How to Best Work with a B2B Influencer Marketing Agency

In the B2B world, influence isn’t determined by how you look in a bathing suit or how many exotic locales you can Instagram from. B2B influencers are subject matter experts, practitioners with a proven track record, and consultants with their finger on the pulse of a specific industry.

It’s also trickier to find and engage influencers in the B2B world. It’s not about finding someone with a high follower count and cutting them a check—B2B influencer marketing is based on building relationships with these truly influential titans of business.

In short, B2B influencer marketing is a specialized discipline that requires knowledge and experience that may be outside of your team’s area of expertise. As B2B influencer marketing gets more popular and influencers more choosy about whom they work with, it makes sense to secure some outside help.

In our 2022 B2B Influencer Marketing Report, over half of the enterprise-level respondents said working with an agency to source influencers was effective, versus just 27% who found success with software tools alone.

Here’s how your team can prepare to work effectively with a B2B influencer marketing agency (like, say, TopRank Marketing!).

How to Do Your Best Work with a B2B Influencer Marketing Agency

Getting ‘ready’ to work with an agency is about both mindset and process. Some of the homework here will be about realigning your ideas about influencer marketing. Some of it is gathering information and making preliminary decisions that will speed up your onboarding process.

Expand your definition of influence:

I’ve mentioned a few times on the blog that B2B influencer marketing isn’t about follower count alone. And I plan to keep saying it as long as marketing teams still run in terror from anyone with a four-digit follower count.

The most influential person to your niche audience might be someone with a small but hyper-specialized audience. For example, if you’re marketing to software developers, their thought leaders won’t have massive followings on Instagram or Facebook. Instead, they will be posting code to Github, participating in developer forums, and speaking at events like DrupalCon. 

When your agency partner delivers a list of influencers, be mentally prepared to see beyond network size, and instead look at relevance and resonance. Does this person speak to your specific audience? Does that audience take action based on what they say? Then that’s your most valuable influencer.

Identify your internal experts:

Your employees, executives, and subject matter experts can serve as valuable brand advocates and influencers themselves. These people will be essential for co-creating content with external influencers, as well as promoting the content to their own networks.

An agency will want to put these internal experts to good use throughout the content creation and amplification process, so it helps to start with a few in mind. Look for the people in your organization who:

• Are already building a relevant business following
• Are comfortable representing the brand in public
• Are creative, passionate and quotable
• Are in senior positions and willing to lend their network to the cause

Your agency can help these internal experts to refine their content and firmly establish their thought leadership credibility. 

Dial in your target audience:

Clearly defining your target audience is a fundamental step in any marketing endeavor, and it’s especially important for B2B influencer marketing. Software developers have different pain points, needs and desires than software analysts. Demand gen marketers need different messages than social media marketers. The more you can identify your specific niche, the more relevant your influencer content can be.

Don’t be afraid to get granular with your target audience. Put together a wish list of all the details in your most valuable customer profile. Your agency might help narrow down that list to the most critical components—but you need to give them something to start from.

Set a realistic budget:

Five or six years ago, most of our agency’s influencer marketing was unpaid. We made it easy for influencers to collaborate with us, we worked together on cool content, and the mutual benefit was payment enough. But as influencer marketing matures as a tactic, most influencers will expect financial compensation. In our survey, over half of respondents had made direct payments to influencers.

It’s important to start your agency partnership with an influencer budget range in mind (in addition to the agency’s fees for service). With that starting-off point, your agency can help you navigate the complexities of pricing structures, negotiate fair deals, and make sure you get the most you can for your budget. 

Compile your wish list (and dealbreaker list):

Before you go to your kickoff meeting with your agency, put together a list of influencers you admire and believe would be a good fit. But don’t stop at those names: Consider the specific attributes that make these folks attractive. 

This list will give your agency a good idea of what type of influencer you’re looking for, and they can target the people on your list while also expanding it with their own tools and expertise.

In the same vein, put together a list of attributes or individuals that you don’t want associated with your brand. For example, you might not want an influencer who has worked with a competitor in the past—so it’s important to list your competitors for your agency. Or there may be taboo topics you don’t want to associate with your brand. 

If you can arm your agency with this positive and negative information, they will be better equipped to find the perfect set of influencers for your project.

Who influences the influencers?

B2B influencer marketing has matured from a casual series of one-off collaborations into a  specialized discipline that requires strategy and experience to execute successfully. 

As the popularity of B2B influencer marketing grows, influencers have become more selective about what brands they work with, and how they would like to be compensated. So it makes sense to work with an agency that has a proven track record and an established network of sought-after influencers. 

If you can approach your first agency meeting with an open mind, a clear picture of your target audience, and a good list of dos and don’ts, you’ll be well equipped for a fruitful collaboration.

Speaking of which, if you’re looking for an agency with over a decade of experience in B2B influencer marketing, with some of the biggest brands in the world… TopRank Marketing is here to help.

Ready to elevate your B2B brand?

Schedule A Call Now

The post How to Best Work with a B2B Influencer Marketing Agency appeared first on B2B Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

Article Source: http://bathseoexpert.blogspot.com/2023/05/how-to-best-work-with-b2b-influencer_23.html

5 Tips to Make Your Content More Accessible & Inclusive

Creating content that is accessible and inclusive is crucial in the work of content marketing, not only for shaping the perception of your brand but also for being socially responsible. Your content should be relatable to everyone in the audience, irrespective of their background or abilities, so that they don’t feel excluded or uninterested in your brand . Therefore, accessibility and inclusion should not be an afterthought but a fundamental aspect of your content creation strategy. In this article, we’ll discuss some key areas to consider while crafting marketing content for your B2B brand that is both accessible and inclusive.

1) Style Guide

At the core, your content team needs to understand what is meant by accessible and inclusive content and your company’s ongoing commitment to it.

You can start with outlining how your business will ensure your content is accessible and inclusive — and what content goes against those standards.

Your style guide should include a specific section about language and images. Many phrases and terms are rooted in our vocabulary, and we don’t think about their undertones. For example, you can specify avoiding the use of gendered jobs (“fireman”) or phrases like “falls on deaf ears.”

Your style guide can also note specific ways that text can be more accessible. “CamelCase” for hashtags (capitalizing the first letter of each word) is better for screen readers. Decorative fonts in social posts are inaccessible to screen readers altogether. And, as Chelsea Castle, who heads up content at Lavender points out, you need spaces on both sides of any emojis.

Additional tips while creating content that follows your style guide include always using clear and concise language: Avoid using overly complicated jargon, technical terms or slang that might be unfamiliar to some of your readers. Keep your language simple and easy to understand.

