Bye, bye, cookies. Hello, first-party data.

Third-party cookies.

Despite the smart branding (I mean, even dogs love the word cookie), these nifty little bits of code that track user behavior across the web are going the way of the dodo, the woolly mammoth, and the dinosaurs. Bye, bye, nice to meet ya, don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

Safari and Firefox already banned third-party cookies in their browsers and Google Chrome said they’re phasing them out over the next two years.

With covid hitting ad tech hard in 2020, some hoped Google might change their mind. But no dice, or so says AdWeek. Third-party cookies are well and truly on the way out.

So, what does this mean for marketers? Let’s talk about it.

Wait…what are cookies again?

Most marketers are probably familiar with the term, but in case you need a refresher: cookies are code that tracks user behavior online.

More specifically: third-party cookies are code that tracks behavior on a website the cookie-maker doesn’t own. For example: If you’re on Ad Age’s website and Facebook tracks your behavior, Facebook’s using a third-party cookie. If you’re on Ad Age’s website and Ad Age is tracking your behavior, that’s first-party data, not a third-party cookie.

At first blush, this is bad news

As marketers, we love tracking user data. It helps us find the right people at the right time in the right places for our messages. It’s how we’ve gone from the old spray-and-pray approach that hits everybody and their mom with diaper ads to a targeted approach that sends you diaper ads if you’ve actually purchased diapers before.

So, this sounds like bad news.

But here’s the nuance we all need: third-party cookies aren’t the only way to get user data and target the right people. They were just one tool in your arsenal, and—honestly—not even the best one.

Let’s talk about first-party data

There’s a general feeling in the industry that more data is better. But let’s quash that right now:

Better data is better.

More data is the reason that I—a woman—get relentless ads for men’s supplements because a man who uses the same internet in my building loves watching men’s weightlifting and nutritional videos. It’s the reason that sharing internet with a landlord might find you chased around by horror movie trailers when you’re a chicken who wants a good comedy, or pursued by a relentless stream of “sad and single?” ads when you’re happily partnered thank-you-very-much.

Better data means a business actually knows you. Knows that you love thrillers and so sends you an email to let you know thrillers are on sale this weekend. Knows that you order diapers once a week like clockwork and offers to let you set up a standing order. Knows that you have clicked on every Hawaii blog post on their site and so personalizes the website so that when you show up, the latest Hawaii blog post is front and center.

This is data that’s actually helpful to you as a customer and drives real purchases and engagements for you as a marketer/business.

And that data typically comes from first-party behavioral data that you as a business track across your own website and platforms, not third-party cookies.

So, does this mean other data sources are dead in the water?

Nope! As Deloitte explains:

“Audience data will be available as first-party (advertiser-owned) and second-party (tech or publisher-owned) cookie data and will likely be supplemented by clean, fully GDPR-compliant and transparent non-cookie-based third-party data.”

What it means for marketers

At the end of the day, we think this is an opportunity. To re-think our strategies, prioritize better data (not more), and keep an eye on the new technologies and advertising options that pop up in response to the soon-to-be-fully-implemented cookie ban.

We’ve already got great tools for tracking first-party data and personalizing marketing (and those aren’t going away). The big data collectors (Google, Facebook, and Amazon) will still be offering personalized advertising opportunities. And more tech responses to the ban are gaining traction.

And if you need help wrapping your head around what you should do next? As always, that’s what we’re here for.

Is account-based marketing on the way out?

If you know us, you know that we love account-based marketing—a marketing approach that targets accounts (rather than individual users) and requires strong collaboration between sales and marketing teams.

We don’t just love it because it’s our wheelhouse, something we’re great at, and have had a good deal of success with (though that’s all true). We also love it because it addresses B2B challenges in a way that other strategies simply don’t.

Like the fact that the average B2B decision has to go through a whopping 16 decision-makers.

And the fact that when sales and marketing don’t work together, it costs companies trillions.

Account-based marketing is the only approach out there that addresses both these challenges head-on. It forces us to look at the big picture of those 16 decision-makers and to align our sales and marketing teams to best serve not just one, but all.

Which is why we raised a collective Catalyst eyebrow when we started to hear whispers that ABM was dying. That it’s too costly. Too complex. Requires too many technologies. And narrows our focus too much.

