Strategy

69% of B2B Marketers are increasing content marketing budgets or holding steady from their budgets last year. Meaning, the content marketing space is noisy and full of marketers trying to gain attention/get their message across. Add on the shift to work from home and increase in digital services and online ordering and marketers have a unique opportunity to intercept more prospects than ever before.   It’s important to have a clear plan to ensure you capitalize on your content marketing efforts. Before we dive into how to maximize reach for […]

Virtual events are not a new concept. Prior to the pandemic, you might have attended the occasional webinar or virtual training session. However, since COVID-19 first made its way into the United States, we have seen a significant increase in all things digital—and events are no exception. Northstar Meetings Group surveyed 805 event planners and found that they are seeing an increase in demand for virtual events for the next 12-18 months. Event planners aren’t the only ones taking notice of the new trend—the technology sector is cashing in. In […]

Even before the stay-at-home order was in place, I was an avid listener of podcasts. I subscribed to a few and frequently explored new podcasts as they became available. Podcasts were my go-to source, fulfilling my quest to learn more even when I didn’t have time to sit down, read books, or jump on the internet. They fit in when and where I need them, whether during my morning walk, while I’m cleaning the house, or when I’m in the car.   I have learned how to be better at […]

Did you know most of your data in Google Analytics may lie to you unless you know exactly how to interpret it correctly? Many times, a simple tagging error in Google Tag Manager or installing the Analytics code snippet in the wrong spot is the cause of inaccurate reporting data in your company dashboard.   As some of us continue to work from home during Coronavirus, getting your data right before things turn busy again is a must do as companies continue to use this time to improve operations and […]

For the past few months, the marketing landscape has been overrun by the Coronavirus pandemic. Businesses have spent countless hours making changes to their marketing strategy and formulating the correct messaging for their audience, to sound sincere but not trite. Just when we think we have settled into the new normal, we face a new obstacle: recession. The coronavirus has dissolved the longest economic expansion in U.S. history (CNBC) and companies are once again faced with how to survive. While this is the first recession to ever begin in the […]

Good news for email marketers: according to a 2019 Twilio study, email and SMS are customers’ preferred methods of communication. The survey, which covered about 2,500 global buyers, showed that 83% of consumers preferred emails over other communication channels (although texts were more popular for urgent messages like delivery notifications or appointment reminders).   While the study is definitely favorable for email as a channel, it uncovers quite a few warning signs that can help guide email marketers through shifting strategies during a crisis—like the one we’re currently experiencing with […]

There’s truly no need for us to restate the details of the current coronavirus conditions we find ourselves in. With many businesses feeling like they’re in a tailspin, it’s more important now than ever to take a calm, calculated look at your marketing, advertising and overall communication efforts. And while every business is different and the level to which they’ve been impacted by the pandemic varies, we’ve put together a list of universal considerations and thought starters to focus on as we all try to navigate these uncertain waters.     #1 Don’t Lose Sight  While […]

In the last few weeks, companies everywhere have had to make important decisions on how to adapt their marketing strategies to the rapidly changing circumstances surrounding COVID-19. Email, in particular, has been heavily relied on to communicate a lot of information with customers and clients. It’s important to note that in many situations, not sending at all is better than coming across as insensitive or tone deaf during a global health pandemic. However, in the event you have important information you must relay to your clients during this time, here […]

Writing this from my home in Prairie Village (Kansas) rather than the emfluence office in the Crossroads (Kansas City, Missouri), I can only muse that the old saying “the only constant in life is change” seems like a huge understatement. COVID-19 has certainly upended all of our lives, especially those in the service, healthcare, & hospitality industries. I’m left to reflect on how this crisis is affecting the Paid Media landscape, not because it’s the most important aspect of our lives, but because sometimes it’s good to focus on what […]

Is the role of the CMO over? In Fall 2019, Forrester predicted that CMOs must broaden their view of their role or see their responsibilities divided to newly created positions, such as VP of Marketing Technology. Global corporations, including Johnson & Johnson, Uber and Coca Cola, are revisiting the role of the CMO, and in some cases eliminating it altogether.   Forrester is not saying marketing is less critical to success. Rather, org structures are redefining roles to adapt to evolving marketing technology, consumer sentiment, employee expectations, talent acquisition, automation, […]

Customer journey mapping can help to identify strengths and weaknesses with your sales, marketing, and customer support tactics so that you can improve the experience your customers have with your brand from the first interaction all the way through to the post-purchase journey.   The benefits of customer journey mapping are clear. However, the path to creating a customer journey map can be more onerous. Where do you start? Who do you involve? What does the final product need to look like?   There are various ways to create customer […]

How much do you need for marketing next year? Depends. How many customers do you want?   Budgets. Such an ugly word. So… constricting. There are multiple approaches to budget-building, but most are variations of either the top-down or bottom-up approach. As you begin your 2020 marketing plans, let’s talk about the differences, benefits, and downfalls of the two most common ways to budget for your marketing expenses.   When Should We Start at the Top? The Top-Down Marketing Budget. In a top-down marketing budgeting model, an executive team reviews […]

Looking for ways to make your account-based marketing program a bit easier on your sales team? Look no further than your marketing automation platform.   Account-based marketing programs take personalization to the next level. From individualized follow-ups from your sales team to highly personal marketing touchpoints that speak to each recipient’s specific needs, the most successful account-based marketing campaigns focus on making each touch feel like your recipient is the only person in the campaign.   These programs typically start with a high-value, flashy physical item that incorporates a variable […]

So you’ve gotten your five HIPAA rules under control and your marketing budget is at least 10% of your company’s overall budget. Now you are ready to embark into the healthcare digital marketing world, but don’t know which digital strategy to implement.   Let’s look at the five ways you can uplevel your digital marketing strategy for healthcare to help you generate more traffic and stay competitive in the healthcare industry. Have an Easy-to-Navigate Website While Staying Mobile Conscience Although many people still use desktops, the majority of consumers access […]

As marketers, one of the biggest challenges we face is proving the ROI of our marketing initiatives. Marketing has evolved. More and more, marketing should be viewed as an investment in business growth rather than an expense that is a “cost of doing business.” The data we can collect from our marketing efforts, both online and offline, can help us to provide more and more insight into the ROI of our marketing initiatives.   How do we make that transition from marketing as an expense to marketing as an investment […]

It’s not uncommon for me to hear marketers ask the question: how do I start building a marketing plan—and how do I know if the dollars I’m asking for are the right amount?   A better marketing plan starts with understanding your marketing metrics. By learning what’s working now, you can start to plan for campaign spending in the future. But first, you need to learn: How to efficiently use your marketing spend How to maximize your budget across multiple marketing channels and business segments How to ensure stakeholders feel […]