Marketing Spark (The B2B Marketing Podcast)

"LinkedIn is way too slow, too reactive and not pro-active enough ." That's a blunt assessment from Charlie Whyman, a LinkedIn trainer and "marketing momentum builder". In this episode, Charlie and I explore some of the ways that LinkedIn evolved in 2020 and what she expects will happen in 2021. This includes: - Analytics for personal accounts; probably not going to happen. - More use of Stories a...

Marketers love the thrill of the chase. We pursue prospects with reckless abandon. MQLs are B2B digital hunting trophies. But when marketers catch prospects, the game’s over. They quickly forget about these newly-minted customers….because prospects are sexier. It shouldn’t be this way.  Prospects shouldn’t be engaged separately by sales, marketing, and customer success. The three groups should be...

Marketing is hard. It's even more challenging when you're the lone marketer. You need to strategize, coordinate, tactically execute, and organize.  In other words, you have to be a multi-task player. On the Marketing Spark podcast, Nancy Kwan talks about life as a solo marketer. One of her biggest pieces of advice: "Don't become a yes person. Be comfortable saying no." Nancy says that solo markete...

Personal branding is red-hot. Seemingly, everyone you turn, someone is offering personal branding advice and consulting. Is the focus/obsession with personal branding due to the gig economy, the ubiquity of social marketing, or the reality that people will work for multiple employers so a personal brand is important, if not necessary? On this episode of Marketing Spark, Rich Cardona and I dive int...

Most business books are dull. I read the first 25 pages before a book loses its appeal. The writing is dense, the topic doesn't warrant a book, or I quickly get the point. Laura Valvasori has developed a new and interesting way for people to get more value from business books.  She recently launched the Business Book Collective , a virtual community that combines a Mastermind group and a book club...

Jay Desai has always wanted to be an entrepreneur. At 11-years-old, he had a newsletter business. In middle school, he was reselling sticks of gum bought at Costco. While working for Trend , a B2B startup last year, Jay came upon a problem: how to collect content from around the Web for future reference. One thing led to another and Jay created Swpely , which he describes as Pinterest for B2B. It'...

Networking still matters. I'm not talking about social networks but establishing connections with people professionally and personally. A lot of things in life happen due to relationships. It's how we develop trust, empathy, and connections. Marc Angelos is a long-time Wall St. salesman who intimately understands the power of value of networking. In this episode of Marketing Spark, Marc takes a de...

It goes without saying the marketing landscape has dramatically changed over the past year.  The disappearance of conferences (a go-to channel for B2B companies) has been a game-changer, forcing marketers to embrace virtual events, high-quality content, newsletters, and social media. Who better to provide perspective on marketing today and where it’s heading (as well as how business is transformin...

The subscription economy is expected to grow from $15-billion this year to $475 billion by 2025. That's 68% year-over-year growth. Adam Levinter operates in the eye of the hurricane as a subscription economy consultant, podcaster, and author. In this episode of Marketing Spark, Adam and I explore why the subscription economy is growing so fast, the sectors seeing the most momentum, and how compani...

I have been working with B2B SaaS companies since 2008. I can honestly say that few of them have struck as truly innovative. Many of them were cool but they didn't blow me away. Lately is an exception to the rule. When I learned what it can do, it resonated as a game-changer. The company turns content (blog posts, eBooks, video) into social media posts. It takes the painful, time-consuming work ou...

In some respects, newsletters are the Rodney Dangerfield of the digital marketing world; they get no respect. They’re widely used by B2B companies to engage and convert customers but they’re not seen as sexy.  To get some insight into the world of newsletters, I saw down with Ashley Guttuso , Director of Marketing at Simple Focus Software and the author of the Opt-in Weekly newsletter.  We talked...

LinkedIn is a mysterious creature. The algorithm is a well-kept secret and there are rules that should be followed to stay onside and attract engagement on the platform. In other words, it's not as simple as writing a post and clicking "publish". Moritz Lang is a Swedish digital marketer who has emerged as a LinkedIn "guru".  On LinkedIn, he posts frequently on best practices and how to do the rig...

