Assessing the performance of stories on B2B News Network is probably a little different than most other online publications.
First, there’s the nature of the audience, which spans everyone from CMOs and CIOs to heads of sales and even company owners or CEOs. Although some of what we publish would be of interest to all of them, there are obviously some topics designed to appeal to certain roles.
Then there is the nature of “news” on B2BNN. We cover product launches, M&As, changes in senior leadership, unique marketing initiatives and branding work by B2B firms and of course plenty of opinion. It’s a broad mandate, so what rises to the surface can occasionally be surprising.
Even the most popular stories don’t get noticed by everyone, of course. So as you wind down 2017 and begin prepping for the new year, we’ve curated the stories that really stood out with you, our audience. Enjoy — and look forward to much more in 2018.
DXagents Consortium Targets Digital Transformation in Canada: The opportunities and challenges in making use of digital tools to achieve business objectives was everywhere in 2017, so the formation and progress of this group in identifying best practices was closely watched.
Segmentation is killing your brand: Wait, what? Marketers have been told to slice and dice their audience for years now. That made this post by Deb Gabor a wake-up call to readers, as she talked about the value of finding a “unicorn” customer who will provide long-term value.
Meet the bullies who dominate B2B purchasing, according to research: One of 2017’s big trends was the rapidly-growing buying teams in many firms, which made me eager to look at this survey from DiscoverOrg. I suspect the dynamics of these teams will continue to be a theme in our stories next year.
6 Ways CIOs can drive digital transformation: Other line-of-business leaders will play an important part in DX, but those who have traditionally lead IT management may have the most at stake. This infographic summed up the opportunity very well.
Blockchain Technology: A primer for organizations and professionals: Bitcoin may be rising and falling, but the technology that facilitates it may prove to be the bigger story. If you still haven’t gotten up to speed on blockchain yet, this is a great place to begin.
Inside The Mind Of . . . Gene Simmons: He wants to rock and roll all night — and grow his business every day? We scored a celebrity interview with the KISS frontman, who discussed his books On Power, Me Inc. and more.
Contently CMO wants to help marketers bring accountability to storytelling: I’ve been a Contently contributor for years, so it was great to meet with Kelly Wentzel and find out more about how one of the biggest content marketing startups is evolving the way it tells stories for clients.
Inside The Mind Of . . . Russ Cohn: Dave Gordon’s interview series is always a hit (which is why we’re coming out with a book-length compilation soon) but this Q&A with Quigley-Simpson’s vice-president of creative marketing and innovation offers a good look at where the future of brand advertising may be headed.
Account-Based Marketing: Flipping The Funnel: The proof points of a well-executed ABM strategy are becoming more obvious every day, but it still represents a bit of a mind-shift for marketers. Kris Schulze’s coverage of Terminus and others at the Content Summit illustrates the new buyer journey for brands.
How augmented reality is transforming the manufacturing industry: Forget all the consumer buzz about virtual reality — AR may be mature enough now to begin solving real business problems, as this story by Jyoti Bharwani proved.
We’ll be taking a holiday break tomorrow, but will resume publishing on Jan. 2. In the meantime, happy new year!
