"THE GROWTH BLOG" - A RESOURCE FOR B2B LEADERS, MARKETERS, SALES & SERVICE PROFESSIONALS

Here at g2m we are great advocates of continuous learning. We think there is always more knowledge you can acquire and there is always room for improvement, and not just within the marketing teams – it is just as much on C-suite executives as it is on those carrying out everyday tasks to stay on the education ball. A recent TEC article, Top 5 leadership books for CEOs, heralds a great starting point for those looking to ramp up their leadership skills. Here are our three favourites out of the five suggested by TEC.

Letting go is probably one of the hardest things any business founder has to do, but it is essential to be successful. Nothing kills motivation and proactive thinking more than a boss who doesn’t trust and micromanages staff.

As a CEO, you’re (too) busy by default. So wouldn’t it be great if you could get your hands on the right resources that can ease your workload, increase efficiency and give you just the information you need to stay up-to-date with your industry? In a recent article, The 10 sites and apps every executive should be using, TEC has researched the best apps and websites for executives so you don’t have to.

When you run a business, not matter how big or small, one thing is obvious, it’s all about cash flow and being on top of your ins and outs. You know to look at your ROI, your COCA and all the other important factors that can affect profitability, but what about how you price for your services? Are you pricing in the most effective way? When was the last time you analysed your pricing strategy and gave it a good thought? In a recent blog post for the HubSpot Agency blog, titled Why Tiered Pricing Could Be Hurting Your Agency, Eric Pratt, looks at how the wrong pricing model could potentially be harming your business.

Company culture is an important part of every organisation, it means creating a healthy workplace that encourages people to share ideas, feel accepted and able to express themselves and grow their skills and abilities. It means guidance and growth for the individual. It means teamwork.

The right company culture can help employees stay motivated and engaged. Language is a big part of creating the right environment and strong, considerate leaders need to encourage positive conversation and exchanges between teams and management. In his recent article 11 Things Smart People Won’t Say Dr. Travis Bradberry, Co-author of Emotional Intelligence 2.0 and President at TalentSmart, outlines eleven things that should never be said around the office.

By now we all know that Content Marketing and its big brother Inbound Marketing are here to stay. Traditional marketing companies need to adapt, restructure, re-skill and most of all (re-)hire. But how do you sift through the mountain of applications and candidates? How do you find the right fit for your organisation? And how do you identify the abilities your next Inbound Marketer needs? In this blog post, The Ultimate Guide to Hiring Effective Marketers, Eric Siu provides helpful insights into the hiring process and lays out what you need to do to find your superstar.

Writer’s block sucks. And it doesn’t help that it often hits right then, when deadlines are looming. So what do you do when you’re supposed to write a top-notch piece of content within the next four hours but have zero clue where to start? Well, as someone regularly haunted by the big WB let me tell you, there are some fantastic tools and tricks to keep you inspired, creative and ready to create an outstanding piece in no time. Here are my top 5 strategies to get you out of the creative rut and on a roll. 

You're a true believer in Inbound Marketing and a Game of Thrones devotee? Believe it or not, those two things go hand in hand! Just as the battle of the houses in the popular TV series, marketing's many channels are at war. And no matter how much we would like them to make peace and unify, hostility seems to persist. While your marketing blunders probably won't result in a bloodbath, the reprocussions of a failed campaign can be financially fatal. So believe me when I say, your daily struggles and the Stark family's are rather indistinguishable. 

Finding your company's tone of voice is an essential part of the brand creation process. A consistent brand voice across all content can not only make a company stand out from the crowd, but also help attract customers. And not just any customers – the right customers. If you speak your target market's language, they will listen to you and respond. 

In a recent article for the Content Marketing Institute, Dr Andrew Bredenkamp reveals 12 secrets to creating a consistent brand voice. Here are two examples: