B2B Marketing Exchange

So, you’ve got ABM plays running — and maybe they’re working — but what if they can get better? And what do you do next?   In this B2BMX session replay, three-time ABM practitioner and implementer Jeremy Middleton will share an ABM foundation framework that he used at Kenna Security, including how it worked versus sales expectations, how to use the foundation to identify full funnel improvements and how to work with sales to make it all work.   He’ll uncover unique insights such as:  Look at your tools after having a process in place — is it time to change or simplify?  Be picky at what tactics you run, and what tools to use to make them work.  Never change your strategy; you only improve it. You only change your process.  If you can’t make sense of your data, you’re starting too big.   RELATED LINKS Learn more about Kenna Security  Check out the new B2BMX: Next-Level ABM event

The marketing technology landscape is still growing at a rapid pace, leaving marketers to try and keep up with new software additions, integrations and acquisitions. Scott Brinker's 2020 Marketing Technology Landscape revealed more growth for martech solutions — reaching 8,000 solutions, a 13.6% lift from 2019.So how do you go about building the right martech stack for your company? Well, Dan McGaw has got you covered. His book, “Build Cool Sh*t: A Blueprint to Creating a Marketing technology Stack,” shares all of his tips, tools and best practices for creating a powerful — and flexible — martech stack. And he’s on the B2BMX Podcast today to dive deeper into:The inspiration behind the book and what to expect from it;  The state of marketing technology;  The future of the martech landscape and what we can expect in terms of consolidation;  Tips for assessing and improving martech stack;  The key components of a martech stack, and the nice-to-haves;  The importance of having talent to manage the stack; and So much more!  RELATED LINKS Learn more about mcgaw.io Get your copy of Dan’s book “Build Cool Sh*t” Check out the new B2BMX: Next-Level ABM event

If there was anything positive that came out of the Covid-19 pandemic and its effects on B2B businesses, it’s the amount of agility, creativity and innovation that marketers from all industries were able to pull off.   One of those companies was Cedar, a patient payment and engagement platform for hospitals, health systems and medical groups that elevate the end-to-end patient experience. Their ability to scale experiential marketing by almost 2X to keep customers engaged and pipeline moving forward with a small team was truly mind-blowing.   In this episode, we take a look back at a B2BMX session led by Cedar’s Experiential Marketing Manager, Adrienne Lichten and Senior Director of Demand Generation, Caryne Say, who shared their shift to virtual experiential marketing and how the company delivered 21 experiences to keep customers engaged as they remain focused on ABM goals. Listen in to get the full story and: Get best practices for scaling into an experience-first marketing strategy;  Learn how to manage an end-to-end strategy virtually; and  Adapt your strategy within your budget.  RELATED LINKS Learn more about Cedar  Check out the new B2BMX: Next-Level ABM event 

Roll out the red carpet because Tamsen Webster is back on the B2BMX Podcast!  In this episode, we talk to Tamsen about her upcoming book “Find Your Red Thread: Make Your Ideas Irresistible” and get all the tools and tips you need to succeed in bringing your great ideas to life in the B2B world. Specifically, Host Klaudia Tirico gets the scoop on:  The top strategies for B2B teams to find their Red Thread and build upon it;  The questions companies or individuals should ask themselves before presenting a big idea; How to set yourself up for success;  Modern ways for presenters to get out of their heads and deliver a compelling presentation;  How can finding the Red Thread helps teams strengthen their strategies and improve internal collaboration and consistency; and All the scoop about Tamsen's new book! RELATED LINKS Learn more about Tamsen Pre-order your copy of Tamsen’s new book Listen to Tamsen’s Season 1 podcast episode  Check out the new B2BMX: Next-Level ABM event

This episode is sponsored by GrubHub.Storytelling has become a powerful business tool because it begins and ends with empathy, drives an emotional experience with audiences and humanizes the brand at a deeper level.   In this episode, Miri Rodriguez, storyteller and author of the book “Brand Storytelling: Put Customers at the Heart of Your Brand Story,” shares practical tools to help you design a brand story that drives engaging relationships with your customers — and theirs. Listen to learn:  What storytelling actually means for B2B marketers;  How to deliver an emotional transfer of facts through storytelling — character, plot and conclusion;  How to conduct meetings at a human level;  How to find your universal truth — an actionable emotion that your brand can attest to; and  Much more!    RELATED LINKS  https://b2bmarketing.exchange/ https://mirirod.com/en/ https://www.brandstorytellingbook.com/en/A word from our sponsors, GrubHub:Grubhub Corporate Accounts make it easy for marketers to cater virtual events via their nationwide restaurant network. Visit corporate.grubhub.com to learn more.