Friendly reminder that if you aren't adding spaces on both sides of your emojis, you're not producing content that is fully accessible to all humans reading it.

— Chelsea Castle (@ChelseaCastle) February 10, 2023

2) Images

Images can often feel secondary to content teams. You finish a blog post and rush to find an appropriate hero image or add some alt text. But for the reader, images are part of the first impression.

If you’re using stock photography or creating illustrations that include people, make sure that you’re representing diversity: race/ethnicity, gender, age, and abilities. With the vast range of people in modern society, you’ll give off a vibe that your company isn’t paying attention — or doesn’t care — if your images lack diversity.

Give alt text the attention it deserves. For anyone using a screen reader, your alt text should have an impact in the way you expect an image to enhance the content. (Plus, you give context to Google for search engine rankings.)

(Image source)

Write good alt text descriptions for all of your images. And you can use them as a way to enhance your brand content! Some of the best alt text is also fun and playful, in addition to describing the image.

3) Videos

We are in the Age of Video. YouTube, TikTok, Instagram Reels… videos have crept into our LinkedIn feeds and even current sales outreach techniques. And video content can be limiting for people in different ways, ranging from hearing-impaired to neurological disorders to ADHD.

If video is part of your content strategy, remember to make your videos accessible to viewers. That means always including closed captions and considering additional alternative formats like audio versions, audio descriptions. You should also include a transcript for people who prefer to skip the video altogether and read the content instead.

Video can be especially hard for people with sensory issues, so avoid auto-playing, loud default volumes or flashing lights.

4) Interviewees

Collaboration is an important part of content, whether you’re interviewing subject matter experts or hosting a webinar. Do your collaborators represent a diverse group of people?

With our own podcast, Elevate B2B Marketing, we are on a mission, not only to Elevate the B2B marketing industry, but also to elevate the diverse voices making an impact within the space — actively seeking out voices who promote and reflect inclusion (as well as inspire us all).

Representation matters, especially in industries dominated by men, white people, or both. If you only capture the “easy to find” experts in these fields, you’re not getting a range of perspectives. Even if you’re not conducting live interviews but quoting experts based on research, make sure you’re including marginalized people — and actively seeking them out.

Ask any of your collaborators for their correct pronouns. Don’t assume. Use the correct pronouns in anything you write or any interviews you conduct. If your collaboration includes audio — either live or recorded — ask your collaborator for correct name pronunciation.

---

“Collaboration is an important part of content, whether you’re interviewing subject matter experts or hosting a webinar. Do your collaborators represent a diverse group of people?” — Katelyn Drake @KB_Drake
Click To Tweet

---

5) Website

Many of these elements mentioned will converge on your website. And since websites often contain a lot of content, you’ll want to examine each page in both web and mobile formats.

Colors

Color — and specifically, color contrast — makes your website content more accessible to people with visual impairments or who are colorblind. They have difficulty with certain colors or color combinations, potentially making it hard for them to navigate your site.

If you use a color scheme with good contrast for a wide range of people, you’ll increase the overall user experience, regardless of visual abilities. You can run your colors through a contrast checker to see if your site needs improvement.  This applies to text, images, icons, and buttons.

Fonts

Not all fonts are created equal, and some are very difficult for visually impaired people. If the font is too small, too thin, or has a low contrast with the background, it will be difficult to read.

Sans serif fonts (like Arial) are better for people with dyslexia because the letters are less crowded. If you’re looking for a serif font, a mono-spaced font like Courier is easier to read.

Overall, choose something simple, with good spacing, and don’t use italicized fonts.

Structure

Creating content that flows in a logical order is an important part of website accessibility. Heading twos (H2s) and heading threes (H3s) help screen readers. Breaking up blocks of text with headers also helps neurodivergent readers with information processing.

You can also use bullet points to increase the readability of your posts.

Review and make changes as needed

As Rease Kirchner, senior content marketing manager at Webflow points out: “[Inclusive content] is not a badge of honor you earn with a single initiative or intention — it’s an ongoing and intentional effort.”

As you create your B2B brand content, think about diversity and representation. Overall, make sure your content reflects diversity and avoid stereotypes. Use inclusive language that doesn’t exclude certain groups of people based on gender, race or ability.

As marketers, we’re always on the alert for changes in the world around us. Technology, culture, language, work — they’re all constantly evolving. And that means being aware of additional ways to be more accessible and inclusive in the future.

If you’re looking for a creative partner to support your brand’s content needs, connect with the TopRank Marketing team.

Contact us to learn more

 

 

The post 5 Tips to Make Your Content More Accessible & Inclusive appeared first on B2B Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

Article Source: http://bathseoexpert.blogspot.com/2023/05/5-tips-to-make-your-content-more_22.html

How to Best Work with a B2B Influencer Marketing Agency

In the B2B world, influence isn’t determined by how you look in a bathing suit or how many exotic locales you can Instagram from. B2B influencers are subject matter experts, practitioners with a proven track record, and consultants with their finger on the pulse of a specific industry. It’s also trickier to find and engage influencers in the B2B world. It’s not about finding someone with a high follower count and cutting them a check—B2B influencer marketing is based on building relationships with these truly influential titans of business. In short, B2B influencer marketing is a specialized discipline that requires knowledge and experience that may be outside of your team’s area of expertise. As B2B influencer marketing gets more popular and influencers more choosy about whom they work with, it makes sense to secure some outside help. In our 2022 B2B Influencer Marketing Report, over half of the enterprise-level respondents said working with an agency to source influencers was effective, versus just 27% who found success with software tools alone. Here’s how your team can prepare to work effectively with a B2B influencer marketing agency (like, say, TopRank Marketing!).

How to Do Your Best Work with a B2B Influencer Marketing Agency

Getting ‘ready’ to work with an agency is about both mindset and process. Some of the homework here will be about realigning your ideas about influencer marketing. Some of it is gathering information and making preliminary decisions that will speed up your onboarding process.

Expand your definition of influence:

I’ve mentioned a few times on the blog that B2B influencer marketing isn’t about follower count alone. And I plan to keep saying it as long as marketing teams still run in terror from anyone with a four-digit follower count. The most influential person to your niche audience might be someone with a small but hyper-specialized audience. For example, if you’re marketing to software developers, their thought leaders won’t have massive followings on Instagram or Facebook. Instead, they will be posting code to Github, participating in developer forums, and speaking at events like DrupalCon.  When your agency partner delivers a list of influencers, be mentally prepared to see beyond network size, and instead look at relevance and resonance. Does this person speak to your specific audience? Does that audience take action based on what they say? Then that’s your most valuable influencer.

Identify your internal experts:

Your employees, executives, and subject matter experts can serve as valuable brand advocates and influencers themselves. These people will be essential for co-creating content with external influencers, as well as promoting the content to their own networks. An agency will want to put these internal experts to good use throughout the content creation and amplification process, so it helps to start with a few in mind. Look for the people in your organization who:

• Are already building a relevant business following
• Are comfortable representing the brand in public
• Are creative, passionate and quotable
• Are in senior positions and willing to lend their network to the cause

Your agency can help these internal experts to refine their content and firmly establish their thought leadership credibility. 

Dial in your target audience:

Clearly defining your target audience is a fundamental step in any marketing endeavor, and it’s especially important for B2B influencer marketing. Software developers have different pain points, needs and desires than software analysts. Demand gen marketers need different messages than social media marketers. The more you can identify your specific niche, the more relevant your influencer content can be. Don’t be afraid to get granular with your target audience. Put together a wish list of all the details in your most valuable customer profile. Your agency might help narrow down that list to the most critical components—but you need to give them something to start from.

Set a realistic budget:

Five or six years ago, most of our agency’s influencer marketing was unpaid. We made it easy for influencers to collaborate with us, we worked together on cool content, and the mutual benefit was payment enough. But as influencer marketing matures as a tactic, most influencers will expect financial compensation. In our survey, over half of respondents had made direct payments to influencers. It’s important to start your agency partnership with an influencer budget range in mind (in addition to the agency’s fees for service). With that starting-off point, your agency can help you navigate the complexities of pricing structures, negotiate fair deals, and make sure you get the most you can for your budget. 

Compile your wish list (and dealbreaker list):

Before you go to your kickoff meeting with your agency, put together a list of influencers you admire and believe would be a good fit. But don’t stop at those names: Consider the specific attributes that make these folks attractive.  This list will give your agency a good idea of what type of influencer you’re looking for, and they can target the people on your list while also expanding it with their own tools and expertise. In the same vein, put together a list of attributes or individuals that you don’t want associated with your brand. For example, you might not want an influencer who has worked with a competitor in the past—so it’s important to list your competitors for your agency. Or there may be taboo topics you don’t want to associate with your brand.  If you can arm your agency with this positive and negative information, they will be better equipped to find the perfect set of influencers for your project.

Who influences the influencers?

B2B influencer marketing has matured from a casual series of one-off collaborations into a  specialized discipline that requires strategy and experience to execute successfully.  As the popularity of B2B influencer marketing grows, influencers have become more selective about what brands they work with, and how they would like to be compensated. So it makes sense to work with an agency that has a proven track record and an established network of sought-after influencers.  If you can approach your first agency meeting with an open mind, a clear picture of your target audience, and a good list of dos and don’ts, you’ll be well equipped for a fruitful collaboration. Speaking of which, if you’re looking for an agency with over a decade of experience in B2B influencer marketing, with some of the biggest brands in the world… TopRank Marketing is here to help.

The post How to Best Work with a B2B Influencer Marketing Agency appeared first on B2B Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

Article Source: http://bathseoexpert.blogspot.com/2023/05/how-to-best-work-with-b2b-influencer.html

Elevate B2B Marketing News: More B2B Buyers Using Social, & Rising Numbers Turn To Influencers

Microsoft Unveils New Mobile-First Experiences For Bing & Edge Microsoft has brought an array of new features such as Skype integration to its mobile Bing search and Edge web browser apps, including integrated social media sharing options, new ways to draft AI-assisted text, better multiple language support, and new AI-rich SwiftKey updates, Microsoft recently announced. Search Engine Journal Survey: In-Person Meeting Attendees Are Younger, Want Personalized Experience When it comes to B2B events, the average age of an attendee was 45 during 2022, a drop from 51 seen before the pandemic, with 39 percent of B2B event attendees preferring presentations that offer innovation and new ways of thinking, while 37 percent pointed to sessions led by industry leaders and experts — three of numerous findings of interest to B2B marketers contained in newly-published event survey data. Associations Now LinkedIn Will No Longer Count Inactive or Restricted Accounts in Connection and Follower Stats Microsoft-owned LinkedIn has refined its follower count methodology, implementing a new system in which accounts that have been deactivated on the professional social platform will no longer be included in follower or connection numbers, LinkedIn (client) recently announced. Social Media Today How to View B2B Customers Through a More Nuanced Lens [ANA Interview] B2B marketers can gain a richer understanding of customers than their B2C counterparts, thanks to having access to a greater variety of data, allowing a finer-grained understanding of customer bases, and the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) recently explored some of the top nuanced approaches that today's B2B marketers can benefit from. ANA [bctt tweet="“Both the challenge and the opportunity about B2B is that we can actually define these three things — retention, repeat interactions, and spend — much more broadly than in a B2C setting.” — Peter Fader @faderp" username="toprank"] Executives fear accidental sharing of corporate data with ChatGPT: Report 46 percent of senior executives have said that they suspect colleagues have unintentionally brought corporate data into ChatGPT-powered AI tools, and while 35 percent noted that ChatGPT was the most-used chatbot tool among enterprise firms, it was also the most likely to be banned by organizations, with 32 percent having forbidden its use — three of numerous statistics of interest to B2B marketers contained in newly-released survey data. Venture Beat IAB: U.S. Podcast Ad Spending To Reach $2.3B This Year A 25 percent increase in spending for podcast advertising during 2023 has been projected, reaching an estimated $2.78 billion by the end of the year, and rising to $3.9 billion by 2025 — pointing to the continuing strong return on investment (ROI) podcast advertising has seen, according to recently-published survey data. MediaPost 1 in 4 Adults Have Made A Purchase Based on an Influencer’s Recommendation 25 percent of U.S. adults have made a buying decision based on a social media influencer, with 42 percent of those in the 30-44 age demographic having done so, while 72 percent said that social influencers should be required to disclose paid partnerships, according to newly-released survey data of interest to digital marketers. MarketingCharts AI Rise: Most Firms Are Using It For Marketing Despite Inaccuracies 73 percent of marketing professionals have said that they use AI tools for the creation of marketing content, with 48 percent using the tools for creating website copy, 44 percent for email copy, and 42 percent for social media messaging — some of the numerous findings in recently-published AI tool survey data. MediaPost The US share of worldwide ad spending will decline this year but remain on an upward trend 39.4 percent of global media ad spending is expected to take place in the U.S. during 2023, reaching $263.89 billion, while also accounting for an even higher 43.8 percent of digital ad spending, share figures down about a percent from 2022 numbers, according to newly-released forecast data. Insider Intelligence More B2B Buyers Turn to Social Media, Mobile Apps to Research Suppliers In 2022 20 percent of B2B buyers reported having used social media to help choose suppliers, up from a scant 4 percent in 2019, while the use of mobile apps to research and evaluate suppliers increased from 4 percent to 18 percent during the same timeframe, according to recent research data. MarketingCharts ON THE LIGHTER SIDE: A lighthearted look at “Upselling and Customer Experience” by Marketoonist Tom Fishburne — Marketoonist Rob Smith Brings Amiga's Famous Boing Ball Off the Screen and Onto His Desk — Hackster.io TOPRANK MARKETING & CLIENTS IN THE NEWS:

