Here are some good posts and articles I’ve read recently.
B2B marketing doesn’t have to suck by Katie Kelly on eConsultancy
You might be in the B2B space, but ultimately, you’re still selling to humans. The same humans who are attracted to interesting, creative and novel ideas. The same people who have emotions and reasons behind who they work with, that aren’t solely down to price or features.
– Katie Kelly
Building a Referrals Program by Lenny Rachitsky
This was on my mind today when it came up in a conversation on building successful referrals programs for B2B. While I’ve built a few programs like this (Teads Luminaries, Transform by Simon Data), incentivizing a B2B buyer who will likely become very intimate with your tech and likely also have frustrations (since their jobs rely on it) to become a super fan is not easy. At Teads, referrals often came because the business spent an exorbitant amount of money on putting on luxury events, so we often got new people because they wanted their friends to attend too! At Simon, referrals often came because they had such strong relationships with the CS team – and raved about the service.
Op/Ed: Enough Leaning In. Let’s Tell Men to Lean Out. by Ruth Whippman
Empower women, sure. But let’s not kid ourselves about the real reason the world is the way it is – everyone has a role to play. This is actually a huge reason I dislike women groups. Yes, I think there should be a safe environment for (any) groups of people to express themselves, but it’s not about “fixing” what is wrong with a “disempowered” group – it’s what part EVERYONE has to play.
How to Raise Money – It’s a Journey Not An Event by Steve Blank
By the way, If your pitch is not going to knock investors’ socks off, if you cannot communicate a big vision and a unique insight about the 10x advantages which customers and users will care deeply about, then even if you build out the smartest, most thoughtful process of chasing fundraising, you will fail.
– Steve Blank on “The Pitch”
True Product Market Fit is a Minimum Viable Company by Ann Miura-Ko
Founders are blindly searching for growth because they see that as the proof of product-market fit when in fact they should be focused on insight and customer development first as that is more likely where product market fit will be found.
– Ann Miura-Ko on what’s important for Product/Market Fit.
Nationwide CMO: We need to stand up for marketing if we want it to flourish on Marketing Week
New job titles such as chief growth officer are symptomatic of a sometimes “apologetic” marketing industry that needs to be more confident in the value it offers
– Sara Bennison from Nationwide
Op/Ed: My Ex-Boyfriend’s New Girlfriend Is Lady Gaga by Lindsay Crouse
Unrelated to marketing, but obviously a fun read!
Header Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash