Catalyst Marketing

Marketing risks…what if they aren’t that risky?

Marketing risks – should you take them?

Industry standard. Tried-and-true. Time-tested. Proven.

Humans—marketers included—love it when we can grab hold of a strategy or tactic that has worked over and over again. It’s why every time a novel is a breakout success, about 100 other novels fly off the presses with stories so similar they’d make your head spin. It’s why movies that do well suddenly have 10 mediocre sequels coming to theaters soon. And it’s why marketers flock to the tactics that are safe. Tested. Time-worn.

If it worked once (or twice or ten times), you can pry it from our cold, dead fingers.

And, hey, it makes sense. Tried-and-true seems less risky, right? If it has worked before, our brains are comfortable assuming it’ll work again. 

The only problem? Our brains are actually really bad at assessing risk. They were built at a time when risks were simpler. Our ancestors ate those blue berries once, twice, three times and didn’t keel over and die, so we can keep eating the blue berries. Our ancestors heard a wolf howl and retreated to the cave and lived to fight another day, so when a wolf is howling, our brains scream retreat, retreat, retreat.

But now that same oversimplified risk system is applying its logic to more complex modern risk assessments. And since marketing tactics aren’t berries or wolves, our risk-averse reactions to them don’t really serve us. 

Now, I’m not pooh-poohing all tried-and-true marketing wisdom. There are things that work, and work consistently, and we love those strategies and tactics as much as anyone. 

But the really big wins—and huge losses? They boil down to whether or not you’re willing to take risks and make changes.

Just look at our old friends Netflix and Blockbuster: Both had streaming technology. But one (Blockbuster) listened to that risk-averse lizard brain screaming “Turn away! New is risky! Tried-and-true is where it’s at!” The other embraced the new, risky model of movie rentals. We all know the risk paid off.

Because here’s the kicker: One of the things our lizard brains hate is change. But change is essential for creative success.

No one wants to read 10 knock-off versions of Gone Girl. Nobody loved Jurassic Park 3 as much as the original. Nobody wants to be forced to use your outdated website form when they could order a pizza faster on an app. 

We want the companies we buy from and work with to adapt, grow, and improve. We want them to delight us with unexpected marketing campaigns. 

So, how do we find inspiration for pushing our marketing boundaries and keeping our businesses on the cutting edge?

We believe it starts with truly considering ludicrous ideas. Because every idea seems pretty ludicrous before it works. So instead of going with your gut when something ridiculous comes up, sit with it. Disinvite your lizard brain from the conversation. Could it work? Is it really as wild as it sounds at first?

I’m sure the snuggie sounded ridiculous when the idea first hit the scene. 30 million sales later, the inventor is laughing all the way to the bank. 

I’m sure Tesla releasing flamethrowers and short-shorts elicited an “are you high?” response from some early skeptics (and, let’s be honest, the answer might have been yes). In both cases, the whimsical releases bumped up stock prices (and sold out fast). 

And I know that when Anheuser-Busch purchased the St. Louis Cardinals in ’53, people thought naming a stadium after a brand sounded wild. That marketing tactic is now pretty tried-and-true.

So here’s the part where I remind you to pause before you jump to no. Consider your ridiculous ideas. Push boundaries. Embrace new technology. Keep some tried-and-true strategies going, but don’t discount the big, audacious, weird ideas. The flamethrowers and snuggies and one-click pizza-order-on-its-way apps.

And if you need help figuring out which risks to take and which can wait? That’s the kind of task our team thrives on. Reach out anytime. 

Catalyst for change

We exist to help marketers be heroic. 

That’s been the Catalyst mission from the start, and it’s still our mission today. In a work context, it means lifting client burdens, helping them reach new heights, and elevating them to be the best versions of themselves.

Of course, outside work, heroism means something else altogether.

It means standing up for what’s right. Not staying quiet in the face of what’s wrong. Choosing to be better and do better day by day.

It also means we stand in solidarity with Black Lives Matter, not only in the face of police brutality and an unjust justice system, but also in fighting for equality at work, at home, in our neighborhoods, on our streets. It means we understand that we’ve all participated in systems of oppression, and we are committed to change.

What does that mean at Catalyst? How specifically can we do better? These are the questions we’ve been asking ourselves for the past few months. And these are the tangible actions we are taking in our new program, Catalyst for Change:

Diversity in hiring

We believe that diversity is not only important for moral reasons, but it also makes our workforces better. Having homogenous teams is—frankly—foolish. And the stats back us up. Leadership teams that include marginalized genders and varied ethnic backgrounds are more likely to be profitable.

