B2B Reads: Marketing ROI, B2B Case Studies, and Consumer Pessimism
Guest Post
In addition to our Sunday App of the Week feature, we also summarize some of our favorite B2B sales & marketing posts from around the web each week. We’ll miss a ton of great stuff, so if you found something you think is worth sharing please add it to the comments below.
Four Steps to Stronger B2B Case Studies
In this podcast, George B. Thomas speaks to Bob Wiesner about the creation of stronger B2B case studies. Wiesner notes on the subject: “Case studies go right to the heart of your credibility. If the reader of a case study can project themselves into the case, if they can say, ‘I can see how that might have been me,’ or, ‘I can see how that is me,’ then you have credibility as a potential resource for that prospect.”
7 Reasons Marketing Return on Investment Is a Challenge
In this article, Martin Zwilling offers some of the key lessons from Kim Everhart’s Brand Vision about Marketing ROI and the challenge of calculating it. His main points include: Marketing ROI requires cross-enterprise information, turf wars between people complicate assessment, rarely is there alignment between sales and marketing, among many others. These cautionary lessons offer a game plan for those looking to calculate Marketing ROI.
How a “village mindset” can empower employees
In this blog post, Jason Butler observes that a relentless “profit over people” mindset has “sunk in the sea of COVID,” and that leadership focused on safety and community will be driving the business world forward. He distills these conclusions into what he calls the “village mindset.” He offers three practical ways to implement “emotionally intelligent servant leadership principles,” which characterize a village mindset.
The ten rules of growth
In this research piece, Chris Bradley, Rebecca Doherty, Nicholas Northcote, and Tido Röder use new, data-driven conclusions to offer 10 rules of growth. Each of the ten rules is uniquely backed by empirical research. Some of the rules include: “put competitive advantage first, make the trend your friend, and be a local hero”, just to name a few.
Saturday Sage: A Playful Life is a Better Life
In this addition to his blog, Dan Rockwell offers observations and advice around embracing a spirit of play that seems lost on most adults. After establishing the importance of play, Rockwell offers three low-stakes practices for a more playful day.
Why Leaders Are Operating in Silos Today and What to Do About It
In this article, Jason Greenspan suggests that leaders (especially in remote settings) have failed to “be the glue that connects in a hybrid world,” and that pre-pandemic leaders were responsible for much more employee connections. Greenspan offers some ways for leaders to break out of these silos and become more connected with their teams.
How to Make an Emotional Connection as a Leader
In this blog post, John Millen draws from his extensive experience as a speaker and trainer to urge public speakers and leaders to make more meaningful, emotional connections. Broadly, he suggests: sharing yourself, being personal, showing your passion, listening to people, and telling your story.
Why marketing is even more important during a recession
Fulya Uygun here writes on the importance of marketing in a recession. Uygun notes that “many marketing managers and CEOs may feel that by slashing marketing budgets, they can lower prices, spur spending and help them maintain overall profitability. Although, lowering prices may be a knee-jerk reaction that could wildly backfire in the long run.” Overall, Uygun advocates for a coherent marketing plan in the face of a recession, not an immediate slashing of the budget.
5+ Customer Retention Tips From Experts for Small Business
In this article, Ali Hasnain provides some key customer retention tips for a wildly complex and difficult small business market. Some of the main areas that Hasnain focuses on are digital marketing, introducing mobile apps, taking complaints seriously, and loyalty programs.
Consumers are Growing More Pessimistic about the Economy – What Brands Should Do
Jade Yan in this piece digs into data from McKinsey’s Consumer Pulse survey to analyze the growing level of consumer pessimism. Yan details her many findings from this data, including even that “people are seeing inflation where it isn’t.”
