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TitreDateDurée
The Power of Qualitative Research to Level Up Your Brand12 Dec 202400:38:06

Haven't figured out what your New Year's Resolution is yet? Consider leaning into AI adoption in 2025. Steve Cunningham shares how you can become the Hero of AI adoption at your company. 

In this episode, David Schneer, a body language expert and CEO of Merrill Research, discusses the significance of qualitative research in today's changing landscape. He emphasizes the importance of understanding body language in research, the shift to virtual methodologies post-pandemic, and the intersection of AI with qualitative insights. David also shares personal stories from his journey of writing his book, 'Backbone: Surviving the Road Less Quantified,' and offers advice for marketers navigating technical fields.

Takeaways

  • Qualitative research is essential for understanding consumer behavior.
  • Body language plays a crucial role in interpreting responses during research.
  • AI technology can enhance qualitative research by analyzing micro-expressions.
  • Qualitative research should focus on depth rather than just surface-level data.

Resources



The State of AI: Chatbots, Reasoning Models, and Agents05 Dec 202400:38:36

 Haven't figured out what your New Year's Resolution will be? Consider leaning in to AI adoption in 2025. Stave Cunningham shares how you can become the Hero of AI adoption at your company. 

n this episode, Wendy Covey interviews Steve Cunningham, co-founder of Simple Academy, discussing the evolving landscape of AI adoption in businesses. They explore the changing attitudes of business leaders and employees towards AI, the stages of AI transformation, and the importance of creativity in marketing roles. Steve shares insights on implementing AI in organizations, the future of AI with agents, and how individuals can adapt and learn in the AI age.

Takeaways

  • Understanding the stages of AI transformation can help individuals adapt.
  • Creativity can be enhanced through AI tools in marketing roles.
  • Companies need leadership buy-in for successful AI implementation.
  • Learning in the AI age should be hands-on and practical.
  • Using AI effectively can provide a competitive advantage in careers.
  • Training AI on specific company data can enhance its usefulness.

Resources

The Eight Pillars of ROI-Driven Marketing for Manufacturers26 Sep 202400:31:46

Chris Peer, the author of The Great 8 Pillars: ROI-Driven Marketing for Manufacturing Companies joins us on the podcast this week to walk through all eight pillars and share what he thinks the most important are for industrial marketers. We talk about how to structure marketing operations for success and how to get in front of leadership with the right data that is meaningful to grow your influence within the organization and demonstrate the impact marketing can have.

We also talk about the need for frameworks and processes so that you can have a repeatable model when you launch campaigns. We talk about value proposition and of course your MarTech stack and how AI factors into this equation. 

Takeaways

  • ROI is crucial in marketing and should be the focus of marketing operations.
  • A strong value proposition, messaging, and branding are essential for differentiation and attracting customers.
  • Content creation and AI are major obstacles faced by marketers in the industrial sector.
  • To get executive buy-in, marketers should demonstrate the impact of marketing on revenue and align marketing strategies with organizational goals.
  • Measuring and reporting on the right metrics is key to gaining executive support and demonstrating marketing effectiveness.

Resources

ABM Readiness, Measurement, and Winning Tactics with Joe Quinn07 Apr 202200:44:55

 Award-winning ABM strategist shares his decade-long journey with ABM and advice for getting started or improving your programs. 

Joe Quinn, Senior Account-Based Marketing (ABM) Manager at Salesforce-Tableau and former ABM Leader at NI (National Instruments) has spent the past decade learning, inventing, measuring, and improving on all things ABM. Joe and his team at NI were recognized with an ABM Program of the Year award by the Flip my Funnel organization, and he's tasked with scaling ABM marketing efforts at Salesforce-Tableau.

Many companies may think they need to be doing ABM given how buzzy it is in our marketing world, but here are a few criteria Joe suggests using to assess whether or not your organization is ready for ABM:

  • Are there dedicated sales resources to named accounts? Are those accounts tiered?
  • Is executive leadership on board with ABM? 
  • Is there a salesperson (or salespeople) willing to devote time and energy as a partner with marketing?
  • Does the company recognize and support resource tradeoffs between volume-based lead generation versus strategic relationship development?

If all signs look positive, Joe suggests a multi-phase ABM framework with associated metrics, including account research and prioritization, content development, tailored tactical execution, and closed-loop reporting.

During the episode Joe shares some of his award-winning ABM tactics, including case study briefs, customized LinkedIn introductions from Account Managers, and contact acquisition. We also touch on the role of technology to help enhance, automate and measure ABM initiatives -- and when these should and should not integrate into the CRM or other platforms in use.

For show links and more, visit the Content Marketing, Engineered podcast blog

 https://bit.ly/CMEPodcast 

Learn more about TREW Marketing

 https://www.trewmarketing.com 

Order the book! Content Marketing, Engineered

 https://bit.ly/contentmktgeng



A Technical Leader's Inbound Marketing Journey with Matt Eurich24 Mar 202200:22:06

 Coming up through the technical ranks to leading a business, how do executives ramp up and keep up with inbound marketing? 

Matt Eurich, COO of Genuen and former President of WTI, is an engineer with a business mind. As he moved up the ranks from engineering to business leadership, he knew that the company's approach to marketing had some gaps.He thought that perhaps those gaps would be addressed by a once-every-three-year website project. He laughs now at the old him who just didn't know what he didn't know, and credits his trusted partnership with TREW for bringing him and the organization along to where they are today.

During the episode you'll hear how, over a decade, WTI went from a trade show and brochure website approach to a holistic inbound marketing model where content investment made the greatest impact. He describes some of his a-ha moments and tools that were most helpful to keep things on track, such as a marketing scorecard and content editorial calendar. 

You'll also learn that WTI's high-performing marketing program helped raised its valuation when seeking to be acquired and what happened next to the WTI brand and other entities that were acquired. 

His advice to other technical leaders? Find a strategic marketing partner and trust them and their process. Even if some of what they bring to the table sounds odd at first (you'll hear him poke fun at persona development), trust in your marketing partner and their proven experience. (Spoiler alert: he now thinks personas are one of the best things that has ever come out of marketing planning). 

For show links and more, visit the Content Marketing, Engineered podcast blog

 https://bit.ly/CMEPodcast 

Learn more about TREW Marketing

 https://www.trewmarketing.com 

Order the book! Content Marketing, Engineered

 https://bit.ly/contentmktgeng

Evolve Your Google Adwords Strategy with Glenn Schmelzle10 Mar 202200:36:40

 The Google Adwords platform has grown tremendously in sophistication. Are you keeping up? 

Glenn Schmelzle, Founder and VP of Lead Generation for Marketing What's New, is laser focused on helping B2B companies get the most out of Google Adwords. He sees marketers make the same mistakes over and over, and one of those is a lack of focus on content. By not creating quality content both in your ad itself and on your website, even the most thoughtful execution of an Adwords campaign will fall flat.  He also encourages marketers to plan their content along the funnel, and consider where their ad falls along the buyers journey in order to inform content and calls-to-action.

By applying AI, Google continues to make significant changes to which advertising campaigns are accepted, how ads appear, who they appear for, and what the ad says. During the episode, Glenn fills us in on how the platform has evolved and big changes that are afoot for 2022. Some of these changes have introduced more complexity for the marketer, but also better performing ads through context and relevancy. 

Glenn is the podcast host of The Funnel Reboot, a show that shares strategies from leading marketers. 

For show links and more, visit the Content Marketing, Engineered podcast blog

 https://bit.ly/CMEPodcast 

Learn more about TREW Marketing

 https://www.trewmarketing.com 

Order the book! Content Marketing, Engineered

 https://bit.ly/contentmktgeng

Communicating Through Body Language With David Schneer24 Feb 202200:37:28

David Schneer is a Ph.D., CEO, and Body Language Master Trainer at The Merrill Institute. Through conducting qualitative focus groups in the electronics industry for 30 years, he recognizes that each and every one of us are surrounded by communications contradictions. David became passionate about helping business professionals and other interested folks (hello parents of teenagers!) discern someone's truth through body language. 