• Lee Odden — How To Use BuzzSumo: 15 Things You Can Do In 30 Days — BuzzSumo
• Katelyn Drake — While creating brand content, collaborate with a diverse set of voices — YouGov America

FRIDAY FIVE B2B MARKETING FAVORITES TO FOLLOW: Dr. Scott Cowley @scottcowley Miri Rodriguez @MiriRod Scott Monty @ScottMonty Debra Jasper @DebraJasper Larry Kim @larrykim Learn more about TopRank Marketing‘s mission to help elevate the B2B marketing industry. Have you come across a 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 taking the time to join us for this edition of the Elevate B2B Marketing News, and we hope that you'll return again 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: More B2B Buyers Using Social, & Rising Numbers Turn To Influencers appeared first on B2B Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

Article Source: http://bathseoexpert.blogspot.com/2023/05/elevate-b2b-marketing-news-more-b2b.html

5 Tips to Make Your Content More Accessible & Inclusive

Creating content that is accessible and inclusive is crucial in the work of content marketing, not only for shaping the perception of your brand but also for being socially responsible. Your content should be relatable to everyone in the audience, irrespective of their background or abilities, so that they don't feel excluded or uninterested in your brand . Therefore, accessibility and inclusion should not be an afterthought but a fundamental aspect of your content creation strategy. In this article, we'll discuss some key areas to consider while crafting marketing content for your B2B brand that is both accessible and inclusive.

1) Style guide

At the core, your content team needs to understand what is meant by accessible and inclusive content and your company’s ongoing commitment to it. You can start with outlining how your business will ensure your content is accessible and inclusive — and what content goes against those standards. Your style guide should include a specific section about language and images. Many phrases and terms are rooted in our vocabulary, and we don’t think about their undertones. For example, you can specify avoiding the use of gendered jobs (“fireman”) or phrases like “falls on deaf ears.” Your style guide can also note specific ways that text can be more accessible. “CamelCase” for hashtags (capitalizing the first letter of each word) is better for screen readers. Decorative fonts in social posts are inaccessible to screen readers altogether. And, as Chelsea Castle, who heads up content at Lavender points out, you need spaces on both sides of any emojis. Additional tips while creating content that follows your style guide include always using clear and concise language: Avoid using overly complicated jargon, technical terms or slang that might be unfamiliar to some of your readers. Keep your language simple and easy to understand. https://twitter.com/ChelseaCastle/status/1624107962355548180

2) Images

Images can often feel secondary to content teams. You finish a blog post and rush to find an appropriate hero image or add some alt text. But for the reader, images are part of the first impression. If you’re using stock photography or creating illustrations that include people, make sure that you’re representing diversity: race/ethnicity, gender, age, and abilities. With the vast range of people in modern society, you’ll give off a vibe that your company isn’t paying attention — or doesn’t care — if your images lack diversity. Give alt text the attention it deserves. For anyone using a screen reader, your alt text should have an impact in the way you expect an image to enhance the content. (Plus, you give context to Google for search engine rankings.) (Image source) Write good alt text descriptions for all of your images. And you can use them as a way to enhance your brand content! Some of the best alt text is also fun and playful, in addition to describing the image.

3) Videos

We are in the Age of Video. YouTube, TikTok, Instagram Reels… videos have crept into our LinkedIn feeds and even current sales outreach techniques. And video content can be limiting for people in different ways, ranging from hearing-impaired to neurological disorders to ADHD. If video is part of your content strategy, remember to make your videos accessible to viewers. That means always including closed captions and considering additional alternative formats like audio versions, audio descriptions. You should also include a transcript for people who prefer to skip the video altogether and read the content instead. Video can be especially hard for people with sensory issues, so avoid auto-playing, loud default volumes or flashing lights.

4) Interviewees

Collaboration is an important part of content, whether you’re interviewing subject matter experts or hosting a webinar. Do your collaborators represent a diverse group of people? With our own podcast, Elevate B2B Marketing, we are on a mission, not only to Elevate the B2B marketing industry, but also to elevate the diverse voices making an impact within the space — actively seeking out voices who promote and reflect inclusion (as well as inspire us all). Representation matters, especially in industries dominated by men, white people, or both. If you only capture the “easy to find” experts in these fields, you’re not getting a range of perspectives. Even if you’re not conducting live interviews but quoting experts based on research, make sure you’re including marginalized people — and actively seeking them out. Ask any of your collaborators for their correct pronouns. Don’t assume. Use the correct pronouns in anything you write or any interviews you conduct. If your collaboration includes audio — either live or recorded — ask your collaborator for correct name pronunciation. [bctt tweet="“Collaboration is an important part of content, whether you’re interviewing subject matter experts or hosting a webinar. Do your collaborators represent a diverse group of people?” — Katelyn Drake @KB_Drake" username="toprank"]

5) Website

Many of these elements mentioned will converge on your website. And since websites often contain a lot of content, you’ll want to examine each page in both web and mobile formats.

Colors

Color — and specifically, color contrast — makes your website content more accessible to people with visual impairments or who are colorblind. They have difficulty with certain colors or color combinations, potentially making it hard for them to navigate your site. If you use a color scheme with good contrast for a wide range of people, you’ll increase the overall user experience, regardless of visual abilities. You can run your colors through a contrast checker to see if your site needs improvement.  This applies to text, images, icons, and buttons.

Fonts

Not all fonts are created equal, and some are very difficult for visually impaired people. If the font is too small, too thin, or has a low contrast with the background, it will be difficult to read. Sans serif fonts (like Arial) are better for people with dyslexia because the letters are less crowded. If you’re looking for a serif font, a mono-spaced font like Courier is easier to read. Overall, choose something simple, with good spacing, and don’t use italicized fonts.

Structure

Creating content that flows in a logical order is an important part of website accessibility. Heading twos (H2s) and heading threes (H3s) help screen readers. Breaking up blocks of text with headers also helps neurodivergent readers with information processing. You can also use bullet points to increase the readability of your posts.