This episode is sponsored by Rollworks.It’s time to de-bunk the misconception that ABM is just for large organizations with large budgets. In fact, marketing teams of any size and scale can successfully use account-based approaches — and we dive deep into that with Randi Barshack, CMO of RollWorks, in today’s episode! Not only that, but we sprinkled in key insights, takeaways and best practices on this topic from a recent session at #B2BMX presented by Devon Watts and Allison Dyer of RollWorks. Throughout the episode, we’ll discuss:  How small teams can get started with ABM; What to do as you get additional budget, headcount, and technology for ABM;  How to measure ABM success without strictly focusing on lead volume;  How to be more efficient with all of your ABM channels; and Much more! RELATED LINKS Learn more about B2BMX: Next-Level ABM Check out the latest State Of ABM Report A word from our sponsors, Rollworks:Download your free, editable ABM planning template at tinyurl.com/ABMPlanning And get some major props from your higher-ups. 

Welcome back to a new season of the B2BMX Podcast! In this kick-off episode, hosts Klaudia Tirico and Alicia Esposito look back at some of the top sessions from the 2021 B2B Marketing Exchange to set the stage for what’s to come in Season 4.   In this episode, we highlight an overarching trend that took over the entire event (and the industry as a whole): Account-Based Marketing (ABM). With more organizations doubling down on ABM over the course of the past year, Alicia and Klaudia dive into the key trends and even some challenges presented by those who live and breathe ABM every day. Specifically, they touch on:  New rules for revenue teams;  The need to create scalable, personalized experiences;  How modern teams are blending traditional demand gen with ABM;  The next phase of ABM: Collaborative Innovation; and The future and the role intent data plays in ABM.   RELATED LINKS  Learn more about #B2BMXCheck out the 2021 ABM Benchmark ReportGive our annual State of ABM Special Report a read

We don't often think about brand beyond shiny messages or cool logos ... but we should! In fact, brand touches and impacts everything we do. With the acceleration of digital transformation, and the sudden pause of physical interactions, brand has quickly jumped to the top of the priority list for many B2B organizations. In fact, one-third of CMOs now place it as a top marketing capability, according to Gartner. It's time to focus on having a brand perspective, making sure purposes are communicated and differentiating yourself from the competition.   Michael Ruby, Chief Creative Officer at Retina Communications (the ANA 2020 Agency of the Year), will shine a light on the importance of brand in 2021 and beyond during his session at the upcoming B2B Marketing Exchange, which he will present alongside his CEO Ted Kohnen. But before he takes the stage, Ruby sat in the B2BMX Podcast hot seat to discuss the reinvigorated focus on brand, including:  How to marry the experience you create with the numbers you need to generate;  Why content is a more powerful engine for building brand than traditional advertising; The skills needed to effectively marry any discipline with brand; and  How to prioritize brand no matter your bandwidth or budget.RELATED LINKS Learn more about Retina Communications  Check out Michael's session at #B2BMX

In the B2B world, we talk about how complex the decision-making process is. Buying cycles are getting longer, more people are involved and new channels and methods need to be used to convey value.   But for Ardath Albee, one key thing is missing from this narrative: how emotional the decision-making process is for our buyers. Consider how daunting it is to research all your options, compare them and whittle down options based on specific criteria. Then, think about how arduous it is to validate the investment, go through the implementation process and measure success. At each stage, the buyer is going through an emotional journey that could put their credibility, and in some cases their jobs, at risk.   That is why as a content strategist and CEO of her firm Marketing Interactions, she’s focused on helping B2B brands tap into empathy and emotions to create more relevant content experiences. Listen to this episode to learn:  How emotion impacts all stages of the buying journey;  Ways emotion can be considered, and applied, in content creation; and  The formats and experiences that can help you evolve your approach to buyer enablement.  RELATED LINKS Learn more about Marketing Interactions Buy a copy of Adath’s books 

Skip Miller is one of the top sales trainers in Silicon Valley. With a client roster that represents a who’s who in the space, including Zoom, Google, Tableau and Stripe, Skip has also helped small and growing businesses across industries.  What is the universal trend impacting all B2B organizations? Winning new logos.   During this episode of the B2BMX Podcast, Skip shares takeaways from his book, Outbounding: Win New Customers with Outbound Sales and End Your Dependence on Inbound Leads, including ways marketing and sales can better align and collaborate to create messaging that drives net-new sales and recurring revenue. Listen to this episode and learn how to:  Successfully understand the needs of “below the line” and “above the line” buyers; Balance the power of highly personal interactions and automated activities; and  Refine buyer journeys and outbounding strategies to accelerate the decision-making process.  RELATED LINKS Learn more about M3 Learning Buy a copy of Skip’s book