During the episode, David quizzes me about common body language myths, such as reading someone from an expression or a handshake, and figuring out when someone is lying. He also provides practical advice on how to facilitate effective communications in the workplace, such as creating a comfortable environment. We also discuss how to read body language via Zoom, when only a portion of someone's body is in view.  

Viewer note: our Zoom video feed cuts out around 18 minutes into the episode, but the audio file sounds great. Our apologies for this technology hiccup.

For show links and more, visit the Content Marketing, Engineered podcast blog

 https://bit.ly/CMEPodcast 

Learn more about TREW Marketing

 https://www.trewmarketing.com 

Order the book! Content Marketing, Engineered

 https://bit.ly/contentmktgeng



Manufacturing Marketing Research Findings with Lisa Beets11 Feb 202200:17:53

 Learn where to invest and pitfalls to avoid when crafting your 2022 marketing plan. 

Lisa Beets, Research Director for the Content Marketing Institute (CMI), conducts seven primary research studies annually, and one of her favorite focuses in manufacturing. This is in part to her days with Penton Media focused in HVAC, but also recognizing the need for data in this unique industry. 

During the episode, Lisa walks me through CMI's Manufacturing Marketing report and we discuss several datapoints that jumped out to us both, such as:

  • 51% are challenged by overcoming a traditional sales and marketing mindset
  • 51% struggle with creating valuable content as opposed to sales-oriented content
  • 75% were asked to do more with the same resources in 2021
  • 65% expect their 2022 content marketing budget to increase over 2021
  • Marketers cited videos produced the best results for content marketing, with 53% citing how-to videos as the leading format
  • When it comes to organic social platforms, LinkedIn came out on top as both the most popular at 93% and best at producing results.
  • Facebook was the top paid social platform used at 76%, though LinkedIn produced the best results beating out Facebook by 8%
  • The top ways to measure content performance were web-centric, including 73% citing website traffic and 69% citing website engagement

We concluded that there was a close synergy between the CMI Manufacturing Marketing Report and the TREW Marketing & Global Spec State of Marketing to Engineers report, and that both are helpful for marketers to educate and advocate for content marketing with internal leadership.

2022 State of Marketing to Engineers Research Highlights with Christian Haight27 Jan 202200:26:41

The 2022 State of Marketing for Engineers Research Report summarizes the survey results of more than 800 engineers and technical professionals from a variety of industries, including manufacturing, automotive, energy, electronic components, semiconductor, and aerospace/defense. 

TREW Marketing and GlobalSpec recently released our 5th annual study of how engineers and technical buyers seek and consume information to make purchase decisions. In this episode, Christian Haight joins host Wendy Covey to walk through some of the major findings from the report, including:

  • Engineers value a company's technical expertise and responsiveness over price and company values 
  • 83 percent of engineers are willing to fill out a form in exchange for technical content
  • 73 percent of engineers listen to work-related podcasts throughout their week, a 33% YOY increase
  • Engineers prefer YouTube and LinkedIn over other social platforms

For show links and more, visit the Content Marketing, Engineered podcast blog

 https://bit.ly/CMEPodcast 

Learn more about TREW Marketing

 https://www.trewmarketing.com 

Order the book! Content Marketing, Engineered

 https://bit.ly/contentmktgeng


Context Matters: Writing for Engineers with Adam Kimmel13 Jan 202200:25:08

Understanding the context of why and who makes all the difference when writing for engineers and technical buyers.

Adam Kimmel, Principal Technical Content Writer at ASK Consulting, spends his days boiling down highly technical information into consumable content targeted to specific audience personas. During this episode, we covered a ton of ground -- from what behaviors make a technical writer successful to how to extract the right information from subject-matter experts. 

Aside from the numerous nuggets of advice, what struck me most about this episode is one word that kept creeping in throughout our discussion: context.

When interviewing a subject-matter expert (SME), it's important to contextualize why a solution is significant and where it fits into the broader market landscape. Data is great, but the context of why the data is significant (e.g. competitive comparisons, etc.) helps to demonstrate value and build preference. 

Your audience needs to first care about a topic, then be enticed to go deeper and learn more. Understanding the context of where your content piece fits into the buyer's journey helps you to position the material at the right technical level and build upon information served elsewhere. 

For show links and more, visit the Content Marketing, Engineered podcast blog

 https://bit.ly/CMEPodcast 

Learn more about TREW Marketing

 https://www.trewmarketing.com 

Order the book! Content Marketing, Engineered

 https://bit.ly/contentmktgeng

2021 Wrap Up and Look Ahead to 202230 Dec 202100:11:54

 Shifting strategy, LinkedIn, media and advice from technical marketers in the trenches were all highlights of our 2021 podcast season. 

Content Marketing, Engineered is almost two years old now! It's evolved and improved, but the focus remains steadfast on helping leaders and marketers reach highly technical audiences through content and digital marketing. In case you missed some of our episodes, here is a walkthrough of what we covered in 2021.

  • Virtualizing the field sales role with Michael Knight, President of TTI's Semiconductor Group
  • LinkedIn Miniseries featuring 5 guests, each with a unique perspective on how to leverage the platform, including:

    • Advertising - AJ Wilcox, B2Linked
    • Writing - John Espirian, Technical Copywriter
    • Sales - Nick Capozzi, Sales Pitching
    • Sales - Susan Tatum, The Conversion Company
    • Measuring engagement - Scott Ingram, Relationship One
    • Lead gen and spokesperson branding - Erin Moore, TREW Marketing
    • New platform features - Julia Fellows, TREW Marketing
  • Practical advice to improve your content marketing, including 
    • Video - Bryan Fittin from GoRougeX
    • SEO - Kyle Roof from High Voltage SEO
    • Technical writing process - Morgan Norris, TREW Marketing
    • Newsjacking - Lance Looper, TREW Marketing
    • Why HubSpot - Andre Leonard, TREW Marketing
    • High Performing Websites - Erin Moore, TREW Marketing and Jamie Tokarz, TREW Marketing
  • Honing your digital marketing strategy 
    • 2021 State of Marketing to Engineers report - Jenn Corcoran, GlobalSpec
    • Digital Customer Engagement Maturity Model - Richard Barnett, Supplyframe
    • Getting started with digital transformation - Douglas Karr, Martech Zone
    • Takeaways from 346 marketing & sales books - Douglas Burdett, Marketing Book Podcast
    • 2022 marketing planning - Jennifer Dawkins, TREW Marketing
  • Stories from executives, marketers and salespeople working in highly technical industries 
    • Sabrina Veylder-Pahwa, R2Sonic
    • Chad Pasho, Mechanical Solutions
    • Sam Morgan, Morgan Polymer Seals
    • Matt Judge, Vizseek
    • Chris Grainger, EECO
    • Jackie Mattox, Women in Engineering
    • Sandy Williams, Access Biomedical Solutions
  • Acquisition rebranding with Genuen leaders Jeff Gray and Tood VanGilder along with Lee Chapman from TREW Marketing
  • Media Miniseries with guest host Morgan Norris and 6 experts covering both paid and earned opportunities  
    • Gary Lerude, Microwave Journal
    • Lee Douglas, Aspencore
    • Erik Jansen, Elektor
    • Patrick Carmody, Endeavor Group
    • Lisa Peterson, Lisa Peterson PR
    • Glenn Frates, Cision Media

A huge thank you to all of these guests for sharing their wisdom and experiences on Content Marketing, Engineered!

We have an exciting line-up for the start of 20

Media Miniseries | Successfully Pitching Media with Lisa Peterson16 Dec 202100:30:00

 In the Content Marketing, Engineered Media Miniseries, we’re learning from media experts about how working with external news outlets and trade publications fits into your content marketing strategy. Today, we're learning how to pitch media successfully, and what goes into a successful media relations campaign.

