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5 Key Elements of Modern Inbound Marketing

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Last week, I made the case for a new definition of inbound marketing, or as Michael Brenner (@brennermichael) called it in the comments, a “call to arms” for inbound marketers.

The new inbound marketing definition: Be found through the recommendation of others and delight everyone that finds you.

As inbound marketing evolves, the components also need to change. Traditionally, inbound marketing has been functionally defined as the combination of search, social and content. However, these components are not enough for inbound marketers to excel in today’s environment.

This is what modern inbound marketing looks like: [Read more…]

4 Problems Killing Thought Leadership Marketing

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Chris Koch shared Four Reasons to Hate Thought Leadership earlier this week. He made some great points in his call to end the use of the phrase thought leadership, but ultimately I disagree with his conclusion. We don’t need to stop using the phrase, we need to start using it right.

The problem is thought leadership has become a catchall for any marketing that includes content. Unfortunately, looking back, it isn’t surprising that this happened.

Here are four of the underlying problems that created the situation. [Read more…]

2012: The Opportunity for the Few in the Year of More

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Mark Schaefer posted an excellent article this morning: Your 2012 Marketing Plan: Tell Me What to Do. 2012 is the Year of More (credit to Mitch Joel), but we are all overwhelmed by more. The opportunity for marketers is to enable less, in the face of the crushing volume of more. If you haven’t already, go read Mark’s post.

I love the thought, but it isn’t that simple. Mark isn’t going to write 500 posts this year and publish three books (or at least I hope not!). He isn’t creating more, and he shouldn’t necessarily turn around and create less. Mark’s opportunity, and the opportunity for every marketer, is to become one of the few that we, the audience, turn to. [Read more…]

Marketers Ruin Good Marketing Opportunities

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Innovative marketers constantly put new ideas into practice, and some of the most effective new ideas quickly become marketing best practices or emerging trends.

However, when marketing ideas initially move from early adopters to the majority of marketers, they tend to lose their luster. The incredible results the early adopters reported are not repeated.

This happens for two primary reasons: [Read more…]

Inbound Marketing: A Square Peg in a Round Hole?

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square-peg-round-hole-21Two weeks ago, I wrote Just Say NO to Marketing Advice. Inbound marketing is a great example of popular marketing advice and it may makes sense for most marketers. But it doesn’t make sense for all.

Most B2B marketers are not providing pure commodity products, even in commodity markets. Every company is looking to differentiate by meeting specific business needs. But as this story illustrates, that doesn’t mean inbound marketing or other modern marketing tactics are always good advice. [Read more…]

Just Say No to Marketing Advice

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All Marketing Advice Should Include a Disclaimer

Your strategy is your direction; it should never be prescriptive. The strategy you develop should be unique to your business, an outgrowth of the challenge or opportunity you are facing and the environment surrounding your target audience.

The problem is, marketing advice is prescriptive. It may sound important and be delivered with authority, but it is still prescriptive. Here are examples of marketing advice I have recently come across (or even written): [Read more…]

Influencer Marketing: 10 Questions for Successful Plans

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I do not want you to buy my product. I do not even want you to use my product. I want other people to buy and use my products and services because of you.

Influencer marketing is fundamentally different. You are marketing to individuals that influence a decision made by someone else and your goal is to see that influence benefit you.

So how do you plan and measure an influencer marketing program? Here are 10 questions that will help refine your goals, the barriers marketing needs to overcome and how you can measure your campaign. From there, you can begin to develop your strategy and plan. [Read more…]

B2B Marketing is Just B2P. Right?

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B2B salespeople are looking to talk to people that influence or make decisions for business purchases.

Businesses do not make decisions. People make decisions on behalf of businesses. And outside of some trusts run by lawyers following the direction of legal documents, this has always been the case.

So why all the fuss about B2B being B2P (business to person)?

The problem with the current B2P mantra is you risk forgetting just who these people are. (Maybe not you, but some B2B marketer will). They are corporate decision makers, entrusted with significant budgets and their career opportunities may turn on the decisions or recommendations they make. [Read more…]

Thought Leadership in B2B Marketing [#B2Bchat Recap]

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Why should companies invest in thought leadership? And just what does thought leadership mean anyways?

These and other questions were debated during a Twitter #B2Bchat on Thought Leadership in B2B Marketing on October 13, and I had the privilege of moderating the discussion.

Here are the key takeaways I took from the discussion. [Read more…]

Your Customer Service Sucks, But I’m Still A Customer

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Last week, my commute home was interrupted. I was frustrated when my train was behind schedule, and then taken out of service.

Not in Service Yellow Line trainMy reaction was similar to the reaction of those around me. “We are all late because your trains are running behind schedule, and your response is to kick us off the train and tell us to wait for the next one? Seriously, TriMet?”

The next day, it happened again. This time we were told there were too many trains. However, our train was nearly shoulder to shoulder. Saying there were too many trains, to those of us on the train, didn’t ring true. And it underlined that TriMet didn’t care about us, a train full of riders.

Over two days, we had an awful customer experience. The first time, we felt disregarded. The second time, we felt lied to.

But today, I am drafting this post on the train, living proof not every aspect of the customer experience matters. [Read more…]