Here is our countdown of the top-trending pieces and posts generating buzz and airplay in content marketing. These intriguing conversations and case studies not only drove eyeballs and downloads but stirred some interesting comments and dialogue along the way.

Food for Thought Leadership

Study: B2B Marketers Underestimate the Power of Thought Leadership

Thought Leadership

The 2019 Edelman-LinkedIn B2B Thought Leadership Impact Study determined that brands are surprisingly unaware of the impact of thought leadership on their businesses. Consumption of thought leadership has grown from 50% to 58% in the past years, with 55% of decision-makers citing it as an important tool for vetting business. Just as important, high-level executives said they will remove a business from consideration if they don’t see a strong thought leadership presence. And just 14% of sellers believe that thought leadership allows them to charge higher prices than competitors, while 61% of the decision-makers say they’re willing to pay more for a product or service based on thought leadership.

Introducing B2BSMX

B2B Sales & Marketing Exchange

B2BSMX

It’s coming to Boston this August 12 and 13. The first-ever B2B Sales & Marketing Exchange will offer three premiere tracks — #FlipMyFunnel, REVTalks and the Demand Gen Summit — plus a slew of new programs to give attendees hands-on learning experiences straight from the experts. B2B Mentors is designed to connect up-and-coming revenue executives with established leaders. B2B Labs will provide hands-on guidance from industry leaders on the latest applications of intent data, interactive content, ABM and more. The Best in B2B Awards will honor innovators in ABM, revenue marketing and content marketing. Workgroups will offer deep-dive content for executives in operations, content marketing and sales enablement.

No Boring B2B

5 Brands That Prove B2B Isn’t Boring

Boring B2B

“Exciting” is in the eye of the beholder, so while there’s no need for B2B brands to create flashy campaigns, they must build campaigns that capture the interests of their buyers. The insurance company Hiscox launched a creative concept in an integrated marketing campaign this year that uses barcodes to drive the point that not all B2B brands look alike. Lenovo built an influencer campaign around artwork from a Japanese digital artist known for his video game work to connect with professionals in a number of B2B verticals. B2B campaigns don’t need to appeal to the average B2C .consumer, but they absolutely do need to engage their target audiences.

Influencer ABCs

Seven-Step Guide: What B2B CMOs Need to Know About Influencer Marketing

Influencer Marketing

Influencer marketing gets lots of press in the B2C world, but the truth is it may be best suited for the B2B world. Most B2B transactions are influenced by word of mouth, and buyers have greater trust in content created by industry influencers. This EContent article details seven steps to creating an effective influencer campaign. Identify the ideal search keywords. Develop content that’s mapped to those keywords. Create specialized, high-value content. Build a list of target influencers based on reach, relevance, resonance and reference. Reach out to those targets with keyword-rich questions. Collaborate with influencers and incorporate their insights. Finally, promote and repurpose your content. CMOs who invest the time to set up a sophisticated influencer campaign are likely to achieve desired business outcomes while building relationships with both influencers and customers.  

InstaB2B

How B2B Brands Can Leverage Instagram

Instagram
With about a billion active users, Instagram is a prime channel for many marketers. But it’s easy to see why a B2B brand could feel like a fish out of water on the platform. That’s a mistake, according to Janie Lim, Senior Director of Digital Media Marketing at Adobe Asia Pacific. Adobe has leveraged Instagram to partner with creatives and influencers to showcase designs and workflows to inspire other creatives. Not every campaign lends itself to the highly visual platform, but visual content serves as a powerful way to connect with people and  communicate strong messages.

We hope we’ve helped inspire you on your path to improving B2B marketing content. If you’re eager to read more, check out our Resources Page.

 

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