As part of the recruitment and training process at Really B2B, we ask all our staff to write a blog on completion of their first 3 months in the role. This activity not only shows us that we have some very talented people in our midst, but there is a variety of interesting characters too. So, in the first instalment of this blog series, here’s a post from our ever-inquisitive, Jack.

Every company needs to focus on providing the best customer experience possible in today’s increasingly competitive environment. The key is to create an engagement with customers that is consistent, meaningful and useful. If interactions are seamless and personalised across the whole customer journey (from the very first marketing touch point before they even become a customer) you are delivering great customer experience.

The old adage tells us that knowledge is power – and that is certainly true in the world of B2B marketing.

In an industry that changes frequently, the ability to stay up to date with the latest insights can be the difference between success and wasted budget. So, where do you start? What is the best way to stay ahead of the curve? Well, few channels will provide in-depth learnings and guidance at the frequency achieved by blogs. Subscribing to around 5 blog feeds means you’re likely to be reading the latest industry news and findings multiple times each week.

B2B marketing: big business, big ideas, big data, big opportunity…so why not big up the creative strategy?

If you want to create really engaging and meaningful communications in B2B marketing, it’s time to think big!

Think of influencer marketing and you may think of Zoella, the 11.8m follower-strong blogger and vlogger whom brands leverage to promote their fashion and beauty products. Or maybe Pepsi’s disastrous influencer marketing campaign with Kendall Jenner. (I surprised myself as a newly-crowned Xennial that I even knew who these people are!)

As marketers, we are all aware that companies which use blogs get 67% more leads than those that do not[i] - that’s a given. But, when it comes to ideal lengths of posts, there seems to be a huge lack of consensus. Some people say that 2,000+ words generates the best results, whereas others suggest less than 500 is the target. So what’s the answer? Well, we’re not so bold as to suggest we have the answer. However, we are able to offer some advice and guidance on choosing the length that suits you.

In the animal kingdom, camouflage is used for two purposes. The first of these is for safety as it enables animals to hide from predators. The second however is used by predators themselves. They use camouflage as a way to hide their approach from their prey when advancing on their next meal. From owls and spiders, to leopards and snakes, predators’ camouflage has evolved to a superior level and enabled their species to survive.

At Really B2B, we’re all about seizing the opportunities that get the best out of our talented, creative team. As a creative business, we’re constantly inspired by the wealth of talent in the industry, and our own individuals. We love our team nights, especially when they reinvigorate our creative spark. We look to local events in Portsmouth, a place which is buzzing with creativity. Events such as the University of Portsmouth expo, which recently highlighted a host of brilliant work and individuals on our doorstep we’re excited by. Of course, we keep our ear to the ground regarding the cool stuff that’s going on in London and beyond, but we also love to have fun and get involved in stuff like the Chip Shop Awards – so we can let rip creatively.

Yesterday saw thousands of enthusiastic B2B marketers descend on London’s Business Design Centre for the B2B Marketing Ignite event. A combination of conference, networking opportunity, and awards ceremony, this occasion attracted the industry’s best and brightest stars for a day-long agenda filled with insights and information. With input from experts across a variety of disciplines, the information and advice was flying thick and fast. And of course, we sent a selection of our marketing directors and managers along to ensure we stay ahead of the curve.

The average attention span in 2015 was 8.25 seconds[i]

To put this statistic into perspective, the average attention span of a goldfish is 9 seconds. Yes, that’s right… humans now have a shorter attention span than goldfish! And this information is a generalised number, as when it comes to viewing webpages and content, the time is no doubt a lot less than 8.25 seconds. So, what does this mean for B2B marketing content? Well, the landscape is changing and a paradigm shift is taking place. Are you ready?

Email marketing, how we love it. Even to this day, the grandfather of online marketing is still performing and proving to be a highly valuable weapon in the B2B marketer’s arsenal. But, have we stopped giving this channel the due care and attention it deserves? Perhaps so.

Firstly, what is an MQL in this world of acronyms and abbreviations? Well, it’s a marketing qualified lead.

This status is used in lifecycle marketing and the defined stages related to the concept of mapping and aligning marketing and sales efforts to different stages of a buyer journey.

A simple lifecycle can be stated as such: anonymous > MCL > MEL > MQL > SQL > SRL > customer

The lifecycle is traditionally linked to the sales funnel stages: Awareness > Consideration > Decision > Sale

An MQL is the final output of all marketing plans, campaigns and activities – it’s the hard-earned leads that have been generated from months and possibly years of marketing effort.

For those organisations out there that have yet to review and amend their procedures in line with the GDPR, now is definitely the time. With the law coming into force in May 2018 (yes, this time next year), failure to comply could result in fines of up to €20 million. And just to clarify, the fact Brexit is going ahead will make no difference to the implementation of this law, so that’s not a ‘get out of jail card’ either. So, what should you be doing now to ensure you are best placed for the arrival of the GDPR next year? Well…