Tony Zambito

NOVEMBER 1, 2015

A recent survey by B2B Marketing, in conjunction with the UK-based agency Tomorrow People, indicated only 38% of marketers considered their content to be “very customer-centric.” Today, many are realizing to succeed in being relevant to buyers, this level of understanding is crucial.

Buyer Personas 100

Buyer Personas Ideal Customer Profiles B2B Marketing Paid Search Agency 100

Tony Zambito

JUNE 26, 2016

A recognition of the growing importance of digital content marketing to overall marketing strategies today. As the concept of content marketing has become more prominent in the B2B Marketing landscape, so have terms and compartmentalization. For example, some content marketing pundits believe you should separate out audience personas.

Buyer Personas 104

Buyer Personas Research B2B Fulfillment 104

Tony Zambito

OCTOBER 14, 2018

The journey concept has spurred a mountain of marketing advice-oriented content related to stages and time. For example, how many articles have there been about “aligning content to the stages of the buyer’s journey” in the last few years? An image of someone with a backpack going hiking seems to be one that is used often.

Marketing AI 174

Marketing AI Buyer Personas Top of Funnel Digital Marketing Funnels 174

Tony Zambito

DECEMBER 20, 2020

A key buyer insight coming out of the pandemic is B2B buyers are experiencing content fatigue. Who as a group, are undergoing the greatest barrage of content since the digitization of content began. With many B2B organizations tethered to activity-based metrics, the response is – you guessed it – more content marketing activity.

Account Based Marketing 273

Account Based Marketing Buyer Personas B2B Content 273

Tony Zambito

OCTOBER 26, 2015

These two are: CEOs and CMOs have a growing concern about the relevancy of their products and services in the digital economy. A case in point is we see a glut of content on what to find out about buyers, especially related to buyer profiling “repackaged” as buyer personas. Redefining The Meaning Of Buyer Understanding.

Buyer Personas 100

Buyer Personas B2B Paid Search Agency Ideal Customer Profiles 100

Tony Zambito

NOVEMBER 8, 2015

Buyer Persona-driven : goal-directed buyer personas contribute to ensuring experience and journey maps are relevant and specific to a group of buyers and that they align well with the relevant goals of a specific buyer group. Staying Relevant In An Era Of Disruption And Elusive Customer Loyalty. Related articles.

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Buy Buyer Personas Acquisitions Correlation 100

Tony Zambito

JANUARY 24, 2016

For example, one shiny object has been content marketing. For some who have gone “all in” with content marketing, they may just be discovering the constricting of their marketing to such has not been fruitful. Making use of relevant insights to help guide marketing planning. What Should Guide Marketing? Guiding Framework.

Planning 100

Planning Buyer Personas Paid Search Agency Marketing & Strategy 100

Tony Zambito

DECEMBER 8, 2015

There has been much content propagated on buyer personas. Perhaps of greater importance is their customers and buyers are engaged and benefitting immensely from renewed initiatives to be relevant to the goals of buyers. From advice on how to do interviews to what elements to include in buyer persona descriptions.

Buyer Personas 100

Buyer Personas Customer Surveys Ideal Customer Profiles Organic Leads 100

Tony Zambito

OCTOBER 25, 2011

When formulating marketing, sales, demand generation, and content strategies, an important factor is that of understanding the choices buyers make.  I want to refrain from using the word content in this context.    The word “content” is super hyped today and has taken on multiple meanings. 

Demand Generation 100

Demand Generation Internet Marketing Purchase Buy 100

Tony Zambito

OCTOBER 4, 2015

Respond with content and media that fits into the new world of digital commerce. Yet, as CMOs invest and allocate more to content and digital media, the returns are not occurring as hoped. Various studies have shown buyers continue to find as much as 60-to-75% of content to be non-relevant. Understanding The Problem.

Direct Marketing 100

Direct Marketing Buyer Personas Allocation Ideal Customer Profiles 100

Tony Zambito

MARCH 6, 2016

I recently wrote an article on the waste of content that is resulting from this assumption. Primarily from attempts to create multiple pieces of content for each perceived stage. Thus, inundating customers with non-relevant content. As opposed to a buyer’s focus on their situational scenario.

Buyer Personas 100

Buyer Personas Ideal Customer Profiles B2B B2B Sales 100

Tony Zambito

MAY 12, 2011

Without question, while B2B Marketing is focused on developing its new prominence in the early stages of the buying cycle via content strategy and content marketing, B2B Sales is caught flat-footed on how to adapt to changing buyer behaviors.  Image via Wikipedia.   This can be done on two levels. 

