPT what should I be thinking about with this audience? That doesn’t mean that it did the work for me, but it gave me a starting point, and that’s the piece that is so critical. It can really give you a launchpad to make your ideas bigger or make them richer, and that’s where I think the true value is for so many of us. I think that’s what we need to unlock as B2B marketers.

Lee:

Absolutely. So on top of the awesome advice you’re giving right now, there’s going to be programming at B2B Forum on generative AI, right? I’ve noticed quite a bit in the program, with lots of folks talking with various angles, which is great to see. People can look forward to that. If you want to get your questions answered about generative AI, content, and B2B marketing, B2B Forum is the place to be. What are you looking forward to most at the event this year?


“If you want to get your questions answered about generative AI, content, and B2B marketing, B2B Forum is the place to be.” — Lee Odden @LeeOdden
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Ann:

At B2B Forum we have fantastic momentum this year. Last year was our first year back in person after a few years off because of Covid. So last year was a little tricky. It was a little hard for us because it was a building year, but this year we are on track to sell out, and I feel really great about that. We’ve got some really nice momentum, and along with that I think we’re seeing lots of new ideas and sessions. Like you mentioned, there’s a whole lot more of AI that’s sort of woven throughout the program, because that is very much how B2B marketers are experiencing AI right now.

It’s not like we are all suddenly switched to become just AI-centric and AI focused. We have to figure out how do we take these tasks that we do every day and figure out, is this a good match for AI or not, so much as we are experiencing AI woven throughout our jobs. That’s very much how the program is designed too.

The second thing that I’m really excited about is that we’ve got a nice mix this year of some high level sessions that may be great for leaders of teams. They can go and get a very broad look at key leadership lessons and key leadership ideas. Katie Robert is leading a session around leadership and how do you talk to the people who manage the robots, I think is the name of our session, or how do you manage the people who manage the robots? So it’s very much from a leader’s standpoint.

We have other sessions that are really focused on leaders, because I wanted teams to be able to come to the B2B Forum and experience — the tacticians on your staff can experience more of the instruction that they need, the tactics and the tools to succeed in their roles and to lead themselves further in their careers. But also I wanted to offer programming for the leaders who are bringing those teams, to make it much more of a sort of inclusive experience for those teams. That’s one of the ways that we’ve really thought about the program much more intentionally this year.


“There’s a whole lot more of AI that’s sort of woven throughout the #MPB2B program, because that is very much how B2B marketers are experiencing AI right now.” — Ann Handley @MarketingProfs
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Lee:

That’s so smart, because you know — beyond just bringing your team to an event and having the shared experience, the bonding and learning about new things at the same time, I love that idea that you’ve got content specific to those leaders because they obviously have different responsibilities, and there are different expectations than someone who’s solely focused maybe on implementing. So that’s super smart.

Ann:

The other thing that I’m,really excited about is that’s how we chose the keynotes as well. We have, for example, Nilofer Merchant who’s going be talking about leadership lessons, but also in a way that relates to both, right? She’s gonna be talking to leaders, but also offering some takeaways for individuals. It’s a little bit challenging finding keynotes that I think can really hit both personas effectively. I’m really excited about her ability to do that.

We also have some fun surprises. One of the things that I obsess over, and you know this because you’ve been there for so many years, is that I don’t want anybody to walk into the Omni Boston and mistake it even for a second as any other business to business event. I don’t want you to be on the show floor and be like, am I at a Gartner event?

I wanted to feel very much like this could only happen at a MarketingProfs event, and the way that we execute on that is through a million little touch points. They’re so fantastic about really embracing the culture of the B2B forum that I think is really special, and it’s so different than anything else out there.

Lee:

It’s great that you brought that up, because that’s one of the things that really differentiates B2B Forum — there is a rich culture and a rich community connected to the event. You hear a lot of people use the expression, “These are my people,” and the attention to all the details is pretty awesome too. There are funny placards in the bathrooms, signs and goofy sunglasses, and all kinds of marching bands, and you playing an accordion on stage. There’s just so much that you’re not going to find anywhere else.

Ann:

It’s fun, and I think that’s not just because we are silly people. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. We’re all very serious marketers, but at the same time, no one wants to go to an event and feel like you’re not having fun, you know? I think the more you have fun, the more receptive you are to all that’s going on. It’s not accidental that we incorporate all these little moments that are memorable, and provide a richer experience for attendees, because we want you to remember, and we want you to be open to learning and to making new connections and networking. The only way to do that is to make people feel comfortable, seen, and welcome. That’s why we do all of those little things.

Lee:

And you’re bringing it back home to “Feeling B2B,” right. It’s an experience, and people feel it. Thanks so much for joining us, Ann.

You can see and learn more from Ann at MarketingProfs B2B Forum in Boston or online, October fourth for workshops, and October fifth and sixth for the main conference. You can get all the information about the event, the speakers, the agenda, venue, hotel, and more at mpb2b.marketingprofs.com.

We’ve also got much more information available about the big MarketingProfs B2B Forum 2023 event:

The post B2B Marketing Expert Interview Series: Feeling B2B with Ann Handley #MPB2B appeared first on B2B Marketing Blog – TopRank®.

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Elevate B2B Marketing News Weekly Roundup: Influencer Marketing’s Growing Importance & Adobe’s New AI

2023 September 15 statistics image

Improved B2B Marketing and Sales Alignment Bodes Well for Growth
51 percent of B2B marketers have said that they are aligned with sales in 2023 — up from 44 percent during 2022, while 53 percent of B2B salespeople noted alignment with marketing — up from 42 percent in 2022, with the leading challenge faced by both sales and marketing departments being differing data and systems, according to newly-published survey data. MarketingCharts

Data: Buyer Expectations Continue to Put Pressure on B2B eCommerce [Report]
When it comes to the blurring lines between B2C and B2B e-commerce, 74 percent of B2B buyers have said that they use online purchasing platforms, with some 60 percent noting that their organization uses B2B marketplaces — two of numerous findings of interest to B2B marketers contained in recently-released report data . Modern Distribution Management

Adobe’s Firefly Generative AI is Now Available to Everyone
Adobe has rolled out the full slate of its latest Firefly generative AI features to its full family of users, following a period of testing that saw over two billion images being created using the AI technology in its product lineup such as Creative Cloud, Adobe Experience Cloud, and its Firefly web app, Adobe recently announced. PetaPixel


“We’re committed to delivering the best creative tools, services and value to our members so you can keep pushing the bounds of creativity.” — Ashley Still @AshleymStill of @Adobe
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B2B Event Organizers Prioritizing Attendance and Engagement
When it comes to the top B2B event organizer priorities in 2023, 19 percent of B2B event organizers have said that raising attendee engagement was their top priority, with 18.9 percent pointing to increasing attendance, 15.8 percent noting a greater sales pipeline, and 11.1 percent pointing to boosting sponsor and exhibitor return on investment (ROI) levels, according to newly-released survey results. MarketingCharts

New Report Finds That Investment in Influencer Marketing Is Rising Faster Than Traditional Ads
Influencer marketing spending is expected to grow by 14 percent during 2023, while social media advertising spending will see a 4.1 percent expansion, as spending on influencer-sponsored social media content in the U.S. is expected to expand some 3.5 times faster than traditional social media advertising spending, according to recently-pubished forecast data. Social Media Today

Meet generative AI’s ‘super users‘: 70% of Gen Z use GenAI [Report]
49 percent of adults have said that they’ve used generative AI, a number that rose to 65 percent among those in the millennial and Gen Z demographic groups, while 70 percent of Gen Z noted having used the AI technology, according to new survey data of interest to B2B marketers. ZDNET

New Research Reveals Influencer Marketing as Critical to Brands‘ Social Strategies
8 out of ten social media marketers view influencer marketing as an essential strategy component, with 70 percent having received the most impact from macro-influencers who have between 100,000 and one million followers, while 52 percent of brands noted using a dedicated influencer marketing platform — three of numerous statistics of interest to B2B marketers contained in recently-published influencer marketing report findings. Sprout Social

New Report Looks at the Key Challenges that Social Media Marketers Face in 2023
66 percent of social media managers have said that they have too many responsibilities, with almost half noting they don’t believe they are being fairly compensated, while 52 percent have studied journalism, communications, marketing, or media in school, while just 29 percent noting they have been able to advance into higher management roles — some of the many findings presented in new social media career report data from Hootsuite.. Social Media Today

