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Content Marketing for Industrial Companies: 6 Proven Tips for Success

Content Marketing /

Today’s B2B audiences require highly-targeted information from highly-trusted sources to shape their perceptions. While content is all around us in multiple forms, in the competitive B2B space, a comprehensive content marketing strategy can help cut through the noise, reaching the right person at the right time with the right information. What is Content Marketing? B2B industrial companies are often looking to convey complex concepts and unique technical services to engineers, project managers, purchasing agents and more. Strategic, well-crafted content marketing distills this information into easy-to-read formats, with eye-catching visuals designed to meet an intended audience at its point of understanding, and where they are, whether via digital or traditional mediums. Content marketing, at its core, is about adding value. What’s in it for the reader? Why would they want this information? When developing content, it is always critical to remember, it’s about them and not you. Whether it’s to educate, inspire or entertain, your mix of assets should have your target prospect at the center (more on that below). What are the Benefits of Content Marketing for Industrial Companies? In a recent study, more than half of B2B buyers said they are more likely to make a purchase from a brand after reading their content. That’s not an insignificant statistic. Done well, content marketing can benefit your company in many ways, including: • Building affinity• Increasing brand awareness• Positioning your organization as a subject-matter authority• Making your brand a source for knowledge and resources• Improving SEO• Generating leads and conversions• Creating assets that can be shared across multiple channels and re-purposed in the future• Furthering engagement opportunities to stay connected with customers Six Content Marketing for Industrial Companies Best Practices While there are many steps that lead to excellent content marketing results, we’re breaking down six must-do’s to achieve success: 1. Start with Your Data Content and data go hand in hand. While data is certainly important in results measurement (see #6 below), approaching content development with a data-driven approach is a smart use of time and resources. Data sources, like Google Analytics, will shed light on web site traffic, sales funnels and best performing content (and likewise, what may be missing the mark) and much more. By thoroughly examining your data points, such as bounce rates, time on page, keyword rankings, etc., you’ll have a clearer understanding of the type of content your prospects find most valuable, the channels that provide the best ROI and even who may be potential brand ambassadors. 2. Clearly Identify Your Target Personas Understanding who your target audience(s) are is a critical step when developing a content plan. There may be many stakeholders involved in these discussions, from leadership to marketing to sales. With your data in hand, you can make insightful decisions about your ideal customer and how to best reach them through campaigns and content with information that they need and want. 3. Create a Strategic Plan According to The Content Marketing Institute, “40 percent of B2B marketers have a documented content marketing strategy.” That means that 60 percent do not. Arming your organization with a comprehensive content marketing plan is essential to keep content aligned with overall business goals. Also be sure your plan has clear objectives, like increased awareness, qualified leads and sales. Content marketing for industrial companies requires consistency, measurement and refinement, and by making sure your team is on the same page with business development and management, your company can reap many of the benefits noted above. From strategy to distribution to measurement, if you need help developing a content marketing plan, connect with us. As a full-service B2B marketing agency, we are ready to help. 4. Diversify Your ContentCreating compelling messages that spur potential and current customers to act requires knowing what to say, how to say it and where your messages should appear. Consider that the average person in the U.S. spends over 10 hours a day in front of a screen – having a strategic mix of content formats can create impact and more touchpoints in the sales cycle. When thinking about content marketing for industrial companies, many might first think only of a blog. While that may be right for your business (again depending on your goals, data intel and resources), also consider a healthy diversity in distribution channels such as: • Email• Social Media• Video (including video optimized for YouTube)• Webinars• Infographics• White papers and case studies• Website optimized for SEO• Influencer marketing Taking an omni-channel approach also allows for re-purposing of content, deepening your well of assets. For instance, an infographic on your website can be broken down into several social media assets, while a video may serve both a digital campaign and your website. 5. Write for People, Not Algorithms In today’s world of SEO analysis and ever-changing search engine algorithms, it is sometimes difficult to remember that what resonates best is what moves the hearts and minds of your prospects, not what’s most important to an SEO formula. That’s not to say that content produced with search engine optimization in mind isn’t important. Properly planning, implementing and maintaining an SEO strategy is critically important to help position your brand more prominently in the marketplace. But, gone are the days of choosing a keyword and “stuffing it” within the content with the hopes it will drive better search results. Consumers are savvier than ever. They are looking for high-quality content that provides value and connects them meaningfully to your brand’s benefits and technical offerings. Simply put, write for humans first, and strategically use keywords to help lift your content in SERPs. 6. Don’t Forget to Measure Results Content marketing for industrial companies isn’t about “set it and forget it.” And it’s not a task you “check off” as done. When you created your strategic plan, ideally you included goals and KPIs (key performance indicators) such as time on page, open rates, click rates, engagements, conversions and more. By monitoring your content’s performance and regularly evaluating its results, you can better understand what is resonating

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Why Your B2B Organization Needs a Brand Standards Guide

