The Point

JUNE 17, 2016

In the days of Mad Men, advertising clients wouldn’t dream of writing their own copy. The guy could write copy. Even if you have a copywriter on staff, a good writer, there’s another key reason why you should leave that writing to an outside firm. In the digital age, all that has changed. Who has the time, anyway?

Demand Generation Agencies 100

Demand Generation Agencies Paid Search Agency Advertising Agencies Copywriting 100

The Point

FEBRUARY 14, 2018

One of the primary reasons that so many B2B companies develop and publish content that is little more than a brochure in sheep’s clothing (besides the fact that too many product managers are writing white papers) is that marketers believe demand generation content needs to sell. It doesn’t.

Paper 193

Paper Demand Generation Agencies Lead Scoring Lead Ranking 193

The Point

NOVEMBER 12, 2019

For illustration purposes, here’s a real-life analogy: If I run a LinkedIn campaign promoting a white paper on “ How to Write a Better Webinar Invitation ,” will everyone who downloads that white paper be looking for a marketing agency like ours? No, they won’t.

Intent Data 149

Intent Data Demand Generation Agencies Intent Paid Social Agency 149

The Point

AUGUST 16, 2019

A big thank you to Ben, Carolyn, Becky, Hannah and the entire Spear writing team for their contributions to this post. Photo by Yogas Design on Unsplash. The post 5 Tips for More Effective Email Preview Text appeared first on The Point.

Effectiveness 157

Effectiveness Tips Forrester CAN-SPAM 157

The Point

JANUARY 7, 2020

You can write off the Q4 Revenue Scramble as just “the way business works,” or you can start the new year by putting in place the kind of planning and foundational demand gen programs that will minimize, or even eliminate, the mad dash for the finish line 9-10 months later.

Account Based Marketing 130

Account Based Marketing Top of Funnel Demand Generation Agencies Paid Search Agency 130

The Point

MARCH 7, 2019

I believe this is due to two factors: 1) creative is now an afterthought to marketing technology and data, and 2) companies believe anyone can write an email. Poorly written and poorly designed emails seem to be the norm.

Deliverability 150

Deliverability Account Based Marketing ABM Demand Generation Agencies 150

The Point

SEPTEMBER 23, 2015

And no, #1 is not “write better content” (because you already knew that.). The best way to convert organic blog visitors to subscribers is to write great content. Here are 10 proven ways to generate more leads from your blog. Optimize post titles for search. Offer multiple subscription options.

Business Blogging 100

Business Blogging Lead Scoring Lead Ranking Generation 100

The Point

OCTOBER 25, 2016

Issues that, alas, take more work than writing a purchase order for new software. And too often, we’re seeing those same companies – particularly in the B2B tech space where our firm works – investing in martech in advance of, or in place of, getting some very fundamental issues addressed.

Buy 100

Buy Telemarketing Top of Funnel Demand Generation 100

The Point

JANUARY 24, 2017

Use blog posts as “teasers” for speaking slots, show floor presentations, and scheduled demos by either a) excerpting a planned presentation or b) writing to a related topic/trend/best practice. Blogging – Few companies want blog posts to be overtly promotional, but there are still ways to leverage blog content to drive show traffic.

Trade Show 100

Trade Show Traffic Demand Creativity 100

The Point

MARCH 15, 2016

Marketers see a new hot topic to write about, and so produce content about ABM. We love anything that’s new, or different, or that might be the next “silver bullet” we need to attain a competitive edge. Here’s how the marketing hype cycle works: 1. Marketers start to talk, and ask, about ABM.

Account Based Marketing 100

Account Based Marketing ABM Advertising Agencies Paid Search Agency 100

The Point

JANUARY 21, 2014

Kevin writes: “Below is one of our most successful email campaigns. I received an email recently from Kevin Payne, Senior Director of Field Marketing at customer service software provider [24]7.

Demand Generation Agencies 100

Demand Generation Agencies Advertising Agencies Campaigns Marketo 100

The Point

AUGUST 20, 2015

Nor will it write landing page copy. Agencies, consultants, media buyers, even the marketer’s own Web team, are being devalued and displaced by a raft of marketing technology that puts more power in the hand of the individual marketer to design, build, launch, manage, and track campaigns.

Lead Generation 100

Lead Generation Demand Generation Agencies Lead Scoring Lead Ranking 100

The Point

FEBRUARY 18, 2016

Sure, actually writing great content is Step One. Want more people to engage with your content? But even great content doesn’t necessarily sell itself. Successful promotion requires communicating the unique, compelling value of your content at every opportunity.

Content 100

Content Promotion Lead Scoring Lead Ranking 100

The Point

AUGUST 11, 2015

I write all this because in talking to demand generation marketers most days, it’s clear that the marketing powers-that-be have collectively drunk the customer journey Kool-Aid. The ugly reality is that, in all but the most extreme examples, activity is just that: activity. We have no clue.

Sales Cycle 100

Sales Cycle Demand Generation Lead Nurturing Aggregators 100

The Point

MARCH 3, 2015

I was intrigued to read a recent post by David Raab, a leading analyst in the marketing automation space, on his blog, “Customer Experience Matrix,” in which he writes about the role that agencies play in the sale and management of marketing automation systems ( bold emphasis mine): “It seems that just about every (marketing automation vendor) now (..)

Marketing Automation Services 100

Marketing Automation Services Enterprise Management Paid Search Agency Advertising Agencies 100

The Point

JUNE 3, 2009

A client writes: “If we include our company and product names as keywords in our PPC (paid search) campaign, won’t we simply be cannibalizing our SEO effort, i.e. paying for clicks that we otherwise would have generated for free?” Answer: It’s true that you may have generated Web traffic from the same people anyway, but there [.].

Paid Search Agency 100

Paid Search Agency SEM Adwords Campaigns 100

The Point

MAY 13, 2009

A client writes: “What’s best practice in terms of how many times per month you hit each key contact in your database?” This is becoming a common question, driven in part by the trend in B2B towards more proactive lead nurturing and the rapid adoption of marketing automation systems. Suddenly, companies have the tools at [.].

Lead Nurturing 100

Lead Nurturing Marketing Automation Services Database Marketing Newsletter 100

The Point

NOVEMBER 4, 2010

A client writes: “I notice you recommend both email AND phone follow-up to inbound leads from programs like content syndication. Our inside sales reps are fairly prompt about following up with all leads by phone. Why do I need to set up automated email response as well?”.

Lead Scoring 100

Lead Scoring Lead Ranking Telemarketing Process 100

The Point

SEPTEMBER 11, 2012

It’s as if (and this is my theory) someone took an abstract, the sort of 50-word description one might write for a content syndication program, pasted that copy into an email template, and pronounced it ready for broadcast.

Email Campaigns 100

Email Campaigns Campaigns Demand Generation Broadcasting 100

The Point

MAY 14, 2013

In his post “ 7 Email Subject Line Myths Exploded ,” email consultant Tim Watson writes that spam trigger words like “free” aren’t the problem they once were, because whereas in years past email was largely filtered on content, now the biggest variable is reputation. Other experts have seen similar results.

Demand Generation Agencies 100

Demand Generation Agencies Reachforce Advertising Agencies Marketo 100

The Point

JULY 14, 2011

As a busy executive, you understand that …”) before even mentioning the offer, you’ll lose most readers before they even know whey you’re writing to them. If you’re making people wade through two or more paragraphs of copy (e.g. “As Sell the Offer. Is the offer mentioned early and often?

Creativity 100

Creativity B2B Verticals Paper 100

The Point

MARCH 27, 2013

A client writes: I attended a Webinar recently at which one of the speakers prescribed scheduling lead nurturing emails on different days of the week – for example: newsletters on Mondays, product announcements on Tuesdays, Webinar invitations on Wednesdays, etc.

Webinar Metrics 100

Webinar Metrics Autoresponders Lead Nurturing Sales Qualified Leads 100

The Point

OCTOBER 12, 2011

Write in 2nd person whenever possible – it helps connect you and your brand to the reader. It’s OK to “set up” the offer by describing the problem or issue that your solution solves. Just don’t spend an entire paragraph telling the reader something that he/she already knows (“As an IT manager, you already know …”).

Copywriting 100

Copywriting Paper Webinar Metrics Marketing Management 100

The Point

JUNE 20, 2012

But one other element plays a key role even before you write one word of copy: the design template. The success of an email campaign depends on a number of variables, chief amongst them the quality of your list and the attractiveness of the offer.

Template 100

Template Tips Landing Pages Marketo 100

The Point

DECEMBER 6, 2010

Instead, write the title with Google in mind – that is, imagine that the person is seeing no more than a search result, with no other context – not who you are as the author, what your blog is about, or the content of the actual post. How to Answer a Question: 5 Tips for Making the Most of LinkedIn.

