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With more than 645 million users in over 200 countries, LinkedIn* has increasingly grown as a platform for both B2B and direct-to-consumer brands looking to creatively and effectively showcase products and services. LinkedIn has released scores of new features over the past several years that have helped it remain the foremost social media platform for professional business users. It's also increasingly become a destination for all manner and size of brands, and users looking for an experience markedly different from that offered by Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Since LinkedIn has rolled out so many new tools for brands to maximize their engagement on the Microsoft-owned platform, let’s take a look at how five large primarily B2B companies are connecting with audiences through the myriad of page, group, and showcase page options LinkedIn now provides. #1 — SAP LinkedIn profile: SAP 1,655,343 followers LinkedIn tagline: " Our purpose is to help the world run better and...

I was roughly five years into my marketing career when I began managing my first direct report. It was the biggest challenge I faced yet. I was now being evaluated on the actions, successes, and failures of another person—and I also knew it was my responsibility to give them the support and tools they needed to have more successes than failures. I felt as if I didn’t know how to influence, motivate, or persuade another person. But I was given the opportunity to try and to learn. I had a great group of bosses, mentors, and peers giving me advice, listening to my concerns or wins, and allowing me to make mistakes. Quite a few years (and many direct reports) later, today I have a much better handle on how to manage a team. And as I’ve grown, I’ve learned that my job isn’t just to manage people, time, projects, or priorities, my job is to lead . But it can be hard to make the transition from a “doer” to a leader. And the stakes are high. In fact, a recent study from TINYpulse found...

Earlier this year, Salesforce made waves by announcing a policy that compelled retailers to either stop selling military-style rifles and certain accessories, or stop using its popular e-commerce software.  For a massive brand like this to take such an emphatic stand on a divisive social issue would’ve been unthinkable not so long ago. But in today’s world at large, and consequently in the business and marketing environments, it’s becoming more common. This owes to a variety of factors, ranging from generational changes among consumers to a growing need to differentiate.  But, like so many other trends and strategies we see emerging in digital marketing, I think it mostly comes back to one overarching thing: the trust factor . In this installment of our Trust Factors series, we’ll explore why and how brands and corporations can take a stand on important issues, building trust and rapport with customers and potential buyers in the process. The Business Case for Bold St...

The rise of Spotify as an advertising channel Spotify has over 217 million users, and the music and podcasts they increasingly listen to have brought greater attention from marketers. ClickZ takes a look at how marketers are embracing Spotify for advertising. ClickZ Ad Revenue Holds Steady Despite Recession Worries Digital advertising spending was up nearly 20 percent in the second quarter of 2019, according to newly-released study data that also highlights the comparatively greater number of small-to-medium size firms using digital versus traditional formats. Broadcasting & Cable Google’s First-Price Auction Switch Is Making Header Bidding Partners Win More Google has moved to implement a full launch of its previously-announced unified first-price ad auctions, a move that will take place in the coming weeks, bringing new options for digital marketers who use Google Ad Manager. AdExchanger Forrester: How Amazon's ad growth will threaten Google, Facebook, agencies and a...

The post B2B Marketing Spotlight: Ann Handley on Being a “Badaxe” Marketer #b2bforum appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank® . from Online Marketing Blog – TopRank® https://ift.tt/2Q8Vzq7

Two little letters. On the surface that’s all separating your standard issue “marketing” from the extraordinary and entirely different practice of “marveling.” At TopRank Marketing, “ Content Marveling " is the practice of bringing greater wonder and astonishment to traditional content marketing , and can be applied in both the worlds of direct-to-consumer and enterprise business-to-business, to engage and delight your audience. Marketing efforts spending huge amounts of paid placement advertising, ever-more-ludicrous click-bait headlines and tactics, and even illicit black-hat methods are all used to simply get us to pay attention to marketing messages. Among senior B2B marketers, a sizable 82 percent view content as important for achieving marketing goals, however only 48 percent believe their content is somewhat effective — or even ineffective, according to recent study data . In the U.S. alone digital ad spending grew to $28.4 billion for the first quarter of 2019, up 18 ...

It’s always fascinating when thousands of marketers, many of whom are competitors, can come together for a week to share ideas, innovations, and advice with one another to grow their business and push the boundaries of their industry. Content Marketing World 2019 was no exception to this act of selfless sharing. It was my first time attending and between the thought-provoking content, industry-leading speakers, and generously engaging attendees, I certainly hope it’s not my last. At TopRank Marketing, we made it our mission to ensure our readers would share in the benefit of our attendance. Below are the ideas, people, and moments that we were grateful to experience last week, all of which are summarized for your consuming pleasure below. We hope that similar to our conference experience, you walk away with a notebook chock-full of ideas to grow your content marketing programs. Enjoy! Big Ideas Beget Big Ideas  At CMWorld 2019, every speakers’ session seemed to build from one...