M a r k e t e r the seven plots all stories must follow


 LINKEDIN MARKETING SOLUTIONS



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SMQ Issue3 digital


23.

 LINKEDIN MARKETING SOLUTIONS

Hopefully you know about this one already. I’m really proud of 

the content we put out there for B2B marketers.

https://business.linkedin.com/marketing-solutions/blog

The marketers I have

massive respect for:

There are blogs that I follow religiously because I know, admire 

and respect the author. I’ve found this is a great basis for tapping 

into insight that has real value:

24.

 ANN HANDLEY

Personal reflections from the frontline of content marketing 

from one of the quickest-witted, most empowering and most 

inspiring writers out there. You need Ann Handley’s thinking 

in your life.

http://annhandley.com/blog

25.

 MINTER DIAL

The first thing I did after meeting Minter Dial was to add his blog 

to my feed. He’s a passionate storyteller with a unique perspec-

tive born of his experiences as an award-winning filmmaker 

and marketing leader at L’Oréal. His contact book adds up to a 

great list of interviewees and guest bloggers as well.



http://minterdial.com

26.

 MATT HEINZ

B2B marketing wisdom delivered in straight, understated, 

no-nonsense style. Whether he’s curating or creating, Matt 

Heinz is well worth listening to.



https://www.heinzmarketing.com/blog

27.

 CHRIS PENN

Chris is one of the smartest marketing minds I’ve ever come 

across and following his blog is one of the most enjoyable ways 

imaginable to get a handle on metrics in marketing.



http://www.christopherspenn.com

28.

 BRIAN SOLIS

The author of Engage!WTF and X is also a prolific contributor 

of industry-specific articles and posts, and they are all collect-

ed on this blog. However, this is just part of Brian’s contribu-

tion to the blogosphere. For more off the cuff thoughts, make 

sure you subscribe to Gapingvoid (see below) as well.



http://www.briansolis.com

29.

 NEIL PATEL

Neil is a genuine online marketing guru. The content on his 

blog covers everything from the technicalities of bounce rates 

to insights on how to find profitable niche audiences. He’s also 

the master of the irresistible call to action: ‘Yes, I want to learn 

everything’; ‘No, I don’t want more traffic on my blog’. If I’m 

writing a CTA, his blog is a great place to look for inspiration.

https://neilpatel.com/blog

30.

 MARK SCHAEFER

Mark has one of the most engaging writing styles in B2B 

marketing, and also one of the most interesting contact books. 

Put those two things together and you get hugely readable 

posts with insights on new developments, research and trends 

28

25

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22      S o p h i s t i c a t e d   M a r k e t e r

that you often won’t find elsewhere. The tagline for his ‘grow’ blog is 

Marketing. Strategy. Humanity. And that’s exactly what it delivers.

https://www.businessesgrow.com/blog

31.

 HEIDI COHEN

Heidi’s Actionable Marketing blog is as determinedly practical as 

it promises to be. You get great tips on everything from making 

over neglected content to overcoming the dreaded writer’s block.



https://heidicohen.com

32.

 SETH GODIN

It’s the most original, most unique, most inspiring marketing 

blog out there. Seth writes as he thinks—like nobody else. His 

daily posts are succinct, hugely personal and yet hugely relevant 

to the business of marketing, and the business of being alive.

http://sethgodin.typepad.com

Creativity



Here’s where I turn for a shot of inspirationoften from out 

of leftfield and all the more potent for that:

33.

 TERRIBLEMINDS

This blog is like no other on this list. In fact, it’s like no other 

blog, full stop. It’s the stream of consciousness of writer Chuck 

Wendig. It goes where no other thought leadership on creativ-

ity dares to. My friend Mitch Joel absolutely swears by it: a 

morning espresso hit of insane content inspiration.



http://terribleminds.com/ramble/blog

34.

 GAPINGVOID

Irreverent, insightful and often very funny, the Gapingvoid 

blog fuses witty cartoons on the marketing zeitgeist with pithy 

observations from Brian Solis. It will put a smile on your face,  

and potentially a new thought in your mind.

https://www.gapingvoid.com/blog

35.

 I LOVE TYPOGRAPHY

This is a real change of pace from every other blog on this 

list—and that’s why I love it so much. In-depth meditations 

on typefaces, the craft that goes into creating them, and the 

way that meticulous design influences the way that audiences 

engage and respond. It’s pure relaxation to read, and I guaran-

tee it will add new dimensions to your creativity.

https://ilovetypography.com

36.

 ICANHASCHEEZBURGER

Pure, meme-driven social media madness. I love it because 

it makes me laugh, frown and tear my remaining hair out,  

often simultaneously. And also because, if you want to keep 

a handle on how human attention works, you have to stay on 

top of this stuff. Well, that’s my excuse anyway.



http://icanhas.cheezburger.com

37.

 READWRITE

Okay, back to the more serious stuff. Readwrite delivers 

despatches from the frontline of tech. It’s a great spark to creativ-

ity just because it puts you in touch with future hot topics first.



https://readwrite.com

Where Data, Tech and

Marketing meet

They may appear more specialist, but there’s insight and 

inspiration in here for everyone:

38.

 TECHCRUNCH

The bible of technology news. It was originally pitched to a 

start-up audience, and there’s a real insider flavor to its take 

on the intersection between venture capital, entrepreneurship 

and innovation. If you want to know about the next unicorn, 

add this to your feed.



https://techcrunch.com

39.

 ECONSULTANCY

The essential digital marketing blog: original research mixed 

with creative commentary and confident opinions.

https://econsultancy.com/blog

40.

 FIVETHIRTYEIGHT

Nate Silver’s blog is where data analysis meets popular culture. 

The result is content that’s geekily knowledgeable yet hugely 

readable, bringing a new perspective to the big global stories, 

T H E   B R I E F

33

32

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S o p h i s t i c a t e d   M a r k e t e r       23

and a must for anybody who works with numbers.



http://fivethirtyeight.com

Inspirational Thinking



Life as a marketer isn’t just about the marketing that you do. 

These blogs take a more holistic approach. They’re deeply 

human and often deeply inspirational:

41.

 WAITBUTWHY

The first thing you’ll notice about this blog is that the posts 

don’t come at you all that frequently. The second thing 

you’ll notice is that there’s a very good reason. Tim Urban 

explores subjects as immense as AI and the human brain 

with wit, verve and depth you will find nowhere else. There 

are surreal stories. There are lots and lots of hilarious stick 

men illustrations. There are moments of deep, human 

inspiration. An update from this blog is one of my highlights 

in any given month. Every installment is epic.



https://waitbutwhy.com

42.

 THE TIM FERRISS SHOW

The blog of one of the most thought provoking podcasts out 

there: a professional lifestyle magazine that finds inspiration 

everywhere it hides.



https://tim.blog

43.

 BAKADESUYO

Eric Barker’s blog is empowering life coaching at its best: the 

secrets of happiness, mindfulness and being your best self.

https://www.bakadesuyo.com

44.

 RYAN HOLIDAY

Meditations on strategy and life from a generous, inspiring 

author and life coach.

https://ryanholiday.net/category/blog

Artificial Intelligence



I’ve given AI its own section because it’s so important for 

marketers to cut through the hype and build up true knowl-

edge quickly. These blogs definitely help:

45.

 DEEP LEARNING

The latest applications of AI from a blog that manages to turn a 

potentially terrifying concept into an inspiring one.

http://www.notey.com/blogs/deep-learning

46.

 EDWIN CHEN

Edwin’s blog is a great insight into what those at the cutting 

edge of AI are thinking. It throws out some real pearls of 

wisdom for anybody ready to think differently about metrics.



http://blog.echen.me

47.

 MICROSOFT’S AI BLOG

News from the heart of a business that’s doing some of the 

most exciting current work in AI.

https://blogs.microsoft.com/ai

Photography



Okay, so it’s a little off the marketing track (and a personal 

passion) but these are hugely relevant for anybody interested 

in creating better visuals:

48.

 PETAPIXEL

This blog features practical advice, product reviews and 

photography news. My favorite element though, is the stories 

it tells of photographers themselves, and how a single image 

can sometimes transform lives.

https://petapixel.com

49.