Were we missing something?

We turned to the numbers to find out.

And based on those numbers, the answer is this:

ABM isn’t going anywhere. (Though it may be getting a facelift.)

Survey says: ABM is still going strong

The most recent surveys and reports we found all say the same thing: ABM still works—and it’s still on a growth trajectory.

In fact, the pandemic seems to have pushed even more marketers to start testing ABM strategies.

In 2019, 23% of companies reported they had no active ABM programs. In 2020, the same survey found that just 5.8% were on the no-ABM train. That’s a pretty substantial positive shift.

So, the rumors of ABM’s demise? We think they’re overblown.

That said…

The way companies use ABM is changing

In 2019, 38% of companies had a customer-focused marketing program. In 2020, that number jumped to 75%.

75%.

In just a year, that number doubled.

This is a smart move for a number of reasons. First, as we all know, up-sell and cross-sell hold a lot of revenue potential). And second, 80% of the most successful, mature ABM programs have a customer marketing program of their own.

That’s right: the vast majority of the most successful ABM programs use this strategy.

And if we aren’t learning from what’s working for others in the industry, what are we doing?

It’s also worth noting that ABM budgets survived the ravages of 2020—and we’re guessing this is because companies kept seeing good returns on their investment. While overall marketing budgets took a hit for 40% of companies, ABM budgets held fairly steady, especially for companies with mature ABM programs.

The truth: everything about marketing is changing

The questions we’re asking might be about ABM, but the truth is that 2020 made most of us sit up and ask questions about every facet of our marketing.

What’s holding steady? What’s no longer effective? What’s temporarily shuttered? (In-person events, we’re looking at you.) And what’s going the permanent way of the Dodo?

Companies shifted their strategies last year, and now they’re shifting again. And it’s always worth asking the question: Does what we’re doing still work?

I think we’ll see a lot of companies asking this question in very public ways in 2021—the year that Budweiser, Coke, and Pepsi have opted out of Superbowl ads. And we think it’s worth asking. But for us, the answer on ABM is in: still effective, still growing, still something we’ll be tirelessly perfecting.

Need help figuring out your 2021 marketing strategy? We’d love to hear from you.

How to kill it at your next remote sales meeting

‘Tis the season for your SKO or remote sales meeting!

In 2019, when Buffer asked remote workers about their greatest challenges, 17% answered “collaborating and/or communication.”

Thus, it should come as no surprise that at a time that about 1/3 of the US population is working from home, better remote communication is a priority. Especially when it comes to something as important as a sales meeting.

So, what can we do to improve our communication in a remote sales meeting?

The answer, according to this fantastic article at HubSpot, starts with preparing more thorough meeting agendas and taking better meeting notes.

Let’s talk about meeting agendas

Depending on your personality, meeting agendas may be your BFF, or they might seem like an unnecessary burden. You already know what you need to accomplish; why write it all down?

I’m sorry to tell you, if you’re the latter type of person, research says you should probably change your tune. Especially if you’re working remotely. And especially during the pandemic.

The reason? Because the more isolated you are, the worse your memory probably is, research says. Not to mention that putting an agenda down on paper may also give you insight into other team members who’d be helpful on the call, specific concerns the prospects might have, and resources you may need to keep at your fingertips.

Not only should you write down an agenda, but, according to the Harvard Business Review, you should:

• Get suggested agenda topics from your team (this is one place where sales, marketing, and customer service can work together for better results)
• Pick topics that impact everyone on the call (not focusing on just one person’s pain points)
• Tell the team how to prepare for the meeting (if you’ve got more than one sales pro on the phone, who’s responsible for what? If marketing is in the Zoom room, what’s their role?)
• Delegate leadership for each topic discussion as needed
• Review and modify the agenda in real-time before you start (if your prospects came in with specific requests, make sure they’re factored in)
• End the meeting with a debrief within your team (How did we do? Can we improve our sales meeting process in any way?)

Taking the right kind of notes

Now, once you have your agenda, everyone knows what’s expected of them, and when you’re in the meeting, the other important piece of this communication puzzle is notes. Because if our collective memories are suffering from isolation, we shouldn’t be relying on them as a record of important meetings.