Corporate Branding /

Many companies know they should have a Brand Standard Guide. What they may not fully understand is why it is so important. In fact, it may be the most important marketing asset your company uses. A Brand Standards Guide does more than provide a reference for vendors or employees to make certain that all materials conform to corporate standards. The Guide is a preservation tool – a brand preservation tool. Many studies show that there is a definite “inconsistency impact” on brand loyalty – where customers lose trust in their favorite brands when they notice differences in visual or verbal communication. These subtle inconsistencies can create an image of instability and internal confusion, and even when seemingly insignificant, can have dramatic impact. Creating a Brand Standards Guide preserves your brand and builds the loyalty of your customer base. From a branding standpoint, it might be the most important tool to ensure the growth of a company. Cost vs. Benefit of Brand Standards Yes, creating a Brand Standards Guide does involve a marketing spend. But the cost of not creating and utilizing brand standards may be more significant, and far more than the cost of any marketing expenditure. Remember, it costs more to attract new customers than it does to nurture existing ones. Losing your loyal customers is a cost no company can afford. When thinking of the value of a brand, it’s important to consider how long it took for that brand image to be developed. Each customer touchpoint – every website visit, every service call, every business card – presents your brand. Building a brand can take years and can – in all seriousness – be destroyed in an instant. As a Forbes article explains, “You have to create brand differentiation in your customers’ minds and have them ‘feel’ there is no good substitute for your product or service. If you don’t, then you will compete on price all the way to the bottom.” What your brand image is has an incalculable value. And at the root of virtually any brand, are positions of professionalism, reliability and dependability. Ensuring the visual presentation of that brand as professional, reliable and dependable is critical. Maintaining and Controlling the Brand Most companies have a variety of vendors, and sometimes distributors, who create materials across many mediums. Brand Standards save time and money by providing a go-to resource for sizes, specs, colors, as well as how you want your company to be presented. Costly mistakes without standards often are significantly more expensive than creating a Brand Standards Guide in the first place. Your corporate marketing department and your lead outside agency should be the points of contact for approvals, libraries of images, usage questions and other matters related to brand governance to ensure accuracy. With the ever-increasing availability of digital tools, the ease at which marketing materials can be developed, changed and shared via social media, is rapidly increasing. Setting – and controlling – your valuable brand is critical in the modern age. As a company grows, its staff and needs grow, and controlling how each piece of marketing and sales collateral is created is more important than ever. Purpose of a Brand Guide Think of your Brand Standards Guide as an essential tool. It is a central repository where brand information can be easily referenced, in clear and direct language. An effective Brand Guide clearly spells out the “brand rules” – what you can and cannot do – as well as provide links to assets, images and contact information for approvals. Making sure your Brand Guide is the automatic reference point for creating any asset avoids costly mistakes. What a Brand Standards Guide Should Include While every B2B Brand Standard Guide is developed based on the company, its needs and its unique marketing initiatives, there are some core assets that virtually every guide will contain, such as: Why Brand Standard Development is Critical for B2B For manufacturers and industrial clients, technology and innovation is often critical in brand positioning. It’s important that imagery and text be controlled to convey your company’s story – highlighting its technological edge. Marketing materials that don’t adhere to these standards dilute this important position. In the manufacturing and industrial sectors there are often even more instances where brand standards are important, such as plant signage, tradeshow displays and internal campaigns designed to recognize employees or announce workplace accomplishments. Maintaining standards for these important touchpoints is just as crucial, especially as many of these brand impressions are in-person. Setting Up Your B2B Brand for Growth and Expansion Even more important for international companies, these standards keep the image of your company consistent across multiple locations, multiple languages and multiple countries. And there’s also this important internal motivation to consider – when your brand is instantly recognizable in any environment it reflects corporate pride and belief in what your company has created. Think of the effect of this consistency on not just your customer base, but also on your workforce, and the workforce you hope to attract. As Forbes explained in an article on the critical importance of Brand Standards: “A style guide is essential to keep your brand identity consistent, recognizable and ownable.” Your team has worked hard to build a brand that represents quality, expertise, and positive customer experiences. Make sure at every touchpoint that you own it. Expert B2B Brand Standard Development If you’re ready to take your brand to the next level, whether you need some help developing your brand marketing or establishing brand standard guidelines – we are here to help. With more than two decades of B2B branding expertise, we can help put you on a path for future growth. Contact us today to learn more or discuss your needs. Stifel Marcin – The B2B Marketing Agency Unlike many advertising and marketing agencies, B2B isn’t just something that we do, it’s all we do. We’ll work to help your brand achieve its goals through the strategic combination of creativity, communication and technology. Our focused client intake

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Email Marketing for B2B Lead Generation: 8 Tips for Success

