Click here to view original web page at www.forbes.com
Shutterstock Summer brings with it several rites of passage: warmer weather, extended daylight — time for businesses to revisit their annual marketing plans. It’s time to look at sales results, review customer feedback and decide which activities are worth continuing — perhaps ramping up — and which you need to retool or even retire. As CMO and principal of a company that works with marketing and PR trends on a daily basis, I can say that these four business-to-business (B2B) marketing trends, in particular, are worth considering when reviewing your plans. Discuss among the members of your team which of these could demonstrate enhanced capabilities and wow with innovative new ideas. Give Thought To Thought Leadership Positioning a company’s experts as “thought leaders” is hardly a new idea. From bylined articles and blog posts to videos and webinars, such “content” helps give your brand a face and shows you have a finger on the pulse of the industry. Customers appreciate it too: 96% of B2B buyers say they would like to see even more expert perspective. But how much original “thought” actually goes into thought leadership content? Are these trusted leaders truly breaking new ground, or are they simply regurgitating statistics and talking points already understood? Before simply ordering your marketing team to get more expert thought leadership coverage, it pays to take time to develop a unique and authentic point-of-view. By bringing something new to the conversation, you’re much more likely to deliver that “aha” moment that inspires readers to engage and want to learn more. YOU MAY ALSO LIKE Need to amplify your perspective? Consider generating your own data by conducting a survey of topics and issues within your industry — then mine the responses for interesting trends and surprising outcomes. Your experts can analyze and comment […]
