B2B Marketing News: How B2B Events Are Changing, Consumers Switch Brands During Pandemic, & New B2B Micro-Segmentation Data

Study: Most Americans Permanently Changing Brands During Pandemic 45 percent of U.S. consumers have switched at least one brand preference during the global heath crisis, and some 62 percent believe that their brand change will become permanent — two of several items of interest to digital marketers in recently-released survey data. MediaPost How microsegmenting boosts B2B conversion rates Micro-segmentation helps both B2B sellers and customers, with better conversion rates and more relevant customer experiences, with some 68 percent of B2B buyers noting that it's important for vendors to present relevant content throughout the buying cycle without having to rely on salespeople, according to recently-released Forrester report data. Digital Commerce 360 Gartner Identifies Five Technologies to Drive More Agile and Scalable Advertising Capabilities for Marketers The digital advertising trends having the most impact on the industry have been outlined in Gartner's latest annual Hype Cycle for Digital Advertising 2020 report, showing the rise of Advanced Supply-Side Bidding (ASSB), Identity Resolution (IDR) and other areas of interest to digital marketers. MarTech Series Facebook Releases New Web Collage App via its Experimental NPE Team Facebook's New Product Experimentation (NPE) test-bed team has launched an experimental image display app called E.gg, offering a throwback look for modern photo collages that could eventually bring marketers new visual display opportunities, the social media giant recently announced. Social Media Today What Types of Content Generate Leads That Convert? Marketers generate the most lead conversions by utilizing online content that incorporates video, which was seen as the most effective format by 41 percent of marketers, followed by webinars at 36 percent, and original research at 36 percent, topping the list of newly-released survey data of interest to digital marketers. MarketingCharts LinkedIn Provides More Tips for Virtual Events in New Guide Book Microsoft-owned LinkedIn (client) has published new insight into using its LinkedIn Live and Events features, including marketing survey data showing that some 69 percent of marketers find it challenging to make the move to virtual events, the firm recently announced in conjunction with the launch of its second-ever events guide. Social Media Today Infographic: Consumers Want to See More Brands in the Esports Realm Today's consumers would like to find more brands including e-sports in their campaign efforts, with 72 percent saying that would like to see brands that are savvy enough to use the medium's fast-paced conversation. The gaming industry is the most dominant media channel for Gen Z and millennials, and is expected to top $1.5 billion in brand spending, according to recently-released infographic data. Adweek Zenith: Global Ad Spend Projected To Drop 9.1% This Year Overall global advertising spending for 2020 is expected to fall by 9.1 percent, while digital ad spend is forecast to see only a 2 percent decrease, with digital accounting for more than half of global ad spend, according to recently-released Zenith report data. MediaPost Facebook Tests New Page Design Which De-Emphasizes Like Counts Facebook has begun testing pages that don't include page like buttons, instead placing focus on having users follow pages. The expanded test, which has been limited to certain public figures, has now also been implemented for some business pages, the firm recently announced. Social Media Today How COVID-19 Is Affecting the B2B Exhibition Industry 73 percent of B2B event organizers have had to cancel a physical event because of the pandemic, and 81 percent have begun providing virtual alternatives, according to recently-released survey data of interest to digital marketers. MarketingProfs ON THE LIGHTER SIDE: A lighthearted look at “multicultural marketing” by Marketoonist Tom Fishburne — Marketoonist Street Artists Reimagine Classic Ralph Lauren Polo Shirt for AR-Enabled Murals — Adweek TOPRANK MARKETING & CLIENTS IN THE NEWS:

• TopRank Marketing — Is B2B Influencer Marketing Effective During A Crisis? — Tribal Impact
• TopRank Marketing — 33 of the Best Social Media Marketing Blogs of 2020 — HubSpot
• Joshua Nite — Shake Up Your Business Strategies with These Community Suggestions — Small Business Trends
• Lee Odden — C-Suite Marketing Episode 5: Lee Odden of TopRank Marketing [Podcast] — ITSMA / SoundCloud
• Lee Odden — B2B Influencer Marketing — Evans on Marketing

Have you come across your own favorite B2B content marketing or digital advertising stories from the past week of news? Please let us know in the comments below. Thanks for joining us, and please return again next Friday for another collection of the most relevant B2B and digital marketing industry news. In the meantime, you can follow us at @toprank on Twitter for even more timely daily news. Also, don't miss the full video summary on our TopRank Marketing TV YouTube Channel.

The post B2B Marketing News: How B2B Events Are Changing, Consumers Switch Brands During Pandemic, & New B2B Micro-Segmentation Data appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

Article Source: http://bathseoexpert.blogspot.com/2020/07/b2b-marketing-news-how-b2b-events-are.html

Boosting and Deepening Engagement through Empathy in B2B Marketing

Empathy is more than a buzzword. It’s not a box to be checked, or an added finishing touch for content. If B2B marketers want to successfully engage human audiences and break free from the deluge of irrelevant messages swirling around today’s customers, empathy needs to be at the center of all strategic initiatives from start to finish.

What Does Empathy Mean in B2B Marketing?

Empathy is defined simply as the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. But I’m not sure that characterization fully does it justice in the context of modern marketing. I rather like the way Zen Media CEO Shama Hyder described empathy in the better creative teamwork guide we helped our clients at monday.com put together: “Empathy is critical. It's much more than just having an understanding of what someone else's challenges might be. Part of it is that you have to give up being a control freak. As leaders, we should really look at the big picture and ask ourselves, is this necessary? Or is this just politicking, or someone trying to make it seem like it has to be done this way because it's the way they prefer?” Shama was speaking from the perspective of a business leader trying to get on the same page as their team, but it applies just as well to marketing endeavors. The critical first step in developing empathy is disconnecting from our own ingrained perceptions and assumptions. Only then can we truly understand and support the audiences we want to reach. Too often, empathy in marketing tends to be a bit narrow and self-centered (which is contradictory to the very concept itself). We often seek to understand only the challenges and pain points that drive interest in what we’re selling. Looking beyond this scope is necessary to build strong relationships founded on trust, especially now. “What you are creating, marketing and ultimately selling is but one piece of your customer’s life as a human on Earth. One very small piece,” said Mary Beech, principal at MRB Brand Consulting and former CMO of Kate Spade, in an AMA article on empathy in marketing. “And if we aren’t keeping in mind their full journey, including their emotional, mental, social and physical needs — as well as the challenges and joys they are facing — we cannot do our jobs well.” As Brian Solis wrote at Forbes recently, the need for empathetic customer experiences is greater than ever in the age of COVID-19 disruption. People have so much going on in their lives, and are facing so many unprecedented difficulties, that a myopic brand-centric focus is all the more untenable. “Traditional marketing will no longer have the same effect moving forward,” he argues. “If anything, it will negatively affect customer relationships rather than enhance them.” Agreed. So, let’s find a better way.

Engaging with True Empathy in the New Era of Marketing

Imagine if it was possible to sit down and have an in-depth conversation with each one of your customers and potential customers. You’d gain first-hand insight into their worldviews, their challenges, their hopes and dreams. Sadly, it’s not possible. You don’t have the time, nor do your customers. (Although I do recommend making a habit of engaging in direct, candid conversations with them when possible.) To make empathy scalable, marketers need to take advantage of all the tools at their disposal. This largely requires using data to connect the dots. “It’s critical for marketers to have a real-time 360 view and understanding of a customer’s full journey, at every stage, from discovery to engagement to retention and loyalty to advocacy,” Solis wrote at Forbes. Here are some suggestions for obtaining such a view: Use empathy-mapping. This practice, explained in a helpful primer from Nielsen Norman Group, involves creating a visualization of attitudes and behaviors to guide decision-making. Empathy-mapping originated in the world of UX design, but given how much user experience and customer experience now overlap, it’s becoming a powerful tool for marketers.

(Source: Nielsen Norman Group)

Coordinate and integrate your organizational efforts. Every customer-facing function in a company — marketing, sales, customer service — sees the customer from a different perspective. Seek ways to bring all these perspectives together into one centralized, holistic view. Per Solis: “Cross-functional collaboration is a mandate. As such, integration will become the new standard and will quickly become table stakes as every company rushes in this direction.” Tap into meaningful influencer relationships. Influencers can play a key role in empathetic marketing because they have relationships and perspectives extending beyond our brand ecosystems. If they align with your audience, influencers can bring unique insight and connect at deeper levels. Turning influencer engagements from mechanical to meaningful is essential to accomplishing this. Incidentally, Mr. Solis recently partnered with TopRank Marketing on the first-ever State of B2B Influencer Marketing report, in which our friend Ann Handley summarizes the impact quite well: “You could call yourself a good parent or a world-class marketer or an empathetic friend ... but any of those things would carry more weight coming from your child, customer, or BFF. So it is with integrating influencer content: It's a direct line to building trust and customer confidence.” Research and engage with topics that matter to your customers outside of their jobs. Given the connotations of B2B, it’s all too easy to isolate our customer research around what they do professionally. But these are human beings with lives outside of work. To drive powerful engagement, marketers should search for the cross-sections between their brand’s purpose and values, and what matters to their customers. A good example of this is found in the IBM THINK Blog, which is “dedicated to chronicling the fast-moving world of cognitive computing” and covers many important societal topics. (Recent focuses include a post on gender pronouns and a corporate environmental report.)

Examples of Empathetic B2B Marketing

Who’s getting it right and paving the way for a more empathy-driven approach to engaging B2B audiences? Here are a few examples:

• My post on seven B2B brands that talk to consumers, not companies highlights several instances of an authentic and relatable human tone shining through.
• It goes without saying that the video-conferencing service Zoom stumbled into a massive business opportunity with the dramatic pivot to remote work this year. The company could simply try to cash in and maximize that opportunity, but instead, they’re doubling down on building trust. Zoom’s CEO Eric S. Yuan recently wrote about his roots in China in articulating his organization’s support for this embattled region of the world, noting that Zoom is providing expanded features for free accounts and offering accessible resources and education. He also made the company’s tools free to K-12 schools (a potentially lucrative customer base) in March.

Seeing human faces brings an instantly relatable element to any B2B campaign. That’s why Microsoft’s Story Labs microsite, which frames some of the company’s initiatives and guiding principles around real people and their stories, is so effective.

Let Empathy Guide Your B2B Marketing Strategy

In order to walk in someone else’s shoes, you first need to untie and remove your own. Making empathy a core strategic pillar requires marketers to take a step back, disconnect from their ingrained perceptions and assumptions, and get fully in tune with the people they serve. Only then can we create the type of relevant and personalized experiences that drive deep and long-lasting brand engagement. For more tips that will help your business-oriented content strike notes of genuine empathy, read Josh Nite’s blog post on 5 Ways to Humanize B2B Marketing.  

The post Boosting and Deepening Engagement through Empathy in B2B Marketing appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

Article Source: http://bathseoexpert.blogspot.com/2020/07/boosting-and-deepening-engagement.html

5 Unheralded SEO Tools for Content Marketers

Are you using the latest search engine optimization (SEO) tools to help with your content marketing efforts? Don't worry, as we’ve got you covered with a look at some of the most helpful SEO tools to help you refine and augment your content marketing plans. Sorting through lists of the seemingly endless number of available SEO tools can be frustrating as well as a hit and miss proposition, however we’ve put this collection together so that you can skip the search and get right into SEO tools you can use today to help you create amazing content marketing stories. Let’s jump in with our collection of fresh SEO tools to boost your content marketing experiences.

1 — Google Lighthouse

Google’s own Lighthouse tool — an open-source project — offers a simple way to check a number of basic SEO-related issues that every website should consider. Among its auditing functions are tools specifically focusing on performance, SEO, accessibility, and progressive web apps, and it's also capable of examining webpages requiring authentication. The tool can be run standalone, from the web, in Google's Chrome DevTools, or incorporated into continuous integration systems, and its Lighthouse Viewer allows viewing and sharing of analysis data online.

2 — Botify SEO Platform

There are numerous powerful SEO platforms that each look to be as close to a one-stop-shop as possible for marketers and brands to gain reliable and relevant search insight, and squarely in this category is enterprise SEO suite company Botify. Botify offers a vast array of SEO analysis, data crawling intelligence and indexing metrics tools, all while working to make this complex information both easy to understand and act on, as Google’s Martin Splitt recently touched on in a live video conversation.

3 — Bing URL Submissions Plugin for WordPress

B2B marketers in WordPress environments recently got access to an open-source plug-in from Bing Webmaster Tools, automating the submission of new site content to the Microsoft’s Bing search engine. Bing URL Submissions Plugin in a feature-rich plug-in that can also be customized via Bing’s API for incorporation into other content management systems.

4 — Schema.org

Google and other search engine firms prefer that businesses use schema markup for structured data in the format set forth and maintained by the Schema.org organization, which is especially important today as features including Google’s Knowledge Graphs rely in part on this simple yet often-overlooked element, as Michal Pecánek recently examined for Ahrefs.

5 — WebPagetest

Another free tool frequently used by savvy search industry professionals is WebPagetest, allowing webmasters and technically-proficient marketers to run a variety of tests including content type breakdowns, page speed data and others providing helpful information. The data from WebPagetest can be used to troubleshoot website slowness issues, as Barry Schwartz recently outlined in “Google: How To Diagnose Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) Slowness.”

Smart SEO Tools To Make You A Knowledge Builder

via GIPHY We hope you’ve found at least a few new-to-you SEO content marketing tools among those we’ve taken a look at here, and that you’ll find them useful as you create new campaigns that are using the soundest practices of SEO, and that they'll also help build your own team’s knowledge. We have a multi-year history of highlighting helpful marketing tools, and here are a few of the other most recent articles we’ve published on the subject:

• 10 Fresh Social Media Marketing Tools To Boost Brand Storytelling
• 31 DIY Marketing Tools To Create Remarkable Experiences
• 10 Smart Question Research Tools for B2B Marketers
• How B2B Marketers Can Make the Most of Interactive Content Tools
• The Content Marketer’s Toolbox: 3 ‘Real-Life’ Tools for Gaining Insight, Inspiration, & Amplification

The post 5 Unheralded SEO Tools for Content Marketers appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

Article Source: http://bathseoexpert.blogspot.com/2020/07/5-unheralded-seo-tools-for-content.html

How B2B Marketers Can Get the Most Out of Webinars in 2020

There has to be a word for the creeping dread B2B marketers have been feeling this year, preferably something German with a ton of umlauts. As we watched events in the spring cancel, postpone, or go virtual, we held out hope that summer would be different. Then July’s events moved out. Now it’s looking like the type of large-scale events B2B marketers depend on will have to wait until 2021… at the earliest. But we don’t have to despair! We can close the gap with virtual events. The speaking gig at an industry conference can become a webinar, as can a planned panel discussion or product demonstration.  The good news is plenty of people have more spare time than before to watch your webinar. The bad news is that everyone who makes webinars has time on their hands, too. So, your webinar has to have a little extra oomph to stand out in the crowd.  Here’s how you can level up your webinar creation and promotion.

How to Get the Most from Your B2B Webinar

It’s no longer enough to put up a slide deck and talk through bullet points. These tips will help you make a more compelling webinar — and make sure that people attend it.

Start with Content Research

No marketer worth their salt would make a blog post without doing content research. Why should your webinar be different?  To determine the best subject matter for your webinar, bring all of your research tools to bear:

• SEO research via SEMRush and Google Analytics
• Question research via BuzzSumo and AnswerthePublic
• Prospect feedback from your sales team
• Competitor content evaluation

All of these resources will help you home in on the topics that your audience most wants to hear about. Your research might even drive what type of webinar you create: If your audience needs how-to advice, you might do a live demonstration. If they’re looking for thought leadership, you might partner with influencers. Speaking of the latter...

Reach Out to Influencers

In case you missed the headline yesterday, B2B Influencer Marketing is kind of a big deal. There’s no greater boost to your credibility (and your potential audience) than adding industry thought leaders to your webinar.  Look for people who are influential with your audience — those who are regularly producing content and engaging with anyone who posts a comment. They don’t have to have Taylor Swift-level follower counts to make a difference. They just have to be able to get a relevant audience’s attention and hold it. Also, it’s not enough to just have someone appear with you on camera, though — it’s important to ask meaningful questions that will enable a substantive discussion. Keep your content research in mind as you plan the interview.

Create a Landing Page & Promote

Give your audience plenty of time to prepare for your webinar. We recommend starting outreach at least two weeks beforehand, and up to a month if you can swing it.  Create a short landing page to collect sign-ups — include a few key points you plan to cover, and introduce yourself and your guests. You can promote the landing page via social media — image-led social works well — and blog content that builds anticipation for your topic. Don’t forget to include the webinar in your newsletter, and to enlist your influencers to drive pre-registration. One great way to promote the webinar, and focus your content at the same time, is to poll your audience via social media. Ask for their thoughts on your topic. Ask what they most want to know about it. Ask what they would like to ask your thought leader guest. These posts can help drive registration while also making sure the content will be more relevant to the audience. [bctt tweet="“One great way to promote the webinar, and focus your content at the same time, is to poll your audience via social media. Ask for their thoughts on your topic. Ask what they most want to know about it.” @NiteWrites" username="toprank"]

Change Up the Format

The Q&A, the panel discussion, the lecture — there are a few tried-and-true formats for webinars. But as the market gets flooded with content, we need to be more creative. For example, what about a working session instead of a discussion, where your panel collaboratively creates something? Or what about spicing up an interview with interstitial, pre-produced video content?  You could even host the webinar on a platform like LinkedIn Live (while recording it for later publication, of course) and interact in real time with the audience. Just make sure to have a moderator to help keep the questions flowing smoothly.

Plan and Practice, But Be Flexible

It’s always a good idea to run through your entire webinar a few times before you go live. If you’re doing a lecture or presentation format, that means practicing all the content you plan to put across. For a panel discussion or interview, you may not be able to do a full run-through with your influencer, but you can still test the technology you will be using. Don’t let your practicing and planning make your presentation too rigid, though. You should be able to follow an interesting conversational thread in your interview, or incorporate an audience comment in your presentation, without the whole thing going off the rails. Of course, it’s always going to be tricky to run a live presentation, especially if you or your guests don’t do this type of presenting for a living. It can be challenging to think on your feet, come across as engaging, and keep a conversation focused and interesting to your audience. Which is why I’m going to court controversy and say...

You Don’t Have to Be Live

As we think about changing up the format and offering a higher-quality experience to the audience, it may be time to let go of the idea that webinars have to be live.  After all, editing is the gift that you give to your audience. You wouldn’t write a blog post in real time with a hundred people watching. You wouldn’t record a podcast episode and publish the raw audio. So why not pre-record and edit your webinar? It’s true there is an immediacy to a live presentation that would be lost with a pre-recorded one. But the boost in quality for the audience could cover that loss. And you can still have an interactive experience with the audience through chat. You could even play the pre-recorded portion first, then hop on the video stream live for an audience Q&A. There’s an enormous gap between the standard slideshow & lecture webinar and the produced, polished video that audiences appreciate most. Pre-recording and editing is one way to start closing that gap. 

Follow Up with Extra Content

What should your audience do next after attending the webinar? That’s a question to answer before you take your first registration. Once you have a next step in mind, create a content bundle to send to each registrant after the webinar airs. This bundle could include a normally gated eBook or two, some recommended reading from your blog, or more content from your influencer guests. You can also create extra content from the webinar to help fill out your editorial calendar. Use excerpts from your discussion to fuel blog posts. Repurpose the audio as a podcast. Pull the best quotes to use as video posts on social media that drive to a gated version of the recorded webinar. Essentially, it’s about getting the most value possible from your content asset — the same thing you do with eBooks or blogs.

Webinars Killed the Radio Star

The pandemic has made webinars a go-to tactic for marketers who are missing out on face-to-face events. But as more marketers get into the webinar game, your content needs to be extraordinarily valuable and extremely well-promoted. If you plan, produce and promote your webinar with the same strategic care that you use for the rest of your content marketing, you’ll bring your audience more value and earn their attention in return. Check out our CEO Lee Odden in a recent webinar: Social Media in the Times of Social Distancing.

The post How B2B Marketers Can Get the Most Out of Webinars in 2020 appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

Article Source: http://bathseoexpert.blogspot.com/2020/07/how-b2b-marketers-can-get-most-out-of.html

How to Create Customer Service Emails That Drive Repeat Business

Top-notch customer service is vital to the success of any business. It is one of the best ways to improve customer retention and create loyal brand ambassadors who will buy from you for years to come.

Reacting quickly and attentively will impress your customers and keep them coming back for more.

Online customer service is just as, if not more important, as in-store service. Customers expect instantaneous communication and to have their problems fixed on the first exchange.

Failure to exceed a customer’s expectations could cause them to abandon your brand in droves. That’s why a complete customer service strategy is essential to your success – and without a plan, you may be doomed to fail.

