Lead generation, the process of driving qualified prospects into the sales funnel, is the single most important activity for B2B marketing and sales departments. According to DueDil “State of Sales Report”, 61% of sales and marketing professionals stated lead generation was very important. To put this in perspective, only 35% thought knowing their prospects’ budget was very important. All in all, 89% of those surveyed said lead generation was important or very important for the success of the organization – by far the leading predictor business success according to those surveyed.

Other factors deemed important included knowing key employees and decision makers, identifying and qualifying leads by need, and ensuring the prospect had the authority to purchase.

Lead generation is a sort of dance between the marketing and sales departments. Without effective marketing, the sales department is unable to do its job effectively. And, in many cases, without feedback from the sales department, the quality and effectiveness of lead generation efforts by the marketing department will greatly suffer.

As the overall marketing and business ecosphere continues to become more complex and more technology solutions become available, decision makers are reacting by wanting to make decisions based on more thorough research. For marketers, this means the creation, distribution, and amplification of high-quality content will pay dividends if the content matches the buyer persona of the prospect.

Marketing to B2B Decision Makers

B2B marketing provides several unique challenges:

•   B2B decision maker’s time is much more scarce
•   There’s usually one organizer but several decision makers
•   The purchasing process is much more complex than B2C
•   Their buying motivations usually consist of competing interests

Gone are the days of making a major decision based solely on the recommendation of a fellow executive. Today, B2B decision makers want to make absolutely sure they’re choosing the best product (or vendor) among many alternatives. Furthermore, the organization-wide implications and complexity of decisions has never been so palpable. As such, B2B decision makers are doing more research than ever before. This provides marketers (and those selling targeting B2B audiences) with an opportunity to reach their audience at the earliest stages of the conversion funnel.

B2B Decision Makers Reliance on Content for Purchasing Decisions

B2B Buying Behavior (and Thus Lead Gen) Starts with Search

An interesting study by Regalix found 86% of B2B decision makers start the first phase of the conversion funnel – Awareness – with organic search. Surprisingly, even to someone who preaches the value of organic SEO daily, organic search remains important throughout the entire buyer journey and outperforms paid search in every way.

What are these high-value prospects looking for when they search? High-quality, education content to inform their decision. In fact, over 75% of B2B decision makers rely on content more than they did a year ago. But, knowing they’re looking for content isn’t enough. Executives with this type of buying power are picky. And, when landing on websites, they expect to find certain types of content.

There are a few important takeaways from this survey of B2B decision makers. (Demand Gen Report “B2B Content Preference Survey”)

Long Form Content Rules

The most impactful forms of content were white papers, e-books, and case studies. None of these are novel approaches to content creation; however, they pack the substances B2B decision makers require before making a decision. And this makes sense – many of the price tags on enterprise-level software could be hundreds of thousands of dollars. So, in their defense, they’d be doing their own organization a disservice not to expect comprehensive research and analysis before making a decision. (If you don’t believe me, just check out the length of a Forrester Report. I think the last one I “read” was 120+ pages.)

One exception to this rule is content in the middle or lower portion of the funnel. In these cases, B2B marketers should worry more about selling the prospect in the most concise and effective way than ensuring the prospect is has a multitude of resources to answer his or questions with.

B2B Decision Makers Are Evolving But Still “Old School”

The most preferred content forms are usually printed on paper and read by actually flipping pages with one’s fingers. Webinars and videos, the two most effective forms of interactive content, are certainly on the rise and shouldn’t be ignored; however, more “new age” content formats such as podcasts and interactive presentations have yet to catch on with this audience.

A Mix of Content Types is Your Best Strategy

Having a variety of content formats available is always the best idea. For example, videos may have a higher conversion rate but it might take piquing the prospects interest with more traditional content before they’ll consider watching video content.

B2B Content Sharing

Just like most other citizens of the web, business executives with serious buying power share content too. But, the way and places they share it are quite a bit different.

The biggest mistake a marketer could make is to underestimate B2B decision makers’ likelihood of sharing content. According to Quartz “Global Executive Study” , 91% of B2B decision makers said they would share content with colleagues and peers if it was compelling. By far the most common form of sharing content is email. Marketers targeting B2B buyers should ensure they have intuitive, email share buttons near any public content facing content. For those that want to get a bit more sophisticated, try this: After gathering a prospect’s email and contact info, send them an autoresponder that contains the requested content along with an email tracking pixel. The most advanced providers of email analytics software will allow you to see how many times and to what people an email is forwarded to. Be sure to go research any email addresses the content was forwarded to so you can add them in your CRM.