Review and make changes as needed

As Rease Kirchner, senior content marketing manager at Webflow points out: “[Inclusive content] is not a badge of honor you earn with a single initiative or intention — it's an ongoing and intentional effort.” As you create your B2B brand content, think about diversity and representation. Overall, make sure your content reflects diversity and avoid stereotypes. Use inclusive language that doesn’t exclude certain groups of people based on gender, race or ability. As marketers, we’re always on the alert for changes in the world around us. Technology, culture, language, work — they’re all constantly evolving. And that means being aware of additional ways to be more accessible and inclusive in the future. If you’re looking for a creative partner to support your brand’s content needs, connect with the TopRank Marketing team. Contact us to learn more!

The post 5 Tips to Make Your Content More Accessible & Inclusive appeared first on B2B Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

Article Source: http://bathseoexpert.blogspot.com/2023/05/5-tips-to-make-your-content-more.html

Infographic: 19 Top New Frontiers For B2B Marketers in 2023

What are some of the new frontiers that B2B marketers should be focusing on in 2023? We asked some of the top B2B marketers speaking at B2B Ignite USA 2023 to share a new frontier that B2B marketers should be focusing on this year. In the following infographic, we share what they had to say, featuring 19+ key insights to help B2B marketers elevate their efforts in 2023 and beyond. Let’s jump right in with a strong array of 19+ helpful and sometimes-surprising new frontiers in B2B marketing. You can download a full-resolution PDF version of this infographic here. Ignite USA features an impressive lineup of more than 40 top B2B marketing thought leaders, including our CEO Lee Odden who will present “The New Frontier of B2B Influence: Inside Out,” during two jam-packed days of inspirational talks, interactive workshops and round-table discussions, all wrapped up in five unique content streams, plus the event’s Elevation Awards. You can learn more about the B2B Ignite USA 2023 conference on May 23 through 24 in Chicago at the event website, and be sure to also check out our additional event coverage here:

• B2B Marketing Speaker Spotlight: Paul Roetzer on AI & Uniquely Human Content for Ignite USA
• Where to Find the New Frontiers of B2B Marketing at Ignite USA
• B2B Marketing Speaker Spotlight: Melanie Deziel on Content as Evidence for Ignite USA

The post Infographic: 19 Top New Frontiers For B2B Marketers in 2023 appeared first on B2B Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

Article Source: http://bathseoexpert.blogspot.com/2023/05/infographic-19-top-new-frontiers-for.html

Elevate B2B Marketing News: Google’s New AI Search & Always-On B2B Intent Data

Intent Data Drives Lower CPCs, Higher CTRs, Stronger Performance In PPC Campaigns B2B marketers have said that they can typically achieve 2.5-times greater pay-per-click (PPC) campaign efficiency when they use intent-based audience targeting, with a cost-per-click (CPC) coming in some 59.6 percent lower than not using audience intent targeting — two of several findings of interest to B2B marketers contained in newly-published report data. MediaPost The new Google Search Generative Experience: Here’s what it looks like Search giant Google has begun rolling out a limited preview of its latest generative AI-based search technology, featuring its new Search Generative Experience (SGE) which will place AI-generated search answers — including citations to the primary websites used to provide them — above traditional search engine result pages (SERPs), Google parent company Alphabet recently announced. Search Engine Land [bctt tweet="“The gap between SEO as a performance channel and SEO as a brand channel was already closing, and with all these new changes from Google, we’ll see that gap start to diminish at an even more rapid pace.” — Krista Doyle @KristaDoyle" username="toprank"] 4 Points About Marketing-Sales Alignment When it comes to improving the joint relationship between marketing and sales, 53 percent of marketing leaders have said that they plan to focus on integrating data throughout their customer journeys, while some 42 percent will optimize the touch-points along those journeys, with 35 percent planning to integrate technology between marketing and sales and service, according to newly-released survey data. MarketingCharts IBM unveils new watsonx, AI and data platform Integrating AI into business operations has become the aim of IBM’s newest incarnation of its storied Watson namesake platform, as the firm launched watsonx, which will enable companies to train and deploy AI models along with natural language code generation and more, IBM recently announced. Reuters LinkedIn Shares Key Milestones of its 20 Year History [Infographic] Microsoft-owned LinkedIn recently celebrated its twentieth anniversary, and from its initial launch in 2003 through to topping 900M members in 2023, a new infographic from LinkedIn (client) takes a look at the professional social platform’s top milestones over the years. Social Media Today Google Helpful Content System To Find Hidden Gems In Blogs & Forums In Future Update A forthcoming Google search ranking update has a primary aim of showcasing helpful online information that may have been hitherto difficult to find, with the inclusion of search results featuring more message forum comments and data from articles with unique topical expertise, Google recently announced. Search Engine Roundtable New Report Highlights the Best Times to Post to Social Platforms in 2023 When it comes to the best times to post company page content on the LinkedIn platform, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10:00 a.m. to noon came out on top in newly-published Sprout Social survey data — which also covers Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest, Sprout Social recently announced. Social Media Today Generative AI Causes Consumer Search Patterns To Change, Study Shows Marketers have seen a 41 percent increase in searches coming from Microsoft’s Bing, and some 38 percent fewer coming from Google, while 75 percent said that generative artificial intelligence (GAI) will result in greater personalization, with 74 percent noting that it will allow marketers to get a better understanding of customer needs — four of numerous findings of interest to B2B marketers contained in newly-published survey data. MediaPost The State of Search 2023 [Infographic] One in five Google searches resulted in a click on the first search result during 2022, while the number of commercial keywords by search intent increased to 12.6 percent from 2021's 10.6 percent, with transactional keyword searches climbing from 19.3 percent in 2021 to 22.4 percent during 2022, according to recently-released Semrush data. Social Media Today Scott Brinker unveils 2023 martech landscape The marketing technology product landscape has seen growth of over 7,000 percent since 2011, with the number of products currently available tallying over 11,000, according to the newly-published 12th annual marketing technology landscape report. MarTech ON THE LIGHTER SIDE: A lighthearted look at “Digital Upskilling” by Marketoonist Tom Fishburne — Marketoonist Mycologist Answers Mushroom Questions From Twitter — Wired TOPRANK MARKETING & CLIENTS IN THE NEWS:

• TopRank Marketing / Cherwell — How to Crush Audience Engagement in 2023 — Marketing Insider Group
• Lee Odden — Marketing Leaders Reflect on 20 Years of LinkedIn — LinkedIn (client)
• Lee Odden — Must-Read Marketing Books of the Past 20 Years — LinkedIn (client)