OpenAI Plugs ChatGPT Into Canva to Sharpen Its Competitive Edge in AI
OpenAI — the AI research organization founded in part by Elon Musk, has rolled out an addition to its ChatGPT AI chatbot that allows integration with the popular online design platform Canva, OpenAI recently announced. Decrypt

Influencer Marketing Grows In Influence, Set To Top $34B Worldwide
Influencer marketing worldwide grew by 21.5 percent in 2022, totaling $29.14 billion, and is expected to expand by a further 16.9 percent in 2023 and reach $34.08 billion, according to newly-published forecast data. MediaPost

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE:

2023 September 15 Marketoonist Comic

A lighthearted look at “Personalization Gone Wrong” by Marketoonist Tom Fishburne — Marketoonist

Man Requests Spotter For Particularly Messy Sandwich — The Onion

TOPRANK MARKETING & CLIENTS IN THE NEWS:

  • Lee Odden / Donna Robinson — TopRank Marketing Ignites Next Phase of Growth, Appoints Marketing Leader Donna Robinson as CEO — Yahoo News
  • Lane R. Ellis / TopRank Marketing — Hybrid Artificial Intelligence in Future B2B Marketing — LinkedIn Pulse

FRIDAY FIVE B2B MARKETING FAVORITES TO FOLLOW:

Rhea Wessel @rheawessel
AJ Wilcox @wilcoxaj
Steve Garfield @stevegarfield
Pierce Ujjainwalla @marketing_101
Dina Otero @dina3818

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

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

Thanks for taking the time to join us for this week’s Elevate B2B Marketing News, and we hope you’ll return next Friday for another round-up 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: Influencer Marketing’s Growing Importance & Adobe’s New AI appeared first on B2B Marketing Blog – TopRank®.

Source:: toprankblog.com

Feeling B2B Infographic: What Do 12 Top #MPB2B Speakers Love About B2B Marketing?

Feeling B2B Infographic: What Do 12 Top #MPB2B Speakers Love About B2B Marketing?

What do you love about B2B marketing?

We asked 12 of the top B2B marketing experts lined up to speak at the upcoming MarketingProfs B2B Forum 2023 event, and in the following infographic they share what makes them start #FeelingB2B in 2023.

MarketingProfs B2B Forum 2023 takes place on October 4 — 6 in Boston and online, featuring a fantastic array or some of the world’s leading B2B marketers gathered to present their latest insights.

You’ll find full details about the exciting and extensive agenda of conference sessions, workshops, keynotes, and one-on-one sessions at the MarketingProfs B2B Forum 2023 website.

Now sit back and let’s learn what a dozen of the event’s top speakers love about B2B marketing, and get ready to start #FeelingB2B in 2023.

You can download a full-resolution PDF version of this infographic here.

We extend many thanks to each of these powerful B2B marketers lined up to speak during MarketingProfs B2B Forum 2023 for sharing their #FeelingB2B insight here, and be sure to register today to attend in-person in Boston or online.

Get $200 off individual registration and $400+ for groups of three or more by using our special code, “TOPRANK” when you register here.

We’ve also got much more information available about the big MarketingProfs B2B Forum 2023 event:

The post Feeling B2B Infographic: What Do 12 Top #MPB2B Speakers Love About B2B Marketing? appeared first on B2B Marketing Blog – TopRank®.

Source:: toprankblog.com

B2B Marketing Expert Interview Series: Feeling B2B with Wil Reynolds #MPB2B

MPB2B Discount Image

Welcome back to our captivating journey through the full range of emotions in B2B marketing featured in our “Feeling B2B” series with MarketingProfs. Our series has been nothing short of enlightening, featuring thought leaders like Joe Pulizzi, Pam Didner, and Ahava Leibtag. Today, we’re excited to introduce our next luminary in the B2B marketing world and see if Wil Reynolds is “feeling B2B!?”

Wil Reynolds is an OG SEO expert, data enthusiast, dedicated runner, and all-around remarkable human being. Wil’s extensive journey in the world of SEO — spanning back to 1999 — just a year after Google’s inception, makes him a true veteran in the field. As vice president of innovation at Seer Interactive, Wil brings a wealth of knowledge and a unique perspective to our video interview series.

Watch the video now and make sure to let us know if YOU are feeling B2B!

As fellow runners, our co-founder and series host Lee Odden joins Wil to delve into the parallels between running and marketing. Wil shares insights from his running experience, emphasizing the addiction to optimization and the importance of embracing the journey, and draws a comparison between setting annual running goals and the perpetual journey of marketing. Both require a long-term perspective, acknowledging that success is neither quick nor easy, but about persevering through all types of weather and terrain to reach the ultimate goal.

Wil also offers an exclusive preview of his presentation, “Houston, We Have a Landing Page Problem—and ChatGPT Might be the Solution,” at the upcoming MarketingProfs B2B Forum event. His session will focus on finding, fixing, and scaling to enhance landing pages, with a unique twist by involving ChatGPT, and he underscores the significance of being customer-centric in optimizing landing pages.

Attendees can look forward to a revealing demonstration of how even highly-paid clicks can be squandered by ineffective landing pages, and Wil is set to provide practical insights on finding and fixing these issues manually and using ChatGPT to scale the process.

Wil’s insights emphasize the importance of nurturing, perseverance, and embracing complexity, and we’re excited to see him in action at the MarketingProfs B2B Forum 2023, where he’ll undoubtedly share valuable strategies and innovations with fellow marketers.

Stay tuned for even more exclusive conversations in our #FeelingB2B series, and mark your calendars for the upcoming MarketingProfs B2B Forum 2023, where the industry’s trailblazers gather to exchange insights, share experiences, and propel B2B marketing into the future.

Visit mpb2b.marketingprof.com to learn more!

PLUS: Get $100 off individual registration and $300+ for groups of three or more by using our special code, “TOPRANK” when you register here.

How to Connect with Wil:

Wil Reynolds on LinkedIn
Wil Reynolds on X

See Wil Speak at #MPB2B:

October 6 — 8:30 a.m. to 9:15 a.m.
Houston, We Have a Landing Page Problem—and ChatGPT Might be the Solution

If you’ve missed the other “Feeling B2B” video interviews, catch up now:

Here is the full transcript from this conversation between Wil and Lee :

Lee Odden: Welcome to the Feeling B2B show, a limited interview series featuring conversations with some of the top voices in the B2B marketing industry. Brought to you by the fine folks at MarketingProfs B2B Forum. I’m your host, Lee Odden of TopRank Marketing, and today we’re speaking with Will Reynolds, OG SEO, innovator, data nerd, runner, and all around awesome human being. Will is founder of SEER Interactive, where he works as vice president of innovation. Will has been in the SEO game since 1999, just a year after Google was founded. Welcome, Wil!

Wil Reynolds: I really appreciate you having me on the show and being here.

Lee: Awesome. So let’s get started — what do you love most about B2B marketing?

Wil: I love nurturing. There’s something about it. I’ve worked with clients in e-commerce, B2B, and B2C, and you can sell in B2C — if somebody’s having a bad day, and you don’t feel good about yourself, you’re going to buy those shoes, right? What I love about B2B is it makes you have to stretch more as a marketer, to say, “How might I be able to answer your questions?”

This is my approach over time, so that you better understand why I’m a better solution for you than all the other solutions out there, and then the game’s not over. When you get the ranking and the game’s not over, when you get the lead, there’s this whole other process you have to integrate with to make sure that a marketing-qualified lead (MQL) becomes a sales qualified lead (SQL) and becomes actual revenue. To me there’s complexity in that, and I like to run to the complexity, not the simplicity.

It’s simple when you may say, “Did this campaign, got this money, done,” — versus, “Did the campaign, got these leads. Oh wait, those are the wrong kind of people.” OK, now I have to think again about the leads. What am I bringing in? So I just love the whole complexity of the journey, because it makes you have to be really on-point as a marketer.

Lee: Awesome. As with our previous Feeling B2B guest Joe Pulizzi — you and I are both runners, and I’m curious Wil, is there something you’ve learned from running that has been applicable to marketing?