Email Marketing, Lead Gen Tactics /

Is email marketing for B2B lead generation still a valuable use of time and budget? It’s a common question asked by many marketers, given that more than 306 billion emails are sent and received each day. With so much competition within users’ inboxes, it may feel daunting to get your message to stand out in the crowd. Here are eight strategies that you can implement quickly to improve your email marketing effectiveness for increased leads, sales and retention: 1. Build and Segment Your List Segmenting, or categorizing your email list, allows for highly targeted messages to specific audiences. Examine your target personas and where they might be in the sales cycle. Emails can and should be created with the reader’s interests and demographics in mind (region, job role, market, etc.). If you’re frequently sending emails to your entire list, you’re missing the opportunity to share messaging that matters to that prospect in that moment in time. Working with an agency partner like Stifel Marcin can be particularly valuable when developing and segmenting lists. We’ll work with you to identify your marketing goals and key demographics to develop a list and overall distribution strategy that maximizes open and click-through rates. 2. Leverage Email Automation in Your CRM If you have the benefit of a CRM platform that collects your data, leverage that user data to automate your email marketing. It takes time to carefully plan email trigger points and identify the right content to send based on that user’s interaction with your content – typically your organization’s website. If you’re using email marketing for B2B lead generation, ask these questions about those trigger points: • Is a user at this stage in our marketing funnel likely to submit their personal information? • Why would someone offer their information? In other words, what can your email offer in return for that valuable lead? Is it a call-back from your sales team? Perhaps it’s a price estimate. • What user interactions are worthy of an email? Filling up someone’s inbox won’t lead to positive brand experiences, so carefully planning when and why to email someone is important. If you are using email marketing for B2B lead generation, then select engagement actions that a customer is most likely to do just before they convert to a sale. It could be the CTA to download product information or consider offering any visitor the opportunity to sign up for your newsletter. Whatever your logic, most people agree that the best thing about email automation is just that – the automation. With software powering the email send function, sales and marketing teams no longer need to plan the campaigns. Your CRM is sending email marketing for B2B lead generation without any real action needed. 3. Ask the Question “Is This Valuable?” Reiterating one of the points above, before ever hitting send, one of the most important questions you can ask is “why should the reader care about this message?” Without a doubt, you should have that answer. If you don’t, your target customer certainly doesn’t either. Providing customer-centric content that is poised to help educate, solve a problem, or provides an incentive for them to take further action should be top of mind. If you are focused on email marketing for B2B lead generation, then ask yourself, what can I offer that a recipient will find worthy of offering their information? Personal data is highly valuable, probably even more now than in the past as we prepare for increased data protections. If you are asking for contact info, then be sure you clearly define what the reader will get for it. 4. The Subject Line Matters More Than You May Think In many cases, your email subject line (yes, just a few chosen words) is what makes or breaks an email being opened. In fact, a recent study showed that 64 percent of email recipients decide to open an email based on the subject line. The content you deliver within your email matters, but if your subject line doesn’t earn the click, then that carefully crafted content never reaches its intended audience. Subject lines are a great way to A/B test your emails as well. Here’s a tip: personalize the subject line with the recipient’s name to your A group, while not including a name in the subject line to the B group. Or try two different subject lines all-together. And then look at your data to help inform future tactics (more on data evaluation below). And remember to avoid click-bait messaging. No one wants to open an email expecting one thing and receive a completely different message. It’s a surefire way to earn your way into the junk folder and create a negative perception of your brand. If you’re doing email marketing for B2B lead generation, then a poor brand experience is only going to make your work harder. 5. Make It Mobile Friendly Are your emails designed with mobile in mind? With studies showing that nearly 50 percent of emails are opened on a mobile device, they should be. But according to SuperOffice, nearly 1 in 5 email campaigns is not optimized for mobile. It can’t be underscored enough that if your email isn’t easy to read with a user-friendly layout, your email will very quickly find itself in a deleted folder. And when a recipient clicks on your email, be sure you have also tested your website’s mobile experience. Beyond basic responsiveness, how are your landing pages optimized? With email marketing for B2B lead generation, having a page that is designed for conversions is critical. Users who need to scroll and click to submit their information, are likely going to tire quickly and abandon your marketing funnel. More on that below. 6. State Your CTA Clearly and More Than Once No one wants to take the time to read an email and be confused about what to do next. The best way to move your reader to the next step in your marketing funnel is

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Digital Marketing for Manufacturers: A Roadmap for Success

ABM, Advertising & Media, Content Marketing, SEO, Social Media /

Digital marketing has rapidly become a necessity to remain competitive in today’s manufacturing marketplace. With many B2B buyers turning to digital platforms to research, purchase, and engage with products and company leadership, manufacturers must take advantage of digital marketing strategies to reach potential customers and stay ahead of the competition. By utilizing the power of the web, social media, and other digital marketing tools, manufacturers can create an effective and efficient strategy that will help them reach more customers, build awareness of their products, and increase their sales. What is Digital Marketing? Digital technology is front and center in our daily lives. Digital marketing allows companies to interact with consumers in a more direct way, in real time, and where they are at – on screens. With Americans spending 10+ hours a day on a screen, savvy marketers have increased their digital marketing tactics, serving messages to prospective and current customers where they’re spending valuable time. There are many online tools available to help promote your products and services through paid campaigns, digital placements and website experiences. But knowing the right way to use these tools is critical for success. Expert digital marketers know how to create results – and typically at a lower cost than traditional marketing methods. Digital marketing tactics include: • Search engine optimization (SEO)• Pay-per-click advertising (PPC)• Remarketing• Content marketing • Email marketing• Video marketing• Social media• Apps and interactive tools, and more. How Does Digital Marketing Benefit a Manufacturing Business? Excellent question! Digital marketing for manufacturers can reap many rewards, including increased brand and message awareness, more leads and conversions and improved loyalty. Perhaps the most notable benefit is that it provides a unique opportunity to customize a user’s experience. Unlike brochures or print ads, digital campaigns can be highly targeted and designed for various customer targets, ensuring a more personalized brand connection to your prospects. Digital marketing is typically more cost-effective as well. Especially beneficial for manufacturers with limited resources, digital services can be strategically combined based on business goals, targets and budget to maximize impact.  Not to be understated is the ability to measure your marketing results. With any marketing spend, being able to analyze and measure results is invaluable. As we always say, “data tells a story,” shedding light on web traffic, content performance, and more. Data sources like Google Analytics® allow marketers to make insightful decisions – showing ways to increase performance when campaigns are yielding positive results and knowing when and how to pivot when there are opportunities for improvement. Digital Marketing for Manufacturers: 8 Tips to Maximize Results and ROI Below we explore eight digital marketing best practices to help set your organization on the road to success: 1. It All Starts with a Plan To meet your marketing goals, you first must define them, and plan the strategy to help you achieve them. Establishing clear and measurable KPIs (key performance indicators) – like lead generation, brand awareness or customer engagement – can help ensure that your marketing plan is aligned with overall business goals. Important during the planning phase (and refining along the way) is the identification of your target personas. Understanding who your ideal customers are, their pain points, and best ways to reach them are key pieces of information for your action plan. Creating a strategic digital marketing plan can seem daunting. Our work in digital marketing for manufacturers can create unique opportunities tailored to your company’s needs and deliver quantifiable results. Reach out, our experts are ready to help. 2. Review Your Website for Conversion Opportunities Evaluating your website for conversion potential (or CRO – conversion rate optimization) is an important step in improving your online presence. Looking for potential barriers to conversions, such as unclear calls to action (or asking too many), slow load times or difficult navigation, can help identify areas of your site that are working optimally or those that need improvement. Your CRO ultimately should relate to those KPIs that we discussed above. For instance, digital marketing for manufacturers may include goals like achieving higher search result rankings, increasing web traffic, growing customer engagement, and improving your pipeline of qualified leads. Reviewing your website with these goals in mind can ensure that your online presence is optimized for success. Do you have clear CTAs? Are forms easy to find and fill out? Some simple website improvements can lead to more conversion opportunities. Our website design experts can help you achieve your goals and set your company apart from the competition. 3. Implement SEO to Drive the Right Traffic to Your Site SEO (search engine optimization) is a critical part of any successful digital marketing for manufacturers strategy. Not only does it help businesses reach target audiences by increasing visibility but, when smartly executed, it can lead to increased conversions, leads and sales.  An added bonus – organic SEO typically tops the list when it comes to the best long-term ROI. SEO provides your marketing team with valuable data that can help you understand: • Key search terms prospective customers are searching online.• Pain points and challenges that prospects need to solve.• Types of content that will best serve their needs.• How current and new competitors are ranking.• How to plan your website to expand your traffic, and ultimately, your sales. Eighty-nine percent of B2B buyers research information about potential purchases through online search. If you’re looking to step up your SEO efforts, check out our tips at “How to Improve Your SEO Ranking on Google: 6 Tips from Our Experts.” 4. Create Engaging Organic Feeds Today’s digital age makes social media marketing an increasingly critical component of an integrated digital marketing plan for manufacturers. With 84% of B2B leaders using social media as a source in making purchasing decisions, it’s important to craft an organic social plan that elevates your brand as knowledgeable and responsive. Engaging social media feeds help build relationships with potential customers and followers, while providing an opportunity to improve brand recognition and trust. Social media is one place where you can have direct, two-way conversation with your brand loyalists, as well as with