FRIDAY FIVE B2B MARKETING FAVORITES TO FOLLOW: Michele Linn @michelelinn Carlos Hidalgo @cahidalgo Doug Kessler @dougkessler AJ Wilcox @wilcoxaj Sydni Craig-Hart @SydniCraigHart Learn more about TopRank Marketing‘s mission to help elevate the B2B marketing industry. Have you come across a 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 taking the time to join us for this edition of the Elevate B2B Marketing News, and please return again 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: Google’s New AI Search & Always-On B2B Intent Data appeared first on B2B Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

Article Source: http://bathseoexpert.blogspot.com/2023/05/elevate-b2b-marketing-news-googles-new.html

TopRank Marketing’s 22+ Years of Helping B2B Brands Drive Success

22 years in Internet terms is akin to centuries in analog terms, yet that’s how long our team at TopRank Marketing has been driving digital marketing success for some of the world’s leading B2B brands. Through our award-winning blog — launched in 2003 — our agency website, which began in 2001, and our other brand channels, we’ve helped inform and inspire generations of B2B brand professionals. We've been here since the digital dawn of B2B influencer marketing, led by our uniquely capable CEO and co-founder Lee Odden, helping to define B2B influence as a strategic discipline and to develop a network of B2B technology subject matter experts, all while creating some seriously inspiring content along the way. From Adobe and LinkedIn to 3M, SAP, Oracle, Dell Technologies and a virtual who’s who of other Fortune 500 companies, we’ve helped elevate B2B marketing using the power of influence  alongside award-winning content and influencer marketing, search engine optimization, and social media solutions. As we forge ahead to marking a quarter century of trust, innovation and excellence in 2026, we wanted to take a brief look at some of the highlights from our extensive digital marketing legacy. As Winston Churchill famously said, “The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see,” — a sentiment echoed decades later by the late Dr. Carl Sagan who was keen to observe that, “You have to know the past to understand the present.” [bctt tweet="“The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.” — Winston Churchill" username="toprank"] Let’s jump right in and explore some of the history that has made TopRank Marketing one of the world’s most trusted names in B2B marketing.

1 — 22+ Years of Bringing B2B Brand Trust to Life

For 22 years our website has brought to life the many stories, innovations and successes that we have helped our clients large and small achieve. Our client LinkedIn launched all the way back in 2003, and in the years since has grown to become the world’s top professional social media network with more than 930 million members, as Tequia Burt, editor-in-chief at the LinkedIn Collective and LinkedIn Ads Blog recently commemorated in “How LinkedIn Has Evolved as a B2B Marketing Tool in Two Decades.” Who was there before LinkedIn launched? You guessed it — as TopRank Marketing pre-dated it by some two years, which goes to show just how much of a history we have when it comes to building trust and delivering innovation in B2B marketing. How has the B2B marketing landscape changed over the past 20 years? Lee — along with a stellar selection of other B2B marketing industry leaders — recently shared thoughts as LinkedIn reflected on its first 20 years, in “Marketing Leaders Reflect on 20 Years of LinkedIn.” “Overwhelming choices, information overload and continued trust issues will make relevance and trust even more important for B2B brands in the future,” Lee cautioned. “B2B marketers that engage their communities on LinkedIn will build the relationships necessary to stay top of mind in a meaningful way and be the most relevant and trusted when buyers are in-market to buy,” Lee also observed. [bctt tweet="“B2B marketers that engage their communities on LinkedIn will build the relationships necessary to stay top of mind in a meaningful way and be the most relevant and trusted when buyers are in-market to buy.” — Lee Odden @LeeOdden" username="toprank"] Lee’s observations serve as a microcosm of not only how LinkedIn has changed over the past 20 years, but the B2B marketing industry as a whole, as we’ve ceaselessly and carefully explored on our own website and blog for more than two decades.

2 — 20+ Years of Award-Winning B2B Marketing Blog Coverage

We’re celebrating the twentieth anniversary of our award-winning TopRank Marketing blog this year, and with more than 4,600 thoughtfully crafted articles covering the broad world of B2B marketing, it’s a good time to step back and reflect on a robust digital marketing history that is hard to match. Over our blog’s two decades dozens of top B2B marketing professionals have contributed to ongoing efforts to document the latest industry trends and innovate with original and data-backed writing. Penning the first blog post back in 2003 all the way through to recent articles, Lee has published more than 2,100 insightful takes on the B2B marketing industry — a milestone of consistency that few can match, with no signs of slowing down as we grow, elevate, and reach new heights. 2003 was a foundational year for blogging, yet it’s the rare blog that has continuously published straight through to 2023, such as Barry Schwartz’ Search Engine Roundtable and Search Engine Journal founded by Loren Baker. I recently published my 500th post at TopRank Marketing, and by the time I joined the team here in 2018, I’d had a long career in online communications including more than 1,000 blog posts as lead editor at Brett Tabke’s Pubcon, WebmasterWorld, and Search Engine World, and before that countless articles published in the pre-Web computer bulletin board days during which I got my start in 1984. [bctt tweet="“We’re celebrating the twentieth anniversary of our award-winning TopRank Marketing blog this year, with more than 4,600 thoughtfully crafted articles covering the broad world of B2B marketing.” — Lane R. Ellis @lanerellis" username="toprank"]

3 — 2+ Decades of Amplifying Voices & Celebrating B2B Marketers

People undoubtedly make the B2B marketing magic happen at TopRank Marketing, and for over 22 years, our team of extraordinary professionals have consistently delivered exceptional content for top B2B technology and enterprise brands. Some have been here since day one, some are new to the TopRank Marketing adventure, and others have gone on to found successful start-ups and to lead as top corporate executives at some of the world’s top technology companies. TopRank Marketing has been the new home to ex-Google professionals, and played a role in developing the careers of a varied array of talented people from interns to executives. Throughout the year we regularly make a point of taking the time to honor and congratulate B2B marketing leaders who are making a difference and who have seen career advancement, in our Marketers on the Move series. We've also been honored to publish a variety of lists throughout the year honoring top women in marketing — a tradition we've had each since since 2010 — along with regular selections of top B2B marketing industry influencers to follow and learn from. Our Elevate B2B Marketing Podcast is another way we seek to inspire and celebrate top B2B marketers, featuring industry innovators such as recent episodes with author and speaker Pam Didner, Ty Heath, director of market engagement at The B2B Institute at LinkedIn, and Ann Handley, chief content officer at MarketingProfs. Across all our brand channels, we're committed to sharing content that is optimistic, ambitious, and authentic — with unique takes on the B2B marketing industry that strive to be equal parts informative and inspiring. The amazing community of people who have made our growth, longevity and the success of our clients possible combine to form the B2B marketing engine that has powered TopRank Marketing since 2001. [bctt tweet="“The amazing community of people who have made our growth, longevity and the success of our clients possible combine to form the B2B marketing engine that has powered TopRank Marketing since 2001.” — Lane R. Ellis @lanerellis" username="toprank"]