Through this Media Miniseries we've learned that a lot goes into securing coverage in publications (whether paid placements or editorial coverage.

In today's episode, Lisa Peterson, owner of Lisa Peterson PR, has spent decades pitching reporters, building relationships, and securing coverage on behalf of her clients. She believes that you need a strong message, an integrated approach, and a determination to identify and pitch the right journalists.

For show links and more, visit the Content Marketing, Engineered podcast blog

 https://bit.ly/CMEPodcast 

Learn more about TREW Marketing

 https://www.trewmarketing.com 

Order the book! Content Marketing, Engineered

 https://bit.ly/contentmktgeng

Media Miniseries | Using Newswires in Your Media Strategy with Glenn Frates14 Dec 202100:27:23

 In the Content Marketing, Engineered Media Miniseries, we’re learning from media experts about how working with external news outlets and trade publications fits into your content marketing strategy. Today, we're breaking down news wiring services and covering -- what they are, when to use them, and how to use them to get your message across as effectively as possible.

Through this Media Miniseries we've learned that there's a host of ways to get your information in front of your prospects. Newswires allow you to pay to wire content that you write over a public news line, so it can be picked up and syndicated by other outlets.

In today's episode, Glenn Frates, VP of Cision Media, gives us all of the "how-to" information we need to wire news. Glenn talks about frequency of releasing news, what topics are relevant, and what you need to include in your release for it to be successful...down to the character count of your headline. This episode is incredibly practical. One of my favorite messages that Glenn shares is that a news release isn't a standalone strategy, you need additional marketing activities and content that supports an overall campaign.

For show links and more, visit the Content Marketing, Engineered podcast blog

 https://bit.ly/CMEPodcast 

Learn more about TREW Marketing

 https://www.trewmarketing.com 

Order the book! Content Marketing, Engineered

 https://bit.ly/contentmktgeng

AI Strategies and Tools for Industrial Marketers19 Sep 202400:39:24

In this episode, VP of Account Service, Jennifer Dawkins, talks about her experiences at MAICON, the Marketing Artificial Intelligence Conference. Jennifer shares the high-level timeline of how AI is expect to evolve over the next decade and how marketers can keep up. They discuss the rapid advancements in AI, the importance of AI literacy for organizations, and the evolving landscape of content marketing in the age of AI, including the broader copyright implications. 

As AI chat continues to answer user questions accurately, we discussed the importance of moving away from "what is" content, and work towards creating compelling content that stands out - with unique points of view and personal anecdotes. I also ask her about the new AI tools she's excited to learn about and try, including video editing tools and integration tools. 

The main takeaway from the conference? AI is here. If you don't learn it, you'll lose business to your competitors and it will ultimately hinder your career as a marketer. But it doesn't have to be impossible to learn or implement, start small and don't let initial AI mistakes dissuade you from taking advantage of the tools. 

Takeaways

  • AI literacy is essential for organizations to stay competitive.
  • Generic content will not perform well in the AI-driven landscape and compelling content must have a unique point of view.
  • Copyright laws regarding AI-generated content are still evolving.
  • Organizations must develop a clear AI strategy and guidelines.
  • The future of AI includes multimodal capabilities and Artificial General Intelligence (AGI).
  • Starting with small, low-stakes AI projects can ease the transition.

Resources

AI Tools Mentioned

Media Miniseries | Connecting Via Online Communities with Erik Jansen09 Dec 202100:27:50

 In the Content Marketing, Engineered Media Miniseries, we’re learning from media experts about how working with external news outlets and trade publications fits into your content marketing strategy. Today, we're exploring opportunities to connect with prospects via online communities

From our research, we know that engineers look to content written by other engineers. For this reason, engineers look to content that has technical depth and a tone that's relatable. When writing content for your website or writing gated content like white papers and ebooks, writers leverage SME knowledge, customer interviews, research, and additional knowledge to create content. If engineers are looking for content off your site, forums or communities are a great resource.

In today's episode, Erik Jansen from Elektor Media shares how to connect with engineers using online communities as a media channel. Elektor is a magazine that also has a strong community forum called Elektor Labs where users can test hardware, tinker with new technologies and share what they've created. If you have customers experimenting with your products or platforms you think Elektor would be interested in sharing your hardware with their community, this is a great example of an additional media channel you can use to connect with prospects.

For show links and more, visit the Content Marketing, Engineered podcast blog

 https://bit.ly/CMEPodcast 

Learn more about TREW Marketing

 https://www.trewmarketing.com 

Order the book! Content Marketing, Engineered

 https://bit.ly/contentmktgeng

Media Miniseries | Match Your Marketing Goals to Advertising Products with Patrick Carmody07 Dec 202100:35:08

 In the Content Marketing, Engineered Media Miniseries, we’re learning from media experts about how working with external news outlets and trade publications fits into your content marketing strategy. Today, we're diving deeper into advertising -- and in particular how to align your marketing goals with the right advertising products to support your business. 

Last week, we gave a comprehensive introduction to advertising with technical trade publications, and this week, we're diving in deeper with advertising to really discuss marketing goals and how to achieve them with different advertising products.

In today's episode, Patrick Carmody, Area Sales Manager at Endeavor Business Media which owns publications like Electronic Design and Machine Design, will talk to us about some of the detailed products that we can use to build brand awareness, generate leads, and grow sales. From sponsored content to podcasts to email marketing, Endeavor brings many different forms of advertising to the table. And like other publishing houses, Endeavor owns a host of publications, so you can target your specific, niche audience exactly where they go to find information. 

For show links and more, visit the Content Marketing, Engineered podcast blog

 https://bit.ly/CMEPodcast 

Learn more about TREW Marketing

 https://www.trewmarketing.com 

Order the book! Content Marketing, Engineered

 https://bit.ly/contentmktgeng

Media Miniseries | Intro to Advertising for Technical B2B Companies with Lee Douglas02 Dec 202100:38:25

In the Content Marketing, Engineered Media Miniseries, we’re learning from media experts about how working with external news outlets and trade publications fits into your content marketing strategy. Today, we're exploring advertising -- how to think about it, what goals are reasonable, and where to focus your spend. 

Content marketing typically involves writing and publishing content on your own site, and attracting visitors to that content. But -- external channels can still be extremely helpful to broaden your potential audience. By paying for advertising in trade publications, you can capture your audience in another channel and direct them back to your site.

The printed trade publications of the 80s and 90s were full of advertising content (if you were around then, I'm sure you remember seeing who secured that back cover ad each month). With the rise of digital content, those print ads gave way to clunky banner ads in the early oughts and for many of us, the advertising knowledge stops there. 

But, advertising has evolved a ton. In today's episode, Lee Douglas, an Account Director from Aspencore which owns publications like EE Times, EDN, embedded.com, and Planet Analog, will talk us through all of the available advertising options and how to find advertising opportunities that help you meet your marketing goals. The opportunities range from optimized banners to sponsored podcasts to even retargeted ads that your prospects can engage with when they're on a site other than yours or a publication's.

For show links and more, visit the Content Marketing, Engineered podcast blog

 https://bit.ly/CMEPodcast 

Learn more about TREW Marketing

 https://www.trewmarketing.com 

Order the book! Content Marketing, Engineered

 https://bit.ly/contentmktgeng

Media Miniseries | Engaging Technical Editors with Gary Lerude30 Nov 202100:38:04

 In the Content Marketing, Engineered Media Miniseries, where we’re learning from media experts about how working with external news outlets and trade publications fits into your content marketing strategy. In today’s episode, we cover working with technical B2B trade publications from an editorial perspective.  

Content marketing typically involves writing and publishing content on your own site, and attracting visitors to that content. But -- external channels can still be extremely helpful to broaden your potential audience. By securing content in trade publications, companies can catch the attention of new prospects and draw them back to the company's website.