Buyer Personas 100

Buyer Personas B2B Sales B2B Buying Cycle 100

Tony Zambito

OCTOBER 5, 2011

.  This perfect storm of uncertainty and chaos making the ability of marketer’s to communicate with buyers extremely challenging and causing sales organizations to struggle in being relevant to the buying process.    So how does an organization get a hold of itself in such times? Adaptation Begets Patterns.

Buyer Personas 100

Buyer Personas Wikipedia Demand Generation Analysis 100

Tony Zambito

SEPTEMBER 1, 2011

  Simply stated, B2B buyers are learning at an increasing rate how to decipher meaningful, relevant, intelligent, and engaging content from the fire hose that is now marketed to them.  The field of content strategy and content marketing is still relatively new.  " Follow @TonyZambito.

Wikipedia 100

Wikipedia Correlation Social Media B2B Sales 100

Tony Zambito

APRIL 17, 2011

These strategy areas include content strategy, social marketing, marketing automation, social selling, demand generation, and buyer experience marketing.  Informing Content Strategy with Buyer Persona Development (customerthink.com).   This has been the case most prominently in the area of user-centered design. 

Buyer Personas 100

Buyer Personas Buying Cycle Buyer's Journey Demand Generation Agencies 100

Tony Zambito

JULY 18, 2011

.  In part 1 of this reflection on the future of buyer personas, I focused on some of the misconceptions about buyer personas and in part 2 , I offered perspectives on why changes were needed to be relevant to the social age.  From Content Presentation to Social Interaction.   Where did it go wayward? . 

Buyer Personas 100

Buyer Personas Lead Ranking Ideal Customer Profiles Opt-out 100

Tony Zambito

JULY 24, 2011

" Content Marketing: “The term, content marketing, I am seeing here and there.      Most recently, Michael Brito offered a great perspective via the use of circles on why content still matters and how the social customer is filtering relevant content.   Not sure I get it. 

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Peer-to-peer Buyer Personas Allocation Social Networks 100

Tony Zambito

OCTOBER 18, 2015

The numbers bear this out as seen by several surveys showing content marketing effectiveness declining. The glut of content on buyer personas are attempts to profiteer on the term and this has caused more harm than good. For example, the latest CMI/MarketingProfs Survey indicates effectiveness is a consistent struggle for marketers.

Ideal Customer Profiles 100

Ideal Customer Profiles Profiling Buyer Personas Marketing Management 100

Tony Zambito

JANUARY 29, 2017

In one case of working with an international supply chain platform, we learned that how the brand was framing a narrative in their content and conversations actually resulted in an unintentional negative view of the brand. This human insight prompted a shift in content towards a narrative that mirrored their customer’s goal-based intentions.

Digital Transformation 100

Digital Transformation Buyer Personas Ideal Customer Profiles B2B Thought Leadership 100

Tony Zambito

MAY 11, 2011

In the areas of content strategy and content marketing, I am seeing the same path towards "titles and roles" being taken although under a new name.    I believe actually minimizing the full power and impact that content strategy and content marketing can have.  Related articles.

Buyer Personas 100

Buyer Personas Segmentation Buy Work Management 100

Tony Zambito

FEBRUARY 27, 2010

Buyer Persona Insights is now privileged to be part of a selected group of B2B marketing experts covering such B2B relevant topics as lead generation, sales, content marketing, and several more. 

Buyer Personas 100

Buyer Personas B2B Marketing B2B B2B Sales 100

Tony Zambito

MARCH 28, 2011

.  Consumers surveyed further showed that they put more trust into what their friends and colleagues shared than in advertisements or content. What I found most interesting is that a whopping 83% trusted independent sources with which they had a personal relationship over advertising or content. 

Studies 100

Studies Spending Social Media Amazon 100

Tony Zambito

JULY 6, 2011

  The latest trendy term of content marketing has even resulted in buyer personas being characterized as content profiles.    These interviews becoming more relevant to Voice of the Customer oriented programs.   The point is that buyer personas are not profiles. 

Buyer Personas 100

Buyer Personas Peer-to-peer Ideal Customer Profiles Psychographics 100

Tony Zambito

SEPTEMBER 6, 2016

Where customer segmentation can get tricky is when there are relevant sub-groups of segments. Buyer profiling can include: Preferences (including content preferences). From a classification standpoint, classifications can be related to: Industries. Professions. Firmographics. Demographics. Priorities and Initiatives.

Buyer Personas 100

Buyer Personas Ideal Customer Profiles Segmentation Profiling 100

Tony Zambito

FEBRUARY 2, 2012

The promises of demand generation as well as content marketing are to overcome the hype and truly enable businesses to transform and adapt. Buyer behavior : to make demand generation effective, efforts need to be aligned with sound understanding of buyer behavior relevant to different segments.

Demand Generation 100

Demand Generation Lead Ranking Demand Generation 100

Tony Zambito

MAY 22, 2011

  This welcoming very much opposed to what is fast becoming a worrisome fire hose of non-insight based content and 140 characters messaging inundating social buyers.  .  Such approaches guiding B2B businesses to develop business models and strategies that social buyers welcome.  Next: Communicating Social Buyerology.

Research 100

Research Buyer Personas Multi-Channel Validation 100

Tony Zambito

MARCH 13, 2011

  I am going to shy away from using the often used term of content marketing for the moment.    While quality content is important, the larger strategic question for CEO’s to think about is what new forms of media are relevant to their buyers?

B2B Sales 100

B2B Sales Paid Search Agency Barriers Work Management 100

Tony Zambito

DECEMBER 5, 2010

Problem-solving, assessment, and contextual solution creation relevant to buyer initiatives and triggers will become necessary requirements.   Branding, reflected through strategy and content, will become representative of the experience buyers can expect.    Trend 7: The year of the buyer.

Trends 100

Trends Buyer Personas AIDA Buyer's Journey 100

Tony Zambito

MAY 26, 2010

Three:  Provide relevant information at the right moments as a way of refreshing buyers.   There are numerous ways to refresh a buyer whether it is through content or other forms of media engagement.  .  In the digital and social media journey, engagement in of itself may not be enough. 

Buyer's Journey 100

Buyer's Journey Buyer Personas Wikipedia Social Media 100

Tony Zambito

MARCH 22, 2010

  Determining how to win has strategy relevance to pricing, selling structure, content marketing, and etc.   Let’s take the case of HP and IBM as they battle it out in the midmarket space. Each is investing significant dollars in their marketing and demand generation programs to attract medium sized businesses.

Buyer Personas 100

Buyer Personas Planning Segmentation Case Studies 100

Tony Zambito

NOVEMBER 22, 2015

For CEOs and their C-Suite teams, developing deep customer understanding is becoming strategically important to staying competitive and relevant to customers. Many organizations are undergoing digital transformations in order to improve customer interactions, engagement, and understanding.

Buyer Personas 100

Buyer Personas Lead Ranking Buy Research 100

Tony Zambito

OCTOBER 18, 2010

  Mapping the buyer journey provides a basis for making informed decisions on how to align strategies, structure, and go-to-market processes with enhanced relevancy to buyers.    This no doubt causes challenging assignments for digital and content marketers.    How? . 

Buyer Personas 100

Buyer Personas Buyer's Journey Allocation Trigger Marketing 100

Tony Zambito

MAY 5, 2010

This is being driven by the need to engage at an individual level, create more content relevance, and leverage a new world of crowd-sourcing Internet communities, omnipresent connectivity, and pervasive mobile device ownership.”. .  “The transformation of marketing organizations, practices and functions is well underway.

Social Media 100

Social Media Buyer Personas Media Marketing Automation Services 100

Tony Zambito

SEPTEMBER 22, 2010

.  Buyer Journey Mapping and Design, when conducted on the basis of qualitative research, can provide tremendous insight into not only the paths buyers take but also highlight the critical moments of truths that are relevant.    Buyer Experience Design. . 

Top of Funnel 100

Top of Funnel Buyer Personas Marketing Automation Services Buyer's Journey 100

Tony Zambito

JULY 10, 2011

.  In part 2, I would like to offer perspectives on why the practice and process of buyer personas, as we’ve known them for the past decade, must undergo significant change to be relevant in the social age.    Without a doubt, we are seeing the most dramatic change in buyer behaviors since post World War II. 

Buyer Personas 100

Buyer Personas Top of Funnel Peer-to-peer Marketing Funnels 100

Tony Zambito

FEBRUARY 15, 2010

These types of questions can help create an understanding of who the target buyer is and how best to approach from a selling and perhaps content marketing perspective.   Allowing for more engaging and intimate sales conversations as well as relevant messaging that has meaning to the buyer.   Buyer Personas Informs Strategy.

Buyer Personas 100

Buyer Personas Ideal Customer Profiles Profiling Lead Ranking 100

Tony Zambito

MAY 20, 2012

Some organizations have come to misunderstand buyer personas as a tool only for messaging and content marketing. Companies striving to remain relevant to their customers will need to constantly update their knowledge of evolving channels and buyer preferences and how they relate to buyer goals.

Buyer Personas 100

Buyer Personas Lead Ranking Demand Generation Agencies Ideal Customer Profiles 100