Here are the stories that grabbed our attention this week. We hope you find some inspiration before you head out to enjoy the weekend.
- 4 Reasons the Demand Unit Waterfall Is Perfect for ABM: We’ve run a few blog posts of our own about SiriusDecisions’ new waterfall, but it bears repeating. Here at Content4Demand, we’re big proponents of the Sirius framework. We’re always thrilled to help clients who know they want to emulate Sirius models but find the path overwhelming. We’re good at making the Sirius approach easy for most B2B organizations. And of course, that’s doubly true for organizations pursuing account-based marketing strategies. We’re in complete agreement with columnist Peter Isaacson’s assertion here that there are plenty of reasons the two concepts go together like hot dogs and baseball. So if you’re dipping your toe in the ABM waters, consider this the ABM waterfall that leads to success.
- How to Transform Your Marketing Budget from Expense to Investment: I hate to sound like a broken record, so I love it when someone else makes one of my favorite points. This is one of those times. Author Adam Wagner gets rolling by stressing the importance of building a framework that’s prepared to welcome customers into the fold once you’ve wowed them with your marketing message. We work too hard and spend too much money on marketing and advertising just to lose them with an underwhelming web experience. Then he gets to the meat: Focus on the bottom of the sales funnel first. Once you’re solid there, you can graduate to paid advertising and be in a much better position to realize a positive ROI. At the end of the day, treating marketing as an expense is a cop-out. What’s the point in marketing if you’re losing money on it? Treat it like the investment it is, and expect it to deliver.
- How to Stop Making Content That Wastes People’s Time: “Life is too short for bad content,” says Josh Ritchie in this post that nails what many content marketers are getting wrong: They’re failing to connect with human beings. Successful marketing is always about relationship-building. I cringe, for example, every time I hear someone say they want to make a “viral video.” I’m willing to bet that exactly zero viral videos started with the goal of creating a viral video. Videos go viral when they connect with viewers on a personal level. Infographics get viewed and shared, and e-books get downloaded when readers get something they want or need. People are willing to part with only moments of their precious time to determine whether you’ll earn more of it. Respect them and their time by creating content that answers a problem they face, shares information they’re after or creates an experience they want to have. Don’t. Waste. Their. Time.
- 2017 Mid-Year Content Marketing Checkup: A colleague mentioned last week that she feels like we’re finally settling into the new year, and I couldn’t agree more. How unsettling that more than half the year has slipped by already. So it’s a smart time to take a breath and look back on what you’ve accomplished and where you’d like to land when December arrives – which is likely to feel like a couple of weeks from now. And if you’re going to take stock, there’s no better guide than Joe Pulizzi. He gets right to the nitty gritty with this post, tossing powerful thought grenades and wrapping up before you know what hit you. And if you pay attention, there’s plenty left to chew on when he’s done. Should you kill your newsletter? Axe an initiative? Cozy up with your sales team or launch a podcast? There’s no time to waste…
…And if time is your biggest challenge, consider whether outsourcing select projects or an entire initiative might be a wise investment. Read our survey report, “Content Marketing’s New Moment of Truth,” for a closer look at the goals, priorities and tactics driving your B2B peers’ budgeting and content decisions.