There are dozens of reputable B2C technical publications but a few rise to the top. Microwave Journal is one of those few. Today, Microwave Journal editor Gary Lerude will talk to us about how you can use trade publications to share your news, grow your audience, and build your brand. This content is particularly relevant with the recent advancements in 5G mmwave -- Gary notes that while there are a handful of significant test and measurement providers who have relationships with editors, industries like communications and medical are full of smaller companies and startups with niche technologies who can benefit from the brand awareness that comes with editorial coverage.

On this episode you'll hear details of exactly how and when to engage with technical editors as well as what editors are looking for, what's helpful to them, and what to expect to have prepared when you reach out. 

 For show links and more, visit the Content Marketing, Engineered podcast blog

 https://bit.ly/CMEPodcast 

Learn more about TREW Marketing

 https://www.trewmarketing.com 

Order the book! Content Marketing, Engineered

 https://bit.ly/contentmktgeng

Your 2022 Marketing Planning Guide, Jennifer Dawkins22 Nov 202100:29:43

 Learn where to invest and pitfalls to avoid when crafting your 2022 marketing plan. 

Jennifer Dawkins, TREW Marketing VP of Account Services, has spent two decades crafting marketing plans for technical companies. In that time she's seen companies fall into some common traps when approaching planning, which leads to wasted budget, poor results, and a negative reflection on marketing as a whole. Being tactically driven, planning in a silo, and focusing on vanity metrics rather than business impact are among those typical mistakes marketers make.

During the episode, Jennifer walks through key elements of her marketing planning approach. She advises on what and how to analyze your current performance, the competitive landscape, and how to set meaningful goals. Persona development, a messaging audit, and campaign plans are all part of the marketing plan. Jennifer describes how she measures success and the importance of quarterly evaluation and plan update meetings with your core marketing committee.  

We then shift gears to touch on trends for 2022, including tried-and-true tactics that are waning in effectiveness in addition to new areas of investment. 

For show links and more, visit the Content Marketing, Engineered podcast blog

 https://bit.ly/CMEPodcast 

Learn more about TREW Marketing

 https://www.trewmarketing.com 

Order the book! Content Marketing, Engineered

 https://bit.ly/contentmktgeng

Misconceptions About Engineering & Scientific Buyers with Sandy Williams18 Nov 202100:42:07

Too many marketing and sales professionals are targeting technical buyers with approaches that are either too aggressive, too fluffy, or too dry. 

Sandy Williams, Biomedical Engineering Ph.D. and President of Access Biomedical Solutions, has seen too many marketing and sales efforts fail due to misconceptions about the technical buyer leading to ineffective tactics. Buyer personas are helpful, but overreliance on these can be dangerous. Sandy reminds us that these buyers are often innovating -- looking for new ways of doing things or solving new problems -- and by acknowledging and appreciating their uniqueness companies can build trust and gain more insights to influence the sale.

Fluffy content is a big trust-breaker. Sandy recommends quality over quantity, saying that technical buyers tend to lurk more than share, absorbing information incognito until late in the buyer's journey. Marketing attribution can be difficult with this type of behavior, with engagement metrics not telling the full picture.  

During the episode, Sandy shares a list of "don'ts" for technical marketing and sales professionals and provides greater insight into the minds of the engineer and scientific buyer.

 
For show links and more, visit the Content Marketing, Engineered podcast blog 

https://bit.ly/CMEPodcast



Learn more about TREW Marketing

https://www.trewmarketing.com



Order the book! Content Marketing, Engineered

https://bit.ly/contentmktgeng

 

Using a Data-Driven SEO Approach with Kyle Roof04 Nov 202100:32:07

Analysis and testing are key on-page SEO tactics that can significantly lift search engine rankings. 

Kyle Roof, SEO consultant, patent-holder, product developer and trainer, is here to dispel a myth. People may believe that high-ranking pages in Google equate to the best content, but in reality, the Google algorithm boils down to math -- without human intervention. So it isn't necessarily the best content that wins, it's the most optimized-for-Google content that wins. (Case in point - check out the presentation link below in which Kyle presents how he boosted a site to a page one ranking using mostly lorem ipsum text). 

This of course doesn't mean that fresh, quality content isn't important to converting prospects to customers. But it is clearly a call-to-action for marketers to spend time analyzing and testing SEO tactics on key pages. 

Kyle points to four key areas within a page that Google scans to determine ranking for a keyword or phrase. By just focusing here, companies may see a significant boost. Throughout the episode, he also provides pointers on how to research competitors and use SEO analysis software tools for more insight and direction. 

When looking to supplement some of the popular SEO tools with specifics for page optimization, Kyle and his team developed their own algorithm which has evolved into the software tool PageOptimizer Pro. They also offer SEO training through a program called Internet Marketing Gold.


For show links and more, visit the Content Marketing, Engineered podcast blog 

https://bit.ly/CMEPodcast



Learn more about TREW Marketing

https://www.trewmarketing.com



Order the book! Content Marketing, Engineered

https://bit.ly/contentmktgeng

 

INBOUND 2021 Recap with Julia Fellows21 Oct 202100:22:34

 Did you miss INBOUND 2021? Never fear, we have you covered with this recap episode. 

Julia Fellows, TREW Account Manager, joined me to recap trending topics and hot sessions from INBOUND 2021, an annual marketing and sales conference hosted by HubSpot. The event was held virtually again this year, and the emphasis weighed heavily towards marketing best practices, with a lighter touch on new product announcements by HubSpot. 

Email marketing has been hugely important to fill the face-to-face void during these COVID days, so it's not a surprise that this was a hot INBOUND topic. Speaker Jay Schwedelson from Subjectline.com shared insights into what's really working now. He broke down two specific ways to improve open rates: personalize the sender name, and use special characters in the subject line. 

Also popular were the ABM sessions, such as the presentation by Terminus' Justin Keller. He emphasized the importance of sales and marketing alignment for ABM to gain traction, and encouraged companies new to ABM to start with content and personalization 

There was also buzz around RevOps, no doubt a focus since HubSpot's product announcements were mostly tied to this topic. The idea is to make the customer's experience with your brand as streamlined and frictionless as possibly, and to accomplish this, you need organizational alignment, data and connected systems. HubSpot Co-Founder Darmesh Shah gave some powerful examples from his own car shopping experience to prove the point that customers expect consistency, but companies are siloed and struggle to deliver a consistent experience. 

While these are a few highlights, Julia shares even more during the episode. Also, look for a TREW Marketing blog post on HubSpot's new product announcements coming early next week. 


For show links and more, visit the Content Marketing, Engineered podcast blog 

https://bit.ly/CMEPodcast



Learn more about TREW Marketing

https://www.trewmarketing.com



Order the book! Content Marketing, Engineered

https://bit.ly/contentmktgeng

Digital Customer Engagement Maturity Model with Richard Barnett07 Oct 202100:46:29

How well does your company fare at engaging customers online? Find out where you fall in the digital engagement spectrum and why companies with long sales cycles are shifting more spend towards digital sales and marketing programs. Richard Barnett, CMO of Supplyframe, is a self-professed fan of #models. Specifically, models and processes to help global electronics suppliers address engineering and production life cycles, from design to new product introduction. He has recently introduced the Digital Customer Engagement Maturity Model to the industry, which helps companies evaluate their current state in how they engage with prospects and customers online. 

According to Richard, "the electronics industry has been fairly stagnant in its approach to embracing a digital transformation over the last two decades" and the COVID shut-down helped executives to begin opening their eyes to the benefits of digital marketing and sales. 


For show links and more, visit the Content Marketing, Engineered podcast blog 

https://bit.ly/CMEPodcast



Learn more about TREW Marketing

https://www.trewmarketing.com



Order the book! Content Marketing, Engineered

https://bit.ly/contentmktgeng

Takeaways from 346 Marketing & Sales Books with Douglas Burdett24 Sep 202100:51:52

What recurring themes are found in 346 marketing and sales books?
Douglas Burdett, Host of the popular Marketing Book Podcast, inhales one marketing or sales book every week. EVERY WEEK! He then interviews the author for what is typically a lively discussion around key principles or interesting take-aways from the book material.