Wil: A couple things. One, I realized the connection for me around — dare I say it’s addiction to optimization. The job is never done, and you’re never done running. But also — it sounds cliche, but it’s the journey. It’s like I was saying before, if you’re training for a marathon — or even if you just have an annual goal — you start off your year at zero. And there’s something about the reset on January first every year that reminds you, “Oh, here’s the goal.” Look at how little that bar is today after running my four miles on my massive big goal for the year. You just have to be in that mental space of realizing that this isn’t going to be quick, and it’s not going to be easy.

I’m not just getting the sale. There are rainy days, snowy ones, days where I’m not feeling well, and I have to get through all of that to be able to climb the hill. For me, it’s no different than in marketing with longer journeys. I’m not just going to be able to produce the content to get the sale today, I’ve got to figure out what’s the client’s next question, and then when are they in this part of the funnel, and then how does my marketing change and how does my messaging change? It’s never just that quick, “Woke up, got it done today, we’re over,” it’s part of that longer journey.

Lee: Awesome. At B2B Forum coming up here real quick, you’re going to be speaking about how to find, fix and scale to make better landing pages and how ChatGPT might be a solution or a resource to help do that. Can you share a preview of your presentation?

Wil: I focus on customers always. More than canonicals, keyword research, and more than keyword difficulty. I think about customers, and I want to show how bad landing pages can be at solving problems for customers. The problem when I show that to people is that it’s overwhelming to see how bad landing pages are — pages that we’re paying for clicks to — at solving problems. I’m going to show you how to find them manually, and then I’m going to show you actually how to scale it using ChatGTP yourself.

Lee: Awesome, and as I mentioned you’re speaking at B2B Forum. What are you looking forward to most about speaking at MarketingProfs B2B Forum in Boston?

Wil: To the best that I can, I won’t be able to spend too much time in the crowd, which I’ll get into in a second, but I like to learn. What I love about this time, with AI and the amount of disruption that’s happening, and search generative experience, and Bing and Perplexity and Claude-2 and Pi.ai — it’s like the great reset. It’s like no matter how old you are — and you and I have been doing this stuff a long time — all of a sudden it’s a brand new thing that we’ve got to re-envision ourselves through. Like, “Hey, does all this stuff work still, or does it not work? Does it still serve me? How many of my clients‘ customers are going there? Are they not going there?” So I just love that kind of reset.

Going to any conference — in person especially — you tend to hear things, you tend to see things, and you get to hear other people brainstorming things over lunches, so that’s cool. But what’s really cool is it’ll be the first time my kids will see me speak. My wife is traveling for work to Nicaragua, and this got booked at the same time and she said, “Well, I’m not in the country, so you’ve got the kids, so you got to figure it out,” and I knew that was true. I do have to figure this out, and I’m going to have my kids in the room and they will have to be there and quiet. My kids don’t really understand what I do when I get on a plane and fly somewhere to do something, so this will be the first time they’ll see it, and they’re eight and six, so they’re super young. We’ll see how it goes. I’ll be like, “Guys, you literally cannot interrupt me for the first 45 minutes.”On a personal note, I’m looking forward to sharing with my two sons what they have seen me leave the house for and do that they’ve never gotten to see themselves with their own eyes.

Lee: That is fantastic, and I can say that I was able to bring my daughter to London with me for a presentation, and she got to see me speak for the first time and it really connected some dots about what dad does when he goes away. It’s really cool that you get to do that, and that your kids will get to see you in action, because I know you’re such a great speaker.

Wil: What was one of the dots that she connected?

Lee: In terms of what is it that I was doing, and the category of topic I was talking about — in this case I was talking about influencers in B2B. She was probably 13 or 14 at the time, and she was familiar with the idea of influencers from the consumer perspective, but not really what does that mean for business. So she gained a little more insight as to the kind of thing, the category of the thing that I was doing, and that for some reason people seem to want to listen to me about it.

I know you’ve got lots more to say, and that there is lots more that people can learn from you, and for everybody tuning in, you can listen and learn from Wil at MarketingProfs B2B Forum 2023, which is happening both in Boston and online. The workshops at the event are October fourth, and the full conference is October fifth and sixth. You can get more information about Wil and about all the other speakers, the sessions, the venue, all the shenanigans at the event — as MarketingProfs likes to call them — at mpb2b.marketingprof.com.

Wil: Thanks for having me.

The post B2B Marketing Expert Interview Series: Feeling B2B with Wil Reynolds #MPB2B appeared first on B2B Marketing Blog – TopRank®.