Onward & Upward To Newfound B2B Successes

via GIPHY Thank you for being there with us for this brief look back, and for sticking with us over the past 22 years. With such a robust digital marketing history, it’s not the past that excites us the most, but the vast opportunities the future holds in store for us all — one that has a strong foundation in place to elevate our efforts with top B2B brands during our next decades of success. We’re excited about the future of influence in B2B marketing, and how uniquely human elements are becoming key differentiators in the face of purely AI-driven marketing efforts. We see B2B marketers who use AI for increased efficiency and not to replace smart content created by real people as playing an increasingly important role in the years and decades ahead. We have exciting new initiatives on tap that we’re looking forward to unveiling in the coming weeks — plans that expand on and honor the 22-year history of B2B marketing client success we’ve looked at here. Stay tuned, and in the meantime you can keep up with our latest by following TopRank Marketing on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and other platforms. More than ever before, creating award-winning B2B marketing that elevates, gives voice to talent, and humanizes with authenticity takes considerable time and effort, which is why more brands are choosing to work with a top digital marketing agency such as TopRank Marketing. Reach out to learn how we can help, as we’ve done for over 20 years for businesses ranging from LinkedIn, Dell and 3M to Adobe, Oracle, monday.com and many others.

The post TopRank Marketing’s 22+ Years of Helping B2B Brands Drive Success appeared first on B2B Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

Article Source: http://bathseoexpert.blogspot.com/2023/05/toprank-marketings-22-years-of-helping.html

3 Ways B2B Content Marketing Elevates Lasting Customer Loyalty

If you’re reading this blog I’m probably telling you something you already know, but: everyone in B2B marketing is using content marketing. Well, specifically, 91% of all B2B marketers are. Then there are the other staggering statistics:

• Marketers spend over 25% of their budgets on content marketing
• 80% of marketers believe custom content should be central to marketing work
• 78% of CMOs see custom content as “the future of marketing”

So, what’s the deal with content? Why are all us nerds so chuffed to hammer out our little blogs and play podcaster? Well, I could cite a bunch more statistics...

• Content marketing costs 62% less than traditional marketing
• Per dollar spent, content marketing generates approximately three times as many leads as traditional marketing
• 70% of people would rather learn about a company through articles than an advertisement

…but all that counts for B2C content just as much as B2B. So what is it about B2B marketing, specifically, that makes content such a good fit? To unpack this question, I want to focus on just a few more stats (these are the last ones in the intro, I promise):

• 82% of consumers feel more positive about a company after reading custom content
• 70% of consumer feel closer to a company as a result of content marketing
• 78% of consumers perceive a relationship between themselves and a company using custom content

I think these relationships are really at the heart of what makes content so impactful for B2B. Great B2B content forms and strengthens lasting bonds between B2B providers and their clients far more effectively than any other form of marketing, leading to, well, the beginning of a beautiful friendship, and a lasting business relationship. But don’t just take my word for it — I’m one of the nerds who does it for a living. Instead, here’s a data-backed breakdown of a few major ways content marketing creates lasting customer loyalty in B2B customers, and how understanding them can make your content better. [bctt tweet="“Great B2B content forms and strengthens lasting bonds between B2B providers and their clients far more effectively than any other form of marketing.” — Harry Mackin @ShiitakeHarry" username="toprank"]

1. Your content makes you the first brand your clients think of

According to a survey of 1,208 B2B buyers, Bain & Co. found that 80 to 90% of B2B buyers have a full set of vendors in mind for any given purchase before they do any research. Even more startling, 90% of these buyers will ultimately choose a vendor from this initial list. The reason why this happens has to do with a concept called mental availability. The Ehrenberg-Bass B2B institute characterized mental availability as one of the major ways B2B brands grow in their large-scale study on “The Five Principles of Growth in B2B Marketing.” A brand’s mental availability is, in basic terms, how quickly it comes to mind for buyers in its category. Brands like Coca-cola have a lot of mental availability, for example. Mental availability operates according to a psychological phenomenon called “the availability heuristic.” The availability heuristic is a psychological bias toward information that is easily recalled. The thought process goes, “if I remember it, it must be important — or, at least, more important than whatever I can’t recall.” The way this translates in marketing, as the Ehrenberg-Bass institute puts it, is “given a choice between several options, people tend to prefer the one that comes to mind most easily.” Simply put: the more your B2B brand’s clients associate your brand with their buying category, the more likely they are to purchase from you. With high enough mental availability, you could become the “coke” of your category. And nothing says loyalty like “we don’t even think of anyone else.” [bctt tweet="“The more your B2B brand’s clients associate your brand with their buying category, the more likely they are to purchase from you.” — Harry Mackin @ShiitakeHarry" username="toprank"]

2. Your customers want to form an emotional connection with you, and your content makes that happen

Merkle’s 2021 Loyalty Barometer report found that 81% of consumers “want a relationship with a brand.” This seems intuitive to B2B marketing: after all, B2B clients tend to have more complex, technical needs than their B2C counterparts. More than eight out of ten (84%) of B2B buyers say they’re much more likely to choose vendors who prove they clearly understand the buyer’s needs and objectives. What is less intuitive, however, is that the relationship you should be building with your B2B clients isn’t “all business” after all. In fact, in many ways, emotions play an even greater role in B2B marketing than they do in B2C. And these relationships are precisely why. A landmark study of the role of emotion in B2B buying was conducted by Google, Gartner and Motista back in 2013. This survey found that B2B buyers are actually more emotionally connected to the brands they purchase from than B2C buyers, not less. Ultimately, though, even this isn’t so surprising: B2B customers tend to create long lasting, mutually beneficial relationships with their vendors. It only makes sense that they’d want to view their relationships with these vendors as something more akin to a partnership than a transaction. That’s exactly what great content can help B2B brands achieve. Every piece of content a B2B company generates is an opportunity to show its clients that they understand them, feel their pain, and know how to offer support. By providing relevant and heartfelt advice through content, brands show their clients they can empathize and help with challenges and opportunities their vendors confront like a true partner. Strengthening emotional bonds like this is by far the most effective way to cultivate customer loyalty that lasts. [bctt tweet="“Every piece of content a B2B company generates is an opportunity to show its clients that they understand them, feel their pain, and know how to offer support.” — Harry Mackin @ShiitakeHarry" username="toprank"]