Email is one of the many tools at your disposal, it’s also one of the most effective. It’s simple, effective and gives your customers the freedom to reach you at any time.

What’s more, is that you can talk to your customers as well. By reaching out to your customers at specific points in their customer journey, you can encourage an open line of communication. This shows that you value their business and opinions which can create a lasting consumer relationship. If this isn’t a regular part of your marketing strategy, it should be.

Want to craft the perfect customer service email? This article will highlight the six essential steps that go into writing a perfect email response to keep your customers satisfied. After, we’ll tell you when to communicate to ensure they’ll have the ultimate email experience.

The 6 Steps To Writing a Flawless Customer Service Email

There are six essential steps you’ll need to follow if you want to impress your customers via email. When you solve a customer’s problem, the right way, you’ll have a customer for life. Do it the wrong way, and they may shop elsewhere.

There is one thing though that must stay top of mind every step of the way.

Empathy.

(Image Source)

You have to empathize with the customer’s issue and show a legitimate desire to help them. Demonstrating that you, as a company, see customers as more than a dollar sign is vital.

Without empathy, customer service emails can fall flat. Remember, it’s hard to convey tone through text, so you have to pay careful attention to your wording.

As we go through these steps, be sure to keep empathy in mind.

1. Greet the Customer

Your greeting sets the tone for the entire email. It should be warm and inviting. Never just jump into the heart of the problem without first saying hello. If you don’t, the email may seem cold and insincere.

You’d never just approach someone and start talking without a proper greeting, would you? Think of customer service emails like a conversation you’re having with a friend.

2. Use the Customer’s Name

After saying hello, use their name. It gives a personalized touch and the impression that this is not just a generic email you sent out to everyone.

Personalized customer service helps to alleviate customer churn. Every customer wants to feel valued, so show them that they matter.

Plus, it’s simple. All you need to do is this:

“Hi, (Customer’s Name)”

3. Thank Them For Reaching Out

Always be appreciative when a customer reaches out, even if they weren’t particularly friendly. Show them you value their feedback and are taking the issue at hand seriously.

“We hear you, and thanks so much for letting us know. We value your feedback, as it helps us to improve every day. Please leave this with me and I will get back to you with a solution shortly.”

4. Summarize The Issue

When you receive an email with a problem, you may want to offer a solution immediately. Sometimes, however, it is better to take a step back and restate, in your own words, what the issue seems to be. This will get you and your customers on the same page.

Something like:

“I’d be happy to help. Just wanted to make sure I understand the problem first. It sounds like (issue) is causing problems.”

5. Provide an Answer

Once you’ve determined the problem, it’s time to give a solution. Be sure to offer as complete of a solution as you can.

If your company has an online knowledge base, be sure to link there. Be proactive whenever possible. Show that you are not only handling the issue, but giving them a way to help themselves in the future. It makes for a complete customer service experience.

6. Thank Them Again/Keep The Line of Communication Open

After you’ve resolved their issue, thank them again for reaching out. You can never be too gracious when dealing with a customer and making them feel valued.

If your solution hasn’t resolved the issue, make sure that the customer has an open line of communication back to you.

“Thanks again for reaching out. If you have any other questions or need further clarification, please do not hesitate to contact us.”

Customer Service Email Tip 1: Communicate Post Sale

You don’t have to wait for customers to reach out to you with an issue to send them an email. There are several instances where you should be reaching out to ensure that they will keep coming back for more.

(Image Source)

Follow up emails are a perfect touchpoint for new customers who have just made their first purchase with your business.

Remember, closing a sale is not the end of the customer lifecycle. You also have to retain the customer.

When reaching out with a welcome email, make sure that you express gratitude to the customer for their patronage.

“Hi, (Customer’s Name)! Thank you so much for becoming a valued member of the (Company Name) family! We’re thrilled to have you here, and we hope that you’re enjoying (Product or Service).

Next, ask them if there’s anything else you can do to help. The customer may be experiencing issues with your product or service, and sometimes, instead of reaching out, they just find another company. Let them know you’re here to help.

“I wanted to ensure that you’re enjoying (Product or Service) and offer any assistance if you’re experiencing issues or have any lingering questions.”

It’s also a chance to give them an exclusive offer as a customer to drive future purchases.

“As a new valued member of the (Company Name) family, we wanted to welcome you with an exclusive offer to help you get the most out of your next purchase.”

Why should you do all of this?

For starters, it establishes a sense of brand loyalty in the customer by showing that you are attentive and that you care about their experience.

It’s an initiative like this that drives your retention rate, which is the backbone of profitability. You want to build long-term relationships with the people who are already buying from you.

Consider for a moment that it costs five times more to acquire a new customer than it does to retain an existing one. That makes customer retention efforts extremely worthwhile.

Gratitude helps to generate a repeat purchase. According to TD Bank, 77% of consumers appreciate a show of gratitude.

Customer Service Email Tip 2: Ask For Customer Feedback

You should routinely reach out to your existing customers to ask them for feedback. Asking for reviews and feedback works on more than one level.

Reviews can be posted on your website or product pages and go a long way towards establishing trust with prospective customers. They also help you gather information about what is and isn’t working within your company.

Polling your customers for feedback through email is a great way to solve problems you might not have known existed.

“Hi (Customer’s Name), As a valued (Company Name) member, we value your opinion. We wanted to take this opportunity to reach out and see if you’re having any issues, or would like to provide feedback that we can use to improve our service going forward.”

