B2B bookmarks: 3 websites that are keepers
B2Btimesuck.com B2Brabbithole.com B2Bpurgatory.com Those URLs describe the vast majority of websites targeted to B2B marketers. They draw you in with the promise of valuable insights for your specific needs. Then, they abandon you among thinly disguised ads, broken links and content that hasn’t been refreshed in over a decade. As a public service to our B2B community, Boomm would like to share some of our favorite B2B marketing sites; ones that have actual value. All these sites post fresh content regularly on topics that B2B marketers are confronting daily. When they do mix in ads for services, they’re generally for webinars or training that is both legitimate and enlightening. Here are 3 B2B marketing sites that
The Artie problem
His coworkers hated Artie, and for good reason. At first, everyone in the agency loved him because Artie seemed totally selfless. He only wanted to help get things done, and he was always hanging around, just in case. But over time, some disturbing traits started to surface: When Shelia the account manager would pause while expressing a thought, Artie would finish her sentences If Justin the strategist mentioned a challenge, Artie would offer vague suggestions that never reflected the nuances of the situation When Akira the art director was designing a web page, Artie always offered alternative options If Michelle the writer was crafting a white paper, Artie stubbornly tried to correct
The age of brilliant stupidity
B2B marketing is more sophisticated, nuanced and global than ever. Campaigns can accurately pinpoint age groups, locations, industries, titles, behaviors and even specific companies. Messaging can be tested, modified and optimized with remarkable dexterity. New platforms are emerging constantly and B2B marketers are finding innovative ways to leverage them. And the potential for using AI seems unlimited. No doubt about it, this is the Golden Age of B2B marketing: a time of brilliant, predictable prosperity. Then, the results come in. Sales are down, engagement is weak, the C-Suite is angry and the customer base isn’t growing. It all seems inexplicable. Perhaps the hard reality is that we’re in the age of Brilliant Stupidity. Our
Three tips for great content calendars
Late every year, B2B marketers face the dreaded content crunch. They sequester themselves in a conference room and try to chisel out their content marketing program for the upcoming year. The content crunch usually starts with the following steps: Report on the previous year’s performance, citing which topics generated the most engagement and should be prioritized in the upcoming year Set strategic goals for the overall content program across social media posts, blog articles, white papers, videos and all other forms of content Establish a budget for assets and content development So far everything makes sense. But now comes a crucial and challenging step: creating the content calendar. Actionable content calendars are the single most important
The Social Sandbox: Good news, bad news
Editor’s note: This the latest article in an occasional series covering the turbulent world of social media for businesses. We’re calling this series The Social Sandbox. This time we dig into the shifting perceptions of X and LinkedIn. There are some bullies in the social sandbox. These brats will ruin the day for the rest of us if they have their way. Fortunately, there are also some new faces coming in and some positive developments for everyone. How can we balance the positive and the negative? With an article that shares the bad news along with the good news. Let’s start on the dark side. The bad news: Time to axe X? Remember Twitter? At
Your brand channel
Have you ever watched YES? (We see you nodding, 368,000 Yankees fans.) How about the Magnolia Network? (We see you too, 170,000 Chip and Joanna Gaines fans.) Anyone binging on NFL Network? (Wow, you’re over 50 million strong, football fans.) Those networks are, at their essence, brand channels. Each one offers content targeted to a specific audience that’s all in on the brand or lifestyle they reflect. How many people are tuned into your B2B brand channel right now? Believe it or not, you have one. More importantly, you have a large audience of potential fans. You simply need to give the people what they want when it comes to content. For a little more clarity,
The AI to-do list
What will AI ultimately mean to humankind? According to business leaders, social influencers, legendary intellects and emerging thinkers, AI will: Put an end to work Change the world more than anything else in history Amplify human intelligence Reinvent the way people interact with technology Lead to the end of the world Challenge our ethics Optimize production Exploit workers Increase bias and discrimination Allow us all to be more creative Affect billions of people’s privacy Make mistakes Be the best or worst thing for humanity Those wildly disparate beliefs come from sources as varied as Stephen Hawking, Jeff Bezos, Steve Jobs, Kathy Pham, Elon Musk and Alan Turing. We won’t use this space
Six tips from expert editors
“Words are a lens to focus one’s mind.” - Ayn Rand “Editing is a lens to focus one’s words.” - Boomm If you have an editor on staff, please send them a thank you email. Their job is to make your writing more focused, accurate and effective. If you don’t have an editor on staff, this article is for you. That’s especially true if you must do your own editing. Let’s start with the most important insight: Editing is a mindset as well as a skillset. To ensure you’re in the right frame of mind to sharpen B2B content, here are six smart tips from expert editors. “Be bold” As an editor, your role
The Social Sandbox: Is it postworthy?
Editor’s note: This the latest article in an occasional series covering the turbulent world of social media for businesses. We’re calling this series The Social Sandbox. This time we dig into the challenge of uncovering fresh topics. How do you judge the value of a B2B social media topic? The obvious answer is to review post performance. That’s why there are metrics for almost every aspect of social media. You can track impressions, likes, shares, click throughs, web traffic, response time, audience growth rates, share of voice, sentiment analyses and virality rates. Those measurements will provide valuable insights and guidance after your post has been published. You can leverage them to help inform your engagement
5 journalism best practices for your content marketing
Journalism and content marketing are not identical twins, but they’re in the same family photo. Both are intended to tell an illuminating story using relevant facts and expert analysis. When they do so, journalism and content marketing serve to enlighten their readers, which frequently leads them to more informed opinions and better decisions. Given those similarities, content marketers can take a page from the journalist’s notebook to improve the focus and effectiveness of their work. The following are five foundational best practices of journalism that will take your content development from inception through the finished article. Create an outline A well-constructed outline leads to a good article. The outline does not need