Marketing Interactions

OCTOBER 8, 2020

Ultimately, buyers spend only about 20% of their buying process in conversations with sales reps. They tend to be unsure about the validity of their business case, revising it at least once during their buying process. More content, more case studies, more information, more sales process…more of everything.

Buy 77

Buy B2B Peer-to-peer Work Management 77

Marketing Interactions

FEBRUARY 17, 2020

Even if we look just at demand generation, marketers say content is much more effective in the early stages than it is at the mid and late stages of the buying process. It should also show them how to best prepare for the implementation to accelerate time to value. Yet they’re using it for every phase of the customer lifecycle.

Work Management 96

Work Management Marketing Management B2B Thought Leadership B2B 96

Marketing Interactions

APRIL 18, 2019

Instead, if we say something like, “when using our solution, helpdesk teams find they can cut 3 steps out of a 10-step process, reducing ticket resolution time by 3 hours” – now your prospect can visualize what you’re talking about. Complex Buying Processes Require Small Shifts. That’s the key to compelling the decision to buy.

Buyer Personas 119

Buyer Personas Buying Cycle Case Studies Case Study 119

Marketing Interactions

JULY 31, 2022

Because buying is a 2 nd job, they also jump in and out of buying activities making it tougher to pin down just where they are in their buying process—or even if they are actively in-market buyers. Buying committees are growing again adding more dynamics and a lack of visibility to where they are in the process. Not so fast.

B2B 75

B2B Buyer's Journey Gartner B2B Sales 75

Marketing Interactions

FEBRUARY 20, 2022

Trying to change it, rather than fix it – make it more “welcome” by modifying the process or the technology, or shifting direction to avoid the problem as it’s perceived to be. The trick is that it’s not the best use of your sellers’ time to rely on them to teach buyers about the problem. Asking someone else to deal with it.

Top of Funnel 88

Top of Funnel B2B Peer-to-peer Lead Ranking 88

Marketing Interactions

OCTOBER 8, 2020

Links to the next part of the story, process, or thinking about how to solve the problem or, in the case of customers, what to do now that they’ve solved the original problem. Your sellers don’t know how to use specific content to best advantage. Information to help buyers understand their problem and why to solve it.

Effectiveness 122

Effectiveness Work Management Content Marketing Management 122

Marketing Interactions

JANUARY 25, 2022

But, unless your B2B content marketing strategy and programs sucked last year, taking a clean slate approach is not the best idea. This could include things such as process, editorial calendars, talent, timing, channels, programs, etc. Buyer Expectations Aren’t as Fickle as Marketing Campaigns. How can you narrow that gap?

B2B Marketing 69

B2B Marketing B2B Budget Programs Marketing & Strategy 69

Marketing Interactions

JUNE 4, 2017

One of the best things about ABM is the first part: the “Account.” If you’re doing ABM well, everything rolls up under the Ideal Customer Profile that represents your best accounts. ABM makes your company focus on the entirety of the buying or change management process. Collaborative Communication. ABM creates collaboration.

Account Based Marketing 64

Account Based Marketing ABM Lead Ranking Lead Scoring 64

Marketing Interactions

JUNE 23, 2017

Identify obstacles impeding progress at each stage of the buying process. Reveal information needed throughout the buying process. Scheduling interviews (whether internal or external) is the most difficult part of the buyer persona development process. What did you need to figure out the best way to solve the problem?

Buyer Personas 74

Buyer Personas Enterprise Management B2B Marketing Marketing Strategy 74

Marketing Interactions

MAY 23, 2018

Products have road maps, development processes, releases, and a lot of other organization and structure around how they’re brought to market, as well as the management of each product’s lifecycle. In complex B2B buying scenarios, content is often directed to early and late stages of the buying process with a gap the size of the Grand Canyon.