You want reviews on your site because it enhances social proof. By seeing the success stories of their peers, prospective customers will trust in the value of your service.

Reviews are almost always better than company messaging for customer acquisition, as prospects trust them more.

Reviews can also be turned into user-generated content to feature on product pages that will drive conversions.

(Image Source)

The addition of 50 or more reviews of a product has been shown to improve ecommerce conversion rates by 4.6%.

On top of that, 52% of worldwide shoppers believe that companies should take action on the feedback provided by their customers. Reaching out to your customers via email for feedback shows a willingness to do just that.

Put yourself in the customer’s shoes for a second. You’re having an issue with a product or service but instead of bringing it to the attention of the company, you just decide to look for a new one that fits better.

But then, the company reaches out to you instead. They ask for feedback in your court and you can easily tell them what’s going on.

The company acknowledges the problem and fixes it! Now, you can buy from them again, knowing that if there’s a problem, they’ll find a solution.

It’s an incredible way to build customer trust and create customer loyalty. You could even save sales that you didn’t even know were in jeopardy.

Customer Service Email Tip 3: Acknowledge Special Milestones

You should make sure that you’re reaching out to customers and letting them know that their lives outside of transactions matter to you.

Customers appreciate an acknowledgment of their special milestones. This marketing strategy can include things like birthdays, anniversaries, or even the anniversary of their first purchase with the company. Little moments like this can mean a lot to a customer.

Make sure that when you’re onboarding new customers, you gather as much information about them as possible.

Say you wanted to send them an email for their birthday. You can tag on a special promotion as a birthday gift.

“Happy Birthday, (Customer Name)! All of your friends here at (Company Name) want to wish you the happiest of birthdays and hope that it is an exceptional one! To celebrate, we wanted to offer you a special birthday gift. We’re giving you one free (Product Name), redeemable through the next month.”

Sephora, a makeup retailer, gives all of its customers a free product on their birthday as an exclusive marketing gift.

(Image Source)

The restaurant chain Denny’s once ran a marketing promotion where customers could get a free Grand Slam breakfast on their birthdays.

AMC movie theaters give free popcorn and soda to Stubs members for their birthday month as well.

You can also let your customers know about company milestones. Some companies, like New York Sports Clubs, have taken to special marketing promotions to commemorate the anniversary of their company.

“Hi, (Customer’s Name) We wanted to reach out to let you know that (Company Name) is celebrating a very special anniversary! It’s (Company Name’s) birthday this month, and we’re reaching out to all of our valued customers to offer them a personalized gift in commemoration of the occasion.”

Why should you do this?

Everyone likes to be acknowledged, and customers will be appreciative of the gift. It also is a sure-fire way to bring them back onto your site.

Initiatives like this can promote repeat sales, which is invaluable for your revenue.

In Conclusion

Customer service, both reactive and proactive, is the cornerstone of customer retention. By reaching out with a follow-up email, acknowledging special occasions, gathering feedback, or responding to customer issues, you can ensure that your company is serving its audience to the best of its ability, creating happy repeat buyers.

Those loyal customers will continue to stick around for years to come, confident that your company values their presence and appreciates their business.

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2020 State of B2B Influencer Marketing Report from TopRank Marketing

My team and I at TopRank Marketing are happy to announce the 2020 State of B2B Influencer Marketing Report! Influencer Marketing has fast accelerated as a topic over the past few years with B2C influencers and brands getting the majority of attention. While consumer focused influencers have been impacted during the COVID-19 pandemic, B2B is a different story. Whether in times of crisis or in competitive markets, B2B marketers are challenged to reach distracted buyers and create meaningful experiences that inspire trust, confidence and action. As B2B marketers search for solid insight and leadership around marketing strategies to survive and thrive during this time of uncertainty, Influencer Marketing offers businesses a welcome dose of optimism. With much of the research and media attention focused on B2C influencer marketing, we believe the 2020 State of B2B Influencer Marketing Report to be the first ever research report dedicated to B2B. B2B Marketers are hungry for effective marketing strategies but don't always have the resources or confidence to implement. To help close the gap of knowledge and skills around working with influencers to impact marketing and business goals, this new report focuses exclusively on how businesses are engaging influencers for marketing to other businesses. For this research, hundreds of B2B marketers shared their insights including many of the top B2B brands in the world on all things B2B influencer marketing including strategy, tactics, operations, software, integration, measurement, budgeting and the future. We’ve combined the findings from our research with insights from top B2B marketers from brands, case studies and some of the most respected B2B influencers in the industry to give you direction, confidence and inspiration for the best that influencer marketing has to offer. Some of the key findings from the 2020 State of B2B Influencer Marketing Report:

B2B Influencer Marketing is Valuable for B2B Brands:

• 78% believe their prospects rely on advice from industry influencers
• 74% agree that influencer marketing improves customer and prospect experience with the brand
• 63% agree that marketing would have better results if it included a B2B influencer marketing program
• 90% expect their budget to increase or stay the same

Top Challenges B2B Marketers Have with Influencer Marketing:

• Only 35% use software to find influencers - most ask for recommendations from personal connections or other influencers (no data validation)
• Only half include a plan for influencer activation in their strategy
• 41% are not using any technology for their IM program
• Only 19% of B2B marketers are running ongoing influencer marketing programs
• 60% say they don't have the knowledge to execute or have the right skills in house to implement ongoing IM programs