After recording 346 episodes (and counting!), Douglas has noticed some important recurring themes across these books, including:

  • Marketers need to get into the revenue camp
  • Marketers and often do themselves a disservice by focusing on the wrong things 
  • Understand your customer by talking to them...directly
  • The experience your customers have with your company/solution is powerful marketing 
  • Buyers trust reviewers more than companies...and customers have a bigger voice than ever

Through his agency Artillery, Douglas works with manufacturers and industrial companies. He sees technical marketers making some critical mistakes in not understanding their customers, talking about themselves/their products too much, and having unrealistic expectations of marketing set against a long sales cycle. On the flip side, he praised engineer leaders working with marketing on their appreciation of the planning process, measurement and iteration, and the similarities of marketing and a system...both with many moving parts. 

During the episode you'll hear many references to helpful B2B books (go figure!) which are listed below with links to each. 

For show links and more, visit the Content Marketing, Engineered podcast blog 

https://bit.ly/CMEPodcast



Learn more about TREW Marketing

https://www.trewmarketing.com



Order the book! Content Marketing, Engineered

https://bit.ly/contentmktgeng

Building a Career Marketing for B2B Tech Startups12 Sep 202400:45:52

Curious about the fast-paced world of B2B tech startups? In this episode, fractional CMO Mary Anne Gunn shares her experiences navigating the challenges and opportunities of startup marketing. From building strong customer relationships to balancing sales and marketing, Mary Anne provides actionable insights to help marketers thrive in an ever-evolving environment.

Drawing from her 25+ years of experience, Mary Anne highlights the importance of adaptability in startup environments, understanding what your customers care about, and aligning marketing with high-level business goals. She discusses how to handle the pressure to deliver leads quickly while still laying a strong strategic marketing foundation. Mary Anne also provides practical tips on navigating the volatile nature of startups, balancing sales and marketing alignment, and staying up-to-date in a fast-changing marketing landscape.

Takeaways

  • Embrace Flexibility for Career Growth: In the startup world, adaptability is a must. If you're willing to pivot quickly and tackle challenges head-on, you’ll develop a wide skill set that accelerates your marketing career.
  • Build Customer-Driven Strategies: Understanding customer pain points and shaping marketing strategies around their needs is essential. The deeper your insights, the more impactful your role becomes.
  • Focus on Metrics That Matter: Go beyond vanity metrics. As your career progresses, focus on efficiency and revenue-driven metrics that align with broader business objectives to position yourself as a strategic contributor.
  • Collaborate and Network: Partner with sales, product, and other departments to create more impactful marketing programs. Relationship-building skills are crucial to your success.
  • Stay Ahead of Marketing Trends: Keeping up with advancements in tools like AI can enhance your skills and make you more valuable, but never lose sight of the fundamentals—clear communication and a strong understanding of your market.

Resources

Secrets to Building a High-Peforming B2B Website With Erin Moore and Jamie Tokarz09 Sep 202100:32:52

 While most marketers have design on their mind, strategic planning and quality content are key steps to creating a high-performing B2B website. 

Erin Gleeson, TREW Marketing Account Director, and Jamie Tokarz, TREW Marketing Content Manager, stop by to share often-overlooked or under-appreciated aspects of the website redesign process that have a massive impact on web performance.

Erin walks us through the website redesign strategy process, and why this step is critically important. During the website redesign strategy, you'll set goals and expectations, think through the user’s journey and identify their needs, and map out all of your functional web needs. Design preferences, wireframing, navigation, and CMS selection are also part of this process. Developing a thorough strategy before kicking off the redesign implementation allows you to set a realistic budget and timeline, vs diving into development quickly leads to unplanned activities that increase costs and timelines unexpectedly.

Jamie then gives her perspective on content development. Share shared that to be successful with your content development and minimize the time spent/number of iterations needed, there is a lot of work that needs to be done prior to ever starting a draft. This includes corporate and segment messaging, page templates or wireframes to guide writing, and identifying your writing team and reviewers. When it is time to roll up your sleeves, Jamie recommends using the 4 Cs of web writing: clear, concise, cohesiveness, and consistency.

For show links and more, visit the Content Marketing, Engineered podcast blog 

https://bit.ly/CMEPodcast



Learn more about TREW Marketing

https://www.trewmarketing.com



Order the book! Content Marketing, Engineered

https://bit.ly/contentmktgeng

Overcoming Imposter Syndrome in Manufacturing Marketing with Sam Morgan26 Aug 202100:26:49

 As a solo marketer, it can be a daunting task to ramp up (and keep up!) on all things inbound marketing while also wrapping your head around the technical solutions offered by your company.  

Sam Morgan, Sales & Marketing Specialist at Morgan Polymer Seals, wasn't always a technical marketer. He started his career in the music industry as both a songwriter and music label advertising coordinator. When he made the switch over to Morgan Polymer Seals as their solo marketer....well, you might imagine he had a lot to learn. 

Sam turned to books and podcasts to ramp up on all the ways marketing had changed since his college marketing classes. At the same time, he was taking a self-directed crash course in the business to understand their target personas, solutions, and value proposition. 

With all of this knowledge sinking in, Sam began putting best practices into action, measuring, and in some cases failing forward. He brought in expert help to guide him and tapped contractors too to make sure his time is spent in the smartest and most impactful ways. 

In the episode, Sam also shares some of his favorite tools and advice for fellow manufacturing marketers.

 
For show links and more, visit the Content Marketing, Engineered podcast blog 

https://bit.ly/CMEPodcast



Learn more about TREW Marketing

https://www.trewmarketing.com



Order the book! Content Marketing, Engineered

https://bit.ly/contentmktgeng

Why B2B Companies are Adopting HubSpot12 Aug 202100:51:21

If you are considering what CRM to adopt, seeking marketing and sales technology, or a new website CMS platform then this episode is for you. We also walk through how the HubSpot platform has evolved over time.

Andre Leonard, Inbound Marketing Specialist for TREW Marketing, spends much of his time helping clients onboard and be successful with the HubSpot platform. He and I field many questions about HubSpot, running the gambit from what the platform is to which features have the biggest bang for the buck.

In this episode, Andre and I walk through the basics of what HubSpot is, how it's structured, and ways in which the platform has evolved over time. Andre then dives into each Hub, providing highlights of our favorite features. We also talk pricing -- everyone's favorite topic!

The Hubs include:

  • CRM - the central connector for all hubs, where contact information is stored
  • Marketing - tools include email, social media management, landing pages, blogs, and workflows
  • Sales - tools include opportunity management, tasks, and tracking
  • Web CMS - drag-and-drop functionality with an inline editor, responsive rendering, and security
  • Services - tools include ticket management, surveys, and knowledgebase creation
  • Operations - easily integrate 3rd party applications


For show links and more, visit the Content Marketing, Engineered podcast blog 

https://bit.ly/CMEPodcast



Learn more about TREW Marketing

https://www.trewmarketing.com



Order the book! Content Marketing, Engineered

https://bit.ly/contentmktgeng

Engineer Transformed To Marketer With Chad Pasho15 Jul 202100:28:43

"I'm just a technical guy adapting to the new reality of content marketing." 

Chad Pasho, Business Development Director for Mechanical Solutions, has always had one foot in engineering and one foot in business. It was logical then that he joined a vibration testing and monitoring company to help grow revenue and delight customers. 

In this role, Chad quickly grasped the importance of telling their story in a way that appealed to buyers. Persona exercises helped get this started, but ultimately deeper understanding over time and empathy provided a different frame of reference and led to more impactful messaging. 

For example, MSI engineers create diagnostic videos in their work with customers, which makes for excellent marketing content when woven into a broader story connecting the customer pain and business impact, not just details of the technical problem/solution. These explainer videos have high video retention on LinkedIn and the MSI website.

