The past few years have been exciting ones for great design.
Some of the web design trends from last year have proven themselves popular enough to stick around in 2016, like flat design, background videos, and robust mobile app design. More importantly, we’ve seen the rise of a few new trends that marketers and designers alike need to stay on top of, such as card-based interface design.
At the beginning of every year, we like to read through some of the major reports on inbound marketing, content marketing, social media, and online behavior.
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, it’s honestly amazing how fast things can change in twelve short months — and 2015 was certainly no exception.
If you’ve found your way to this blog post, you’re probably well acquainted with the concept of a customer persona (but if you do happen to be looking for a quick refresher, check out this free template that we put together in mid-2015).
There’s no doubt that technology has simplified the way we carry out our day-to-day routines. Computers help us do things faster, emails and text messages let us always be in touch, and the internet makes it easy to find the answer to any question with just a quick Google search.
While being constantly plugged in can make us feel safe, connected, and in-the-know — both at work and at home — it also means we never really clock out.
Ever heard the term “helicopter parents”? They’re the hyper-present, overbearing parents who take pay excessively close attention to their kids’ experiences and problems.
Well, helicopter parents are to their kids what micromanagers are to the people they manage. While being engaged in your colleagues’ lives is important, micromanaging their every move can backfire.
The more information a business has about its customers, the better that business can sell, right? It’s why marketers work so hard to develop buyer personas and then segment contact lists a million different ways—everything is designed to reach the customer exactly where they are and exactly when they’re ready to make a purchase.
B2B marketing survives and thrives on the steam engine of content. But it can be hard to fuel that engine with constant inspiration day after day, and week after week.
Nonetheless, you’ll still need to produce high-quality blog posts and articles on a regular basis to build credibility and visibility, with 91% of B2B marketers using content marketing and 84% using it to spread brand awareness.
How do you keep up? One good answer is crowdsourcing.
As a B2B marketer, you can leverage your online relationships to have content produced for you, whether it’s user-generated content (UGC) produced by customers, or commentary from industry thought leaders. In one study, 70% of U.S. consumers noted that they trust brand recommendations from friends, above and beyond a company’s own content marketing, which means, at least some of your content should come from people similar to your readers.
By crowdsourcing, you’ll get content that’s relevant, targeted, and full of new insights. What’s more, you’ll gain fodder for your own creativity, as well as more free time to put inspiration to work in your marketing endeavors. Here, we’ll share some best practices for crowdsourcing your next blog post.
George S. Patton once said: “If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn’t thinking.”
In business, stirring the proverbial pot can be a good thing. And while negotiating these matters can be challenging — especially when they involve our teammates or bosses — differences in opinion will often lead to progress.
