How to leverage surveys in B2B marketing

By Andrew Swan Your marketing strategy is only as good as the information used to build it, which is why smart marketers use surveys to gather key information about their buyers to help them not only build an effective strategy but also inform how best to execute it. When done right, surveys can help you better understand your market, uncover buying habits, attain product feedback, measure customer awareness, and most importantly they can help you progress buyers through their journey to purchase in the following ways: Find new names For your significant digital assets (eg. white papers), READ MORE ›

By |B2B marketing blog, Strategy, Tactics|
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Leveraging templates for corporate identity, consistency, and efficiency

  By Charlotte Mackenzie At align.me, we communicate with many different businesses all around the world and, like everyone else, we like to look professional when we do it. It goes without saying that all written communication should contain well-written content that represents your company well. But how it looks visually is just as important, and often neglected. Essentially, every communication piece should instantly notify the recipient of who you are via a clear and consistent corporate identity. What’s the best way to establish and then maintain that corporate identity? By leveraging templates. Customised templates are an READ MORE ›

By |B2B marketing blog, Strategy, Tactics|
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Is Google+ relevant to B2B marketing?

By Inka Wibowo When it comes to Google+, the B2B marketing community seems to be divided into three distinct camps. There are those who live and breathe it, hailing it as the next big thing in social media. There are those who understand that it may one day be a key part of their marketing mix, but for now can’t justify doing any more than setting up their profile and posting every once in a while. And then there are the cynics, who view it as Google’s adventurous yet ill-fated attempt to compete with the likes of READ MORE ›

By |B2B marketing blog, Tactics|
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5 Reasons Why Events are a Must-Do B2B Marketing Tactic

At align.me, we run a lot of B2B marketing events – for ourselves and for our Marketing Services clients These range from small, boardroom discussions with just a handful of prospects in a room; to larger, forum-style events with various decision makers and companies in attendance. Regardless of the size or format, the objective is always the same: to get a bunch of targeted individuals together, and have them acknowledge the problems they face in their business – problems that we, surprise surprise, happen to be well-equipped to solve. Although events require a lot of preparation READ MORE ›

By |B2B marketing blog, Tactics|
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How to select tactics that move buyers

We often accuse salespeople of pitching too early: "I'm ready to sell - I hope you're ready to buy". But it's much the same with Marketing. We make offers designed for buyers who are ready to choose between options, but many buyers aren't there yet. But unless your tactics move buyers through their journey, you are likely to fail. Your tactics need to: Identify buyers who meet your target profile Position your brand on their list and get their attention Get these buyers to accept that they have the problem you solve best Have them accept your READ MORE ›

By |B2B marketing blog, Tactics|
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Effective use of webinars for B2B marketing – from Lead Gen to Closed/Won

Webinars are now a popular tool for most of us in B2B marketing. At align.me, we began with live webinars about 4 years ago, but found the grind of supporting US, Asia and Europe to be gruelling. Most of our B2B marketing audience used to listen to the webinars after the fact anyway, so we bit the bullet and took the recorded route. Since then, we have learned how much richer you can make the experience if you have the luxury of post-production time and resources. At Demand Con in San Francisco in September this year, READ MORE ›

By |B2B marketing blog, Tactics|
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How do you automate the buyers journey in B2B marketing using social media?

In B2B marketing we can learn a lot from our consumer cousins. But there are some tactics that while working well for B2C, just don’t work in the complex sales environment of B2B. One such tactic is still being hotly debated; and that's social media. what is its role for B2B marketing and what is the best practice for social media? The general notion is that if you’re putting your business out there by Tweeting and using Facebook you can cross ‘social media’ off your to-do list. Climbing numbers fo ‘followers’, ‘friends’ and click-throughs are surely testament READ MORE ›

By |B2B marketing blog, Tactics|
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Inbound marketing adoption data: are you getting left behind?

Chris Fell, Managing Director of g2m Solutions, writes... The majority of B2B organisations are increasing marketing budgets for inbound marketing tactics: social media, virtual events and webinars, SEO and PPC. When considering outbound marketing tactics, such as telemarketing, direct mail and print advertising, the majority of B2B organisations are either not changing, or they're reducing budgets. The growing trend to use inbound marketing tactics is due to the cost-effective reputations of these marketing channels. Applying these with established Sales Funnel processes that include a lead-nurturing stage for non-sales-ready leads, and lead scoring methodologies to determine when a lead is ready to READ MORE ›

By |B2B marketing blog, Strategy, Tactics|
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Tactics need to progress, recycle and nurture

Hugh Macfarlane, Founder & CEO of align.me, writes... Marketers usually choose their tactics carefully. They will ask questions like "what will work for my audience?", and "what tactics can I execute well, allowing us to stand out from competitors?". But we don't often select tactics with a clear sense of the start to finish journey for the buyer - the "buyer's journey". If you've been following us for a while, you'll already know that the buyer's journey is central to our approach to B2B marketing. And you'll likely also know that we believe marketers need to choose READ MORE ›

By |B2B marketing blog, Tactics|
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