Source:: toprankblog.com

Elevate B2B Marketing News Weekly Roundup: Bigger B2B Budgets, Marketing AI Usage Study & Instagram’s Longer Reels

2023 September 8 statistics image

More than 50% of B2B marketers report bigger budgets
53 percent of B2B marketing managers have said that their organization’s marketing budget has been greater in 2023 than during 2022, with the most frequent budget increases coming to AI technologies, while social media marketing was seen as the most popular digital marketing strategy, according to newly-published survey data. MarTech

What’s Keeping CMOs Up at Night? [Study]
When it comes to the primary concerns chief marketing officers are facing, marketing’s return on investment (ROI), recession fears, and rising pressure to boost profits were the leading challenges, according to recently-released survey data of interest to B2B marketers. ANA

How Marketers Are Using Generative AI [Infographic]
80 percent of marketers have said that they are making use of AI tools, with the top categories of content being generated using AI being email copy and social media messages, while 64 percent of businesses have said they expect AI to boost organizational productivity — three of numerous statistics of interest to digital marketers contained in newly-released survey data. Social Media Today

Martech stacks and staff are stabilizing, thanks to both better integration and budget pressure
42 percent of marketers have said that they switch marketing technology programs in order to use new features not available in their existing apps, with 25 changing apps to achieve smoother integration into their organizational processes, while some 22 percent noted switching for cost savings, according to recently-published survey results. Chief MarTech

Twitter Analytics The Latest Victim Of Musk’s Paywall?
X, the rebranded social media platform formerly named Twitter, has removed some of the most relevant analytics data related to content performance on the platform, while noting that an updated version was in the works with an as-yet-unspecified implementation date, X recently announced. Forbes

AI Server Market to Reach $150 Billion by 2027 – Foxconn
When it comes to AI and the servers used to power much of the technology, the market is expected to expand from $30 billion in 2023 to $150 billion by 2027 — potentially placing AI servers near the overall market value of traditional servers, according to newly-published forecast data of interest to B2B marketers. AnandTech

Instagram is internally testing the ability to create Reels up to 10 minutes long
Meta’s Instagram social media platform has tested an increase in the maximum length for its Reels video content from three minutes to 10, a move that would offer influencers and creators new opportunities on the platform, as it continues efforts to compete with short-form video specialty platform TikTok. TechCrunch

New Research Shows Social Media Data Is The Driving Force For Business Intelligence Among Most Organizations
93 percent of business executives have said that social media data and the insights it provides will be a top source of business intelligence in the future, while 86 percent noted that social data already contributed to overall business strategy at their organization — two of numerous findings of interest to B2B marketers contained in newly-published social media report data. Forbes


86% of business leaders say that social media informs their overall business strategies.” — Jamie Gilpin @jamiewo of @SproutSocial
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Digital CPMs Plummet, 2H Rebound Expected
The cost of digital advertising as measured by cost per thousand impressions has decreased 49 percent from 2022 to 2023 year-over-year among online businesses in North America, while website traffic numbers climbed by eight percent during the same period, according to recently-released digital advertising report data. MediaPost

Universal Analytics still processing data two months after ‘sunset‘
Search giant Google has encountered ongoing challenges as businesses have been slow to adopt its new Google Analytics 4 data analysis platform, and the firm has been increasingly urging users to make the switch from its longstanding and soon-to-be-retired Universal Analytics system, Google recently announced. MarTech

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE:

2023 September 8 Marketoonist Comic

A lighthearted look at “Ratings Fatigue” by Marketoonist Tom Fishburne — Marketoonist

High-speed AI drone beats world-champion racers for the first time — Ars Technica

TOPRANK MARKETING & CLIENTS IN THE NEWS:

FRIDAY FIVE B2B MARKETING FAVORITES TO FOLLOW:

Jenn VandeZande @jennvzande
Chloe Thompson @ChloeIQ
Sharon Lichten-Stenger @SharonStenger4
Tom Rowe @thefrontrowe
Bean Porter @bean_miller

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

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

Thank you for joining us for this week’s 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: Bigger B2B Budgets, Marketing AI Usage Study & Instagram’s Longer Reels appeared first on B2B Marketing Blog – TopRank®.

Source:: toprankblog.com