 FROKNOWSPHOTO

If you heard my Sophisticated Marketer’s Podcast interview 

with Jared Polin, you’ll already know why this blog is unmiss-

able for anyone who works with visual images: straight-down-

the-line insight from an expert who’s also one of the most 

engaging presenters out there.



https://froknowsphoto.com

50.

 FSTOPPERS

A great community photography blog that pools advice, 

stories and tips. It proves too just how much appetite photo 

artists have for sharing their passion.



https://fstoppers.com

44

34

BACK TO CONTENTS PAGE

Quality time with quality B2B thinking

Our Sophisticated Marketer’s Sessions are immersive, multimedia 

masterclasses filled with video tutorials, cheat sheets and infographics 

to help you make the most of the marketing opportunities on LinkedIn.

Let us enlighten you at https://lnkd.in/virtual-sessions

Marketing Solutions

Ads.indd   15

17/05/2018   17:20



BACK TO CONTENTS PAGE

S o p h i s t i c a t e d   M a r k e t e r       25

T H E   B R I E F

GINI DIETRICH

 

YOUR 5-STEP GUIDE TO A GREAT B2B BRAND STORY

usiness-to-business organ-

izations sometimes are 

treated like the red-headed 

stepchild of the corporate 

world. However, it’s in B2B that creativ-

ity can make the biggest difference. It’s 

easy to sell candy bars and soda pop. It 

takes a really special digital marketing 

team to sell doors and locks or military-

grade pens or car insulation.

The challenge is to remove all of 

the corporate jargon rampant in your 

organization and learn how to tell a 

brand story—one that includes passion, 

a protagonist, an antagonist, a revela-

tion, and a transformation.



PASSION

The passion lies in the things you know 

your customer will care about: how 

your product is created or the motivat-

ing force behind your organization. 

This is what makes your story unique 

and valuable from their 

perspective.



THE PROTAGONIST

The protagonist could 

be the leader of your 

organization, a social 

media rockstar in your 

ranks, a subject matter 

expert, or a cartoon 

superhero of your 

logo. To help identify 

him or her, ask people for five adjec-

tives to describe your company and 

two aspects of it that are unique or 

valuable. Look for themes or strong 

responses and combine them to define 

your protagonist’s attributes.

THE ANTAGONIST

The antagonist is the villain. Think about 

it as an issue or challenge you solve. What 

keeps your customers awake at night? 

Exploring ways to solve them will help 

define your protagonist and your story. 



THE REVELATION

The twists and turns you weren’t expecting are what makes 

fiction so compelling. We enjoy surprise and delight, because 

we like to feel like we’re being let in on a secret.

Likewise, your organization’s story should share something 

unexpected with customers and prospects.



THE TRANSFORMATION

The final part to your story is the transformation: the thing 

that’s different about how you do business, and how that 

thing came about. What’s your value proposition? What can 

customers get only from you? It might be a new way of doing 

things or a cool new widget, but it will always be more compel-

ling when you can tell people how you arrived there.

PULLING IT ALL TOGETHER

“My name is Gini. I’m a cyclist and I race every summer. I’m 

ultra-competitive, which doesn’t translate well while leading 

my team. As the founder of my organization, I’ve found getting 

that competitiveness out on the bike makes me a better leader 

when I get to work.”

See how that works much better than, “we were founded in 

2005 at my kitchen table.” Going out and telling your compa-

ny’s entire history in chronological orrder isn’t going to fly. 

Choose one interesting tidbit and start there, then add in your 

passion, protagonist, antagonist, revelation, and transforma-

tion. You’ll find people can’t help but listen.



B

Gini Dietrich on the art of compelling B2B brand building



TO MAKE 

WHAT YOU DO 

COMPELLING,  

TELL PEOPLE HOW 

YOU GOT THERE 

Gini Dietrich is CEO 

of the integrated 

marketing 

communications 

firm, Arment Dietrich



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P33 Dinner for 5_MC_FINAL.indd   33

17/08/2017   15:08



T O O L   B O X

The LinkedIn tools, tips and tricks every sophisticated marketer should have

B2B marketing 

Hot

 or 

Not

Are you dropping the right subjects onto team meeting agendas? Spending time slotting  

the right platforms into your strategy? Making the right cultural references? Leveraging the right  

LinkedIn tools and techniques? Decorating your office with the right stuff?