We’ve long been committed to diversity in our hiring practices—both in-house and freelance—but now our goal is to be even more intentional about it. Our track record on gender is good, but we need to do better on race. If you’re a BIPOC, disabled, or queer creative or strategist and you’d like to work with Catalyst, we’d love to hear from you. Ask us to put our money where our mouths are and add you to our A-Team roster.

Diversity in marketing

As marketers, we have an opportunity to change people’s perspectives, normalize diversity, and stop the rampant centering of whiteness, maleness, straightness, and able-bodied representation. This means intentionally choosing diverse images, eradicating terms with racist histories or connotations, and—above all—listening and learning how we can do better on each campaign.

Monthly team meetings

Our team now meets once per month to highlight and discuss changemakers who have paved the way and were pioneers in their thinking, actions, and impact. The goal of these meetings is to educate, inspire, and draw learnings from these leaders who’ve made such an impact on our world.

Quarterly sensitivity training

When we say we want to listen, we mean it. Which is why we’ve created an introspective program, in conjunction with Project PAVE, to challenge and teach us how to do better day-by-day. We are aspiring to learn about ourselves and become better people, professionals, and leaders.

Our goals:

1) to take an introspective look at ourselves

2) to bring subconscious thought patterns into conscious awareness

3) to help employees find creative ways to equitably impact the systems they operate within.

Philanthropy

As a profitable business, it’s our responsibility to give back to the causes we care about. That’s why we donate 1% of Catalyst’s net income to charitable causes. 

Volunteering

As part of our Lifestyle Enhancement Perks Program, all employees are eligible and encouraged to receive paid time off for volunteering.

Community outreach

We also believe it’s our responsibility to not only be a business that demonstrates social responsibility but also one that actively encourages it.

This is why we’re committed to providing content that promotes equality and social responsibility.

It’s why we talk about social responsibility, brand empathy, making it easy for customers to do the right thing, and putting your actions where your words are.

And it’s why the programs we’ve listed above will also be available to our clients—not just our employees. But we will provide your program strategy, internal messaging documents, external positioning statements, and company logo lock-ups for your organization. 

Talk to us

We’re still listening and learning. Have a BIPOC contractor to recommend? Research we should be reading? Another way we can do better? Or want to start your own company program similar to Catalyst for Change? We’d love to hear from you.

And if you, too, are a creative team trying to do better? Check out Marchaé Grair‘s talk on centering the margins, David Dylan Thomas’ newly published Design for Cognitive Bias, and Sara Wachter-Boettcher’s talk on ethical tech and problematic content. 

What the heck is visual commerce?

Every year, marketing gets more complex.

The core practices—understanding your audience, your business goals, and how to create content that resonates with people—are never going away. But the tools, strategies, and channels are an ever-changing mass.

In fact, in 2020, there were a whopping 8,000 MarTech tools on the market. And each seems to come with a new set of terminology. (So, we can all go ahead and forgive ourselves if it seems like every day a new term forces us into a frantic Google search.)

The latest one to dance across many a Google search history?

Visual commerce.

So, what the heck is it? Do we need it? And how can we use it?

Here are the basics.

What is visual commerce?

The short answer is that visual commerce is digital marketing that allows users to visualize products.

This includes product visualization (such as virtual apartment tours), visual customization (such as the ability to change exterior and interior colors when visualizing a car online), and/or augmented reality—such as the ability to visualize a shirt on your own body.

The more shopping moves online, the more important visual commerce becomes. If you can’t compare car models on a lot, the next best thing is playing with features and colors online. If you can’t try on that dress in person (either because the store isn’t available in your town or because, you know, pandemic), seeing it on your body type and twirling the mouse for a 360-view is a legit lifesaver.

Is it important?

So, visualizing that cute sweater on my body before I buy it sounds pretty nifty, but how important is visual commerce for marketers, really?

Well, the data on visual commerce isn’t totally in yet. But we do know that people remember visuals. In one study, participants were shown over 2,500 images for 10 seconds each. Three days later, they remembered 90% of them!

That’s right: 90%.

That is some pretty intense retention.

Even more remarkable, when the study was replicated to show images for just one second, the results held pretty steady.

We also know that 75% of US users regularly (or always search) for visual content before buying, and only 3% never look for visuals.

Finally, we also know that video—one of the most visual tactics in wide use—has the best ROI of any marketing tactic.

In summary, all signs point to visual commerce being a big win for brands, especially in a world where more people are shopping online than ever before.