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The Rise of B2B E-Commerce

Lead Gen Tactics, Websites /

Tips on How to Turn Your Existing Website into a Sales Generation Tool In recent years the growth of digital engagement has grown dramatically, as have customer expectations for what a digital experience looks like. These changes have presented challenges for some B2B organizations, which have had difficulties integrating new technology into existing sales processes. With a systemic shift in the way organizations are doing business, B2B e-commerce platforms and strategies not only continue to rise in popularity, but in many cases have become a necessity. Sixty-three percent of U.S. employees work remotely some or all the time, a number which averaged more than 40% even before the pandemic. This is fertile ground for B2B companies to reach target prospects. Many manufacturers are in a unique position which allows them to turn their existing websites into B2B e-commerce tools – increasing their sales and supporting production lines. With people’s social and digital platform interactions being redefined, B2B marketers need to consider how their websites and lead pipelines can be reengineered to reach prospects and convert them to sales. Set-Up Your Website for B2B E-Commerce Success Now is the time for B2B companies to explore ways to make their website, and its e-commerce functions, user friendly. Most manufacturer sites are already rich with product details and the technical documentation that engineers and purchasers need. Whether you have an existing product database that supports your website content, or you have static content, many B2B organizations are in a unique position to integrate e-commerce functionality. Work with your web development team and your sales team on ways to add e-commerce functions. Most often those additions will fall into two categories: The Rise of Resellers & An Amazon-Like Approach While many manufacturers and B2B organizations have worked for years with distributors, there has been strong resistance – by some – to reseller platforms. Much of this resistance is well-deserved, and most of us marketing veterans have heard of problems with pricing and inventory management using outside resellers. However, times are quickly changing, and the need to provide e-commerce solutions has become more critical. Platforms like Amazon have already primed themselves for increased activities in the B2B sector and have addressed (or at least made more apparent) the challenges faced by some manufacturers selling on their platform. For companies that don’t have the resources to build a B2B e-commerce solution internally, the proven technology and advertising capabilities of an organization like Amazon may be a good choice that will let you respond quickly to prospects’ demands for pricing, information and purchasing. No matter what your opinion of companies like Amazon, many manufacturers will need to develop an e-commerce solution that prevents the loss a critical marketing share – because winning that business back from competitors who work with Amazon will be costly and difficult. Make Your Website User Experience Customer & B2B E-Commerce Friendly According to Garner®, approximately 77 percent of B2B customers find the typical buying process complex and difficult. When it comes to e-commerce for B2B websites, the customer journey needs to be user friendly, fast and clear.  First, this means building a website architecture that is understandable, easily navigated, and allows users to quickly find the right products and right information to support their purchasing decision. Product filters, clear categorization, and minimal clicks are key. But, this also means establishing trust in your brand and transparency in your pricing, so that your target prospects are willing to complete B2B e-commerce transactions. Many B2B companies find online pricing difficult, often because orders are based on volume, and because detailed variables (sometimes which are apparent until late in the order process) affect total costs. But difficult does not mean impossible, nor does it mean it shouldn’t be done. With the need for solutions for e-commerce for B2B rising, solutions that provide customers with an understanding of the variables that affect pricing may be enough. For others, this could be a simple scaled pricing model, where the prospect would get a general idea about costs and would then get a final quote from a sales representative. Automated Increases to Support Customers Very few B2B organizations can fully-eliminate the need for people in the sales process, even with the best e-commerce solution. As you build your e-commerce for B2B capabilities, look at how you will support customers during the purchasing process, both with order-related and technical questions. Often dedicating a small amount of human resources (sometimes even the same people who answer customer questions on the phone), can yield good return as large portions of the process remain in the e-commerce system. The growing usage of chatbots will likely be important for many B2B e-commerce websites. Chatbots provide 24-hour service, instant responses, and gather information on your behalf. These functions are in fact robotic software, with algorithms that support data-based responses, identify customer needs and help with some common questions. As with B2C e-commerce websites, B2B e-commerce websites chatbots can provide detailed and specific information – such as available inventory, the projected date of completion, invoicing, account standing information, and all historical information related to an account. AI learning continues to advance these functions every day. Customer Follow-Up & Nurturing E-Leads To further enhance the customer journey, and ultimately increase sales conversions, B2B companies can establish interactions between ERP systems and e-commerce websites for clear visibility of customers’ orders. As you ramp up your sales via e-commerce solutions, B2B buyers will need support about their purchases. From communications about shipping times, invoicing and even follow-up communications on quotes that never turned into orders – relying on software to help improve the customer experience and follow up with leads can increase sales in the long-run. Also, self-service online payment solutions for B2B buyers will be valuable. Emailed invoice reminders or online payment collection functions can help empower your target prospects to pay their invoices independently while reducing time-consuming work and manual order processing for your accounts receivable department. Security & Compliance in B2B E-Commerce As with B2C, B2B buyers need assurance that their personal and corporate data is protected. This means establishing best practices in security, maintaining every aspect of your website’s backend and

