The Fail-Proof 2015 Guide to B2B Marketing and Lead Generation
…Even if you still believe in Santa Claus, this gift doesn’t actually exist.
The best path forward is to never quit learning. Failing is part of the process and sometimes the best way to learn.
My purpose in writing this is to challenge the way you think about your marketing and encourage you to focus beyond your current array of products and services. Selling your wares profitably to other businesses is a basic definition of a B2B enterprise but unless you’ve cornered your market and have no competition, what you sell isn’t the best way to define and differentiate your brand.
All I’m encouraging you to do in 2015 are things I will be doing as well.
As a B2B marketing agency, we have a built-in need to be constantly improving our inbound marketing efforts. Our target audience ranges from global CMOs and Marketing VPs to Marketing Directors and SMB Owners. Not only is this a tough crowd to impress, our competitors are all creative and talented professional communicators.
So our target audience is a tough crowd. And we have plenty of competition.
I believe that gives us all the right conditions to practice what we preach and use our own B2B marketing efforts as a working lab and proving ground. So when we recommend ideas to our clients and prospects we’ve tested them ourselves.
The best gift I can give is my B2B Marketing recommended reading list.
I’ve added my top takeaway from each book and just so you know, I’m reading all of these again before the new year begins. Every one of them is chock full of insights and inspiration. Never quit learning!
Personalize your marketing strategy. Envision your ideal customer and empathize with their needs at each stage of the buyer’s journey.
eMarketing Strategies For The Complex Sale (Ardath Albee)
Differentiate Yourself – Create Contagious Content – Drive Qualified Leads to Sales
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Get it Now!
Convey WHY your business exists with authenticity, purpose and relevance.
Start with Why (Simon Sinek)
How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action
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Be helpful. Show you listen and care and your answers will resonate with customers and prospects. That’s your unique “youtility”.
YOUTILITY (Jay Baer)
Why Smart Marketing Is About Help Not Hype
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Humanize your business online and engage with relevant influencers.
ROI – Return On Influence (Mark Shaefer)
The Revolutionary Power of Klout, Social Scoring, and Influence Marketing
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Word of mouth marketing is as old as time but the requirements are the same. Have stories to tell that are relevant, interesting and sharable.
FIZZ (Ted Wright)
Harness The Power Of Word Of Mouth Marketing
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Spend less trying to find new business and more making it easier for new business to find you. Create content that attracts and provide a path forward in your buyer’s journey.
Inbound Marketing (Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah)
Attract, Engage and Delight Customers Online
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Follow Dharmesh Shah on Twitter | View website
So that’s my business reading list for this month and most of them I’ll be reading for the second time. What’s on your list? If you have a minute, please share what business books you recommend and share a top takeaway. Thanks and Happy Holidays!