In this episode, you'll learn about MSI's highest performing types of content and how Chad ramped up and stays current on all things content marketing. 

For show links and more, visit the Content Marketing, Engineered podcast blog 

https://bit.ly/CMEPodcast


Learn more about TREW Marketing

https://www.trewmarketing.com


Order the book! Content Marketing, Engineered

https://bit.ly/contentmktgeng


About TREW Marketing

For more than a decade, we’ve helped engineering and technical companies elevate their brand, engage with their audiences, and generate new opportunities. We base our work on insightful research, unrivaled industry expertise, and detail-oriented execution. We understand that highly technical audiences look past standard marketing tactics, so we take a strategic, nuanced approach to meet the technical buyer exactly where they are and help guide them to your solution.

About Wendy Covey

Wendy Covey is a CEO, technical marketing leader, author of Content Marketing, Engineered, one of The Wall Street Journal’s 10 Most Innovative Entrepreneurs in America...and she holds a Texas fishing record. Over the last 20 years, Wendy and her team at TREW Marketing have helped hundreds of engineering and technology companies build trust and fill their pipelines using compelling technical content.



Serving Engineers Through Visual Search with Matt Judge01 Jul 202100:29:57

Imagine you are a worker on an offshore oil rig and your machine goes down. You notice a part has fallen off and is broken. You need to figure out who manufactured the machine (20 years ago!), describe the part to customer service, and hopefully find a replacement. And to make matters more complicated, you don't speak the same language as the manufacturer's service department. Meanwhile, the drilling has stopped, and which has a significant monetary impact on the company. Now envision an alternate scenario where you can snap a picture of the part with your iPhone, upload it to the manufacturer's website, and within seconds identify the part and place a replacement order. This is one of many examples shared during the episode to illustrate the power of visual search for manufacturers and distributors. 

Matt Judge, VP of Sales at Vizseek, has found himself in the middle of several intersecting trends in the industrial space. Buyers have moved online for a significant portion of the buyer's journey, applying pressure on manufacturing companies to invest in their websites and digital technology across the enterprise. Artificial intelligence is more accessible and becoming the driving force behind new approaches to work smarter and more efficiently. Then you have consumer-oriented companies such as Amazon and Pinterest training all of us on the power of visual search to find solutions. 

In this episode, you'll learn more about what visual search is, where it can be applied, and how manufacturers and distributors can leverage this technology as a competitive differentiator. 

Visit TREW Marketing for more industrial marketing resources:

https://www.trewmarketing.com

Acquisition Rebranding With Genuen Leadership17 Jun 202100:38:47

 Take an inside peek into the rebranding process used to give life and focus to a multi-company acquisition. Mergers and acquisitions are an effective way to quickly achieve economies of scale, improve operational efficiency and expand into new market segments. They are a fast-track to diversification through organic group that helps mitigate risk. But from a marketing perspective, there are several key considerations to evaluate before moving forward with a full-scale rebranding launch.

On this episode you'll hear details of a business rebrand initiative which was triggered by a business acquisition from three unique perspectives: Genuen CEO Jeff Gray, Genuen SVP of Business Development Todd VanGilder, and TREW Marketing President Lee Chapman. 

We cover everything from internal alignment, company naming and brand messaging development, and the external brand launch. You'll hear what the Genuen team enjoyed most about the process, and what surprised them along the way. If you are considering a rebranding effort or have one underway, there is a ton of insightful information on this episode to help with your own plans. 

For show links and more, visit the Content Marketing, Engineered podcast blog 

https://bit.ly/CMEPodcast


Learn more about TREW Marketing

https://www.trewmarketing.com


Order the book! Content Marketing, Engineered

https://bit.ly/contentmktgeng


About TREW Marketing

For more than a decade, we’ve helped engineering and technical companies elevate their brand, engage with their audiences, and generate new opportunities. We base our work on insightful research, unrivaled industry expertise, and detail-oriented execution. We understand that highly technical audiences look past standard marketing tactics, so we take a strategic, nuanced approach to meet the technical buyer exactly where they are and help guide them to your solution.

About Wendy Covey

Wendy Covey is a CEO, technical marketing leader, author of Content Marketing, Engineered, one of The Wall Street Journal’s 10 Most Innovative Entrepreneurs in America...and she holds a Texas fishing record. Over the last 20 years, Wendy and her team at TREW Marketing have helped hundreds of engineering and technology companies build trust and fill their pipelines using compelling technical content.



Women In Electronics With Jackie Mattox03 Jun 202100:23:14

 Research shows that diversity and inclusion leads to higher revenue and profits. How can corporations start from where they are to improve in these areas? Jackie Mattox, Founder and President of Women in Electronics, has experienced first-hand the triumphs and tribulations that come from working in the male-dominated field of electronics. Her passion now is to support women of all stages in their careers through mentorship, education, and leadership development. She also wants to educate companies on the benefits of investing in women leaders, and help them identify ways to get started or improve.

During this episode, you'll learn about Jackie's career path that led her to start Women in Electronics, more about the mission of the organization, and where they are focusing their marketing efforts in 2021.  

For show links and more, visit the Content Marketing, Engineered podcast blog 

https://bit.ly/CMEPodcast


Learn more about TREW Marketing

https://www.trewmarketing.com


Order the book! Content Marketing, Engineered

https://bit.ly/contentmktgeng


About TREW Marketing

For more than a decade, we’ve helped engineering and technical companies elevate their brand, engage with their audiences, and generate new opportunities. We base our work on insightful research, unrivaled industry expertise, and detail-oriented execution. We understand that highly technical audiences look past standard marketing tactics, so we take a strategic, nuanced approach to meet the technical buyer exactly where they are and help guide them to your solution.

About Wendy Covey

Wendy Covey is a CEO, technical marketing leader, author of Content Marketing, Engineered, one of The Wall Street Journal’s 10 Most Innovative Entrepreneurs in America...and she holds a Texas fishing record. Over the last 20 years, Wendy and her team at TREW Marketing have helped hundreds of engineering and technology companies build trust and fill their pipelines using compelling technical content.



Serving Our Industrial Heros Through Content Marketing with Chris Grainger20 May 202100:26:23

 With a helpful mindset, EECO uses content marketing to educate and highlight the achievements of their "heroes" who build things and keep them running. Chris Grainger, Engineering and Services Manager for industrial automation and power supply distribution company EECO, has an unusual job. In addition to the many typical responsibilities you'd expect in his role, he is also deeply passionate about helping customers through content marketing. 

On this episode, learn why EECO calls customers "heroes" and how thoughtful messaging, blogging, video, and the EECO Asks Why podcast have helped them serve those heroes and grow revenue in a scalable way.

Chris shares a ton of content marketing tips and success stories, and one that stands out is the tight-knit relationship between marketing and the engineering and services team, resulting in a shared commitment to publishing quality content that converts. We have a chuckle over the buyer's journey mindset when crafting a content marketing strategy, which has led him to look at other websites through a very different lens.

You'll also hear a touching story about Chris' personal ministry to help young (and not-so-young) people take control of their personal finances.

Shifting to Inbound Marketing in Acoustic Engineering with Sabrina De Veylder-Pahwa06 May 202100:31:09

 Understanding the customer, taking on one initiative at a time, and measuring results were key to ushering inbound marketing into an Acoustic Engineering company. Sabrina De Veylder-Pahwa, R2Sonic Marketing Director, has accomplished something which many industry peers struggle greatly with -- shifting her highly technical engineering company into an inbound marketing model. During this episode, she shares her journey, including the fantastic results they've achieved. 

One of the most interesting parts of this episode was hearing about the close relationship she has with the global sales and technical support teams. R2Sonic invested in a sales enablement platform where Sabrina can efficiently share content, and salespeople know they have the latest assets at their fingertips.

You'll also hear about website improvements, content assets that perform well, and which vehicles Sabrina has found most and least effective for promotion. 

