How to Make B2B History
There is no better way to kick off a MarketingProfs B2B Forum (MPB2B) than with a resounding chorus and Ann Handley in a gold bedazzled choir robe.
This event promises to be one full of those “you had to be there” moments, so we’ll do our best to share the highlights over the next couple days.
This year’s MPB2B kicked off with not one, but TWO, keynotes.
Ann doesn’t usually do a keynote at MProfs events, but this is a special year. It’s the 10th “birthiversary” (birthday/anniversary) of the B2B Forum. She welcomed everyone home to Boston, with her usual wit and charm.
In just the last 10 years, marketing has gone through a lot of changes. Looking back, even the sponsors have changed since the first MPB2B:
But it wasn’t all just reminiscing, singing and laughs. You can always a lot to learn from Ann. Today, she shared some other lessons from Da Vinci, Ingalls and Fey, on “How to Make B2B History”.
What would DaVinci Do? (WWDVD)
Leonardo Da Vinci was an artist, innovator and inventor, and was hundreds of years ahead of his time. He considered taking risks as essential to success. Innovation and imagination will set you apart. Take chances.
What would Laura Do? (WWLD)
Laura Ingalls was part of the old television show, “Little House on the Prairie”. Life was hard. Some people made it harder on themselves. Ann told us about an episode where one man lived a great distance from a creek (“crick”), and would haul a barrel every day to get fresh water for his family. Instead of digging a well closer to home, he claimed not having enough time. Take the time.
What would Tina do? (WWTD)
Tina Fey started by learning acting techniques. It was Second City that helped her discover and find her niche. Marketers don’t need to be who they aren’t. Be yourself, be weird.
So to make B2B history, you have to:
- Fail like Leonardo
- Act like Laura
- Train like Tina
Momentum: How Smart Businesses Spin Extraordinary Success From Ordinary Marketing
Best-selling author, Andrew Davis, delivered a dynamic second keynote, starting with pizza. The marketing pizza, to be precise.
It’s not that the marketing pizza is getting any bigger, it’s just getting cut it into more pieces. We have to learn to share the pieces better.
So how do you get your content to grow momentum? As Andrew says, “stop vomiting your content on every channel. Find an integrated approach.”
We do this with the Marketing Momentum Curve. Think strategically about your distribution.
There are four steps:
- Start with your subscribers, your loyal followers. If they don’t consume your content, why should you distribute it to the rest of the world?
- Go social, one channel at a time. Own the channel.
- Paid media. Buy ads. For every dollar you spend on creating your content, spend twice that for promotion and distribution.
- Swim upstream like a salmon. Follow the waterfall in reverse. Find out who influences your influencers, and start there.
More to come tomorrow!
Photo credits: Pinterest, NBC, Andrew Davis, and live onsite