Characteristics of the Most Successful B2B Brands at Influencer Marketing:

• Always On: 60% of marketers who use always on IM programs are very successful vs. 5% who do periodic campaigns
• Use industry experts and analysts
• Use blogs as platforms
• Use software to identify and qualify influencers
• Create interactive content with influencers
• Have a centralized IM program
• Integrate with corporate communications department
• Have a documented strategy for B2B IM

This 45+ page report is rich with insights from the survey of hundreds of B2B marketers, featured case studies from B2B brands of all sizes and insights from 15 of the top B2B marketing experts and influencers about Influencer Marketing. We also included a list of 20 top Influencer Marketing practitioners from B2B brands. To give you an idea of what's inside, here's the report Table of Contents:

The Influence Advantage: From thought leadership to customer acquisition, B2B brands are optimistic about the competitive advantages of influencer marketing. Find out why. The Engine of Influence is Always-On: B2B brands are evolving from short term influencer campaigns to relationship driven, Always-On programs that build trust, engagement and advocacy.. Influencer Marketing Integration: To create a better customer experience, B2B brands are integrating influencer content across marketing channels from content marketing to PR. Influencer Marketing Operations: To scale influencer marketing while maintaining quality, processes and software are essential for influencer identification, communications and performance reporting. . 10 Predictions on the Future of B2B Influence: What will B2B influencer marketing look like in 2021 and beyond? Get answers from 10 top influencer marketing professionals.

And here are a few insights from some of the respected B2B Marketers and Business Influencers who contributed: "Engaging with influencers provides a myriad of competitive advantages. There's nothing more comforting than to have trusted voices defend your brand or correct misperceptions.” Rani Mani @ranimani0707 Head of Social Influencer Enablement at @Adobe “The operations behind Influencer Marketing is the less glamorous yet essential side of relational business. You need to come up with a strategy, plan of action, and a process.” Ursula Ringham @ursularingham Head of Global Influencer Marketing at SAP "Being 'always-on' has allowed our team to build meaningful relationships with influencers. B2B brands would be wise to adopt this approach as they look to build true brand advocates.” Garnor Morantes /in/garnormorantes Group Marketing Manager at LinkedIn “Customers know authenticity when they see it & naturally trust humans more than brands. Working with credible B2B influencers helps to build brand authority through real, human conversations & interactions.” Sarita Rao @saritasayso SVP - Business Marketing, Analytics & Alliances at AT&T Business “Ongoing influencer programs are more valuable to B2B companies and allow for deeper engagement with influencers. These connected activities provide a cohesive experience for your audience.” Tom Treanor @RtMixMktg VP, Global Head of Marketing at arm Treasure Data “Working with the right influencers builds credibility with the audience you are trying to reach. Influencers can help you deliver content that solves problems, educates & inspires your intended audience.” Amisha Gandhi @AmishaGandhi VP, Influencer Marketing & Communications at SAP Ariba “Having an end-to-end process is key to be effective & scale. From clear objectives to identification, engagement tactics, management, budgeting, reporting & not to forget feedback to close the loop.” Janine Wegner @JanineWegner Global Thought Leadership Program & Activation Manager at Dell Technologies “A shift I see for B2B influencer marketing in 2021 is using employees as influencers. This will allow marketers to have more control of the campaign & build advocacy among internal thought leaders.” Ryan Barres @RyanBares Global Social Programs Lead: Social Influencers & Employee Advocacy at IBM Systems "As influencer marketing matures, brands will expect their influencer marketing software to integrate with the rest of the march stack." Pierre-Loic Assayag @pierreloic Founder and CEO at Traackr “Partnering with well-matched influencers is a handy way to infuse your brand with creative energy and inspiration. It’s a direct line to building trust and customer confidence.” Ann Handley @MarketingProfs Chief Content Officer at MarketingProfs “We will see the rise of the customers as influencers given their ability to share stories that help target buyers navigate the increasingly complex B2B buying journey. ” Jeff Davis @meetjeffdavis Founder & Principal at JD2 Consulting “In 2021, brands will need to identify, test and deploy a new type of tech stack to make the creation and consumption of virtual content as seamless as possible for influencers and audiences alike.” Tamara McCleary @TamaraMcCleary CEO at Thulium “In 2021, success in B2B influencer marketing is dependent on the compelling delivery of relevant information via video & audio. Influencers can no longer rely on face-to-face personal charisma.” Kevin Jackson @Kevin_Jackson CEO at GC Globalnet "Traditional marketing channels are drying up and even trade shows are imperiled in 2021. The influence marketing trend will be amplified as businesses seek trusted voices to join industry conversations.” Mark Schaefer @markwschaefer Author, Return on Influence COO at B Squared Media And many more... Influence plays an essential role in marketing whether B2B brands run influencer programs or not. The question is, will influence be random or will it be nurtured, amplified and targeted to produce brand awareness and lead generation outcomes B2B marketers are after? The research supports optimism for B2B Influencer Marketing for a few key reasons:

• Brand trust is in question but buyers trust experts
• Influence optimizes performance of content and other marketing
• Influence differentiates B2B brand experiences

The B2B marketing world is at the cusp of change but also opportunity. The influence advantage is available for marketers who can adopt the best practices of the most successful B2B influencer marketers outlined in this report from an Always-On strategy to qualitative influencer engagement to effective operations with process and software. I encourage you to access the 2020 State of B2B Influencer Marketing Report and to get the insights that have been missing in B2B about working with influencers. A BIG THANKS goes to Michele from Mantis Research for all her help with research design and analytics. HUGE APPRECIATION to Ashley from TopRank Marketing for project and content management as well as a MASSIVE PROPS to Jake from TopRank Marketing for a stellar design! Thank you to our other team members from Lane to Alexis for pitching in as well.