Where do we start?

As with anything, we recommend starting with strategy.

Who are your users? What do they need? What are your business goals? How might more and deeper visual experiences help you reach them (or indeed, exceed them)? What does your sales funnel look like? Where would more visuals enhance the experience?

From there, the next step is making a plan, defining your budget, choosing a visual commerce platform (where applicable), and/or involving your agency to help you hit the ground running.

And if you need some help? Well, that’s where we come in.

11 things we’ve learned about marketing in 2020

If there are two things we all know about crises, they’re these: 1) they suck, and 2) we usually learn something from them.

So, with the hot mess of crises plaguing us all in 2020, we wondered what people were taking away from it so far. Exactly how are we adjusting our perspectives? What’s changed in our understanding—of the world, the people our businesses serve, and the way we work?

Or, in other words: What have we learned during a year best summed up by that GIF of the dog drinking coffee in a house fire?

https://giphy.com/gifs/trump-consequences-NTur7XlVDUdqM

We asked the Catalyst team for their answers. Here’s what they said:

Be authentic and empathic

“We’ve long been outspoken about how important empathy and authenticity are in marketing. After all, people who associate your brand with a positive emotional experience are seven times more likely to make a purchase. And as this year has shown us, the more chaotic the world gets, the more empathic, authentic marketing resonates.” – Cathleen Esposito

Discipline is key

“When the world goes off the rails, it’s easy to go off the rails with it. Which is why discipline is key—not only at work, but in trying to balance an unexpectedly out-of-whack social life and home life. Not only does discipline help us reach goals and keep order in our lives. It also makes us happier, according to some studies.” – Derek Ng

Take a stand

“Don’t be scared to market your company’s voice and stance—to stand up for the issues and values you care about. Sometimes, silence can be taken as a response, and prospects and customers may pass their own judgement if you don’t speak out publicly.

Also: get creative. Think outside the box. Now is the time to be unique. Unique messaging. Unique marketing. Unique ways of reaching your audience.” – Ariel Lawrence

Be human

“If something comes across as fake, clients and prospects alike will see right through it. If you want to sell to humans, you better be one.” – Molly Bullock

Be flexible

“Flexibility and adaptability are the only way forward.

Nobody would have guessed eight months ago that 42% of the US workforce would be working from home today. Nobody predicted Zoom would grow by 350% this year or that breadmakers would be this year’s most in-demand gift. Nobody knew that Microsoft would shutter its storefronts.

But all those things happened—and the companies doing well right now are the ones who adapted (and adapted quick). As marketers, it’s always our job to roll with the punches.” – Julie Marks

Transparency supports connection

“Stepping forward and being transparent with COVID responses (and other crisis responses) is a powerful way to stay connected to your customers, employees, and prospects. It makes people feel supported and eases anxiety.” – Jordyn Demar

Find the sweet spot between optimism and sensitivity

“At our core, marketers are communicators. And when the world is in chaos, we—more than almost anyone—need to find the right balance between being optimistic and sensitive with our content. When it comes to content, your tone should match the situation.” – Cameron Beards

Let people know you give a damn

“Show up for your prospects, customers, and employees. All three groups need to hear from you and need to know that your company is on their side and how you’re adding value to their businesses and lives.” – Gem Swartz

Be genuine

“In times of uncertainty, brands who express genuine empathy shine. And that shine doesn’t wear off. People remember how brands respond. A great response can earn lifetime customer loyalty. A bad one? Well, let’s just say people aren’t in the mood for performative solidarity.” – Trevor Keating

Put your foot on the gas

“2020 is accelerating trends that were already in play. Be ready to adapt and change at a faster rate. Now’s the time to be bold and get out of your comfort zone. Mediocrity is harder to hide when everyone’s watching.” – Mariah Kamei

Content is still the game-changer

“This is the age of killer content. And you better step up your game, because the world is being bombarded with it. Make it interesting and engaging. Don’t skimp on your content budgets. Consider interactivity, animation, and bold images.” – Robin Emiliani

So, what have you learned in 2020?

4 great examples of brand purpose

We exist to help marketers be heroic.

That’s the Catalyst brand purpose. Simple, straightforward, and so, so us. It encapsulates the purpose that underpins everything we do. We’re not just writing a blog post…we’re helping a client go viral! And we’re not just designing a new website…we’re helping a marketing manager win big! In other words, we are always trying to make our clients into heroes—to their bosses, teams, and customers.

