Is B2B branding more nuanced than we thought?

In his introduction to April's Referrers' and Thank You Lunch, align.me's Co-founder and Executive Director, Brett referenced the stage musical Les Mis for its excellent branding. Part of what makes Les Mis so memorable is its striking colour, music, and movement. Every time the curtain goes up, each audience member, new or old, sits in their chair and expects to see a brilliantly produced performance. The Les Mis brand is a 'promise', and the cast and crew for each city's Les Mis production deliver on the promise in every performance. So, much like this iconic musical, B2B READ MORE ›

By |Strategy|
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Why you should tailor your sales messages to the buying influences

Every day it's getting harder and harder to get marketing cut-through. Consumers are becoming savvier to sales messaging and advertisements and more reluctant to reach out until later in their buyer's journey. And while it's now easier and cheaper to get your messaging in front of consumers, it's also easier and cheaper for your competitors (and their competitors… and so on). Need proof? You just need to look at some of these recent stats: A global average of 37% of Internet users now block ads 79% of buyers wait until after they’ve fully defined their needs to READ MORE ›

By |Strategy|
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Copywriting for B2B: 5 ways it can be used to improve your marketing

It may surprise people just how much of marketing involves writing. But if you look closely, writing is everywhere: in ads, eBooks, landing pages, websites… even video scripts. This means that good writing is incredibly important to making sure your marketing is a success. Even more so when it comes to copywriting for B2B, where the buyer's journey is longer and more complex and relies on a wide variety of marketing campaigns and collateral. Yet copywriting isn't always given the attention that it deserves - it can often be an afterthought, or a task handballed off to READ MORE ›

By |Tactics|
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Why B2B content marketing could be your greatest asset in 2022

It's understandable that some B2B businesses have yet to utilise content marketing in their strategy - but the growing importance of content marketing can't be emphasised enough. Whilst content marketing has grown in popularity over the last decade, the benefits to B2B businesses may not yet be clear enough for some executives to want to invest in it. In our blog below we take a deep dive into why B2B businesses should consider investing in content marketing in 2022: No B2B content marketing plan? You might be missing big opportunities With a longer sales cycle and more READ MORE ›

By |Tactics|
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The ultimate guide to planning and presenting an engaging webinar

Thanks to the advances in technology, the rise of digital marketing, and recent world events, webinars have grown in popularity as people have looked for ways to engage more online. It's likely you've been invited to more webinars in the last 18 months than in your entire career combined. The number of online meeting tools that have popped up - and the Zoom share price - alone is evidence enough of just how big this tactic has become. Webinars are a hidden goldmine of potential for you to meaningfully connect and engage with your audience, prime READ MORE ›

By |Tactics|
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How to brief an agency through the lens of the buyer’s journey

  align.me co-founder Hugh recently appeared on the Growth Colony podcast to share his insights into how to effectively brief agencies and freelancers. The Growth Colony podcast is where B2B founders, CMOs, marketing & sales leaders talk about their successes, failures, what is working for them today in the B2B marketing world and everything in between. Briefing agencies and freelancers is a complicated process, and if you’re not able to get it right it can lead to a loss in profits and time. On the podcast, Hugh shares his expertise on the importance of briefing correctly, READ MORE ›

By |Skills|
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Buyer-centric go-to-market strategy (with a little help from Geoffrey Moore)

This article is something of an essay on my current thinking about buyer-centric go-to-market strategy and has been shaped by a recent conversation with strategy luminary Geoffrey Moore. Why buyer-centric go-to-market strategy? And why now? As a high-school drop-out, I was in a customer service role from 1980 and earned my first sales role in 1983. I was lucky enough to start my career in sales at a company with a deep commitment to soft-skills training, and to work for managers committed to nurturing any skills they'd helped me acquire. I did very well. Not through any READ MORE ›

By |Strategy|
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First marketing job? Here’s how to stand out

Anyone's first few months in a new job will naturally be a little scary. There are new things to learn, people to befriend, and clients to impress! These factors are particularly important with graduate roles where there's the added layer of venturing into a full-time position for the first time. Landing a job can often feel like the hardest part for grads. This is especially true in a harsh and competitive job market, like the one we've been seeing for the last several years now. However, getting hired is only the first step. You then not only READ MORE ›

By |Skills|
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Why saying “no” to an opportunity can get you 13% more sales

I want to talk to the topic of sales effectiveness and, in particular, argue why walking away from a bad deal early is a good idea. I could come at this conversation from multiple angles. I could explain why employee satisfaction would be higher if we walked away from bad deals. I could talk about why your market reputation is enhanced by walking away from bad deals. I could mount countless other legitimate arguments. But on this occasion, I want to mount my argument by looking only at the numbers - in particular, resource numbers. I'm going READ MORE ›

By |Strategy|
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How to choose an outsourced marketing partner

If you're an avid (or even just casual) readers of our blogs, you'll know we've written a lot about outsourcing your sales and marketing. We've said why you should do it, when you should do it - even how to best manage and work with your outsourced partner. But to gain all the advantages that outsourcing can offer and achieve successful marketing outcomes, there's another crucial step: Picking the right outsourcing partner. It can be hard handing over such a crucial part of your business to a stranger - especially if you're totally new to outsourcing. You READ MORE ›

By |Strategy|
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