It’s tough balancing on the cutting edge of B2B. Our temperature gauge for sophisticated marketers is here to help:

HOT

NOT

B2B Video

Punk marketing

7-plot 

storytelling

Bob Ross

Webinars

Owned data

Jazz vinyl

Neurodiversity 

awareness

Fake purpose

Banter

Viral content 

strategies

VR

Vertical video

Sales 

stereotypes

Automated  

social media 

responses

Newsjacking

Alexa Skills

Podcasts

Audio branding

Side-hustles

Camtasia

S o p h i s t i c a t e d   M a r k e t e r       27



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28      S o p h i s t i c a t e d   M a r k e t e r

T O O L   B O X

1

If you’re targeting people 

who have expressed interest 

in your business or sector 

(through LinkedIn Matched 

Audiences, for example), it’s 

worth investing in high-impact 

formats like Sponsored Content 

and Sponsored InMail. It’s also 

worth setting your bid £1, $1 or €1 

above the top end of the bid range 

shown in Campaign Manager. These 

are people with a strong propensity 

to buy – Sales Accepted Leads (SALs) 

and conversions waiting to happen. 

And that means these are auctions 

you definitely want to win. Remember 

that the rate at which these audiences 

convert to leads will end up lowering 

your cost per lead (CPL) overall.

2

If you’re working with 

sales on an Account-based 

Marketing (ABM) strategy, it’s 

again worth setting your bids 

high and using the highest-

impact formats. These are prospects 

BY JANE FLEMING

that your business has identified 

as priorities. Since you’ve already 

identified them as relevant, they 

should have a stronger propensity to 

convert to leads, justifying a higher 

bid amount.

3

If you’re targeting a broader 

range of prospects and 

need to maximize the reach 

of your lead generation on a 

limited budget, then you might 

want to vary your approach. Try 

supplementing Sponsored Content 

and Sponsored InMail with Text Ads. 

Since the bids for these are typically 

lower, you can bid aggressively 

while still spreading your budget 

further and generating greater reach. 

This is ideal when you’re trying to 

generate leads more widely while 

still controlling your CPL.

4

CAMPAIGN MANAGER WILL 

GIVE YOU THE OPTION 

OF BIDDING ON COST PER 

CLICK (CPC) OR COST PER 

IMPRESSION (CPM). If you’re 

targeting a broad audience 

and don’t yet know what type 

of click-through rate you will 

generate, bidding on a CPC basis 

will ensure you’re only spending 

budget when someone takes an 

action likely to result in a lead. 

However, if you’re targeting an 

audience that you know are likely 

to click (contacts from your email 

database, for example) then 

bidding on a CPM basis may well 

be more efficient. CPM bids are 

usually lower than CPC bids – so 

if you are confident of your click-

through rate they can help you to 

generate leads at a lower CPL.

BIDDING TO 

GENERATE


LEADS ON LINKEDIN?

READ THESE TOP 

TIPS FIRST

EVERY TIME A LINKEDIN MEMBER SCROLLS THROUGH THEIR FEED, 

we hold an auction for the opportunity to advertise to them through 

Sponsored Content and other advertising formats. We run similar auctions 

to deliver Sponsored InMail to members. Your bidding strategy in these 

auctions will have a big impact on how efficiently you convert your 

marketing spend into leads.

It makes sense to base your bid on the likelihood of the audience 

you are targeting converting into leads – and the likely value to your 

business when they do. Base your bid on what you know about your 

audience – and the importance of being the business that reaches them 

with your lead generation campaign:

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S o p h i s t i c a t e d   M a r k e t e r       29

say thought leadership 

has led them directly  

to award business  

to a company

45

%

 

The proof that thought 

leadership generates demand

Thought leadership content drives awareness and engagement for your brand – but how  

much impact does it actually have on B2B buying decisions? We recently conducted a survey of over  

1,300 business decision-makers, to find out. Here are the key findings:



AT LEAST… IT DOES IF THE QUALITY IS RIGHT

of business decision-

makers describe brand 

thought leadership 

content as 

‘important’



91

spend at least  

1 hour per week 

engaging  

with it

50

%

 

have included a 

company on an RFP 

after seeing its thought  

leadership

37

say thought 

leadership is “one 

important way I vet 

an organization”

52

%


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