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The Benefits of an SEO Audit

SEO /

A thorough search engine optimization (SEO) strategy is crucial for any business looking to achieve higher search engine results page (SERP) rankings, therefore increasing the probabilities of increased online leads, conversions and brand awareness. But once the strategy is set in motion, don’t think “we’re done!” Just like a car needs regular oil changes to help that engine to keep running smoothly, your website should undergo scheduled SEO maintenance, including planned audits. There are many benefits of an SEO audit – the task of analyzing your website’s performance to evaluate areas of the site that are performing well, and opportunities for improvement – including improved user experience (UX), increased understanding of competitor rankings, optimal keywords and more. Let’s explore more closely: Improved User Experience An audit can showcase any issues that may negatively impact the user experience, allowing you to make necessary adjustments. Is the website architecture easy to navigate? Do meta titles and descriptions lead to the correct content? Are links still viable and not leading to a 404-error page? Items such as form locations, links, CTAs, and content organization can all be evaluated for performance. It’s worth noting that while you’re working to improve UX, search engines are as well. Keeping up with changing best practice standards for code and UX, which search engines like Google and Yahoo regularly update, can ensure your site is viewed favorably by their ever-changing algorithms.   Where Do You Stand Next to Competitors? One benefit of an SEO audit that is often overlooked is competitor analysis. Examining where your competitors rank for identified keywords, especially the ones that may be higher on SERP rankings than your site, can help identify areas of improvement and give insight into what users are searching for. Over time, you’ll get a picture of how current and new competitors are ranking by comparison and how to rank above them in the SERPs. Make Sure Your Keywords are “Key” for Your Users Keyword research is critical throughout the life cycle of a website. An audit allows for review of the target phrases currently used and how they rank, as well as keywords you’d like to rank for but currently do not. Analysis and review can also evaluate the likelihood that your site will rank for specific keywords. A good keyword audit gives a clear picture of what users are searching for, giving you an optimal opportunity to provide content to help solve their problem or answer their question. And That’s Just the Beginning  There are many more benefits of an SEO audit than just listed above. Audit results can help you identify ways to improve: Our Agency is Here to Support Your SEO Efforts  If you are ready to examine your SEO, our team is here to support you. With two decades of experience, we can examine data points such as rankings, user performance, conversion optimization, competitive analysis, and an array of other data, to ensure your SEO is fully optimized and working to drive sales for your business. Contact us and experience the benefits of an SEO audit.  Stifel Marcin – The B2B Marketing Agency Unlike many advertising and marketing agencies, B2B isn’t just something that we do, it’s all we do. We’ll work to help your brand achieve its goals through the strategic combination of creativity, communication and technology. Our focused client intake processes give us the ability to thoroughly understand your business, products and objectives, working to identify the competitive advantages and opportunities that will grow awareness, leads and sales. We develop innovative marketing plans with strategic, data-driven processes, presenting complex ideas and compelling messages that position your business ahead of the competition. As your cooperative partner, our integrated B2B marketing agency is dedicated to your success. Interested in learning more about SEO and the benefits of an audit? Our team can help. Fill out our contact form above and we will be in touch shortly.