Making the decision to rebrand your company isn’t one that should be taken lightly. While rebranding done well and for the right reasons can significantly improve your business, the reverse is true for rebranding done poorly or for the wrong reasons. And, while there are certainly many valid reasons why rebranding your company could make sense, there are also many reasons why it’s probably not a good idea. Here are 5 reasons why you should rebrand, 5 reasons why you shouldn’t and 5 key things to keep in mind if you do.

TOP 5 REASONS TO REBRAND:

#1 Your company or product has changed.

Your brand should clearly and concisely communicate to consumers what it is you offer them. A shift in a company’s philosophy or offerings can often be the catalyst for a necessary rebranding effort to eliminate confusion about what your company is or does. Apple, for example, started out in 1976 as Apple Computers and later changed the name in 2007 to Apple, Inc. in an effort to more accurately reflect the wide range of products and services they offered.

#2 You have discovered a shift in your audience.

In 2010, Old Spice discovered that 60% of men’s body washes were purchased by women. They not only changed the look of their brand to appeal to the newly discovered consumer segment but a new campaign focusing on “the man your man could smell like” was created. We all know how that turned out.

#3 There is a shift in your industry.

Sometimes the winds of change can uproot even the most established brands and make rebranding a necessary step to remain relevant. Take public transportation for example. Since the introduction of services like Uber and Lyft, cab companies have lost massive portions of the market share in cities all across the country. Many cab companies are now rebranding everything from the companies themselves to the cars and even the services in an effort to create their own app based Uber-like experience.

#4 Take back your story.

At Telegraph, we frequently point out that a brand is made up of three things: what you say, what you do and what others say about you. If those first two aren’t aligned, the third (and most important part of the equation) is doomed to fail. When the narrative around your brand has been taken out of your hands, a rebranding effort may be just the ticket to take your story back. In 2009, Domino’s Pizza took their story back by publicly acknowledging that their pizza sucked in “The Pizza Turnaround” campaign. Their rebranding began with a new recipe and an effort to get consumers to give them a second chance, and it worked with sales increasing as much as 3.9% in a single quarter.

#5 A Natural Evolution

A major company crisis, a shift in the industry or a newly discovered consumer insight isn’t always necessary to justify a rebrand and not all rebrands have to be a complete overhaul of your business. Sometimes, just being insightful and proactive is reason enough to make a simple tweak to your brand. Starbucks, for example, has changed its logo four times since opening in 1971 and each update has cashed in on the existing brand equity, making the logo and brand more and more iconic with each evolution.

TOP 5 REASONS NOT TO REBRAND:

#1 Knee-jerk reaction to your competition.

There’s no reason for your company to hit the panic button just because others in the industry are investing in a rebrand. If you have a strong brand and business is good, stay true to who you are as a company and avoid getting into a pissing contest that can ultimately damage your brand. Sometimes the same lesson the hare learned from the tortoise can be applied to branding decisions as well.

#2 You’re just tired of your current brand.

My father-in-law had a long career as a Creative Director at Leo Burnett in Chicago and they had a name for it when clients decided to rebrand just for the hell of it. They called it “boardroom fatigue,” meaning that their clients were just tired of seeing the same things over and over. The problem with this logic is that it is not necessarily representative of your customers take on your brand. Just because you’ve listened to your favorite song on repeat to the point of now hating it doesn’t make it a bad song. The point is, if you are thinking about rebranding, make sure you do it for the benefit of your customers, not the mental health of your boardroom.

#3 To reach an audience that isn’t really your audience

If your business is built on filling square holes, don’t try and brand yourself as a round peg company. Too often, companies build a brand around the target audience they want to appeal to instead of the one they actually appeal to. Oldsmobile learned this lesson the hard way when they ran the company into the ground by attempting to rebrand themselves as a car for young people with the “Not Your Father’s Oldsmobile” campaign. The irony of the name “Olds-mobile” has never been lost on me with that one.

#4 It ain’t broke.

There are plenty of rebranding case studies that prove you can update your brand without killing a company’s momentum, but it’s still a question worth asking if you’re considering a rebrand. If business is doing well and customers are happy, make sure you don’t break what’s working with a major change. If you’re in this situation, subtle enhancements may make more sense than a full on rebrand and there’s also no shame in sticking with what is working.

#5 Chasing trends.

Be sure that any pivots or updates you make to your brand are aligned with your company’s core competencies, philosophy and vision for the future. If you’re only thinking about updating your brand to keep up with the latest trends in design or marketing, you may actually be causing long term damage for short term recognition. Think of it like getting a tattoo on a whim during Spring Break.

TOP 5 THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN REBRANDING:

#1 Be what you say.

This again goes back to Branding 101, but be sure your company can actually deliver on what your rebrand promises.

#2 The “Straight Line” philosophy.