Top of Funnel 67

Top of Funnel Paid Search Agency Companies B2B 67

Marketing Interactions

OCTOBER 5, 2022

Considering only 18% of companies rate their customer experience as excellent (best in class), improving retention programs can help you transform your customer relationships—and your revenue growth. This doesn’t mean your customer has to expose their internal processes as all companies are different.

Ideal Customer Profiles 62

Ideal Customer Profiles B2B Marketing Enterprise Management Work Management 62

Marketing Interactions

MAY 21, 2018

Here’s one example of the value of content operations: McKinsey found one global company that created a center of excellence for content operations and so was able to establish transparency, new governance, and improved processes across the organization. Process Challenges. People Challenges. Collaboration.

Cost 69

Cost Content Marketing Automation Services Work Management 69

Marketing Interactions

JUNE 23, 2017

In a previous post, I shared a four-step process for creating in-depth B2B buyer personas. With the wealth of information gained during the process of determining buyer personas, you can now create the nine components for each persona. Examples: Automate processes to speed time to market by removing inefficient workflows.

Buyer Personas 64

Buyer Personas Marketing Strategy Marketing & Strategy B2B Marketing 64

Marketing Interactions

FEBRUARY 15, 2019

I also what to hear what the buying process is like for their buyers/customers. This said, do we understand why they’re searching for those things or at what point in their buying process they use those words and phrases for search? It’s hard to get a true consensus with such a variant pool of respondents. Go Talk to Your Customers.

Conversion 93

Conversion Planning Buyer Personas Dwell 93

Marketing Interactions

SEPTEMBER 20, 2018

In this blog, I’ll cover best practices for B2B marketers to make the shift from funnels to lifecycles to increase ROI and help your customers stick with you for the long run. Gaining the outcome promised during the buying process is the minimal viable return your customers will expect and demand.

Marketing Funnels 87

Marketing Funnels Top of Funnel B2B Marketing Work Management 87

Marketing Interactions

AUGUST 15, 2022

For years I’ve been talking about the role of vendors in buying as mentors—guides to help buyers navigate the process. We’re still focused on our products and brands as the best option—for everyone who will listen. This role is now more important than ever.

Buyer Personas 75

Buyer Personas Ideal Customer Profiles B2B Gartner 75

Marketing Interactions

SEPTEMBER 30, 2018

As I stated in my book, Digital Relevance, “…a process for continuous improvement will enable your marketing team to tweak and refine strategy progressively to keep your brand relevant in the face of change.”. Achieving relevance takes work, commitment and elbow grease and works best when approached as an iterative process.

Relevance 58

Relevance B2B Marketing B2B Broadcasting 58

Marketing Interactions

MARCH 7, 2022

The ones that resulted in no decision, for example, and those with the best fit to your ICP. There’s also the potential that the buying process will be much shorter than with prospects that don’t yet know you. This doesn’t mean every lost deal; it means picking the opportunities with the most potential. What do you think? Worth a shot?

Ideal Customer Profiles 88

Ideal Customer Profiles B2B B2B Thought Leadership Peer-to-peer 88

Marketing Interactions

APRIL 11, 2019

Content operations requires we work strategically to coordinate people, processes, and technology across the organization. Perhaps an approach to assessing processes and discovering how your strategy is being used by each team (and even what it’s lacking) will help everyone join in with enthusiasm.

Peer-to-peer 53

Peer-to-peer Content Enterprise Management Broadcasting 53

Marketing Interactions

MARCH 8, 2017

This means consistently, continuously and across the entire buying process and customer lifecycle. Will the purchase affect the workflows or processes of other departments when implemented? It’s also important to remember that conflicts can arise at each and every stage of the buying process. Yep, I know.

Buyer Personas 48

Buyer Personas Budget Programs B2B Cross-Selling 48

Marketing Interactions

MAY 21, 2018

Use the “And Then” process to construct your conversation: The best way to create a conversational narrative is to decide what you want to share and then keep asking what’s next based on what you want them to do. Best practices dictate no more than 2 – 4 messages per month. Limit frequency.

SMS 48

SMS Business Class Ad Frequency 48