Marketing Strategy Archives - Page 2 of 3

Creative, Affordable Case Study Video Options Are Still the Best Way to Tell Your Customer Story, As An Essential Part of Your Brand Message

Understanding the customer journey is step one in effective marketing. Without a clear map of how your buyers think, evaluate, and decide, your efforts are guesswork. This journey is not linear. It’s messy, influenced by peer reviews, competitive research, budget timing, and internal priorities. Once you understand your customer’s journey, a case study video is the best way to share this understanding to help find new prospects.

For marketers, the job is to understand that journey inside and out. What questions does a prospect ask early? When does skepticism peak? Where does trust form? To answer these, you need data, interviews, and behavioral insights. Once you understand the path your buyer takes, you can start placing proof points at the right moments.

That’s where the case study comes in.

Marketing With Agentic AI—What You Need To Know

The pace of AI development is astonishing—especially in marketing—where Agentic AI is taking root faster than almost anywhere else. These observations became crystal clear after I attended last week’s HSE Agentic AI Summit, hosted by Julia Nimchinski (shout out for a great conference!). Tech companies are already replacing entire functions with AI agents. These aren’t just tools. They’re early signs of a shift toward Artificial General Intelligence (AGI).

Why Marketers Need to Now Embrace a VUCA Mindset to Stay Effective

Marketing today is harder than ever. Customer behavior changes overnight. One viral moment can shift entire brand perceptions. Algorithms update constantly, upending months of planning. Budgets tighten while expectations grow. Channels evolve so fast that yesterday’s best practices quickly feel outdated.

In this chaos, the bar for being a strong marketer keeps rising. It’s no longer enough to be creative. You need data skills, agility, and sharp instincts. And, you must make quick decisions with limited clarity. You need to thrive in uncertainty.

3 Ways to Engage the Analyst Community Amid Tariff Volatility

In an era marked by economic uncertainty and shifting global trade dynamics, software companies operating in industrial manufacturing and aftermarket service markets face a critical question. How do you stay relevant in the eyes of the analyst community when the ground beneath your customers is constantly moving? For industrial software and services companies, tariff volatility presents both risks and opportunities. The biggest challenge is the extreme uncertainty now present in the global marketplace.

Here is Why Investing in Marketing During Economic Uncertainty Makes Sense

Economic cycles are an inherent part of business. Growth, contraction, and recovery occur in predictable patterns. During times of economic uncertainty or contraction, companies must focus on core competencies and eliminate redundancies, inefficiencies, and non-essential operations. This reflection helps businesses remain viable and profitable. Strategic cuts can strengthen a company’s long-term success. However, not all cost-cutting decisions are beneficial.

Now Is a Great Time for a Marketing Strategy Shift From Paid to Earned

Marketing has a long history of change. There are many reasons why. Sometimes it is a new technology. Buyer criteria could change. Or there was just a need for something new. Today we are witnessing another major transformation. Today’s marketing strategy shift has been building over the past few years. Artificial Intelligence or AI has amplified the disruption.

One repercussion – and an opportunity – is to adapt what I’ll define as a marketing strategy shift from “paid” to “earned” programs (borrowing from PR jargon). Those taking advantage of this shift can boost the attention, engagement, and trust of target audiences. This includes customers and prospects, partners, and employees.

Building a Community of Trust is Critical – Now More Than Ever!

Last week, I attended the virtual HSE Summit on AI-Led Growth. This event aimed to guide those supporting Go-To-Market (GTM) initiatives in technology companies. The speakers and moderators structured the discussions into easy-to-follow topics. My favorite session was the Fireside Chat with Jon Miller: B2B Marketing’s Future in the Age of AI. I learned several key takeaways from this 60-minute discussion. Marketers in enterprise software must adapt, as the current GTM strategy needs a refresh. Those aiming to improve GTM performance must shift focus and budget toward building a community of trust. This shift is essential to staying relevant and expanding market share.

Unconscious Branding – Is This The Future of Marketing?

I recently had the opportunity to hear Leslie Zane, an award-winning Fortune 500 brand consultant, give a presentation. The event was a virtual conference hosted by the American Marketing Association on January 23, 2025. Her presentation, “The Future of Marketing,” shared several interesting insights based on her book, The Power of Insight. My key takeaway is that branding plays a much bigger role in the buyer’s journey than previously considered. A concept I’ll refer to as unconscious branding should be incorporated with greater focus as part of your overall marketing and analyst relations strategy.

Leslie’s theme was that many buyer decisions are based on subconscious rather than conscious thinking. This concept is enlightening and has major implications for marketing strategies. Marketers must rethink how they approach the buyer’s journey and decision-making process. Here are a few concepts that came to mind as I processed the findings of her presentation.

It’s Time to Break Down the Data Silos of Marketing!

New research suggests that Marketing organizations need to do a better job at breaking down the internal “silos” that separate functions and data. One of the reasons why this issue has emerged is that people like to keep a tight control their slice of the data “pie.” I thought it might be helpful to share some suggestions on what can be done to overcome this challenge to help unlock greater efficiency and performance with how Marketing teams operate – a win-win for all!

Data silos can be found in many places. Within a digital campaign, it might include contact information, such as name, title, employer, email address, and phone number. Event sponsorships might include a list of attendees; website visitors represent another source of contact information.

Over time, it can be difficult to keep track of all this information. And, to ensure the data is accessible and current. Further, with the changing data privacy laws and the fact that these records include Personally Identifiable Information (PII), it is now increasingly critical to know exactly where all this data resides.

How PR has Changed the Advertising Model

If the worlds of PR and marketing are set to further converge over the next five years, we should start to see evidence that this shift has begun (see related article). The viral sensation surrounding the recent Game of Thrones Starbucks coffee cup incident is a great data point that validates this transformation.

What struck me was what an amazing PR and awareness opportunity this became from a blurred, barely visible image shown for a split second on a television show. The way brands get promoted and recognized today certainly has changed!