My approach to marketing is all about finding ways to make connections. Whether it’s a logo, a tagline, a video, an image or any other form of communication, a company’s marketing efforts are all about connecting with your customer. That being said, keep in mind that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line and consider your messaging and branding that line between your company and your customer. In other words, don’t overcomplicate things.

#3 Lead, don’t follow.

If all you’re doing with a rebranding effort is taking a look at what the competition is doing and mimicking that, don’t bother. Put in the time and effort to identify what that unique aspect of your company is that sets you apart from the competition and do it better than them. And if you can’t identify something that makes your company better than the competition, rebranding isn’t going to solve your problem.

#4 Don’t undervalue your existing brand equity

Make sure you realize just how valuable your existing brand is and don’t do anything to damage that with a rebrand. In 2009, RadioShack decided to drop “Radio” from the name and just become known as “The Shack” in an attempt to attract a younger audience. Their customers reacted poorly such a drastic change to the iconic 92-year-old brand and after spending nearly $200 million dollars on the rebrand, they quickly made the switch back to RadioShack.

#5 Keep the horse ahead of the cart.

Be sure that you have the timing right when you rebrand. Rebranding shouldn’t be the catalyst for your company to change. Change should be the catalyst for your company to rebrand. In other words, become the company you want and then let people know about it vs. using a rebrand to tell people what you want your company to be.

Obviously, there’s no one size fits all approach to rebranding. Every company is different and ultimately you should always have your finger on the pulse of your brand and know how it is being perceived by your audience. If it’s time for your company to rebrand, just give it the attention it deserves and make sure to approach it the right way to move your business forward.

Marketing in the modern day can be tricky. Consumers are constantly bombarded with advertisements all day every day on their Facebook  sidebar, Instagram newsfeed and soon will even be sandwiched between Snapchat stories. With so much noise in the social world, capturing a user’s attention is more difficult than ever.

Facebook advertisements are a powerful tool for promoting your business, targeting your niche and analyzing user behavior. Through marketing technology such as Facebook pixels, marketers are able to evaluate the effectiveness of a marketing campaign by tracking a user’s post-click actions on their website. However, there are many important questions Facebook pixels leave unanswered.

Pixels provide marketers with impressive insights and data about conversions and leads. This you probably already knew. What you can’t track through pixels are conversions or purchases that occur offline. But, what if you could evaluate your marketing efforts offline? What if you could gather information about how your online marketing campaigns are creating conversions in an actual, physical store? Well, now you can!

Facebook announced this week that it will be adding a new feature called Conversion Lift, a measuring tool that provides unprecedented insights into a consumer’s offline purchasing behavior. Conversion Lift will help marketers understand the impact of their Facebook advertising campaigns by allowing them to track the conversion rate for in-store purchases. Conversion Lift will let businesses gather consumer profiles, analyze demographics and gain a stronger understanding of their target audience.

Did all your marketing dreams just come true?

How Conversion Lift Will Change The Way You Advertising Online

Think back to your customers’ last online shopping experience. They’re deep into their Facebook newsfeed when they come across an advertisement for your clothing store. The ad features a stylish cocktail dress, reminding her she needs a dress for a wedding next month. The ad offers a pretty sweet deal, so they click the promotion and start scanning through the website, adding a few dresses to the shopping cart that fit their taste. They proceed to click all the way to checkout window and then remember they have a meeting downtown, so they quickly exit the window and hurry out the door, leaving the cart behind.

Sound familiar? On average, about 75% of shopping carts are abandoned online because of factors such as unexpected costs, unsuitable shipping methods, prices, or simply because a customer wasn’t quite ready to purchase. While retargeting, either through email or display ads, may result in a conversion, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the conversion will happen online. Many times customers will decide against purchasing an item because they would rather try it on for size or observe it in person before they buy.

“This is one of the biggest partner challenges that exist in a digital and mobile world,” said Maz Sharafi, Facebook’s director of monetization product marketing. “Consumers are increasingly spending their time in mobile and online, but transactions are happening everywhere.”

That’s where Conversion Lift comes in. The updated tool (originally launched in January) will help businesses make better marketing decisions and will allow them to tap into shopping behavior that is a direct result of Facebook advertising. Through the update, Facebook will provide real-time analytics on the offline response to an ad, allowing them to understand what is working in a particular market or location. According to Facebook, this is based on information collected through a user’s smartphone.

While the feature won’t roll out for a few more months, early testers (such as M&S, Petco, Burger King UK, and Cadillac) have seen impressive results. According to AdWeek, French retailer E.Leclerc reached 1.5 million people within a small radius of their stores, with about 12 percent of clicks leading to visits within a week.

Through the metrics, marketers will help businesses tie the influence of their advertising to in-store visits and sales by comparing data from their store to Facebook’s reporting tools. This feature ultimately will allow marketers and businesses to spend advertising dollars with confidence and evaluate if Facebook ads are generating offline conversions. (which they do!). 