According to HubSpot, things you should be writing down in your meeting notes include:

• Who’s in attendance (and who needs to be brought into the loop after the fact)
• The questions prospects ask during the meeting (and comments they make)
• Decisions made on the call
• Action items and tasks that come out of the meeting
• Feedback from the prospects (is there anything we can do better in future?)
• Time, day, and other details for any follow-up meetings

It’s also helpful to have note-takers keep an eye out for small fixes or things they want to revisit in the future, noting if they spot an error in the presentation, for example, or where to find a video resource they want to re-watch.

Meeting recordings can be a lifesaver

Whether you want the sales team to learn from and improve on their meetings or you just want another record of client questions and concerns, recording meetings can be a real boon to the note-taking, memory-boosting process.

If you don’t want to clutter up your servers with too many recordings, you can set parameters around how long your system will keep them before deleting. In many cases, this can be automated, with an email sent to the recording’s owner before deletion so that they can rescue any files they still need.

And if you feel like your remote sales meetings aren’t killing it lately? Let’s chat about how we can help.

Want your marketing to go viral? Think weirder.

How to get your marketing to go viral

Ryan Reynolds is at it again, with another two-ad series that has skyrocketed to viral fame.

Last time, he took advantage of public outrage about a sexist Peloton ad. This time, he’s surprised and thrilled us all with two ads for Match.com that turn 2020 on its head, posing the question: If 2020 was looking for a date, who would she match with?

The answer: Satan.

(Cue lightning strike.)

The whole thing starts in Hell, where a bored Satan is shocked to find he’s made a match. Cut to Central Park, where we learn that match is 2020.

“So, where are you from?” She asks.

“Hell,” he answers.

“Me too,” she coos.

And so we’re off to the races, with romantic background music playing as vignettes of all the things that made 2020 Hell Year for the rest of us make the same year perfect for our brand-new couple, who picnic in empty stadiums, do yoga in empty gyms, and raid a public bathroom for its toilet paper stores.

A little over a minute in, the two sit on a park bench overlooking the Brooklyn Bridge.

“I just don’t want this year to end,” he says, wistful.

“Who would?” She answers as a series of flaming objects rain down from the sky (presumably the comets that will complete this year’s apocalypse).

The final message? Scratch 2020 if you were looking for love. Make 2021 your year.

The YouTube video, unsurprisingly, has more than 3.5 million views. On Instagram, that number is 8 million.

And Reynolds didn’t stop there.

Match.com made real profiles on the site for 2020 and Satan. Satan’s relationship status? Currently separated (from God). Body type? Goat-like. Smoking status? Yes, literally. 2020 says the thing she most wants to change in the world is handshakes.

Then came a second ad that gave us still more dark humor about The Year of Our Lady Chaos, this time in the form of a mock success story.

“I started out using the Match custom filter,” says Satan. “I filtered out joy, happiness, toilet paper…and reason.”

And yet again we’re all-in on the joke as Satan sits there deadpan and 2020 points to herself with pride, saying “Boom.”

At the end text flashes across the screen: Make 2020 your year. And then 2020 explodes in a puff of smoke, replaced by 2021. Because, duh, 2020 is Satan’s soulmate and we’re all just hoping they’ll ride off into the sunset and leave us to put the world back together in 2021.

So, what can we learn from Reynold’s latest spot of brilliance?

There are probably a lot of takeaways. But here’s one that jumps out at us:

Weird is a winning strategy.

Now, we don’t mean you should go so far away from normal that you can’t find it with a map. (See: Tinder for dogs.)

But we’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: Brains love novelty. And novelty means weird.

Weird like Nike teaming up with Ben & Jerry’s.

Weird like Elon Musk’s short shorts.

Weird like embracing Satan’s romance with dumpster-fire-selfie-taking 2020.

So, what are the novel (read: weird) ways you could market your business to the world? What partnerships, ideas, concepts, and stories can you embrace that subvert traditional expectations? How can you use novelty to make us think, make us laugh, make us sit up and pay attention to your brand?

If you’re not sure, we’d love to help. Embracing the weirdness of creativity is our specialty.

What do top-performing B2B content marketers have in common?

In September, the Content Marketing Institute published its annual B2B content marketing survey.

And if you know us, you know we love data. So, it won’t surprise you to know that we dove into the numbers.