Virtualizing the Field Sales Role in Electronic Components with Michael Knight22 Apr 202100:47:25

 After a year of working virtually the vaccinations are here, which means companies can shift the field sales force back to their road-warrior ways. But should they?  Michael Knight, President of the TTI Semiconductor Group, is a naturally curious person. He asks a lot of questions, which leads to new ideas, and he invariably finds himself serving as a change agent for the company. When it comes to TTI's sales model, this was no different.

Back in those blissful pre-COVID days, Michael was already questioning the traditional field sales model. It started with Applications Engineers (AEs), who were in high demand and spread very thin, leading to lack of coverage for important customer engagements. The TTI team set up a formal pilot program, complete with demo kits and Zoom accounts, to provide more AE coverage with the same personnel through virtual meetings. 

Having successfully implemented the pilot and adopting the Virtual AE model is their norm, TTI was well-positioned when COVID hit and field sales was grounded to keep business moving with little disruption. Now that vaccines are in arms and people are headed back to the office, I was curious to hear from Michael how TTI planned to approach the future of field sales.

I won't spoil all the surprises from the episode, but I'll summarize Michael's response in this way: there are five unique generations in the workplace today, and not all of them learn or want to interact the same way. Just as our marketing should be tailored to meet the buyer where they are, so should our field sales approach.

Check out the full episode to learn more about TTI's plans for field sales, lessons learned from a year of social selling, and their biggest marketing investments for 2021.

Overcoming Recruitment Challenges with Strategic Marketing and Community Engagement05 Sep 202400:26:40

If you're like most industrial companies, attracting and retaining talent is one of your biggest challenges. In this episode we discuss how marketing can play a critical role in recruitment initiatives and community engagement.

Batesville Products Inc., an aluminum casting manufacturer, was facing a problem that plagues many modern manufacturers - they couldn't find or retain talent to fill their vacant production roles. Even when they did fill these positions, there was a high turnover. Mary Jutzi, Digital Marketing Associate at Batesville Products,  teamed up with Batesville's human resources team to address this issue. In this week's episode, Mary shares the steps Batesville took to understand the root of their talent problem and the initiatives they launched to address those findings.

This episode is full of out-of-the-box initiatives that were very successful for Batesville Products Inc. From rewriting job descriptions, engaging in community events and local schools, and developing a children's book. 

Mary explains how they leveraged their company culture and unique selling points to attract the right candidates. Mary offers advice for marketers tasked with meeting recruiting goals and shares insights on reaching younger professionals.

Takeaways

  • Marketing can play a crucial role in supporting local communities and meeting recruiting goals.
  • Increasing brand awareness in the community is essential for attracting the right candidates.
  • Highlighting company culture and unique selling points can help differentiate from competitors.
  • Engaging with the community through initiatives like children's books can have a significant impact.
  • To reach younger professionals, it's important to show that the company is modern and offer workplace flexibility.
  • Connecting with other Department of one marketers can provide support and valuable insights.

Resources

April Fools Special: When and How to Newsjack01 Apr 202100:28:58

 Tie your brand to a current event to boost brand recognition and reinforce corporate values. 
Lance Looper, TREW Marketing Brand and Content Strategy Director, has watched newsjacking evolve from a PR best practice to a well-honed content marketing strategy since his early days in the business. In that time, he's seen many successes but some BIG crash-and-burn attempts as well. 

In this episode, Lance and I debate the benefits and risks of newsjacking, and he shares four questions every marketer should consider before jumping in:

1. Is there a tie between this event and my brand?

2. Did someone get hurt?

3. Is the timing right?

4. Is this funny or offensive?

LinkedIn | New Features & Key Takeaways with Julia Fellows29 Mar 202100:37:16

 Review key takeaways from the March LinkedIn Madness Miniseries and get the scoop on recent marketing features offered on the LinkedIn platform. Julia Fellows, TREW Inbound Marketing Specialist, set a personal goal this quarter for improving her knowledge of all things LinkedIn and this LinkedIn Miniseries was timed perfectly to help as a resources. Through listening to each episode, combined with Julia's own independent research and experience, she has distilled key themes and takeaways every marketer should know. 

During the episode, Julia also shares some of LinkedIn's new marketing features, such as stories, articles and newsletters. 

Whether you've listened to all the previous miniseries episodes prior to now, or are looking for some cliff note takeaways first, you'll gain helpful new tips to improve your LinkedIn engagement and performance for your personal and professional brand.

LinkedIn | High-Performing Campaigns with Erin Moore25 Mar 202100:31:56

 A whooping 88% of technical buyers find LinkedIn valuable, so it is no surprise that TREW Marketing clients are seeing success leveraging the platform as part of their marketing strategy.  On this episode of our March LinkedIn Miniseries, TREW Marketing Account Director Erin Moore walks me through specific examples of how TREW clients have seen success leveraging LinkedIn. Each client's business is different and so are their goals, including start-up disruptor looking to educate the market on a new way of designing a product, an electronic components supplier using a meaty white paper to generate leads, and an engineering association running a contest to improve of their dataset storage solutions. For each example, Erin outlines the campaign goals, calls-to-action, and results achieved. We also touch on other LinkedIn success in sales and recruiting. 

Erin provides specific examples of budget spend, leads generated, and cost per lead which can be helpful datapoints when approaching your first/next LinkedIn Ad campaign. She also offers advice on how to make sure your investment pays off. 

LinkedIn | Boost your Ad Performance with AJ Wilcox22 Mar 202100:29:17

 LinkedIn provides a powerful, pricy platform for reaching technical buyers and it pays to take the time to plan your ad and measure performance early to maximize ROI.  AJ Wilcox, Founder of B2Linked and Host of the LinkedIn Ads Show podcast, has managed some of the world's largest LinkedIn Ads accounts. He's seen the triumphs and the terrible, and shares advice on how to improve ad performance.

During the episode, we contrast budget spend and how it relates to measurement. You'll hear us discuss which types of ads perform the best, and how ad copy and calls-to-action targeted to your persona are key. You'll also learn where the LinkedIn Ads platform is headed and how best to keep abreast of changes.  

LinkedIn | Measure and Master Engagement with Scott Ingram18 Mar 202100:35:59

 What are best-in-breed sales and marketing people doing to engage and grow their LinkedIn networks? It all starts with understanding a simple, meaningful metric.  Scott Ingram is a busy guy. He hosts three marketing and sales-focused podcasts, has authored three books, and holds down a quota-carrying day job as a Relationship One Account Director. Lately though, he's gotten a lot of attention due to his LinkedIn Sales Stars list and companion ebook, Finding Sales Success on LinkedIn. As you might imagine, this episode is full of LinkedIn tips. That being said, the way Scott went about tapping top performers for their knowledge and networks in order to create value for himself, the participants, and the consumers of that content is nothing short of content marketing star performance.

LinkedIn | Become a Trusted Sales Advisor with Nick Capozzi15 Mar 202100:31:31

 Expand your reach, make human connections, and positioning yourself as a trusted sales advisor using LinkedIn as your engine. Nick Capozzi, CEO of Sales Pitching helps companies improve their conversion sales rate, and on this episode I get into his head about the importance of flexible scripts, making human connections, becoming a trusted advisor, and how LinkedIn can be a powerful engine for accomplishing those goals. 

After twenty years in high pressure marketing and sales in the cruise industry, Nick has turned his expertise towards helping B2B companies improve their sales pitches. He does this by sitting in on tons of sales conversations, and in that time, he's seen some common mistakes and missed opportunities, including:

  • Too much pitching and not enough listening
  • Focus on solution specs versus customer benefits
  • Missing the opportunity to make a human connection
  • Sales scripts are rigid, not taking into account variations for persona, application
  • Lack of teamwork with marketing
  • LinkedIn is not fully utilized

Nick goes on to talk about the antidotes to each of these issues, with a deep-dive into how salespeople can more fully leverage LinkedIn. Using his own consulting business as an example, Nick walks through how he uses the platform to grow awareness into new audience groups through strategic relationship building with complementary partners. He posts videos weekly, always with the same format and background, to build up his reputation as a trusted advisor. Prospect research is also quick and fruitful - he was once short-listed for an opportunity because of a mutual connection. 

LinkedIn | Stop the Sales Noise with Susan Tatum11 Mar 202100:33:24

More and more salespeople have turned to LinkedIn to network and connect with prospects, and aided by automation, the volume of outreach has gone up exponentially. How do salespeople cut through the noise and make real connections with prospects?
In this episode, Susan and I discuss key ways salespeople can leverage LinkedIn, and how marketing can help. 

Key takeaways:

  • Marketing focuses on one-to-many communications while sales focuses on one-to-one; the approach to LinkedIn should follow this same principle
  • When it comes to LinkedIn prospecting, you'll produce better results with quality, not quantity, thus having tightly defined target personas are a key start
  • Salespeople need to start conversations focused on the buyer's challenges, not the the company's solution; leverage marketing-produced content speaking to these challenges 
  • People go to LinkedIn to connect with people, not brands; pick the most influential people in your company and focus on crafting their presence with a point-of-view, not auto-posts of blogs, etc.
  • There are three different sales<prospect> conversations follow the stages of trust building; you have to earn the right to talk about yourself (don't start there!)

 

LinkedIn | Don't Be Boring with John Espirian08 Mar 202100:39:39

 How can you improve your reach and engagement on LinkedIn? It all starts with your content.  John Espirian, Technical Copywriter and author of Content DNA thinks that boring is the new risky. He's seen too many companies and individuals crank out mediocre and often self-promoting LinkedIn content on an inconsistent basis, and then those same folks wonder why they aren't getting value out of the platform.

Think about the last time you were on LinkedIn. What prompted you to visit? I imagine you spinning the scroll wheel on your mouse at a rapid pace, and then something makes you stop. What was it about the content that drew your attention? Was the post from a company or a person? 

John shared a research finding that LinkedIn visitors are more likely to interact with people in their network rather than businesses. Add to this the expansive nature of personal networks over business, the case is compelling that your company's LinkedIn strategy should have employees, not the company, at the forefront. 

Successful LinkedIn engagement springs from consistently posting on-brand content that follows the XX rule of challenges, inspires or draws a chuckle.

In the most recent LinkedIn algorithm change, posts that cause people to linger longer than x seconds are prioritized, giving advantage to video and long-form content. John shares an interesting hack for this utilizing PDF documents.

We also cover how to strengthen you LinkedIn profile and even touch on Clubhouse (an up-and-coming invitation-only social networking platform).

Introducing the March LinkedIn Madness Miniseries04 Mar 202100:05:07

 Take a sneak peek at our upcoming miniseries focused on all things LinkedIn, from crafting that perfect post or ad to expanding your reach through deeper network engagement. 
COVID-19 continues to make a big impact on business operations, and one clear trend for marketing and sales is a greater focus on LinkedIn. To help you learn more and perform better with your LinkedIn efforts, I'm kicking off a month-long series studying trends and best practices across different facets of the platform.

Here is the line-up:

  1. Introducing the March LinkedIn Madness Miniseries 
  2. Don't be Boring with John Espirian, Technical Copywriter and Author of Content DNA
  3. Stop the Sales Noise with Susan Tatum, Managing Partner & Pipeline Specialist for The Conversion Company
  4. Becoming a LinkedIn Sales All-Star with Nick Capozzi
  5. Measuring and Mastering Engagement with Scott Ingram
  6. Advertising that Converts with AJ Wilcox
  7. TREW Client Success Stories with Erin Moore
  8. March LinkedIn Madness Miniseries wrap up with Julia Fellows
Deconstructing the Writing Process with Morgan Norris01 Mar 202100:44:49

Morgan Norris, TREW Senior Brand & Content Strategist is passionate about writing and creating really strong content. The 2021 State of Marketing to Engineers research found that 62% of engineers and technical professionals complete more than half of the buyer's journey online. They are seeking multiple pieces of information along their buyers journey for education, to find solutions, and build trust in potential vendors and suppliers.

The barrier is much higher for technical content than your average B2B pieces. Technical audiences are skeptical and analytical, and do not want to be "marketed" or "sold" on a solution. Education, including deeply technical subject matter, is what they are seeking.

In this episode, Morgan walks through the proven technical writing process that she uses to create content that builds trust and converts. 

What to Expect at the Marketing AI Conference (MAICON) 202422 Aug 202400:23:00

Fellow marketers, have you started your AI journey yet? No matter what stage of the journey you're on, The Marketing AI Institute is a resource you can use to accelerate your use of AI. 

We are lucky to have Cathy McPhillips, Chief Growth Officer for the Marketing AI Institute,  join us on the podcast to discuss her seasoned marketing career and all Marketing AI Institute including their upcoming Marketing AI Conference (MAICON).

Cathy shared the institute's mission to to make AI approachable, accessible, and actionable for marketers, focusing on AI literacy for all.  They institute provides many free resources to get started including blogs, white papers, podcasts, research, online courses, and events. The podcast is one great way to learn a little more each week about the latest in AI for marketing and beyond.

We spent a lot of time talking about MAICON and as a past attendee, I can say the event is something every marketer should add to their calendar. From networking, to valuable sessions, to learning from fellow marketers, MAICON is a can't-miss event. 

Takeaways

  • The Marketing AI Institute aims to make AI approachable, accessible, and actionable for marketers, focusing on AI literacy for all.
  • They provide various resources, including blogs, white papers, podcasts, research, online courses, and events.
  • The flagship event, MAICON, focuses on accelerating AI adoption and strategy.
  • Training and education are crucial for marketers to stay up-to-date with the rapidly changing AI landscape.
  • AI has significant relevance and potential in the manufacturing industry, with various use cases and success stories.

Resources

2021 State of Marketing to Engineers Research Findings with Jenn Corcoran18 Feb 202100:39:25

 Hear from the marketing strategists responsible for the 2021 State of Marketing to Engineers research report as they discuss key findings, their biggest surprises, and give advice on how marketers should approach the dynamic year that is 2021. Engineers can be a tough audience to crack, which is the catalyst for the State of Marketing to Engineers Report. For the fourth year in a row, TREW Marketing, which focuses exclusively on marketing to technical audiences, and GlobalSpec, a provider of data-driven industrial marketing solutions, have collaborated to research and survey the tactics, digital content types, and social platforms that are most effective for reaching engineers.

2020 brought unprecedented challenges with the COVID-19 crisis, and this year’s report included questions about how engineers are navigating the unexpected emphasis on virtual events and how they’re finding new ways to learn about new products and trends.

What The #*$! is Digital Transformation and How To Get Started04 Feb 202100:47:17

 What is digital transformation, how can it help your business, and how do you get started? Douglas Karr, Founder of Martech Zone and VP of Highbridge, has seen decades of digital transformation. From his time in the US Navy programming PLCs (shout out to the industrial engineers and marketers!), realigning satellite feeds for newspaper digitization, and pushing the envelope for personalization with a certain pro football team, he has seen how digital technology can truly transform the customer experience and usher in intelligence and efficiency for companies small and large. The challenge lies in going from idea to successful implementation, and it is no small feat. Douglas talks about the high failure rate of technology implementation, and typical mistakes companies make during the process. He gives smart advice on how to gain approval, get started, and gain executive approval. 

Video Shouldn't Be This Complicated With Bryan Fittin22 Jan 202100:27:20

Break through dated attitudes and misconceptions about video, and learn how to get started and make the most out of your video content assets. Bryan Fittin, Founder of Go Rogue X, believes B2B marketers are missing a BIG opportunity. Video is a powerful tool to create a human connection between your brand and your customers. By showcasing company leadership and staff on video versus in written form, many additional aspects of your brand can be communicated, such as company culture, personality, and dare I say, endearing human imperfection. 

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