B2B Word of Mouth Marketing

Optimize your conversion path. Create a funnel. Get more leads! We hear buzzwords and phrases like this all the time in today’s business landscape. Business owners who suffer from the shiny object syndrome and pursue the hottest newest method to do xyz typically overlook the gold mine they have established already. In this episode, we will discuss the low hanging fruit that can be found in most businesses and ways to collect it. Have a marketing question you want to be answered? Email us at podcast@boomtime.com.    Website: www.boomtime.com  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/boomtime  Twitter: @boomtime_online    Connect with Bill: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billbice Connect with Ethan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethantgraham

Nurturing emails are about creating relationships. People don’t buy from businesses or websites. People buy from people. With an email nurturing campaign, you can put a face on your business and show your audience that you are a person, running a business that exists to help them. Unfortunately, too many bad actors have ruined the phrase “we’re here to help” so that nobody believes it anymore. In this episode, we go through a series of emails designed to help your audience believe you when you say, “We’re here to help.”    Have a marketing question you want to be answered? Email us at podcast@boomtime.com.    Website: www.boomtime.com  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/boomtime  Twitter: @boomtime_online    Connect with Bill: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billbice Connect with Luc: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucflynn/

Marketing is about planting seeds through brand awareness, messaging, communication campaigns and the like. Sales is about leveraging marketing tools to build relationships, authority, and trust in order to ultimately close deals. Sometimes the difference can be hard to see and often the line is quite blurred. But with the right kinds of marketing tools, a sales team could be that much more successful. In this episode, we explore the differences and similarities, and why it is important to understand them both. Have a marketing question you want answered? Email us at podcast@boomtime.com. Website: www.boomtime.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/boomtime Twitter: @boomtime_online Connect with Bill: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billbiceConnect with Justin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-e-butler  

As we discussed in the last episode, in a world of noise it is not easy to stand out. But that doesn’t stop posts from going viral every day. So what makes those posts special? Do you really have to pay to go viral? In this episode, we’ll discuss the mechanics, philosophy and even some tricks on how to get your content to the largest audience possible, and maybe even go viral. Have a marketing question you want answered? Email us at podcast@boomtime.com. Website: www.boomtime.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/boomtime Twitter: @boomtime_online Connect with Bill: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billbiceConnect with Justin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-e-butler/

According to Urban Dictionary, something that “goes viral” is an image, video, or link that spreads rapidly through a population by being frequently shared with a number of individuals.  As a marketer it is one of the most common requests we receive… “Can we make _____ go viral?”  With 300 hours of video being uploaded to YouTube every minute, and almost 5 Billion videos being watched daily on that platform alone, how do you get yours to stand out? With 95 million photos and posts shared to Instagram and 55 million status updates on Facebook every day, how can you expect yours to go “Viral”, or even get noticed at all? What does it actually take to go Viral?   Have a marketing question you want answered? Email us at podcast@boomtime.com.    Website: www.boomtime.com  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/boomtime  Twitter: @boomtime_online    Connect with Bill: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billbice Connect with Justin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-e-butler/

How much has marketing really changed over the years? 40 years ago the average American was exposed to 500 advertisements a day. Today, that number has grown to 5,000. That means that over the course of a year you will see nearly 2 million advertisements. With that sort of saturation it has become harder and harder to make a lasting impression through traditional marketing avenues. Through it all, and now more than ever, word of mouth referrals are the trusted gold standard in the decision making cycle whether in the B2C or B2B space.

In the B2B space, I think we have all either tried LinkedIn Sales Navigator or have considered signing up for it. What are the pros and cons of having a license? In the latest episode of the B2B Marketing Podcast, we discuss our experience utilizing the tool. Have a marketing question you want answered? Email us at podcast@boomtime.com. Website: www.boomtime.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/boomtime Twitter: @boomtime_online Connect with Bill: www.linkedin.com/in/billbiceConnect with Ethan: www.linkedin.com/in/ethantgraham

Word of mouth is the one form of marketing that actually works because it began with trusted recommendations from friends and family to their personal networks. These referrals are gold - they are independent of marketing tactics and rely solely on the kind of experience an individual has with a brand, business or product.  That said, technology has dramatically impacted the way we can amplify word of mouth marketing today.    Have a marketing question you want answered? Email us at podcast@boomtime.com.    Website: www.boomtime.com  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/boomtime  Twitter: @boomtime_online    Connect with Bill: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billbice Connect with Ethan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethan-graham-67a099136/

In Episode 9 we talked about capturing leads, and in a recent episode, we discussed if email marketing works. We came to the conclusion that it’s a resounding, Yes. So with this in mind - the next logical question is how do you build an email list worth marketing to? Have a marketing question you want answered? Email us at podcast@boomtime.com. Website: www.boomtime.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/boomtime Twitter: @boomtime_online Connect with Bill: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billbiceConnect with Luc: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucflynn

In Episode 8 we talked about why you need to automate your marketing. And touched briefly on nurturing campaigns and email marketing. Within this strategy is a whole world of debate and intrigue. So today let’s dive a little deeper into Email Marketing where we’ll answer the question being asked in the age of social media. Does it still work?    Have a marketing question you want answered? Email us at podcast@boomtime.com.    Website: www.boomtime.com  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/boomtime  Twitter: @boomtime_online    Connect with Bill: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billbice Connect with Luc: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucflynn/

In episode 6 we talked about SEO and tactics for effectively deploying a strategy for your website. Within that strategy is understanding keywords, and how to select the right ones for your website and content. In this episode, we’ll breakdown how to identify the right keywords, and how to build great content that employs keywords strategically to yield results.  Have a marketing question you want answered? Email us at podcast@boomtime.com.  Website: www.boomtime.com  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/boomtime  Twitter: @boomtime_online    Connect with Bill: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billbice Connect with Erin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinebarrio

Challenger Reps aren’t born, they can be made. By understanding the specific characteristics and traits that make up the Challenger Rep, you can train your sales team to become Challenger reps that can take on the Challenger Approach.  Have a marketing question you want answered? Email us at podcast@boomtime.com.    Website: www.boomtime.com  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/boomtime  Twitter: @boomtime_online    Connect with Bill: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billbice Connect with Ken: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ken-bassham-6282b2/

In the last episode, CEO Bill Bice and CRO Ken Bassham walked you through understanding the Challenger Approach from The Challenger Sale. In this episode, Bill and Ken discuss how your company can support their sales reps by giving them a third of their time back by providing them with the marketing materials they need to be Challenger Reps. Have a marketing question you want answered? Email us at podcast@boomtime.com. Website: www.boomtime.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/boomtime Twitter: @boomtime_online Connect with Bill: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billbiceConnect with Ken: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ken-bassham-6282b2

The Challenger Sale walks readers through Gartner's study into the characteristics and behaviors of 6,000 salespeople at 90 different companies and 5 types of salespeople that they were able to categorize into their findings, namely, the Challenger Rep and the Challenger Approach. In this episode of the B2B podcast, Bill Bice and CRO Ken Bassham  walk you through understanding the Challenger Approach for your business.    Have a marketing question you want answered? Email us at podcast@boomtime.com.    Website: www.boomtime.com  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/boomtime  Twitter: @boomtime_online    Connect with Bill: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billbice Connect with Ken: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ken-bassham-6282b2/

In previous episodes, we’ve emphasized the three core goals your B2B strategic marketing plan should focus on: building your audience, capturing and following up with leads, and staying top-of-mind. In this episode, we put some depth into tactics you can use on your website and LinkedIn to capture leads and pull them further down the funnel.  Have a marketing question you want answered? Email us at podcast@boomtime.com.    Website: www.boomtime.com  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/boomtime  Twitter: @boomtime_online    Connect with Bill: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billbice Connect with Erin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinebarrio

Having a strategic marketing plan is a long-term play. It requires having a strategy with day-in-day-out execution that you can commit to for at least a year. But how do you put scale behind these efforts? The short answer: you need automation. However, how or what you choose to automate also required strategy; most automated martech tools currently in use by companies focus on social media, but that automation could be put to better use elsewhere.  Links/References mentioned in this episode:  On average 51% of companies are currently using Marketing automation: https://www.emailmonday.com/marketing-automation-statistics-overview/ Nine out of 10 marketers (88 percent) use more than one martech tool on a regular basis: https://www.walkersands.com/press-room/state-of-martech-report-most-companies-cant-keep-up-with-rapid-evolution-of-marketing-technology/ Hootsuite: https://hootsuite.com/ Buffer: https://buffer.com/ Have a marketing question you want answered? Email us at podcast@boomtime.com.  Website: www.boom

When it comes to getting data on your marketing, there’s no shortage of places to look or things to analyze and interpret, but some data is more valuable than others. What analytics or data points should you actually pay attention to, and what do they really mean?   Have a marketing question you want answered? Email us at podcast@boomtime.com.    Website: www.boomtime.com  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/boomtime  Twitter: @boomtime_online    Connect with Bill: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billbice Connect with Erin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinebarrio 

SEO has changed considerably over the last 20 years since Larry Page and Sergey Brin first came out with weighted rankings. There was a time when in investing time and money into figuring out to fool PageRank, formerly the primary driver of Google’s search algorithm paid off, but those days have long since past.  Today, the goal of Google’s codebase is to give users the best search results possible. It’s no longer a war of who spends the most money on SEO, rather, it’s about who does the best job creating great content and taking care of their customers. Links/References mentioned in this episode:  SEO Doesn’t Work: https://www.boomtime.com/seo-doesnt-work/ RankBrain: https://moz.com/learn/seo/google-rankbrain Have a marketing question you want answered? Email us at podcast@boomtime.com.    Website: www.boomtime.com  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/boomtime  Twitter: @boomtime_online    Connect with Bill: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billbice Connect with Erin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erinebarri

Why is it so hard to get a quality website built on time and on budget? The answer is really simple: most websites are almost always built backwards, starting with design. Why doesn’t it make sense to start a website project with design? It comes down to how well you know your audience. How can you expect someone to design a website to target a specific audience if they don’t really understand your business? The whole purpose of the design is to communicate, visually, who you are. In order to effectively do that, you need to start with a content driven approach to your website build. Great content drives great design, and it’s what will set you apart from your competition.   Links/References mentioned in this episode: Simon Sinek: https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action?language=en   Have a marketing question you want answered? Email us at podcast@boomtime.com. Website: www.boomtime.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/boomtime Twitter: @boomtime_online Connect with Bi

Something we hear fairly often at boomtime from our clients is “Should I run this ad? It seems like a great deal, or, “should I boost this post on Facebook? It’s getting great engagement.” The thing is, these questions really surface a bigger, more pertinent question. How does this ad or tactic tie in to their long term strategic marketing plan? Without the context of this plan, every decision is a random act of marketing. So what does a long term strategic marketing plan look like? It’s a year-long commitment at minimum, and it’s consistently executing on that plan, day in, and day out. There are three big goals you should be aiming for in your B2B marketing: Build your audience Capture and follow-up on referrals and prospects Stay top-of-mind In order to achieve these goals, you need to think of your strategy as a three-legged stool. The first leg of the stool is your website - a modern, responsive, mobile optimized site that’s updated constantly. The second stool is email marketing - delivering expert