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

We live in an era of outsourcing, where everything is up for grabs. If you’re unable to do certain things yourself you can just outsource them to someone who can. From paying a company to create your daily-portioned and calorie-controlled meals to the care of your child. In today’s world, where the buyer has more control over the buying process than ever, online, B2B marketing demands a certain skillset to increase lead generation and convert those leads into customers and promoters of your brand.  This is where outsourcing your marketing could be the better option over trying to do it in-house.  So what are the benefits of Marketing-as-a-Service?

We have all figured out by now that social media is a pretty powerful tool – for your personal brand as well as your business’ marketing. The web is littered with social media success stories where individuals have become influencers and organisations have grown ten-fold with a little social-savviness. However, one hurdle that many run into when building their social strategies is where personal ends and business begins.

The data revolution known as ‘martech’ has swept the marketing industry, and forward-thinking organisations are starting to align their marketing departments with the new technology-driven business environment. Marketing automation software has transformed a discipline notoriously difficult to measure in terms of effectiveness and therefore budgetary requirements into one driven by data and aligned with the rest of the business. The marketing department is now responsible for more of the customer lifecycle, and this means focusing less on channels and internal processes. According to The Global 2015 Digital Marketer study conducted by Experian, 31 per cent of businesses in Australia and New Zealand are prioritising the integration of marketing automation technology this year.

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.

Whenever we rebuild a B2B go-to-market strategy for a client, or run a course for B2B marketers the one issue that never fails to raise its ugly head, is the misalignment between marketing and sales. Delegates shake their head or shrug their shoulders as if to say “what can we do, it's just the way it is, sales and marketing are like oil and water." But it doesn’t have to be this way. In order to get your marketing and sales aligned, you need to set a common framework that both functions can align around and then set the corresponding KPIs.

But where do you start?

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.

As a not-for-profit organisation, you are painfully aware of the high costs of marketing – even more so than anyone else.  You also know that you can’t always justify investing in your marketing, as ROI is often sparse and there are plenty of other departments to worry about. But why is it so hard to attract buyers these days? 

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.