Perspectives: Marketing Insights You Can Use Right Now

BKM Marketing is pleased to announce the hiring of strategic marketer, Megan Allinson. 

This year's NEDMA Marketing Technology Summit will be at Boston University on Tuesday, November 1st. BKM Marketing will be exhibiting this year, and we invite you to take advantage of our exhibitor discount.  Attend for just $79—that’s $50 off the early bird price.

Why are you still not using video? 

By now you know that including video as part of your content marketing strategy increases customer engagement. There is no shortage of statistics like these that prove video is only going to become a more essential marketing channel, and even our own non-scientific review of bank social and content marketing revealed engagement rates over 10x higher on video posts vs. posts with just text and images alone.

But knowing the statistics – and watching competitors jumping on the trend and gaining traction – is still not enough motivation for many businesses to get moving. We hear a number of excuses from marketers explaining why they aren't including videos in their content marketing plans – anything from budget concerns, timing concerns, subject matter concerns, not knowing how to distribute once they're complete – to just not quite knowing where to start. While these may seem like valid excuses for not moving ahead – are they rooted in reality? We’ve gone ahead and debunked a few of the most common “challenges” we hear below:

BKM is active in many key industry organizations - we are often speakers, sponsors and attendees at many events. See below for a list of upcoming events that we will be involved with - and join us!

Content marketing: “a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience—and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action”  - Content Marketing Institute

As a marketer in 2016, there is no doubt you are aware of the importance of content marketing. A well thought out content marketing strategy allows marketers to hone in on their target audience, define what their needs are, and provide them with relevant insights. In fact, according to the Content Marketing Institute’s B2B Content Marketing 2016 report, 88% of B2B marketers report using content marketing as a component in their marketing plans – making up an average of 28% of their annual marketing spend.

But with all of this adoption, the amount of content available for consumption every day can be overwhelming. Between blog posts, article shares on Twitter and LinkedIn, videos, webinars, infographics, Slideshare, e-newsletters, etc. – it often feels like an insurmountable task to stand out from the crowd and get your message read by the right people.

The good news is that it is not hopeless – with a targeted plan in place, your message can and will be heard. But with the wide range of options for publishing and reaching your audience, how much weight should you give to social media publishing options like LinkedIn Pulse vs. self-publishing on your company website and blog?

We're excited to announce that on May 31st, BKM is moving to our new office space in Braintree. 

As great as our office in Hingham has been for us for the past 9 years, with all of our recent growth, we no longer fit. Construction on the new space began in early May and so far we are right on target to move in at the end of the month. 

Looking to learn what's new, what's now and what's next in marketing? 

Join Bruce, Sam and Ingrid at the New England Direct Marketing Association's annual conference on May 17th at Bentley University in Waltham, MA.

For discounted admission, use our speaker guest 50% discount link to register here. 

Join us

BKM is active in many key industry organizations - we are often speakers, sponsors and attendees at many events. See below for a list of upcoming events that we will be involved with - and join us!

Finding and connecting with prospects in 2016 is no longer as easy as placing an ad or sending out a direct mail piece and waiting for the leads to flow in. Today’s buyers are savvy – most will complete 70% - 80% of their research online before engaging with an organization – so it is critical that your online marketing strategy includes content that appeals to every stage in the buyer’s journey. 

But the reality of creating – and keeping current – all of that content can be overwhelming, and often feels like an uphill battle. Whether you own a small business or are part of a large marketing team, creating original content takes time, energy and focus (not to mention budget) that you may not always have available to dedicate to the task. And with research proving that the companies that post more frequently are seeing exponentially more traffic headed to their sites, all signs point to the fact that this is a task that you can not ignore. 

So how will you solve the content challenge? The good news is that there is no shortage of expert research, opinions and insights available to help set you in the right direction. Here are a few of my favorites below: 

It has been widely accepted that buying habits have changed drastically in recent years for both business to consumer and business to business buyers. But what is the new buyer reality?

Buyers are operating in a digitally disrupted world.  The buying process is now on their terms; it begins when they want to begin and proceeds how they want it to proceed. Buyers do 70% - 80% of their research online to purchase a product or service before they engage with an organization. They are no longer reliant on salespeople for access to information and insights, but will develop their own knowledge about products and services to determine their views and aren’t interested in speaking with Sales until they're ready. To try and curb this or sway this trajectory is pointless and may even have a negative result.  

So how do marketers position themselves to be there when their buyers are ready for them?