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Why Creative 404 Pages are Important Tools in Your Toolbox

Websites /

When asking the question “why are 404 pages important,” just think that this error page could, in fact, be the first impression a user has of your site and brand. Website 404 error pages appear when a user tries to access content that does not exist on a server. This can occur when content (page files) is deleted or changed, and a redirect has not been properly coded, or when a user simply enters a URL incorrectly. Creative 404 pages not only help the user find the content they need, but it is a chance to display a little about your brand, or even an opportunity to get that person into your sales funnel. Our creative team has put together some hints and ideas to improve the value of your website’s 404 error page. The Value of a 404 Page for the User Experience Anyone in marketing and web development will tell you that avoiding broken links is critical. The last thing you want as part of your user experience is for a customer to come across a page link that doesn’t exist, or a 404 error result. The standard screen for a missing page looks like the image below – a plain white page with auto-generated text that equates to a big OOPS. For the user experience, it means your site visitor has reached a dead end. They need to self-solve this issue, navigating using the “back” button on their browser, or going back to your site’s home page directly in the URL. However they solve it, in addition to their first impression of your brand being just a white page, your site hasn’t helped them move forward, thus showcasing just why a 404 page is important in the customer journey. While complete avoidance of 404 pages would be ideal for the user experience, there is undoubtedly going to be a time when a user sees this page. It could be deleted content still indexed on search engines, a bad link from an outside site, or just a plain old mistake. 301 redirects can help here, which are set up by your webmaster and “redirect” the user from one page to another. These are manually configured in site files, and basically tell a search engine or the server “this page is old, and this page replaces it”, and automatically redirects the site visitor to the new, replacement page. If you are launching a new website, you’ll want to use 301 redirects to avoid issues. In Marketing Everything is an Opportunity As a full-service marketing agency, our team is always searching for unique ways to convey your brand and its benefits. First, we want to fix all those broken links to decrease the likelihood that a user ever reaches a 404 page (hint: as a first step, you or your webmaster can run a broken link checker). But we think a 404 page is also a branding opportunity. This is where creative 404 pages can really pay off. Site owners have control over 404 pages, meaning you can create a customized page and design to make sure that your “error page” feels like a part of your overall site. We often suggest that a website 404 page displays links to other suggested (working) parts of your site, helping your visitors access the content they need and giving them the resources and tools to move on from the error. The design of the page immediately shows the user they are in the right place (not a blank white screen) and then works to solve the problem. Better yet, consider having a little fun with the mistake. People know that, for some reason, the page they want to view is not available. Use this as an opportunity to say something about your brand. Give your organization some personality with a fun message or icon. You don’t need to be over-the-top, but don’t underestimate the value of showing your company is more than a faceless corporate entity. Potentially you can point the user to the information you most want site visitors to see – maybe you can tell that by the folder URL they have accessed – and you can lead them into your sales funnel (even if it starts with a 404). Below are a few examples of sites with creative 404 pages. These organizations have made sure that – while they hope viewers won’t find a mistake – if someone does, their site is not leading them to a dead-end. Dropbox helps users to find the information they were looking for, but limits the amount of page options it redirects users too. Salesforce takes the missed opportunity to show viewers a demo video of their product offerings. LEGO® takes a fun approach with creative 404 pages, using some of their characters to visually show that something has gone wrong. Why a 404 Page is Important for Search Engine Optimization While giving personality to your brand and helping your site visitors find the content they need is critically important, ensuring your site is optimized with redirects is just as important. Dead pages indexed by search engines, or high bounces from your website, can negatively impact your site’s position and performance. Marketing Focused on the Details As a B2B marketing agency we are focused on the details – regardless if they are technical engineering specifications in a brochure or customizing your website’s 404 error page to improve the user experience. From web development to search engine optimization to branding and more – contact us to discover how we can help your organization Power Up Your Marketing. Stifel Marcin – The B2B Marketing Agency Unlike many advertising and marketing agencies, B2B isn’t just something that we do, it’s all we do. We’ll work to help your brand achieve its goals through the strategic combination of creativity, communication and technology. Our focused client intake processes give us the ability to thoroughly understand your business, products and objectives, working to identify the competitive advantages and opportunities that will grow awareness, leads and sales. We develop innovative marketing plans

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Turning “Traditional” Marketing Tools into Interactive Digital Marketing Assets

Corporate Branding, Lead Gen Tactics /

Many companies have been increasing their digital marketing assets over recent years. With a large number of Americans reporting that they continue to work remotely, the need for those materials remains crucial. Right now, fewer sales teams, product managers and service reps are face-to-face with existing customers or new potential sales. With less in-person factory tours, on-site meetings and trade shows, the need to ensure your communications are effective is critical. Marketing assets need to support brand positions, look professional, be high-quality, and work even harder than before, especially if you and your team can’t always be there to talk directly to the customer. Features to Make Your PDFs More Engaging If you are looking to shift your marketing presentations to be more digital and more engaging, consider how you can leverage your existing “traditional” sales tools – like brochures, line cards or sell sheets – and change static PDFs into something more interactive. While many businesses already use basic features, like embedded hyperlinks or signatures, there are other useful tools that are often overlooked. Here are some suggestions that can make traditional PDFs feel and function more like an interactive presentation: 3 Video Tutorials to Make Your PDFs More Interactive in Minutes 1. Make Sales Tool Easy to Navigate Your customer may not need (or want) to read the information you are presenting in a 1, 2, 3, 4, page order. Similarly, if you are in a teleconferenced presentation, accessing visuals that support your commentary quickly and easily is critical. Consider adding a navigation menu on every page of your PDF, slightly adapting the design to allow for a clear and understandable user experience. This will help readers move quickly through a multi-page document and access the pertinent information they are looking for. 2. Make a PDF Easier to Browse with Hide/Show Details Allowing a reader to quickly review and sort content allows people to find the specifics they want more easily. An interactive PDF can include features such as rollovers or click animation effects. These features can allow a reader to consolidate dense information into clearly organized content blocks – revealing product specifications, features boxes and technical descriptions easily by simply clicking on a button. 3. Embed Videos into the Layout Little compares to the power of video when communicating information. Whether showing product demonstrations, instructional tutorials or customer testimonials – video can quickly tell a story with little reader effort. By including video assets in your document, a simple PDF instantly becomes more robust. Depending on the final delivery of your PDF, or your file size limitations, you can also embed video links or “calls” to a video hosted on YouTube or Vimeo. 4. Embed & Capture Form Data If you have gotten a customer to engage with your document, you want to make it as easy as possible for them to continue their journey through the sales funnel. Considering including forms in your PDFs – either to collect general contact info, allow customers to submit a quote request, or even to collect orders. Like website forms, PDF forms can be individually set, sending unique form information directly to the right person in your organization. Be Sure Your Team is Using the Right Materials It may sound simple but putting in place a process to ensure your team has the latest files is a critical step when using digital marketing assets. From the first new PDF asset to revision updates, to controlling what content can be customized by the sales team member – some basic processes will help maximize value and brand compliance. One way to ensure that the latest version of documents are used is to set up a web-based marketing portal housing sales tools on your website or a shared drive, which can only be accessed via a password-protected portal. This allows your sales team to download and share digital marketing assets, or automatically synch up assets whenever a computer has WiFi access. Similarly, your sales team can also share sales assets directly with customers via links, assigning them a unique (and trackable) password to access and view documents. Instead of sending PDFs as attachments, by using a link to one central document, customers will always see the most current version of the file. Support for Your Digital Needs Many B2B marketing teams have adapted to new market conditions and new business requirements. If you need some support to increase your digital library, or with any digital or integrated marketing campaign needs, our team is here to help. Whether you are looking for a specific scope of work, or a full-service B2B marketing agency partner, we bring two decades of proven results to every project. Contact us for a free consultation or let us know how we can help. We’re ready to help you Power Up Your Marketing. Stifel Marcin – The B2B Marketing Agency Unlike many advertising and marketing agencies, B2B isn’t just something that we do, it’s all we do. We’ll work to help your brand achieve its goals through the strategic combination of creativity, communication and technology. Our focused client intake processes give us the ability to thoroughly understand your business, products and objectives, working to identify the competitive advantages and opportunities that will grow awareness, leads and sales. We develop innovative marketing plans with strategic, data-driven processes, presenting complex ideas and compelling messages that position your business ahead of the competition. As your cooperative partner, our integrated B2B marketing agency is dedicated to your success. If you need help with digital marketing assets, our solutions can help. Let’s talk.

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5 Digital Marketing Tips to Help B2B Marketers Stay In Tune and On Target in an Evolving Marketplace

Corporate Branding /

As customers’ needs and behaviors change – adjusting to the continued impact of COVID-19 – marketers must proactively adjust to an evolving landscape. Business operations and customer actions have changed at one of the fastest rates in recent memory, leaving some marketing plans in need of TLC.In late 2021, studies showed that 45 percent of full-time U.S. employees continued to work remotely some or all of the time.  With supply chain disruptions and inventory shortages on-going, now is the time to make sure your marketing strategies are up-to-date with a changing marketplace. 5 Digital Marketing Tips to Maximize Effectiveness and Value 1. Check Your Goals, Targets and Realign Be mindful that your target customers, and the way you had delivered messaging to them, may have changed since the onset of the pandemic. Business continues to shift – with companies changing expectations, plans, personnel responsibilities, and in some cases, even changing what they sell. Your ideal customer profiles, personas and behaviors may be dramatically different than just a year ago. And the strategies that were months in development, may need to change as well. Consider what your KPIs (key performance indicators) are right now. Do those KPIs shift from lead generation to contact building, or perhaps to brand engagement? And how do your marketing tactics and messaging need to evolve to achieve these new goals? Are your current marketing materials going to work with an evolving economic outlook and new customer engagement patterns? Now ask the same questions for what we predict conditions to be like 3- and 6-months from now. Be nimble and strategic at the same time. You can’t put a pause on your brand or your marketing “until this is over”, because who really knows if, and when, things will return to what they were. For the foreseeable future there will be changing conditions, and marketing needs to be able to refocus and meet the right KPIs, probably more than once. 2. Be Mindful of Message Tone, Timing & Delivery Marketing messages and sponsored content need to pay attention to the emotional pulse of the reader, as well as consider timing of when it is released. Right now the content your marketing may appear within, or directly alongside, could be highly-charged. Be thoughtful when creating messaging and materials so that you are sensitive to the current situations. Appearing to be too “hard sale” or business-focused may be off-putting to customers, and potentially even damage your brand’s position. Carefully consider the words you select in your messaging: 3. Be Relevant and Stand Out Good marketing connects with a reader emotionally. It’s critical that messaging and ad materials still make those valuable connections that draw in hearts and minds, while not appearing to capitalize on reader sensitivities. It’s also critical for brands to stay on track. The marketing plans that were created during 2021 may have to be changed, but your core brand positions probably are the same – positions which should remain a cornerstone of your communications. Artfully combining relevant content, marketing messaging and brand positions (that – as noted in the above – are mindful of tone and timing) will connect with customers in a powerful way, get attention and generate response. 4. Stay on Top of The Digital Trends Many marketing strategies have shifted to be, or are working to be, increasingly digital. When correctly deployed, digital platforms reach customers with highly-specific profile targeting, leveraging features such as Google’s custom intent audiences. Even though that many are working remotely from their home office, marketers are still able to target and communicate key messaging with potential customers. However, we must consider how users are engaging with content much differently than just a few months ago. Right now, interest-based campaigns that reach customers higher in the marketing sales funnel are outperforming text search campaigns. Be sure your digital marketing team, or the agency you partner with, is remaining nimble – interpreting data, watching the shifts and repositioning ad campaigns to continually maximize return. Digital behaviors and routines have also shifted. The data you built your digital campaign strategies around has probably changed – and now must be evaluated and readjusted for today’s customer behaviors. For example, if social marketing (paid or organic) is part of your mix, have you revisited those campaigns in depth? Some platforms are reporting a 66% increase in social media engagement, and across some demographic groups, people are reportedly spending 3-7 hours per day on social sites! Beyond just increasing social activity, how are you altering your desktop verses mobile ad deployment, ad timing, content delivery and platforms? 5. Track and Shift Whenever you shift marketing messaging, targeting or objectives, you need to track and analyze. Right now, many organizations have changed all three of those considerations. Add to that an economy and a workforce that has undergone huge changes, and major parts of your marketing plan may need to be addressed. Be flexible, be fast and be smart – and get help when you get spread too thin. One positive point is that most marketers already have heavily integrated data tracking tools into their performance reviews. The increases in digital engagement over past months has provided enough data for marketers to extract trends, analyze patterns and make predictions. Staying attuned to performance metrics is critical now. Marketers on top of the data and can be nimble – adjusting while staying on plan – have an opportunity for significant success. Stay Results-Focused, With Partners That Can Support Your Needs Today’s climate requires dedicated attention and a proactive approach to effectively navigate changes. It takes time, attention to details, and a collaborative approach to address what virtually none of us have dealt with before. If you’re looking for a B2B marketing agency partner to help you with marketing strategy development or digital marketing, we’re here to help. Contact us for a free consultation and let us help you Power Up Your Marketing. Stifel Marcin – The B2B Marketing Agency Unlike many advertising and marketing agencies, B2B isn’t just something that we do, it’s all we do. We’ll work to help your brand achieve its goals through the strategic combination of creativity, communication and technology. Our focused client intake processes give us the