Right now, with the world in flux, we’re guessing many companies are revisiting their own brand purposes (or perhaps creating them from scratch), digging away at their foundations to find out the why behind what they do. So, we thought it’d be a good time to not only remind you of ours—but also share a few others that might inspire you on your own journey toward brand purpose.

If that’s you, here are four brands poised to inspire.

1. Nike

“Our purpose is to unite the world through sport to create a healthy planet, active communities and an equal playing field for all.”

It won’t surprise you to learn that branding powerhouse Nike is on our list. They have perfected the art of speaking to the heart.

You’ll notice that this purpose (and ours, and the others we’ll soon highlight) has nothing to do with what they’re selling. It’s not Build the best shoes! Make the highest quality running shorts!

Those things fall under the umbrella of what they do, but purpose isn’t what you do. It’s why you do it. Nike’s purpose isn’t simply to make a comfy trail-running shoe. It’s their goal to unite the world through sport. And the way they do that just so happens to involve shoes and shorts and gear, but the why is about something bigger…

2. Harley Davidson

“More than building machines, we stand for the timeless pursuit of adventure. Freedom for the soul.”

Harley Davidson is another brand that totally gets that its purpose isn’t just building things. Its purpose is to hand customers an adventure of their choosing—be it a ride up the California coast or an exploration of the Italian Alps.

Formerly, their mission statement talked about fulfilling dreams, which is another great way to frame what they do. But we particularly love the framing on their current about page, because every motorcyclist we’ve ever met is in it for the timeless pursuit of adventure.

3. Asana

“Asana’s mission is to help humanity thrive by enabling the world’s teams to work together effortlessly.”

Here’s a good reminder: A great purpose statement isn’t just a B2C thing. The Nikes and Harley Davidsons of the world aren’t the only ones paying detailed attention to the why behind what they do. B2B brands like Asana are thinking it through as well.

Asana may be a software provider, but their purpose isn’t just to build project management tools. Their purpose is to enable effortless collaboration. A value their business customers can certainly get behind.

4. Contently

“We help brands tell great stories.”

Another B2B brand whose statement is fantastic in its simplicity is Contently. Practically, they provide a content marketing platform, content strategy services, and access to a content talent network. But on a value level, their purpose statement gets to the heart of all three offerings: Contently is here to help your business tell stories—and tell them well. Everything they do works toward that goal.

What’s your brand purpose?

So, what’s the why behind the things you build, the services you provide, and the networks you grow? What’s the core thing you’re helping customers do? Are you making work less complicated? Making people’s lives more fun? Helping entrepreneurs dream bigger? Preparing adventurers for a journey?

Harley Davidson wants us to grab adventure. Contently wants us to tell better stories. What do you want the world to do?

If you’re still figuring it out and could use some help, let us know. Getting to the heart of a brand’s purpose is absolutely our favorite kind of challenge!

In marketing and business, it’s adapt or die

Microsoft is permanently closing its retail stores. Airbnb is focusing on domestic travel. Conferences have gone virtual. And over 100,000 small businesses are pushing up daisies in the US alone.

It’s the new normal of a COVID-19 world. And the companies that can—and do—pivot are getting ahead, while many (many) others are closing their doors.

And while this all seems very new, big shifts in the way we do business are really a tale as old as time. Big changes hit the market—be they new technologies, new ways of thinking, single-industry dust-ups, or uncontrollable outside forces like pandemics—and companies are forced to make a choice:

Keep trying to do things the old way and go down with the proverbial ship or make big—sometimes scary—changes.

If there’s anything history tells us about these history-making moments, it’s that creativity and willingness to change are the secret sauce of the net winners in these situations.

Like in the late ‘90s when Netflix hit the video scene.

New ideas and technologies suddenly made streaming video a reality—one we now know would go on to take over the world, projected to earn $27,143- million this year and continue growing 4% year-after-year.

The irony? Blockbuster had the streaming technology first. But they killed it because they were too married to the old way of doing things. They were too scared to lose their $800 million in late fees. And so they tied themselves to the mast of late fees and went down with their ship as Netflix swept in to dominate the video market.

An unwillingness to change took Blockbuster into an early business grave. Embracing the pivot gave Netflix the edge.

Uber got its own edge in a similar way. They started out as a fancy-pants black car service, but when other companies started embracing rideshares, Uber saw the opportunity and made the pivot to become one of the best-known ridesharing options of its time.

They embraced the pivot and got the edge.

Now, a pandemic has forced many businesses to stare down the barrel of risky choices yet again. Businesses are looking for ways to pivot—and those that find them are best positioned to get an edge on the competition. Time will tell how each pivot choice will shake out, but two we’re watching closely are Microsoft and Airbnb.

Recognizing that their sales are mostly digital anyway, Microsoft has decided its pivot is to take the already-COVID-closed stores and permanently shutter nearly all of them (with the exception of just four locations). Employees will keep their jobs and go remote. And while the store closures will cost a pretty penny in the short-term (to the tune of $450 million), the long-term benefits of going remote may well outweigh the short-term expense.

Airbnb is making a similar pivot to embrace the new world of travel. With COVID-19 keeping many borders well and truly closed, international travel numbers are in the toilet. But domestic travel? It’s bouncing back—which means it’s time for their marketing team to focus on local options and the markets that are bouncing back quicker than others.

So, what is your business doing to pivot in the age of corona? What creative ways can you focus on the right audiences, embrace appropriate closures or changes, and stay the course for when the crisis passes?

It’s adapt or die. If you’re still figuring it out, we’d love to help.

Snapchat, TikTok and Instagram – do these social channels play a role in B2B marketing?

Do social channels like Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram play a role in B2B marketing?

This year, the average adult will spend at least 1 hour and 22 minutes per day on social media.  Sure, we all know LinkedIn is an integral part of modern marketing and sales strategies, but what about other social channels? With nearly 2 billion (yes, that’s BILLION!) installs worldwide, TikTok is a rising star on the social scene. But does that mean it will also do well as a marketing platform? 

And then there’s Instagram. According to eMarketer, Instagram recently saw a 13.8% spike in engagement via Instagram Live and Stories. Should B2B brands capitalize on the trend for lead generation? And just what the heck is going on with Snapchat? 

To give B2B marketers a better grasp on what the kids are doing currently, and determine their relevance to your marketing plans, we bravely dove into the “how, what, and why” of these channels.  

P.S. Are you more of an audio/visual type? Check out our Catalyst Marketing Rant on this very subject instead. 

What’s up with TikTok? 

TikTok is taking over the world. If you stumble across a young person aged 13-24, there’s a good chance you will find the app on their phone. And because TikTok is so well-loved amongst the Gen Z market, it is becoming the new marketing avenue to watch.

Initially developed as an app to create and share lip-synching videos, TikTok has since expanded its subject matter to include cooking tutorials, comedy sketches, singing, dancing, beauty how-tos, and much more.

These days, we are starting to see people sharing videos featuring their favorite products. Thus, the age of TikTok advertising is already upon us.

For most brands, TikTok as a marketing platform works in three ways:

1. Brands upload original branded content to their own TikTok channels
2. Brands spread content through influencers with an established audience
3. Brands pay for ad placements on TikTok

TikTok’s official advertising platform is still very new. There’s no established market for it yet. However, it may become larger and more comprehensive over time.  

Snapchat for B2B? 

Remember when celebrities finally made their way to Twitter? Or when your parents finally got on Facebook? Today, most people on Snapchat are relatively young, with 71% of users currently under the age of 25. What’s interesting is that the age of the app’s audience is getting older over time. 

Whatever the kids are into, eventually older adults and late adopters follow in time. If you ask any parent of a teenager (who, based on age group, are more likely to be decision-makers for many B2B brands) how they communicate with their kids, and you’re likely to hear it’s all done on Snapchat. 

Also, at a time where many social channels have already jumped the late adopter shark (an example rhymes with Smacebook) and are very stingy with reach and eye-balls, Snapchat users are engaged on the platform for up to 20 minutes a day. There are billions of content pieces shared daily on Snapchat.

All of this sounds good in theory. But how—practically speaking—do you start using it to hit your B2B marketing objectives? Let’s take a look at a few examples. 

Ready to test the waters? Here’s how to choose between the two.

The bottom line is this: It may be a good idea to hop on the bandwagon as an early(ish) adopter. Especially if your tolerance for experimental channels is high.

If you’re looking for new pastures to take your marketing message to, how do you choose between Snapchat and TikTok? The answer depends on who your target audience is and where they’re more likely to be found. 

Brand personality is also another important consideration. If you want to promote authenticity and show off your sillier side of your brand, TikTok might be the place for you. But if you want to deliver more polished content or leverage the reach of an established publication, then Snapchat could be a better alternative. 

Keep in mind the price differential between the two. Snapchat isn’t a cheap place to play, although they did just launch some pretty sweet Augmented Reality (AR) upgrades to their Lens platform. And because TikTok’s ad platform is so new, you may be able to get a good deal in the early market, but you have to take the lack of experience that comes with it.  

