2016 was a year of tremendous professional development for our team, business growth for our healthcare and technology marketing agency, and change in the marketing industry. We have learned many valuable marketing lessons in 2016 that will carry over into 2017 and beyond.
If you’ve learned something that will change your marketing strategy in 2017, share in the comments below!
1. Personalization Will Have a Larger Role in Marketing
Especially as buying groups continue to grow. Within 3–5 years, the website you see may be completely different from the website your neighbor sees for the same company or product. Learn more about personalization here.
2. Account Based Marketing (ABM) is a Game Changer
Account Based Marketing (or a better name, Account Based Revenue) is going to shift the way B2B organizations sell and market over the next five years. ABM targets a specific set of high-value accounts as a sales and marketing team. Analyst firm Topo found ABM increases average contract value by 171% (Craig Rosenberg, Topo at ABMIgnite!). While larger enterprises have been working on ABM for years, in 2016 we saw increased awareness of ABM in the mid-market. We forecast the vast majority of enterprise and mid-market companies will adopt a hybrid model of inbound marketing and ABM.
Account Based Marketing #ABM increases average contract value by 171%. Share on X3. Fully Define All Project Requirements
Regardless if it’s a messaging, branding, website or another marketing project, fully define a requirements document and get client approval before project kick off. This may require additional time, resources or budget up front, but it will save time in the long run.
4. Flat Design Style Still Looks Fresh 10 Years Later
Flat design style was first made popular by Microsoft’s Zune in 2006, and Apple and Google both followed suit with their software and style. Flat design boasts high usability, fast load times and versatility, making it a great choice a decade later.
5. (Bad) Stock Photography Can Hurt Your Brand
Website users and consumers are more tech-savvy than ever and can easily spot cheesy stock photography. Bad stock can make your brand feel cheap and inauthentic. If you pick a popular stock photo, be sure that your direct and indirect competitors aren’t using the same photo, or else you risk being seen as a copycat and could suffer from brand confusion. It’s best to do your own photo shoot so you can have unique images or create icons, graphics or illustrations instead.
6. We Are in an Era of Digital Transformation
CMOs will dedicate 75% of their marketing budgets to digital marketing by 2019 (Adweek). Digital marketing will become even more competitive as companies enter the market and mature. It is more important than ever to invest in digital marketing and explore new digital channels so you don’t get left behind.
7. Use the RIGHT Digital Tools to Improve Efficiency
Digital tools, software and dashboards can simplify and streamline your marketing and business processes, but the wrong tools (or too many) can make your job more complicated. Reevaluate all the free and paid tools you’re using and see if you can trim the fat. You’ll find that you can be more effective when everyone in your organization uses just a few high-quality tools.
8. Cleanse Your Marketing Lists Regularly
Take ownership of your email marketing lists and cleanse them regularly. Email marketing and marketing automation systems hold the account owner liable for the quality of the list. A cleansed list ensures your messages are reaching the right targets and improves your email deliverability.
9. Website Analytics Don’t Tell the Whole Story
Marketers like to rely on website analytics to find lead sources, engagement metrics and conversion paths. It’s important to analyze web traffic thoroughly, but don’t turn a blind eye to offline engagement and conversions. Basing future business and marketing decisions only on website analytics could be a costly mistake.
10. Full Financial Transparency Benefits Both Client and Agency
When clients trust you enough to give you full access to their sales and revenue metrics, your marketing team can be far more accurate and successful. Working with real revenue numbers eliminates guesswork and will result in more effective marketing plans, programs and resource allocations. Try your best to earn that level of trust with every client.
11. Explore Partnerships
You never know where a new partnership could take you. You may tap into a new lead source or find networking opportunities. At the very least, you will learn something about your organization, your industry or your customers and prospects. Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone to explore new opportunities.
12. Peer Connections Can Open New Doors
Some of the most powerful connections you can make as a businessperson are with like-minded individuals who have been where you are and are where you want to be. Seek out these groups or individuals and learn all you can from them. Be open to new ideas, methodologies and business philosophies. Even if their advice goes against your status quo, consider the guidance and adapt it for your business. It’s never a bad thing to establish some powerful connections.
13. Authenticity is Marketing Gold
If we learned anything from 2016 news events, it’s that authenticity is valued. From people to companies, shooting straight helps prospects with common views find you. Clearly stating what you do helps people match your solution to their problem. Trying to market to a wider audience who doesn’t care about your message can be a waste of time, money and reputation.
Authenticity is #marketing gold and helps people match your solution to their problem. Share on X14. Playing Hard to Get Really Can Work
Take Heady Topper for example. BeerAdvocate’s #1 beer in the world was in short supply, so people were ready to wait in line to get it. Or Hamilton tickets. The harder it was to get a seat, the more people wanted to see the show. Depending on what you’re marketing, limiting the size of the pipe through which your product flows (on purpose or not), can build anticipation and demand. But be real (back to point 13 above): if the special offer ends on the last day of the month, end it, don’t extend it. Rewriting marketing offers as you go is an authenticity roadblock.
15. Skimmable and Curated Content is News You Can Use
Content doesn’t need to be “original” to be valuable. For example, “theSkimm” is a digital news source that combines pithy writing with real-world news delivered daily to your inbox, perfect for busy, smartphone-carrying people who want to get a quick shot of news without digging for it. The same goes for industries from healthcare to hi-tech: deliver news your customers can use and keep it concise. You’ll build a following of readers ready to consume.
16. Find Your Threshold for Maximum Content Engagement
HubSpot research shows that for B2B companies, blogging frequency doesn’t impact website traffic until you reach 11+ posts per month. B2B companies that published 6–10 posts per month didn’t receive much more traffic than companies that blogged 0–1 times per month. These statistics won’t hold true for every B2B company as each market and organization have their idiosyncrasies. Test posting frequency on your blog to see where you get the most engagement.
Looking Forward to Marketing in 2017
2016 was a fantastic year of growth, education and opportunity for our team. We are excited to apply all we have learned in 2016 to be smarter, more successful marketers in 2017!
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