The post 2020 State of B2B Influencer Marketing Report from TopRank Marketing appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

Article Source: http://bathseoexpert.blogspot.com/2020/07/2020-state-of-b2b-influencer-marketing.html

B2B Marketing News: Podcast Downloads Climb, Social & Display Ad Spend Rising, Snapchat’s Brand Profiles, & Google’s Latest Ad Tools

‘The downloads are back’: Podcasting finishes the first half of 2020 strong Podcast downloads have come back to pre-pandemic numbers, increasing from 625 million in March to 825 million over the past two months, while podcast advertising is still expected to increase by 15 percent for the year, according to recently-released report data. DigiDay LinkedIn Revenue Up 10%, Sessions Up 27%, in Latest Performance Update Double-digit quarterly revenue growth of 10 percent over the previous quarter has been reported from LinkedIn (client), accompanied by user platform session growth of 27 percent, the Microsoft-owned firm recently announced. Social Media Today Programmatic Advertising Trends: Top Tactics, Challenges, and Metrics 61 percent of marketers view return on investment (ROI) as their top programmatic advertising metric, while 46 percent said that their top challenge in executing programmatic strategy is audience targeting, according to newly-released survey data. MarketingProfs Facebook, Google and Apple Announce New Emoji Updates for World Emoji Day Marketers now have access to new emoji to tell brand stories, as Apple, Facebook and Google each announced a selection of new emoji options including a magic wand, teapot, drum, and piñata, the firms recently announced in conjunction with World Emoji Day. Social Media Today ANA Finds Content Marketing Budgets Rose Sharply Prior To COVID-19 Content marketing advertising budgets were up some 73 percent on average over the past two years before the pandemic, with 63 percent of content marketing services being conducted internally — two of several findings of interest to digital marketers contained in a recently-released Association of National Advertisers (ANA) report. MediaPost Google Adds New Ad Tools, Including Updated Visual Options and Prompts for Search Ads New responsive search advertising personalization and curation features have been rolling out in Google’s latest update, along with enhanced branding tools including new layouts and updated dynamic ads, the search giant recently announced. Social Media Today 65% of Americans think brands should take a stand against racism, study says Some 65 percent of U.S. adults believe that brands ought to take a stand against racism, while 56 percent of consumers said that they are the most willing to purchase from those brands that speak out in opposition to racism — two findings of interest to digital marketers in recently-released survey data. Marketing Dive Marketers to focus ad spend on regional, digital media in 2020's 2nd half During the second half of 2020 some 75 percent of marketers plan to use paid social and display ads, while budgets are expected to drop by 12 percent during the third quarter and 7.5 percent in the fourth, according to recently-released study data. Marketing Dive Snapchat Adds Brand Profiles as it Looks to Expand its Business Appeal Snapchat has launched new features targeted at brands utilizing the platform, with a pilot program that gives brands a selection of new showcase options including story posts and highlighted Snaps collections, the firm recently announced. Social Media Today Why Video is the King of Content for Marketers – 2020 Survey 76 percent of marketers have attributed positive return on investment (ROI) from using video, and some 86 percent expect to use more video content in future marketing campaigns — two of several findings of interest to digital marketers in newly-released survey data. Business 2 Community ON THE LIGHTER SIDE: A lighthearted look at “customer experience management” by Marketoonist Tom Fishburne — Marketoonist Former StarCraft 2 Pro Has Highest Microsoft Excel APM in Office — The Hard Times TOPRANK MARKETING & CLIENTS IN THE NEWS:

• Dell Technologies — B2B Marketers Get Down To Business With Digital During COVID-19 — AdExchanger
• Joshua Nite — What’s Trending: Get Proactive With Planning — LinkedIn (client)
• SAP — Marketers on Fire: SAP Global CMO Alicia Tillman — Chief Marketer
• TopRank Marketing — 23 Best Influencer Marketing Agencies That Can Help You Grow — Martech Cube
• Lee Odden — IABC Monthly Meeting July 16, 2020 [VIDEO] — IABC Minnesota
• Lee Odden — 125+ Powerful Marketing Quotes To Inspire Your Strategy — Apolline Adiju
• Lee Odden — 28 Social Media Experts to Learn From (Listed by Platform and Skill) — Social Agency Scout
• Dell Boomi — How employee buy-in drove results for a B2B marketing campaign — AdAge

Have you come across your own top B2B content marketing or digital advertising stories from the past week of news? Please let us know in the comments below. Thank you for taking the time to join us, and we hope that you'll return back next Friday for another collection of the most relevant B2B and digital marketing industry news. In the meantime, you can follow us at @toprank on Twitter for even more timely daily news. Also, don't miss the full video summary on our TopRank Marketing TV YouTube Channel.

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Article Source: http://bathseoexpert.blogspot.com/2020/07/b2b-marketing-news-podcast-downloads.html