Lead Gen 100

Lead Gen Webinar Metrics Salesforce.com Eloqua 100

The Point

APRIL 19, 2012

Admittedly, it’s a particular pet peeve of mine, but as an early mentor once told me: in business writing, exclamation points are a crutch for a weak argument. Drop the exclamation points. Put another way: if your message is strong enough, you don’t need them. What do you think? Agree/Disagree? Anything else you’d change?

Lead Scoring 100

Lead Scoring Lead Ranking Paper Verticals 100

The Point

MARCH 20, 2012

Even in the very first paragraph, where you would expect to learn a) why the company is writing to me, and b) what they want me to do (i.e. Rather than provide concrete examples of what I’ll learn, discover, see or hear during the Webinar, the copy simply extols the PowerReview solution, for which the Webinar is simply a backdrop.

Webinar Metrics 100

Webinar Metrics Product Marketing Management Transparency 100

The Point

JANUARY 25, 2012

Write a headline that reflects the ad copy. Remember, it’s not the company you’re selling, or the product, it’s that white paper or video or Webinar the prospect gets when he or she fills out the form. If the offer is a video, show screen shots. If it’s a white paper, include excerpts, Amazon-type page previews, even reader reviews.

Landing Pages 100

Landing Pages PPC Paid Search Agency Tips 100

The Point

SEPTEMBER 20, 2010

If you’re using a stock WordPress template absent any customization or branding, or if your blog hasn’t evolved much since the CEO first got the writing bug three years ago, it’s time for a re-launch. And frankly, it should look at least as good as your Website. Make SEM work harder.

Marketing Budget Creation 100

Marketing Budget Creation Marketing Budget Paid Content Budget Programs 100

The Point

NOVEMBER 15, 2010

Segmentation needn’t translate into 7 different versions of every email, however, or writing radically different copy from one version to the next. The primary means of increasing relevancy is by utilizing segmentation, i.e. segmenting your list and tailoring your message accordingly.

Lead Nurturing 100

Lead Nurturing Segmentation Sales Qualified Leads Campaigns 100

The Point

JULY 15, 2010

For smaller companies, SFDC can do a lot of light automation without your having to write code. HS: What’s the one thing that Salesforce does well that you think fewest companies take advantage of? DT: Let me give two answers here.

Salesforce.com 100

Salesforce.com Marketing Automation Services Budget Programs Work Management 100

The Point

SEPTEMBER 9, 2009

What single hurdle keeps B2B marketers from achieving the best possible results from inbound marketing, social media, and lead nurturing? It’s content. (Or Or rather, it’s LACK of content.)

Lead Nurturing 100

Lead Nurturing Database Marketing Landing Pages Content 100

The Point

JANUARY 12, 2023

In writing circles, ChatGPT is the talk of the town. Companies will opt for a more integrated approach to tech investments that helps ensure marketing and sales are working towards the same goals and driving better business outcomes.”. — Michelle May, Director, Marketing Operations. “In

Demand Generation Agencies 246

Demand Generation Agencies B2B Account Based Marketing Ideal Customer Profiles 246

The Point

FEBRUARY 14, 2024

At minimum, write a press release and offer up your subject matter experts (SMEs) for interviews or questions. Press coverage can increase the reach and return from your survey report exponentially, and survey results make great content for the right publications in both traditional and digital channels.

Customer Surveys 278

Customer Surveys Marketing Budget Creation Planning B2B Thought Leadership 278

The Point

MAY 21, 2018

Anyone can write an email, right? Companies would never consider assigning a TV spot, a national print ad, or a new Website, to just any staff member with the time and inclination to produce them. But it’s clear that no such standard applies to email creative. It’s an email. billion.

Creativity 189

Creativity B2B Copywriting Mobile Advertising 189

The Point

FEBRUARY 16, 2017

The abstract that you write for content syndication will leverage the email copy. The landing page that you develop for the email can be the same landing page you use for AdWords, the banner ad, and the LinkedIn ads (with different tracking codes, obviously.) You’re not reinventing the wheel here.

Campaigns 223

Campaigns Email Marketing Banner Ads Work Management 223

The Point

AUGUST 6, 2012

Important note: offering incentives for sharing is very different from offering incentives for writing nice things about your company and product. . • For example, consider offering tangible incentives for sharing – a training discount, or an entry into a prize drawing. The latter is a big no no.). •

Marketo 100

Marketo Social Marketing Peer-to-peer Demand Generation Agencies 100