And one more to keep on your radar… Instagram Guides

Instagram launched a new format for sharing curated, scrollable content: Instagram Guides.

The new feature gives users an easier way to consume helpful recommendations and tips from trusted creators, public figures, organizations, and publishers—with an initial focus on wellness. This isn’t currently a feature that is available to all brands, but it’s something to keep on your radar; here’s an example for easy reference. 

More to consider

One of Instagram’s biggest criticisms has been how the picture-perfect platform discusses mental health. Originally, the Guides feature was designed for travelers, but with the sudden onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the social media company needed to reverse its course. With the rollout of Guides and its pivot to focus on wellness, it seems as good a time as ever for the channel to try and change the conversation around mental health and social media.

For B2B brands, Instagram is a safe place to test out sponsored-content and new storytelling formats. It’s designed for brands that want to get out of their comfort zone without going too far out. With features like Stories and Guides, they offer a wide variety of new and exciting ways to tell your story as both discovery or lead-drivers.

Mission-critical: Going beyond the cutting edge

2020 is the year for all brands to be bold and reach beyond their comfort zones for new marketing channels and tactics. Now that you’re up to speed, it’s time to begin experimenting with fresh/new ways to connect with audiences in the digital space. While there’s no silver bullet for social media (or marketing in general), we’d encourage our B2B clients to boldly experiment with social media, because that’s where the kids are going and where the dollars are flowing. 

Here are some indicators that you’re ready to branch out beyond LinkedIn: 

• You are a B2B brand who does awareness campaigns
• You have a distinct point of view in your market and want to share it
• Have an audience whose natural habitat is social media and are craving authenticity from their brands 

Ready to take the leap and explore how other social channels play a role in B2B marketing? Reach out anytime. https://catalystmarketing.io/contact/

The marketing channel most B2B marketers ignore (and why you shouldn’t)

Curious about which marketing channel most B2B marketers ignore?

Well, when B2B brands are putting together their social media marketing plans, we hear a lot about LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. But there’s one platform out there that packs a powerful marketing punch…and gets almost no B2B marketing attention:

Instagram.

That’s right—the joyful photo and video feed where fashion and travel influencers go to craft the perfect shot. The artist oasis and book-lover haven. A place where art is king and users crave distraction and rarely doth a B2B marketer tread.

And I see you waving that hand dismissively. Instagram is B2C, you think. It sells books and destinations and that supercute sweater that looked way better on the 21-year-old influencer who spent 5 hours getting the perfect angle in that carefree-looking shot.

And you’re not wrong. Instagram is largely the playground of B2C brands. In fact, only 26% of B2B brands are currently using it.

But here’s the thing: It doesn’t have to be just B2C. Just because most B2B brands haven’t figured it out yet doesn’t mean it isn’t a valuable addition to your marketing efforts.

Because the truth is that an audience of 800 million people globally use Instagram—and right now they’re spending more time on it than ever. If you don’t think that includes B2B decision-makers, you’re not paying attention.

Before you dive in, it always makes sense to confirm that your target audience is on the platform, but with a platform this big, the answer is very frequently yes.

So, how exactly can B2B brands leverage Instagram to meet their marketing goals? Here’s where we recommend you start:

Instagram is for leads, not sales

If we go into Instagram expecting it to generate late-funnel sales leads like we might find on LinkedIn, we’re going to be disappointed.

Instead, think of Instagram as an early part of your sales funnel. A place to nudge people gently in with a compelling lead magnet, to set your brand up as a subject matter expert with tips and tricks posts, to build trust without coming in hard and fast with calls to action.

If you come into Instagram with jargony language and in-your-face sales pitches, it’s probably not going to do you any good. But come in with stories, tips, information, and a dash of joy and art, and you just might find your B2B influencers leaning in.

This is why a brand like Novartis has found such unexpected success on the platform. They use it to tell health stories, communicate their brand values, and establish their expertise.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAcQtxmg9c8/

Mailchimp is similarly successful, telling stories of their creative talent and helping their customers understand and embrace all things email marketing.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAatN1ZgXxn/

How to engage on Instagram

So, now we’ve seen a couple examples. But how exactly are the most successful B2B brands engaging their audiences on Instagram?

In a nutshell, they’re:

• Promoting lead magnets to get prospects into their sales funnels
• Sharing short stories about their brands, customers, or products
• Interacting directly with customers in real time
• Embracing art that reflects their brand
• Funneling people to the website or next steps in the sales funnel

Humor is also a powerful tool for B2B brands looking for attention on Instagram. One brand doing this well is Hubspot, who harnesses customer pain points for a laugh and a feeling that the brand really gets what customers are going through:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAp8LrbnR8C/

Understand what your audience cares about—and talk about that

Often the best approach to audience engagement (across any platform, and especially one like Instagram, where people come for joy and escapism) isn’t to talk directly about what your brand can do for customers. It’s to serve those customers in the unique way only you can.

If you’re a bank targeting business customers, maybe that means posts about successful entrepreneurs that inspire new business owners. Maybe it means easy-to-digest information on how to choose the right type of business account, how to invest, or how to even find the right accountant. Maybe it means asking your audience relevant questions—like What’s the greatest financial challenge for your business? Or What’s your biggest business goal this year?—and then interacting with their answers.

If you’re an analytics platform, maybe you share data points, customer success stories, and tips for understanding data better.

If you’re a commercial real estate firm, perhaps you post cool architecture, architect stories, and information on how to optimize your commercial spaces for things like productivity and happy employees.

If you’re Shopify, you tell stories of entrepreneurs, partner with influencers to show off your customer successes, and share things relevant to your small business audience (such as government-relief program information during the COVID-19 crisis).

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAvI4b3FM-O/

If you’re GE, you tell the stories of your engineers and worldwide innovations:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B6TJWNllSba/

If you’re Adobe, you promote and share creativity in all its forms:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAIzHERpHrZ/

The successful options always start with audience needs and are only limited by creativity.

Coming soon: Instagram guides

Instagram is already a hidden gem in the B2B marketer’s arsenal, but it’s about to get even better.

The platform’s latest feature—known as Instagram Guides—promises to be a boon to B2B brands who want to provide expertise and build up trust in their respective industries.

As Later.com explains, “The new feature gives users an easier way to consume helpful recommendations and tips from trusted creators, public figures, organizations, and publishers, with an initial focus on wellness and mental health content in response to COVID-19.”

And while the first guides are all health-related and the feature is only available to a limited number of brands so far, these early pieces of content offer a glimpse of future opportunities for brands focused on a variety of topics. Banks may weigh in on small business financial health. Tech platforms may weigh in on startup challenges. Email marketing platforms may weigh in on best practices.

As Instagram keeps rolling out new features like these, their value to B2B brands is only going to grow.

Is your brand missing out?

A whopping 800 million people use Instagram; 80% say they follow at least one business on the platform. And 83% say they’ve found new products or services through the site.

In other words, if you haven’t already, it’s time to take a look at whether Instagram can be a powerful tool for your brand growth.

And if you need someone to help you figure it out? That’s what we’re here for. Reach out anytime.

Too many marketing emails

Customer inboxes are full of marketing emails. Does yours stand out?

Pop quiz: how many brands sent you marketing emails during the crisis—and left you scratching your head, saying, “How in the hell did they get my email address?”

If you’re like most of us, the answer is a lot.

Everyone and their moms dug deep into the trenches of their email lists and bombarded us all with their awkward messages of sort-of solidarity. And as the crisis goes on, our already-full email inboxes have only gotten fuller. Which, of course, poses a problem for marketers:

How do you stand out in such a crowded inbox?

Here are five answers from our experts.

1. Keep emailing.

First, some good news: Email open rates and click rates are up.

Our inboxes might be overflowing (email sends were up by 19% in March), but people are also spending more time in said inboxes and clicking on more messages. In fact, compared to 2019, March and April had a 20% uptick in email opens, according to data from Campaign Monitor.

So, inboxes are crowded, but if your gut reaction is to pull back on email, the numbers say no. Keep going. Just make sure your emails stand out.

2. Be concise.

It’s no secret that stress kills focus. And right now, people are stressed.

It’s always smart to keep messages concise, but in times of great collective stress, it’s essential. Get your point across quickly and simply. The less time and focus your message requires, the more likely you are to reach a larger number of readers.

3. Talk like a human.

Think jargon makes you sound smart? Think again: 88% of office workers say they pretend to understand jargon at work. And if your employees are faking it? Your customers probably don’t understand it any better.

So, skip the jargon and talk like a human. Use simple language. Be straightforward.

The average American reads at a 9^th-grade level. And studies show that plain language makes us sound smarter. Not to mention that trauma makes comprehension and focus harder. So, with COVID-19, job losses, the uptick in domestic violence, and the extreme police brutality going on right now, people need you to speak plainly even more than they usually do.

4. Get visual.

Our brains process visuals 60,000 times faster than words—and we remember visuals better. Which means animation, photos, and other videos are a great tool not only on your website and social channels, but also via email.

5. Go vibrant.

A total of 66% of Americans report feeling nervous or depressed at least once a week right now. Also, 70% of people said they want brands to boost positive stories. And we think it’s clear that everyone could use some hope, inspiration, and joy.

Now, in other words, is not the time for drab, muted emails. It’s the time to embrace color theory and choose designs that feel hopeful and forward-moving.

And if you need some help freshening up your emails, keeping them short and sweet, and taking advantage of that high email click-through rate? Reach out anytime. That’s what we’re here for.

How to hit your marketing goals with a leaner team

In the past 10 weeks, 40 million people in the US lost their jobs.

The good news is that many of those losses may be temporary (78% of those filing for unemployment say they expect their jobs to hire them back post-pandemic).

The bad news is that many isn’t all. Some industries are likely to stay lean longer term. Or so the numbers suggest (with the travel industry predicting a $2.1-trillion-dollar revenue loss and construction jobs down 11%).

For marketers, this means that—whether temporarily or permanently—many teams are now juggling business priorities, user needs, timely content, and major campaigns with a leaner team (and often leaner budgets).

In fact, 40%+ of marketers are having trouble managing the realignment of budgets and people resources, according to an April survey from Sirkin and NewsCred. And it wouldn’t be surprising if that number continued to rise.

So, how do we adjust to this new normal? How do we continue to hit our marketing goals with a leaner team and smaller budgets? What should we do in the face of deep cuts from already-overworked teams?

Here are three starting points:

1. Go back to the basics (your strategy).

When budgets are dropping and headcount is low, it is time to revisit your strategy. What are your overall business goals? What user needs are you addressing? Who is your target audience?

Before you make any changes to what you’re doing, it’s important to get clear about your strategy, your goals, and your priorities. Because every cut you make should be aligned with those things.

If your target audience is on Facebook more than Twitter and you need to cut a social platform, it makes more sense to cut Twitter. If the business’s current priority is to move customers from platform A to platform B, marketing efforts that focus on that should get more budget and attention. If that experimental marketing campaign isn’t reaching the right audiences, it’s time to consider cutting it.

This may seem obvious, but marketers are already some of the busiest people we know. Before this crisis ever began, marketing pros already spent nearly 70% of their time putting out fires in the present instead of strategically planning for the future. And that number is only going to get worse when headcount takes a nosedive.

Our gut reaction in times of crisis is to go into reactive mode, putting out fires and dealing with requests as they come in. It takes intentional effort to stop, get realigned with our overall strategy, and weigh all our efforts against that instead of taking them as they come.

2. Say no (or “yes, but…”) more.

Speaking of getting clear on your priorities, now is a great time to start saying no to things that don’t fall within them—or saying yes, but with caveats.

When another team comes to you for help with something, with a leaner team, sometimes the answer might be no. “No, that’s not a current strategic priority.” “No, it can’t be done by your deadline and up to our standards.” Or “No, it needs to wait until things get back to normal.”

Similarly, when the c-suite comes to you with the shiniest, newest thing they want to implement right now (because if you think the dreaded make-the-logo-bigger conversations will stop just because your team is at half-mast, think again), and you don’t feel like you can say straight-up no, answer in the affirmative, but with caveats.

Something like: “Great! We’d love to explore that new tactic. To do so, we’ll either need x headcount, y budget, or a meeting with you to go over our other priorities to see where we can cut in order to fit this in.”

Because, real talk: marketers were overwhelmed long before this crisis began. We’ve needed to say no (or yes, but…) more often, anyway. And now that things are even leaner, it’s a good time to put our proverbial feet down and keep our brilliant teams from burning out on tasks that don’t contribute to business priorities.

3. Get help.

You may have lost some headcount in your office, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get more help. In most organizations, the budget for headcount and the budget for agencies and freelancers are separate. Which means you can still offload the tasks your team isn’t equipped for or doesn’t have time to take on.

One of the big benefits here is that the money you spend on an agency typically covers multiple people with a variety of expertise, often for less than a single employee with a single expertise would cost you per month.

In fact, the average cost of a marketing agency runs between $2,500 and $12,000 per month. Compare that to the average marketing manager salary of $11,000 per month, and especially in lean times, an agency becomes a no-brainer.

And speaking of agencies, if you need some help, we’d love to chat. Our strategists, writers, designers, social media professionals, and other marketing pros are here to help—in lean times or good ones.