We wanted to know: How is B2B content marketing going this year? What makes for top-performing B2B content? What leads to content marketing success? How did things change with COVID-19? And what can we learn from all this data?

If you haven’t read their findings, we suggest taking a look. And if you want some analysis, here are our top 5 takeaways about what top-performing B2B content marketers have in common:

1. They have a documented content strategy

60% of the most successful content marketers said they had a documented content strategy, compared to just 22% of the least successful.

Interesting? Yep. Surprising? Not even a little. In our experience, strategy trumps anything else you can do as a marketer. It’s the most important thing we do for our clients.

2. They use editorial calendars

Successful content marketers are 30% more likely to use an editorial calendar than their unsuccessful counterparts.

This is yet another win for strategy, which often includes editorial strategy (which, in turn, feeds into a documented editorial calendar). The big benefits here? Editorial calendars help you meet user expectations, align content efforts across teams, avoid duplicating efforts across the organization, and otherwise stay organized and in the loop on everything your organization is doing content-wise.

3. They care about metrics

The top content marketers in the survey were 44% more likely to use metrics to measure content performance when compared to their least successful colleagues. Which makes perfect sense. After all, how can you improve over time if you don’t know what’s working (and what isn’t)?

4. They’re flexible

93% of top performers made quick changes when the pandemic hit. 94% described their changes as effective.

The main changes they made ranged from shifting their targeting and messaging strategy (70% of respondents) to adjusting editorial calendars (64%) to switching up their content distribution and promotion strategies (53%). It’s worth noting that the top priorities, yet again, all fall under the heading of strategy.

5. They use content marketing to create brand awareness

There are a lot of reasons companies invest in content marketing. To build trust. Educate their audiences. Generate leads. Nurture loyalty.

And, of course, to create brand awareness.

This year’s research tells us that this was the number one goal that successful content marketers achieved in 2020 (followed by building trust and educating audiences).

A hopeful outlook for 2021

Pandemic or no pandemic, 2020 was a good year for content marketers. In fact, it might surprise you to learn that 31% of content marketers ranked their companies as extremely or very successful in 2020. That’s 5% more than the same survey in 2019.

We think this bodes well for the year to come. Content marketing isn’t going anywhere. No matter how chaotic the world is (or hopefully isn’t), it’s a powerhouse tactic for building your business.

Need some content marketing help?

49% of survey respondents said they outsource some of their content needs. If this is you and you need some expert content help (whether on the strategy, creation, or governance side of things), we’d love to chat.

5 top content marketing trends to watch in 2021

Our take on the 2021 top content marketing trends

The countdown has commenced. 2021 is officially on its way. And much like the American presidency, the transition is feeling a little rocky. After all, 2020 was Pure Chaos, and we’re not out of the woods yet. So, who can predict what 2021 will bring?

The answer might be a little easier than it seems. Because when it comes to marketing, content has been, is, and will always be essential. And content marketing trends usually don’t come completely out of nowhere. 

Based on what we’re seeing in the market, here are five trends we think you should pay attention to in 2021:

1. All things Slack

With 55%(+) growth in 2020, Slack is here to stay. It’s where teams connect to collaborate on projects. It’s where friend groups now meet to chat throughout the day. It’s where industry professionals go to network. And it’s even where IT teams go to provide customer support.

Which makes 2021 a great time to ask yourself how Slack can help you meet your goals. Can you create a Slack group that provides value for your customers or internal teams? Should you get involved in existing groups to connect with customers, partners, or new talent? Do you already have a Slack group and, if so, what can you do to better align it with your customer or employee needs and your business goals? What kind of content and conversations should your Slack strategy include?

2. Personalization 

Personalization has been the holy grail of marketing for a long while—and that’s not changing anytime soon. In fact, tighter budgets and more uncertainty make true personalization even more important. Because when budgets are tight, why would you spend your ad dollars sending baby stroller ads to child-free couples or pushing car ads to customers who don’t drive? 

Instead, 2021 is time to get serious about personalizing content—identifying the right customers and sending them the right messages at the right times. 

3. Video

Not-at-all-shockingly, since COVID-19 hit our collective consciousness like a Mac truck and people around the world were suddenly stuck at home almost all of the time, video popularity has skyrocketed. YouTube use is up. Netflix subscriptions are through the roof. Wistia reports a 120% jump in video engagement. And content marketers who can create low-budget videos on a tight turnaround are reaping the benefits.  