3. Content provides your customers with educational experiences and opportunities they’re craving

For their article on “What Do Your B2B Customers Really Want?” the Harvard Business Review conducted a survey in which they asked 2,128 office workers several questions about what they prefer from their B2B service providers. One of the answers survey respondents provided, in particular, can tell us a lot about why content marketing works so well for B2B: Do you prefer a service provider who…  A: Solves a problem for you, or B: Teaches you how to solve the problem independently, without needing to contact the service provider Sixty-one percent of customers preferred being taught how to solve the problem independently, without needing to contact the service provider. In other words, service providers want to learn how to solve a problem, even more than they want to solve the problem that sent them looking in the first place. B2B content’s utility extends beyond the educational service, too: in their section on “putting these insights to use” following the survey, the Review recommends “focusing on ways to making your client better at their job, paving the way for the development of an authentic relationship,” and “instead of simply solving a client’s problem, look to share insights that fuel their experience of mastery.” Creating high-quality B2B content is one of the best ways you can do both of these things. Writing insightful, useful content about subject matter your audience is interested in provides that audience with a real value they can take back to their own jobs. They won’t just appreciate the insight itself, either; as the Review’s survey shows, they’ll also feel more connected to the brand that provided it to them. We here at TopRank Marketing have been beating this drum longer than most: content marketing is an absolutely essential way to raise your B2B brand’s profile and win customer loyalty. If you want to see how well content marketing can create customer loyalty for yourself, we’d love to help, so get in touch anytime.

The post 3 Ways B2B Content Marketing Elevates Lasting Customer Loyalty appeared first on B2B Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

Article Source: http://bathseoexpert.blogspot.com/2023/05/3-ways-b2b-content-marketing-elevates.html

Elevate B2B Marketing News: LinkedIn Tops 930M Users & Lines Blur Between B2B & B2C

More pressure on B2B marketers to prove ROI 41 percent of U.S. and U.K. B2B marketers have said that they have faced increased pressure to prove return on investment (ROI), with some 86 percent also having said that intent data turns marketing qualified leads (MQL) into sales accepted leads (SAL) — two of several findings of interest to B2B marketers contained in newly-published survey data. MarTech Microsoft barrels ahead with AI plans, opens up Bing Chat preview to everyone Microsoft has done away with a waiting list previously in place for those wishing to use the firm's newest ChatGPT-generative-AI-powered incarnation of Bing, bringing its flagship AI search experience to its widest audience to date, Microsoft recently announced. Ars Technica Here’s How B2B Salespeople Define Buyer-Centrism 65 percent of B2B sales leaders have said that buyer-centric selling needs to include well-researched and carefully-prepared questions, while 58 percent said that they see industry expertise and experience as necessary when it comes to successful buyer-centric selling, according to newly-released survey data. MarketingCharts How B2B Firms Can Win With Younger Buyers [Podcast] 64 percent of 2023's B2B buyers were born after 1980, and members of this demographic take a different approach to buying processes than those used by other demographic groups, and Forrester recently took a look at the implications these differences have had on B2B marketing efforts. Forrester B2B Marketers Face Increasing Pressure to Prove Their Worth 62 percent of B2B marketers have said that content marketing efforts have produced leads with the highest ROI — a metric especially important in 2023 as demonstrating ROI and budgetary constraints were seen as the top marketing challenges, according to newly-published Association of National Advertisers survey data. ANA [bctt tweet="“The only thing that outright proves ROI are attributable sales. Revenue. Likes, shares, and followers are interesting but meaningless if they do not drive new business.” — Darryl Praill @ohpinion8ted" username="toprank"] LinkedIn’s Now Up to 930 Million Members, Continues to See Strong Engagement Microsoft-owned LinkedIn (client) had a 15 percent rise in user sessions during the most recent quarter, with member numbers of the professional social media platform having reached 930 million, with the largest member increases having taken place in India, the U.S., and Brazil, according to data from Microsoft's most recent financial earnings statement. Social Media Today Google AI pioneer says he quit to speak freely about technology's 'dangers' Artificial intelligence (AI) trailblazer Geoffrey Hinton recently parted ways with search giant Google, and has warned of a world where truth is elusive due to the unchecked proliferation of generative AI technologies such as those used in Google's Bard and forthcoming Magi project. Reuters Less and Less Daylight Between B2C Marketing and B2B Marketing? [Podcast] When it comes to the traditional chasm between the fundamentals of B2B and B2C marketing, the distance between the two has significantly closed in recent years, causing enterprise firms to overhaul marketing strategy, and the ANA recently took a look at how Prudential Financial has handled the blurring lines between B2B and B2C. ANA How Brands and Influencers Can Make the Most of the Relationship Influencers have benefited when they have taken a strategic approach to the brand partnerships they form — especially for those with smaller social media followings who often have more closely-knit ties to their connections, and the Harvard Business Review has examined data from a recently-released influencer brand partnership study. Harvard Business Review Google Launches Blue Checkmarks for Verified Brands in Gmail Search giant Google has begun rolling out an update to its popular Gmail service allowing brands that have implemented its Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI) system to have blue verification check-marks within Gmail, Google recently announced. Social Media Today 5 Points About Digital Ad Spending in 2022 Search advertising was the leading digital ad format during 2022, accounting for 40.2 percent of overall revenue, while the most rapidly-growing formats were digital audio and video, with 20.9 percent year-over-year growth for audio and 19.3 percent for audio — three of numerous statistics of interest to B2B marketers contained in newly-published survey data. MarketingCharts ON THE LIGHTER SIDE: A lighthearted look at “Social Listening and Consumer Insights” by Marketoonist Tom Fishburne — Marketoonist Ostrich-Inspired Robot Gives Its Neck a Stretch — IEEE Spectrum TOPRANK MARKETING & CLIENTS IN THE NEWS:

• Lee Odden — Marketing Leaders Reflect on 20 Years of LinkedIn — LinkedIn (client)
• Lee Odden — Must-Read Marketing Books of the Past 20 Years — LinkedIn (client)

FRIDAY FIVE B2B MARKETING FAVORITES TO FOLLOW: Linda Grasso @LindaGrass0 Dr Sarah-Jayne Gratton @grattongirl Jessie Medina @jessiemedinaoff Tamara McCleary @TamaraMcCleary Charlene Li @charleneli 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 joining us for this edition of the Elevate B2B Marketing News, and we hope that you'll return again next Friday for another selection 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: LinkedIn Tops 930M Users & Lines Blur Between B2B & B2C appeared first on B2B Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

Article Source: http://bathseoexpert.blogspot.com/2023/05/elevate-b2b-marketing-news-linkedin.html