In marketing, nothing is guaranteed. Sometimes, it’s about taking risks and leaps of faith. In a data-driven world, data doesn’t deliver all the answers. Marketing is an unpredictable and often surprising creature. Last year, a lot of B2B wanted to de-risk marketing. They pulled back on spending, chopped staff, and counted every dollar. But that approach only works for so long. At some point, you...

For people who spend a lot of time focused on a particular topic or area of interest, the idea of writing a book is appealing. It's a great way to demonstrate thought leadership, attract a bigger audience, and get speaking gigs. But Juliet Clark says writing a business book isn't for everyone, particularly if you don't have a large audience. Clark, who helps authors self-publish their books, says...

It used to be that marketing and sales meant jumping on airplanes to meet prospects and clients. Many people didn't think twice about flying hundreds of miles to a meeting and returning the same day. At one time, Andrew Deutsch was a hard-core road warrior. He flew as much as 300,000 miles a year. Andrew visited a lot of places but eventually decided it was an unsustainable lifestyle. Today, Andre...

How’s Clubhouse going to make money? Given the platform’s growth, it’s a fascinating question. Of course, Clubhouse has time given it just raised more VC. But, at some point, Clubhouse will embrace monetization. Mallory Lee says the possibilities are endless. She believes the options include: - Advertising - Sponsored rooms - Private rooms for companies looking to connect employees via audio rathe...

Every company wants its marketing to drive leads, sales, and ROI. But marketing can be an up and down situation. Sometimes, marketing works. Sometimes, it doesn't. On this episode of the podcast, Yaag Ganesh talks about why revenue marketing is an approach that ROI and predictability.  It's about focusing on marketing that works and then developing structures and workflows to "shampoo, rinse, and...

How much content do you consume? Most of us probably overdose on reading, watching, and listening to content. There’s so much great content available that it’s hard to resist. I would argue that most of us need to be more structured, disciplined, and focused. Nemanja Zivkovic has an interesting approach. He’s on a “content diet”. Nemanja consumes content selectively and judiciously and relies on a...

Marketers love chasing, engaging, and nurturing prospects. Marketers love MQLs and revelling in sexy metrics how about well they are performing. But once a prospect turns into a customer, marketers move on to the next shiny prospect. A customer becomes the responsibility of customer success or customer service. Linda Komisak , CEO of Upturn Consultants, believes this is the wrong approach. Not mar...

LinkedIn's 2020 was stunning; more than 60 million+ additional users and its emergence as a truly social platform featuring content, connections, and conversations. Like a lot of people, Liam Darmody jumped hard into LinkedIn last year. You only have to look at the 530+ posts that he published to understand his enthusiasm. In this episode of Marketing Spark, Liam and I talk about how and why Linke...

At a time when conferences are not happening and salespeople can't meet with prospects, marketing has become a key revenue engine. A growing number of B2B and SaaS leaders are realizing that marketing can effectively attract, engage, and nurture prospects. Marketing is no longer supporting sales but driving sales. And, in the process, marketing is getting more respects and budget. In this episode...

As B2B and SaaS companies scramble to leverage virtual events, many people are looking to become better and more engaging virtual speakers. These are people who thrive at in-person events but now they have to present digitally. There's no stage and no audience sitting in front of them. Now, that's a huge challenge. Andrew Churchill has seen his consulting business explode as more people look to be...

It's one thing to do marketing; it's another thing to build a cohesive, collaborative, and productive marketing team. In this episode of Marketing Spark, Mitch Fanning provides insight into what it takes to build a team that drives marketing success. One of the things that Mitch likes in a marketing hire is "grit", which is the ability to get the job done even when things are challenging. Mitch al...

B2B and SaaS companies are scrambling to find ways to connect with prospects and customers at a time when in-person conferences aren't happening. Some companies are attempting to replicate the in-person experience but many of these efforts are, at best, mediocre. Clio , which offers software to law firms, however, appears to have discovered the recipe for success. Its recent virtual conference att...

Entrepreneurship is sexy and compelling. You call your own shots. You're the master/mistress of your own domain. It's an ideal way to make a living. Well, that's the perception. The reality is that entrepreneurship is stressful. It's a 24/7 activity that takes blood, sweat, and tears. In this episode of Marketing Spark, Luc Bohunicky and I explore the ups and downs of entrepreneurship, and what en...