In 2021, we expect video’s popularity to hold steady as much of the world will continue to spend more time than usual at home.

4. Podcasts

Over 60 million US homes listen to podcasts. Avid podcast fans tend to be high-earners. And if you want to reach Millennials? Well, this growing audio format is where you’ll find them (48% of people who listen monthly are under 35).

It’s easy to predict that the popularity of podcasts—already growing exponentially year-over-year—is going to continue. And that their power as a marketing tool is only going to grow as well. Especially since it’s still a lower-competition space (as Entrepreneur points out: there are 80 million Facebook business pages but only 70,000 podcasts competing for customer attention).

5. Online courses, webinars, & virtual events

Webinars, virtual events, and online courses produce some of the best results in the content marketing world, according to this year’s content marketing benchmark survey. And this trend is only going to continue in 2021. So if you haven’t already been thinking about educational content in these formats, now’s a good time to start.

And if you need help figuring out your content marketing strategy? You know who to call.

(Because if you don’t have one, you should—high performing companies are nearly three times as likely to have one than their low-performing peers.) 

Brands embrace unexpected partnerships

As marketers, we spend a lot of time thinking about delight.

Especially in a year so chaotic that murder hornets, zombie minks (yes, really), and a raging debate over whether it’s safe for Floridians to eat pythons have basically flown under the radar. 

How do we delight our users—with our designs, photography, content, branding, videos, sales experiences, and customer service? How do we make the pleasure centers in our brains light up like Christmas trees? How do we give customers a reprieve from the status quo—be that status quo day-to-day stressors or zombie minks?

There are plenty of answers out there. Good UX delights and relieves. Making sure marketing, sales, and customer service are always on the same page and can make or break a customer’s joy. 

And then there’s novelty. Surprise a customer with something new and (according to brain science) you’ll set the pleasure centers of the mind ablaze.

Which is why we’re big fans of unlikely partnerships. The kind of partnerships that surprise and delight. The ones we didn’t see coming, but now that they’re here they make so much sense.

Harry Potter working with Severus Snape. Arya Stark teaming up with The Hound. 

In the world of business: Nike + Ben & Jerry’s. REI and West Elm. Hershey’s and DC Comics.

And now: Target and Ulta Beauty.

This November, the two major brands announced their new partnership, which includes Ulta Beauty shops tucked up inside Target stores—a shop within a shop. 

For Ulta, this means more customers (75% of the US population lives within 10 miles of a Target). Not to mention that they can take advantage of Target’s incredibly successful drive-up and shipped-from-your-store programs, which grew by 734% and 350% this year, respectively.

For Target, the partnership means long-term leases and expansion possibilities. It increases product options by 25,000+. And it’ll give Target the opportunity to build its reputation in the beauty space.

Not to mention that both companies have robust rewards programs and will now have access to each other’s members. (That’s 30 million+ for Ulta Beauty and a whopping 75 million+ for Target.)

It’s a pretty clear win-win situation. An opportunity to reach more people. Shake things up. Not to mention that research says that companies that keep marketing, adapting, and rolling with the punches through a recession are the companies that will continue to do well once the recession…well, recedes.

So, consider this your regular reminder that creative, unexpected partnerships are still a great idea. Unusual marketing often wins the day. 

And if you need help brainstorming, reaching out to partners, finding the places and ideas where collaboration can make a huge difference to your bottom line? That’s one of our specialties. Reach out anytime. 

Are you ready to fire your marketing agency?

40% of brands may change agencies in 2021

Yep. You read that right. According to an Adweek survey, 40% of brands say they’re thinking about making a change in 2021—hiring a new ad agency. 

And that makes a lot of sense. 

With the tighter budgets, furloughs, and uncertainty 2020 has dropped on most of our doorsteps, it’s a good time to evaluate every part of our businesses—internal and external—to see if we can do better. Are we getting enough value for the dollars we spend on our businesses? Can we improve our ROI? Our creative? Our customer service? Our branding?

These questions are top of mind for a lot of people—with good reason.

So, if you’re one of them, how do you know if you should make a switch? How do you decide if it’s time to bring a new agency on board? We think the answer starts with asking these questions:

1. Is your agency bringing you new ideas?

A huge benefit agencies bring to the table is a third-party perspective. New angles. New questions. New ideas. 

If your agency isn’t bringing you new ideas? It’s probably time to let them go. 

2. Does the creative stand out?

When your agency delivers a new design, a brand pitch, a video, how does it make you feel? Are you constantly wowed? Are they hitting the nail on the head, knocking the designs out of the proverbial park? Or are the designs mediocre, the concepts just average?

If it’s the latter, you deserve better. You deserve an agency with truly killer creative.

3. Are they digital marketers?

In 2020, nearly 2021, you’d think this was a given. But nope. No sir. Some agencies still aren’t quite as digital as they should be, even though most marketing these days is. 

If you know us, you know we think direct mail and other non-digital forms of marketing have their place. But the most compelling marketing opportunities are online. 

From account-based marketing to email and organic search to Instagram, you need an agency full of online natives who are savvy about all things digital.

4. Are they on board with virtual events?

In 2020, events went virtual by necessity. But in 2021 and beyond, we think you’ll see a lot of them staying virtual by choice. Because there are a lot of perks to taking events online. No travel days. No pricey flights and even pricier hotels. A wider audience. Lower costs. 

If events are on your radar, you want an agency that understands the pros and cons that come with both in-person and virtual events. Look for teams with experience not only drumming up excitement before your event, but also keeping people engaged during and nurturing leads after. 

5. Do they love data?

Websites. Marketing automation. CRM. Intent data. Audience tracking. Email opens. Virtual event attendance. 

These days, we have access to a lot of data. And that data has the power to drive real marketing results. In fact, marketers who use data to drive personalization report five to eight times as much ROI as marketers who don’t.

So, it’s a no-brainer that you need an agency that loves data. That lives it, breathes it, understands it. 

6. Are they making your life easier—or harder?

If there’s anything I’ve learned in my long career, it’s that not all agencies and contractors are created equal. Some require hand-holding, need tons of direction, and while they deliver what they promise, there’s no surprise or delight.

Others genuinely make my life easier. They bring ideas to the table. I can trust them to take major things off my plate. I know they’ll consistently deliver something that meets or exceeds expectations.

If you don’t feel that way about your agency, I’m sorry to say, it’s time to give them the boot. Working with an agency should feel like a relief. They should alleviate some of the burden on your shoulders. They should make you look good to your bosses and feel good about the work you’re putting out together.  

7. Are they account-based marketing (ABM) experts?

If you’re in B2B, your agency should know ABM like the back of their hand—from the right tech stack to how to reach the right audiences and from the right lead magnets to the right reports that keep your team on track. 

On average, these days, B2B decisions pass through 16 different decision makers. Which means the tactics agencies use for B2C single-decision-maker sales aren’t going to cut it in the B2C space. And agencies without ABM experience probably aren’t getting you the best results.

Finding an agency that wows you

Okay, so you are thinking about making a switch…Now, how do you find an agency that hits all the points above? 

First, look at their track record. Do you love their past creative? Do their clients love them? 

Second, reach out. Ask the hard questions. Find out what kind of expertise they have. And check in with your gut: Did the conversation make you feel relieved? Can you trust this agency to make your life easier?

If this all resonates, we’d love to chat about our own passion for data, virtual events, strategy, and—perhaps most important—making you the hero in your marketing efforts. 

Reach out anytime.

As you create your 2021 marketing plan, think fresh

How to create a kicka$$ 2021 marketing plan

We’re well into Q4, and the Year of Our Lady Chaos is drawing toward its end. Which means it’s time for the familiar comforts of snow-dusted pines, homemade cookies, and screaming controversies about whatever Starbucks decides to do with its holiday cups.

Ho, ho, ho, merry fisticuffs.

For marketers, it’s also time for planning. Looking to the future. Asking what’s coming in 2021 and how we’ll meet the challenges on the horizon. Because if 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that those challenges aren’t always predictable.

Which is why—now more than ever—it’s time to take risks, think fresh, and keep up momentum. Because companies that push pause, slash budgets, and stop taking risks during hard times? They fall behind. (Or so says research from the Harvard Business Review.)

So, what kind of risks should you be thinking about as you sketch out your 2021 marketing plan and budget? Here are some ideas to get you started:

Account-based marketing

Are you tired of us banging the ABM drum, siren-calling to you to get on board? Too bad, because ABM is here to stay and here to make your complicated B2B sales funnels easier. If you haven’t already aligned your sales and marketing teams to target accounts, it’s time. Here’s how to start.

Personalization

86% of consumers say personalization has an impact on their buying decisions. And yet, a whopping 87% of marketers say they’re not using customer data to its full potential.

2021 is the time to nip that in the bud.

Because personalization is all about honing in on the right customers, spending less money on the wrong customers, and embracing the age-old adage “work smarter, not harder.”

As usual, you don’t have to take our word for it. Just look at Amazon: 35% of their sales come from their personalization engine.

Interactive marketing

From calculators to quizzes to interactive infographics, interactive marketing can drive a lot of engagement. In fact, studies say it generates twice as much engagement as its static counterparts.

And before you B2B marketers skim on past thinking this is just for B2C, consider this: 42% of B2B buyers say interactive content is one of their top three preferred content types.

Bold, unique creative

The time for drab colors and boring creative is over. If you want attention from a burned-out world, you’ll need to go bold. Freshen up your brand. Re-design your website. Push the boundaries of what makes you unique. Share positive, hopeful messages. And don’t be afraid to take some risks. Now more than ever, people appreciate passion, novelty, creativity, and hope.

Support your community

It’s no secret that we all need some positivity in our lives right now. So it should come as no surprise that 77% of people surveyed said they feel more positively about brands making an effort to support society right now.

So, as you plan for 2021, it’s time to ask: how can your brand give back? And how can your advertising showcase what you’re doing? Because right now we all need to hear about it.

Digital sales

In-person sales options are an endangered species and with a covid vaccine still on the distant horizon, 2021 planning should be focused on digital. Have your sales teams adopted the right digital tools? What other tools do they need? How can you enhance their capabilities as they take advantage of virtual events, LinkedIn, online networking, etc.?

Strategy, strategy, strategy

No matter how great your tools, how smart your salespeople, how gorgeous your creative, without strategy, marketing fails.

Covid or no covid. Election or no election. Murder hornets or no murder hornets. Strategy should always be given ongoing space and budget. It’s the most important thing we do for our clients and the most important thing you can do for your audiences.

And if you need some help? With strategy, creative, or anything else marketing-related? As always, we’re here for you. Our goal is to make you the hero—no matter how chaotic and unpredictable of a year we’re all up against.

Account-based marketing is essential for B2B

Remember last year when we told you that the number of decision-makers in a B2B deal was on the rise?

That truth still holds true. There are a lot of cooks in the kitchen when it comes to B2B purchasing decisions. A lot of opinions to influence. Questions to answer. Unique needs to meet. And that can mean a lot of work for your marketing and sales teams.

And the answer to that ballooning number of decision-makers? It’s still account-based marketing (ABM): a tactic we like to describe as a collaboration between sales and marketing to target accounts—rather than individuals.

As usual, you don’t have to take our word for it. We aren’t saying ABM is the answer because our guts tell us so. We’re saying it because the stats back it up. In fact:

Sales and marketing teams that collaborate closely on ABM are 6% more likely to exceed revenue goals than their counterparts.

62% of teams say they have seen measurable improvement since implementing ABM.

And 80% of marketers say ABM improves customer lifetime values (while a whopping 86% say it improves win rates).

Which is probably why more and more companies are embracing account-based marketing—with 67% saying they are already on board and some estimates indicating ABM budgets have increased as much as 41% in the last year.

The bottom line? Account-based marketing is still vital for B2B companies—and if you aren’t on board, we’re sorry to tell you that the competition is getting ready to leave you in the dust.

So, what’s a B2B company to do?

The answer starts with wrapping your head around ABM. What will you need to change within your organization? How will you align your sales and marketing teams around a common strategy? How will you open up lines of communication between those teams? How will you track and manage data on your accounts?

A good place to start answering those questions might be Hubspot’s ultimate guide to ABM.

And if you need to get up to speed even faster than a guide can promise? You need a partner who gets it. (Oh, hey there, like us.) And, as always, we’d love to talk.