What do you think about Facebook Conversion Lift? 
Tweet us at @Telecreative

We are pleased to officially announce our partnership with TechBirmingham to create a new technology festival called Sloss Tech! What’s Sloss Tech? Glad you asked!

Sloss Tech will kick off the beginning of Sloss Music and Arts Festival, and will offer thought-provoking presentations and workshops covering the latest in creative thinking, digital marketing and emerging technologies. The impressive lineup of keynote speakers includes Andy Grignon, former Apple Executive, serial entrepreneur, investor and public speaker, Gary Vaynerchuk, and Robert Scoble, virtual reality influencer. The event will also include talks and success stories from several local tech companies and a book signing with Vaynerchuk.

“We wanted to create a local technology festival for a long time, but the timing and circumstances never felt right,” our CEO Kevin McLendon said. “The ability to attach to a world-class festival such as Sloss Music and Arts Festivaland come out of the gates swinging with our lineup of talented speakers in our inaugural year accomplishes everything we hoped for in regards to creating a regional draw for a technology festival experience.”

The day-long event will take place on July 15 at the Lyric Theatre, and can host up to 750 people.

“We feel like the technology community and ecosystem here in Birmingham is on par with other perceived regional tech hubs, and Sloss Tech is our opportunity to showcase the city and the technology businesses that call it home,” says Jennifer Skyjellum, President of TechBirmingham. “We are confident that the event will continue the momentum that the city and specifically our technology ecosystem has created.”

To learn more about the event or to purchase tickets, please visit http://sloss.tech/

We know you’ve been told a million times already, but in case you haven’t heard: Instagram is changing its algorithm.

If you’re a small business owner, you’re probably feeling a bit nervous right now. And with good reason. Instagram’s “real time” feed gave the little guys a chance to compete with huge well-known brands. It leveled the playing field and allowed startups to be seen without paying for ad spots.

But is Instagram’s update really the end of the world? Absolutely not! In fact, it may actually help you!

Instagram’s update may change the way your followers view photos, but the function of your feed does not. Your job is (and always was) to become an account users want to follow by producing quality content. This change is actually a huge opportunity for smaller brands to go back to basics and start producing content that drives authentic engagement.

So before you start blaming the algorithm for your lack of followers, ask yourself if your content is worth following. Was it relevant? Was it valuable? Did it have a purpose or did you post just to post?

If you are creating awesome content that is engaging to your audience, then the algorithm isn’t going to change that. Rather, the algorithm is designed to cut out clutter and allow users to actually see photos that are relevant to their interests.  In the long run, Instagram’s update fosters a better user experience, which is ultimately what the app was created for in the first place.

Gary Vaynerchuk explains the new update like this: “It’s a triple thumbs up not because it’s better for ad dollars, but because it’s better for the end user and anything that is better for the end user is the winning formula.”

Instead of wasting your time being frustrated about the new update, start thinking about ways you can improve the way you do business on Instagram. (And no, that doesn’t mean creating yet another “turn on notifications” graphic #eyeroll)

What do you think of Instagram’s new algorithm? Tweet us your thoughts @telecreative

When it comes to social media marketing these days, “good” just won’t do. You have to be great. What’s the difference? A good social media marketing strategy can result in facebook fans and post likes, but a great one increases sales and cultivates customer loyalty. Yup, we’re talking loyal and returning customers, not just fans!

What’s the key to creating a fanbase full of loyal and returning customers? Understanding WHO your customers are, WHAT they want to see, and HOW they engage with your brand.

So before you begin laboring over your next Facebook post, consider these questions:

WHO ARE YOUR CUSTOMERS?

Start by asking yourself who your product or service is designed for. Specifically, what is the ideal customer’s age, gender, income or occupation? Identifying the characteristics of buyers who use your product, or could potentially be interested in your product, will help you decide how to advertise and promote your business.

WHAT DO YOUR CUSTOMERS WANT TO SEE?

Once you know who you are talking to, you must identify what type of content gets your target audience interacting with a brand. A strategic marketing plan connects customers with compelling, valuable and relevant information that sparks a conversation. You may need to alter or tailor your content to ensure that you capture the attention and engage your desired audience.

HOW DO YOUR CUSTOMERS ENGAGE WITH YOUR BRAND?

Now that you have analyzed who your audience is and what they like, it’s time to take a look at which platform they are most likely to use to interact with your brand. When it comes to choosing the right social space to connect with potential customers, there is no one-size-fits-all! Find a platform that boosts your brand and aligns with the type of media you want to post. 

Pro-Tip: Don’t feel obligated to be on every platform!

These are just a few ways our social team gets to know our client’s audience a little better!
Did we miss anything? Tweet us @Telecreative