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B2B Social Media Best Practices

Social & Video /

With 84 percent of B2B decision-makers and buyers looking at social media during their purchasing journey, the importance of social media as part of an integrated and strategic marketing plan can’t be understated. Whether your organization is new to social media or is looking to improve engagement results and reach, here are five B2B social media best practices to help your business shine: 1. Carefully Select Your Social Media Footprint With so many social media options available today (TikTok, Clubhouse, Instagram…oh my!), it can be tempting to feel like your organization needs to be represented on every channel. It’s important to recognize that just because a social media platform is popular, doesn’t mean it’s right for your business. Each organization is different, with varying audiences and goals. What works for one business might not work for yours. A social media marketing agency can help you define your goals, target audience(s), KPIs and budget to develop a smart and sustainable plan that best suits the needs of your business. It is far better to be strategic and successful on one or two channels rather than trying to maintain five and falling short. 2. Be Engaged Social media is social! It’s simply not enough to post a video or photo and walk away. Community management is crucial. Be sure to take the time to answer questions or comments in a timely manner (both public messages in your feeds and private messages in your inbox). Use posts to ask questions of your audience and then respond. Social media at its core should be a two-way street. Follow relevant hashtags and find opportunities to engage in conversations about like-minded topics. 3. It’s About Them, Not You When developing your social content, always ask the question “why would my reader care about this?” It’s easy to self-promote with facts and information about your products (and that has its place) but it’s important to remember that buyers are typically turning to social media to hear from thought-leaders and find answers that help them solve a pain point. Your content should provide value to your reader, whether it’s to educate, inform or entertain (think infographics, articles, video demonstrations, etc.). At Stifel Marcin, we take this balance so seriously we even have a formula we use to evaluate our social mix. 4. Use Consistent Branding While the tone across channels can vary, your branding should not. Several studies show that even minor inconsistencies in branding can have a negative impact on brand loyalty, causing potential and current customers to lose trust in a brand. Your look and voice should be consistent across all digital channels, from your web site to your social media channels and other online profiles. Maintaining and controlling your brand ensures your organization is seen as reliable, professional, and dependable. Learn more about why your organization needs consistent brand standards here. 5. Evaluate and Measure Your Results Last, but certainly not least, on our list of B2B social media best practices is to decide which key performance indicators (KPIs) that you’d like to track (perhaps engagement is high on your list or clicks or shares). It’s important to set defined metrics and then evaluate them regularly so that you can see what’s working and where there are opportunities for improvement. Analytics can help you see what topics are resonating with your audience(s), which hashtags are generating traffic and what types of content your audience likes best (videos vs photos vs polls, etc.). If you don’t have the resources or bandwidth to track data regularly, working with a social media agency partner can be a wise investment. Let’s Power Up Your Social Media Stifel Marcin understands the unique needs and challenges of B2B organizations. We’re happy to talk with you about these B2B social media best practices, building a winning social media strategy and pay-per-click social media marketing to increase traffic, conversions and brand loyalty. Contact us and a member of our team will be in touch shortly. Stifel Marcin – The B2B Marketing Agency Unlike many advertising and marketing agencies, B2B isn’t just something that we do, it’s all we do. We’ll work to help your brand achieve its goals through the strategic combination of creativity, communication and technology. Our focused client intake processes give us the ability to thoroughly understand your business, products and objectives, working to identify the competitive advantages and opportunities that will grow awareness, leads and sales. We develop innovative marketing plans with strategic, data-driven processes, presenting complex ideas and compelling messages that position your business ahead of the competition. As your cooperative partner, our integrated B2B marketing agency is dedicated to your success. If you are looking to elevate your social media strategy, or want to discuss where to start, our experts are here for you. Reach out today.

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