Hashtag Team: It's Not About B2C Or B2B, But All About B2 Human

Last updated on November 16th, 2015 at 04:00 pm

Welcome to the latest edition of the Hashtag Team, our weekly round up of the most shared and buzzworthy B2B content on social media.

This week, we’re looking at the classic debate of quality versus quantity when it comes to B2B sales leads, why mid-funnel content is so important in the B2B sales cycle, and why we should all maybe move past labels and focus on marketing and selling in a personalized, human way.

We’ve used Nexalogy to easily sift through piles of social data and discover these articles, and have collected them here to keep you in the loop.

TRENDING TOPICS

B2B Leads: Quality vs. Quantity

70% of B2B #Marketers Want More Quality Leads via @convince https://t.co/xbooorNXYn

— Jay Baer (@jaybaer) November 8, 2015

What’s better: higher quality leads or just more leads, period? This turns us to the age-old debate of quantity versus quality. Obviously more leads can lead to more sales, but the value of quality leads can’t be ignored. As Jeffery L. Cohen points out in this post on Convince & Convert, marketers who covet quality leads over quantity are the ones who have their lead generation efforts tied to their sales pipeline metrics—and who understand the impact that one can have on the other. Jeffery offers a concise argument for why you should be focusing on quality over quantity when it comes to your B2B marketing efforts.

B2B Mid-Funnel Content

Why mid-funnel #content matters, and how to do it well: https://t.co/a7NBlSXPsk pic.twitter.com/r3knEp65TM — Contently (@contently) November 9, 2015

It’s widely understood that the B2B sales funnel differs from that of the B2C world, due to the length and complexity of B2B transactions.

In this post from Contently, Erin Nelson notes that “the middle portion of the buyer’s journey is equally as important in defining a brand’s longevity and the success of its content marketing strategy,” but points out that many content marketers tend to devalue or ignore this phase. She then goes on to cover eight types of mid-funnel content marketing that you can put into action, and also provides a checklist to keep you on track.

B2B Insights from GE Healthcare

“It’s not about B2B, or B2C – it’s about B2 Human”! Read how @GEHealthcare is redefining marketing: https://t.co/Sq5gQboawx

— Marketo (@marketo) November 6, 2015

This post on Marketo (which originally appeared on MarketingLand) from Sanjay Dholakia struck a chord with B2B marketers on social this week. Advocating for a move away from strict definitions of B2B and B2C, Sanjay uses the example of GE Healthcare—and specifically insights he gathered from speaking to Stephanie Meyer, Global Head of Marketing Operations—to argue for a more holistic view of engagement.

TOP MEDIA

B2C Expectations in B2B Sales (Infographic)

B2B buyers expect B2C-like personalization, but B2B sellers struggle https://t.co/OhpWkDdUCb by @andrewjns pic.twitter.com/hTtYulsbEj

— VentureBeat (@VentureBeat) November 5, 2015

In the same vein as the post above, according to recent research conducted by Accenture and SAP Hybris, B2B buyers are increasingly expecting more B2C-like personalization—but not receiving it from B2B marketers. The VentureBeat article covers the results of that research, including this infographic that includes the top expectations and barriers.

If you missed last week’s edition of Hashtag Team written by Brett Wilkins, head here to check it out. As always, if you have any B2B content we think we should share next week, let us know below or via @b2bnewsnetwork.

Photo via unsplash.com