FIR B2B: Recent Episodes
FIR B2B
We are back with this episode after the recent events of the massive layoffs at the Washington Post and the LA Times, the shuttering of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette and funding cuts at NPR. Paul and David describe the continuing train wreck of daily news there and contrast the Post’s approach with what has been going on at the New York Times digital property. The Times diversified its revenue stream beyond its core newsgathering with purchasing gaming, cooking, and sports-related content. Post’s owner Jeff Bezos didn’t diversify or even keep the news core. Part of the digital newspaper problem is that its ad revenue model is gone, as search traffic has dried up thanks to AI chatbots. Compounding this is that overall monthly visits to the Post’s website is down from 60M (in 2022) to 40M visits last year, and subscriptions are dropping too. We contrast the Post and the Times business models
We talk about some signs of success with subscriptions for smaller, more targeted sites, such as 404Media, which shows that a small group of independent journalists can keep quality high and report on significant stories. Also, individual creators (such as Mr. Beast and Mark Rober) can build a brand and attract significant audiences (Rober has more than 70M subscribers, for example) on YouTube and TikTok.
Well worthwhile to listen to Marty Baron, former editorial director of the Post, talk to Tim Miller about his thoughts on the decline of his former employer.
The post FIR B2B episode #159: A tale of two newspapers appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
We are back after a hiatus and speaking to Anna Griffin, who recently joined cloud storage provider Commvault as Chief Market Officer. Anna has held marketing leadership positions at Smartsheet, Intercom, Nortel, CA and Juniper Networks, among others. That longevity has helped her gain perspective in how to operate in good times and not-so-good times, and our interview explores what she has learned from these experiences.
Anna told us about how marketers have to be careful not to let their organization appear to be a cost center. Rather, they should believe and demonstrate that they are a necessary and valuable asset to the company. Take advantage of a downturn by leaning in and focusing on customers so that the company can craft a message that’s more relevant to their needs. She suggested that marketers should fight for their budgets and focus on high-value activities that will help the company grow. “Someone has to grow, even in lean times,” she said.
Anna spoke about how she has embraced many of the tenets of B2C marketing, even though she has spent more of her career in the B2B world. “I believe that is true since the beginning of time; we are selling human-to-human after all.” Maybe we should start using the term H2H?
“We should remove any frictions in the purchasing process by understanding that community is the new B2B playbook and that customers want things now,” she said. The sales organization needs to be part of the marketing effort, and marketers should be sure playbooks are coordinated.
Being a market leader isn’t just about touting your company’s presence on some “magic quadrant” because customers don’t buy MQs, Anna said. “We have to show more specifics about how we can solve the actual customers’ problems. This means we have to be more targeted in how we can add value for them on day one.”
The post FIR B2B #158: Anna Griffin on Marketing in Uncertain Times appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
We speak to Chris Matty, the co-founder and Chief Revenue Officer at Versium, Inc. about the demise of web tracking cookies and what will replace this technology in the future.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #157: Why the End of Third-Party Cookies is a Bigger Deal than You Think appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
Paul and David have been on Twitter for 15 years. In this episode, we discuss the relevance of Twitter and tips for B2B marketers on to use the network. The best practices really haven't changed much over the years.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #156: Time to Talk About the Twitter appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
We talk to Tony Patrick, who is the director of Digital Marketing for Influence & Co., a midwest content marketing specialty firm about how to get the best possible SEO results from your content. Tony mentions a variety of tips and cautions against promises of "guaranteed placement" and other come-ons that are just scams.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #155: Tony Patrick on How To Do Better B2B SEO appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
We interview Barbara Casey, the CEO of Mobile High 5, about how to be effective at integrating SMS with loyalty programs, ways to mix online and bricks and mortar retailing, and why you should know the text code 7726.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #154: SMS Texting for B2B With Barbara Casey appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
We talk this episode with David Ciccarelli, the CEO of Voices.com about how to build a stable of voice and sonic branding for your business. We discussed how to build this brand with the right voice actors, and whether you should select someone who is more of a trusted narrator or someone who is more of an approachable expert guide.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #153: How to Build Your “Voice Brand” appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
Facebook accounts are hacked all too frequently. David discusses a recent article he wrote for The Verge in which had describes the most common exploits and some ways you can harden your account.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #152: What to Do When your Facebook Account Has Been Hacked appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
Annalisa Church recently led a massive overhaul of the Akamai website, which boasts with more than 1,200 pages in English covering 18 different products. The result has been a spike in customer engagement, with one million monthly visitors, almost two-thirds of whom become customers. Learn her secrets.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #151: How Akamai Rebuilt its Massive Corporate Website and Drove Engagement appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
This episode brought us together with Ruth Stevens, whose consulting firm, eMarketing Strategy, helps clients build customer acquisition and retention strategies along with other marketing programs. Ruth has had a distinguished career. She has taught marketing at the NYU Stern School, the Columbia Business School and the Indian Institute of Management in Bangalore. Before that ... Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #150: B2B Marketing Truths from Ruth Stevens appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
We speak with Dan Simon, CEO of Qwoted, a startup that connects journalists to expert sources. He tells how his service is flipping the PR paradigm on its head by letting journalists initiate the conversation and cutting out the need for pitches.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #149: Cutting Out the Middleman in B2B PR appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
A new report on social media usage by the channel by Jay McBain of Forrester Research finds that the groups people use and the way they use them is changing amid a 13.2%, 490 million-user surge in social media use in 2020.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #148: The Changing Landscape of B2B Discussion Groups appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
Priyanka Sharma, General Manager of the Cloud Native Computing Foundation, tell how the open-source group has helped mainstream IT organizations adopt cloud and container technologies, agreed on standards despite competitive differences and how to sell open-source software to the prototypical "pointy-haired boss."
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #147: Marketing Lessons From the Open Source World With Priyanka Sharma appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
Corporations are increasingly weighing in on social and political issues, and the need to be sensitive to special interests has never been greater. In this show we run through some examples of how the choice of words matters in framing your organization's position in a controversy.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #146: Language Matters appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
With 20 years of success nurturing technology startups to success, Greg Ness is now a "fractional CMO," working with a small team of experts to bring marketing expertise to emerging companies in a package he calls "go-to-market-as-a-service."
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #145: Greg Ness Is a ‘Fractional CMO.’ What the Heck Does That Mean? appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
While folks can't wait to get back to traveling to actual face-to-face events, for the moment we have to contend with virtual events. Paul and David discuss what are some of the issues with producing these events, the kinds of IT tools that are required, and what you need to do to plan them appropriately.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #144: The Future of Virtual Events appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
Mitch Ratcliffe is a business, product and content marketing leader with 35 years of experience in local media, technology marketing, online and broadcast publishing. Among the successful businesses he’s helped launch are the ON24 conferencing platform and BuzzLogic influencer marketing agency. He’s also served on the founding board of directors of Match.com. Mitch shares our... Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #143: Mitch Ratcliffe On How COVID is Making All Marketing Local Again appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
The new movie The Social Dilemma carries the message that the social giants have sold us and our data down the river, and we now are stuck with the consequences. We believe B2B marketers can do more to fight against misuse of personal information and the spread of hate speech online.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #142: Why B2B Marketers Should Care About ‘The Social Dilemma’ appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
John Mellor, chief strategy officer at data visualization vendor Domo, tells how the company pivoted to change its annual conference from a physical to a virtual event in just 12 business days.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #141: How Domo Pivoted to a Virtual Conference in Just 12 Days appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
In the year since she joined data integration software vendor Talend as CMO, Lauren Vaccarello has worked through an entire revamp of the leadership team, a full company rebrand and a the transformation of an in-person event to a worldwide series of virtual events across three continents. Her optimism and enthusiasm should inspire anyone.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #140: Talend’s Lauren Vaccarello On Taking Marketing Virtual appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
More than 300 advertisers are pulling ads from Facebook over hate speech complaints. We wonder why there aren't more B2B brands on the list.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #139: Faulting and Fixing Facebook’s Hate Speech Problem appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
COVID has given new meaning to the value of authenticity. We look at how Salesforce.com delivers it, how marketers can be more authentic on LinkedIn and the new authenticity video meetings have introduced to business conversations.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #138: Keeping it Real appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
We talk today with Dee Anna McPherson, the CMO at Invoca, an AI call tracking and conversational analytics vendor. That is a mouthful and one of the things she is doing is trying to define and own a new product category. That could be a daunting prospect, except she has done this before when she... Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #137: Invoca CMO Dee Anna McPherson on Building Strong Customer Advocacy Programs appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
Our email seems to be all Covid, all the time, with pitches and experts offered from all walks of life. It isn’t just the infosec vendors either. Paul and David have gotten pitches from genealogy vendors, from vendor selling ink cartridges and how to build a sales team that is working from home. In this episode, we take you through the good and bad articles and pitches that we have seen. Stay healthy out there folks!
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #136: The Best and Worst COVID-related PR Pitches appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
As the coronavirus spreads throughout the world, businesses are being faced with setting up policies and procedures to enable potentially large numbers of people to work from home (WFH). But if you are contemplating doing this, you will face a series of challenges, some of them brought on by new demands on your IT department,... Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #135: Tips for Transitioning to a Home-Based Workforce appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
Fred Bateman has seen momentous changes in public relations during the 30+ years he's been in the business. As the founder of the Bateman Group embarks on a new stage in his career, he reflects on the evolving role of PR in a fragmented media landscape and the skills that it takes to thrive amid all that complexity.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #134: Fred Bateman on the Evolving Role of PR in a Fragmented Media World appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
Good case studies are fundamentally the same as fairy tales and Disney classics. The have heroes, villains, crises and resolutions. Use this formula to make your B2B case studies soar.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #133: How to Construct a Compelling Case Study appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
This week we take a moment to reflect on the past year's major PR blunders. Thanks to the folks at Crain's Chicago Business, we have five doozies to relive with you. We cover the gamut from Hallmark's lesbian bridal spot to Sallie Mae's Hawaiian junket to the various missteps of Boeing's now ex-CEO in face of numerous airline crashes and other disasters.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #132: Worst PR Nightmares of 2019 appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
Running a great online meeting isn't hard. We have tips to make yours more successful and less stressful.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #131: How to Run Webcasts and Video Calls appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
Fakery is never a good practice for brands. In a democratized media world, the truth will eventually come out.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #130: Don’t be fake! appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
Content marketing excellence at the BBC; pointless happy words litter press releases; people still don't know that advertising supports social networks.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #129: We’re Pleased and Excited to Tell You What People Don’t Know About Social Media appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
In this second part of a two-podcast interview with search engine optimization expert Charley Spektor we discuss some of the practical tools that marketers can use to improve their SEO operations, common mistakes that marketers makes when trying to improve their SEO results, how to provide the best content mix to deliver solid leads and how to stay ahead of the constantly changing technology.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #128: More SEO Secrets with Charley Spektor (Part 2) appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
This is the first part of a two-podcast interview with Charley Spektor, principal at Saratoga B2B Group and an experts in search engine optimization. We talk about how Google's search algorithms have changed in recent years, how B2B buyers use search differently than consumers and how even small companies can dominate search results if they pick their targets carefully.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #127: B2B SEO Secrets With Charley Spektor – Part 1 appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
Three different reports illustrate the law of unintended consequences: New privacy rules are helping improve email response, the influence of marketing falls as brand value grows and handing out rewards and awards to employees can actually make them less motivated.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #126: Unintended Consequences appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
Buyer personas have been around almost as long as marketing itself, but lately they're taking on a more critical role. Matt Naffah, VP of Strategy at International Data Group, tells us what makes for a good persona and how to apply them to content strategy.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #125: Buyer Personas: Why They Matter; How to Create Them appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
Many marketers probably don't know what content they already have on their site and in their social channels. A good lead nurturing strategy starts with auditing your content, figuring out how it can be re-purposed in other media and applied across different stages of the buyer journey.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #124: How to Supercharge Your Website Content appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
We discuss how B2B and B2C decisions differ and what that means for marketers. Caterpillar comes up with a way to create an emotional attachment to tractors. And a year after GDPR went into effect, marketers say it's made them better.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #123: The Differences Between B2B and B2C Marketing appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
For technology companies, the conventional wisdom is wrong when it comes to pitching a conference or webinar session. Instead of having your CMO or other C-suite executive tell your story, trust the technical people in your shop. Your audiences will thank you for it.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #122: Why Techies Make Great Speakers appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
We highlight three winners of The Conference Board's 2019 Excellence in Marketing & Communications Awards that demonstrate applications of advanced technology that are rooted in practical, bottom-line thinking.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #121: Standouts from The Conference Board’s 2019 Excellence in Marketing & Communications Awards appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
How a light-hearted tweet blew up in Chase Bank's face, SEO tips for the age of voice search and how Bloomberg improved mobile engagement with just a few simple tricks.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #120: Voice Search, a Survey Rant and Great Tips for Engaging Mobile Visitors appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
We're old hands at writing and producing email newsletters. In this episode, we share some of our tips for segmenting audiences, choosing themes, timing delivery and picking the right email service vendor, among other things.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #119: Our Favorite Email Newsletter Tips appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
Why you need a style guide for your content marketing platforms, the latest developments in the Open Data Initiative for customer data standards and how existing customers can be your best brand advocates.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #118: Customers as Advocates, the Open Data Initiative and Why You Need a Style Guide appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
Turmoil at Facebook should give B2B marketers pause about reflexively casting their lot with a social network that increasingly appears to be careening out of control. There are good alternatives. Other topics include whether it's time to return to pen and paper for meetings and an amusing viral tweet that Quantas kicked off by responding to a 10-year-old boy who wants to start his own airline.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #117: Alternatives to Facebook appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
New content-generating AI is said to be so good it's scary; Mastercard's masterful audio branding; survey says podcast advertising is actually more effective than TV ads.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #116: If AI is Becoming So Good, Why Are We Still Counting Clicks? appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
University of Massachusetts Marketing Professor Nora Ganim Barnes has been surveying social media use by the Fortune 500 and Inc. 500 for 12 years, making her work probably the longest-running research of its kind. This year's study finds a big jump in blogging by the F500 along with declining interest in Instagram and Twitter. Executives say ROI is their biggest social media question mark, but more and more of them are putting social media marketing strategies in place nonetheless.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #115: Social Media Adoption Over the Years – the Latest from the Annual UMass Survey appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
CEOs have the power to significantly influence public opinion, but is is fair to their shareholders to exercise that power? In a polarized political climate, they may be better off focusing on sales.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #114: Does “Moral Marketing” Mean Wading into Politics? appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
Denise Dubie went from a successful career as a technology journalist to a new role in content marketing. The transition wasn't always easy, but what she learned as a reporter turned out to have unique value.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #113: How One Former Journalist Crossed the Chasm to Content Marketing appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
Welcome to the new year and we hope you all have had a nice holiday break. In today’s episode, we talk about what it means to be true to your brand and why marketing managers need to pay more attention to overall branding issues to become more effective.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #112: What It Means to Be True to Your Brand appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
Perhaps the most important B2B marketing story of 2018 is the invasion of our privacy, and how companies have been cavalier in abusing the data customers give them. We think this story is going to grow in importance in 2019, and B2B marketers should pay attention.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #111: Privacy Invasion Was the Year’s Top Story; Here’s Why B2B Marketers Should Care appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
The concept of personas was originally created to help web designers better visualize visitors, but personas can be useful to marketers as well. David Lloyd from Brilliant Noise in London tells how marketers can use personas to shape campaigns.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #110: Personas are for Marketers, too appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
Why NBC handled Megyn Kelly's dismissal gracefully while Google fumbled Andy Rubin's. Gary Vaynerchuk's advice is often based upon little or no data. Hour-long YouTube videos are a thing; should marketers re-think length restrictions?
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #109: Transparency, Truth and the Rebirth of Long-Form Content appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
We speak with Dan Newman of Futurum Research about his recent Forbes column on the 10 top digital transformation trends for 2019 and how they will impact the CMO.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #108: Dan Newman’s 2019 Tech Trends for CMOs appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
Once again we speak with Justin Shriber, Vice President of Marketing for LinkedIn Sales and Marketing Solutions. LinkedIn’s new State of Sales report examines how top sales performers are using technology and modern strategies to build trust with buyers and close more deals. This relationship with buyers makes the survey more interesting reading. Justin has lots more insights for B2B marketers in our conversation.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #107 – What LinkedIn’s Latest Sales Research Says About the State of B2B Marketing appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
This week we look at several resources that can be used to help examine your content marketing strategy
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #106: Tips For Auditing and Fine-Tuning Your Content appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
The power of polarization, the promise of podcasts, and the potency of the keyboard are all covered this week, and how they all relate to brand marketing.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #105: The Upside of Polarization and the Great Podcast Correction appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
This week we discuss a few different items revolving around one kind of disaster or another, including marketing around natural disasters (be careful), understanding what didn't happen with the GDPR regulations or dealing with the Selfie Generation's dysmorphia.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #104: Dealing With Disasters, Both Natural and Marketing-Made appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
Adam Jones of Springer Nature comes at marketing from an analytics background and says data doesn't have to be as scary as some marketers believe.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #103: Why Marketers Shouldn’t Fear Data Analytics appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
This week we take some time to review what Facebook could be doing to make things better for all of us. Its problems have been well documented, from privacy violations to a massive sell off in its stocks to untrustworthy comments from its CEO. We try to offer some solutions.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #102: Fixing Facebook’s Flaws, For Real This Time appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
This week we talk about new ways that machine learning and artificial intelligence can benefit marketing organizations. While these three news items are all different aspects of this technology, they show collectively how these new technologies are changing the way marketing is done. First up is a new smartphone app called Truthify that does advertising context... Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #101: Machine Learning Comes to Marketing appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
We take a trip down memory lane to discuss the 60-some odd years of working as B2B journalists in the technology field. There are some great stories about Bill Gates, IBM, and other industry luminaries.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #100: The Most Memorable Moments of our Decades in Tech Journalism appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
Was Intel's CEO really fired over a single inappropriate relationship with a subordinate 30 years ago? Research indicates that a harassment charge can inflict significant reputation damage. Also, tiny nuances in search terms can have a big impact on results. Are search engines reinforcing our existing biases?
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #99: Why Was Intel’s CEO Really Fired? appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
Why isn't marketing attracting more college grads? That is the topic Paul and David explore this week, starting with the results of this study commissioned by Marketing Week earlier this year which found just 3% of undergraduates thought marketing offered them the best career opportunities.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #98: Why doesn’t marketing attract more recent grads? appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
We discuss some of the best and worst PR pitches we received in the months running up to the launch of the General Data Privacy Regulation, and why a handful stood out.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #97: Notable Hits and Misses in GDPR Pitches We Received appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
Klout, a one-time darling of social media influence measurement, has quietly died. We won't miss it, but it's worth understanding why Klout fell into disuse and what other options marketers have to measure the effectiveness of their social media campaigns.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #96: Lessons From the Demise of Klout appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
How to produce corporate blogs that can clearly and consistently communicate your message. Critical factors include assembling your team, understanding your audience focus and defining what the overall purpose of the blog or blogs will be, as well as adjusting to the appropriate level of knowledge for a particular readership.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #95: Blogging Rules of the Road appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
Last week's set of stories around a data breach at Panera Bread is a classic example of what not to do in a crisis. Why do companies keep making the same mistakes?
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #94: Panera Dread appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
With the DeleteFacebook meme taking hold, privacy concerns may have finally reached a tipping point. B2B marketers who have been relishing the opportunity to personalize their interactions should perhaps pause and think about the potential backlash.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #93: Is privacy finally a thing for B2B marketers? appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
TechTarget CMO John Steinert speaks about the differences between publishing and content marketing, how intent marketing can help provide insights into the impending technology purchase cycle and how marketers can make their content more effective and targeted.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #92: TechTarget CMO John Steinert on the science of ‘intent market’ appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
Guest Marshall Kirkpatrick, who founded Little Bird and who now leads influencer marketing at Sprinklr, talks about how to understand and find the best influencers for your B2B brand.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #91: All About Influencer Marketing with Marshall Kirkpatrick appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
A social media firestorm has erupted over a fake restaurant that briefly became London's top-rated eatery on TripAdvisor. The stunt was carried off masterfully, and there are lessons marketers can learn from the journalist who was behind it.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #90: Learn the secrets of social media marketing from London’s top-rated restaurant today! appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
A recent New York Times article unmasked the shady practice of purchasing Twitter followers. B2B marketers shouldn't be taken in by this tactic, though. There are simple ways to measure influence - and alternatives to Twitter that should be considered.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #89: Fake Followers and Real Influence appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
The Edelman Trust Barometer shows an alarming decline in American’s trust of nearly every institution except their employers. We also review some of the best end-of-year research reports we’ve seen and explain why we like them.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #88: The Decline of Trust and New Twists on End-of-Year Research appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
What's ahead for B2B sales and marketing in 2018? Justin Shriber, Vice President of Marketing for LinkedIn Sales and Marketing Solutions, put together a series of predictions, and in this discussion he expands upon them and tells of the role that LinkedIn will play.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #87: A LinkedIn Exec’s 2018 Sales and Marketing Predictions appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
We see numerous surveys, especially at this time of year. Many are just deleted because they aren't newsworthy or have one or more serious flaws. So we put together this quick podcast that can help you craft better surveys and hopefully get the media's attention for next year's roundups.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #86: How to craft the best surveys (and gain media exposure) appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
Ray Grady, President of CloudCraze, discusses findings from his company's recent survey that found that B2B organizations are significantly growing their e-commerce presences and expect online sales to be the principal driver of future growth.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #85: How Digital Channels Are Transforming B2B Sales appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
Podcasting expert Seth Greene tell how businesses of all sizes can benefit from time-tested direct response marketing methods anchored by podcasts.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #84: Seth Greene on the Magic of Podcast Marketing appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
Paul and David have been producing podcasts for more than a decade for themselves and for their clients. They offer tips B2B marketers can use if they want to get into this rapidly growing medium.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #83: Making Better B2B Podcasts appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
Doing data-driven marketing correctly means understanding your data sources and working collaboratively with marketing and creative types to benefit from this knowledge. We talk about ways to improve your campaigns and keeping them fresh and interesting, and what Amazon is doing to spur competition for its new HQ2 site selection.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #82: Doing data-driven marketing right appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
Use and abuses of analytic tools, whether CEOs should have their own social media accounts and understanding the real value of social media to your business.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #81: Getting real about social media’s value appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
This week we discuss two topics: Covering the Equifax data breach disaster and how we liked to receive PR pitches. We would love to hear your own ideas too.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #80: The Equifax disaster and PR pitching tactics appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
Crowded Ocean partners Carol Broadbent and Tom Hogan share some mold-breaking recommendations on how startups should build their marketing organizations. Among them: focus on product first, contract instead of hiring full-time and hire the CMO last.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #79: How to find the right CMO for your startup appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
User experience expert Danielle Cooley talks about silly UX mistakes, tips for better navigation and misuses of the ubiquitous "hamburger menu."
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #78: Talking good and bad UX with Danielle Cooley appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
Our guest is Dermot O'Connor, VP of product and co-founder of Boxever, a marketing big data automation company. We focus on the changing nature of customer experience and how marketers can create micro-moments.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #77: Imagining the future of customer experience around ‘micro moments’ appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
This week, Paul and David discuss a few different topics, starting off with this survey, the Data Snapshot: 2017 Career Outlook for Tech Marketers. They also cover a new book on mobile marketing, why David Berlind is complaining about freelancers, and some social media mistakes to avoid.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #76: Social media mistakes, tech marketing careers and a great new mobile marketing book appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
This week we speak with someone who does B2B public relations very well. Beth Winkowski has had her own PR firm for more than a decade after working for years with leading-edge tech companies. Both Paul and David have always admired her judgment, sensitivity and attention to detail. Many PR people will tell you their job is to make journalists’ work easier. Beth delivers on that claim.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #75: Beth Winkowski does B2B PR very well appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
The Conference Board recently published a report that defines the circular economy and offers examples of how it’s changing the way some businesses work. Thomas Singer, who authored the report, joins us to summarize its findings and discuss the long-term impact on businesses and marketers.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #74: In the ‘Circular Economy,’ Sustainability is Good Business appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
We all love to carp on shows, but this time we thought we'd take a different approach and highlight some of the noteworthy moments over our many years of covering and speaking at them.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #73: What’s good about today’s trade shows appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
Last week the WannaCry ransomware raged around the world. David goes into some of the specifics. And we pay tribute to Walt Mossberg, who is retiring from The Wall Street Journal.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #72: WannaCry Newsjacking and a tribute to Walt Mossberg appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
A new $40 million initiative attends to combat declining trust in the news media…High school students in Kansas set an example for pro journalists by ripping the cover off fraudulent behavior by their principal…Why do executives have such a hard time saying they’re sorry? We’re looking at you, United Airlines… Advertisers want no part of objectionable content on YouTube. What should Google do?
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #71: Repairing Trust in News, Celebrating High School Journos, That United Mess and YouTube Woes appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
Jason Bloomberg discusses lessons that PR and marketing folks can learn from the rise, fall and resurrection of AI, and how to set expectations accordingly for the Next New Thing.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #70: The Peculiar PR Challenges of AI’s Resurrection, With Jason Bloomberg appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
We cover three topics this week: exploring how to fight comment-trolling, tracking CMO spending trends with a new study from Duke's biz school, and another survey about how marketers fail to distinguish existing customers any from prospects in their marketing tactics.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #69: Fighting comment trolls and tracking CMO spending trends appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
A number of examples of when PR pros can make turn the most even-tempered reporter into a foul mood, such as with misunderstanding what "off the record" means, or badgering us with unneeded, unhelpful or self-serving emails, or do a lousy job with newsjacking.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #68: When PR Pros Sour the Day appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
A recent LinkedIn post made the case that the term 'content marketing' should be killed. It’s become a catch-all phrase for too many things and has no clear definition or place in the marketing organizations, writes author Kyle Cassidy. He makes some salient points… Crowdstrike and NSSLabs are warring over a review that the Crowdstrike claims it didn’t “authorize.” Which raises the question of what you can do about reviews you don’t like.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #67: Is it Time to Kill the Term ‘Content Marketing?’ appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
A fund-raising robot fooled one of our cohosts and nearly extracted a donation, prompting a discussion of how this technology can find its place in marketing...Empty, meaningless marketing phrases still run rampant in corporate communications. Why do we use words that mean nothing to the customers we seek?... the list of available domain names is getting out of control, forcing marketers in some cases to have to pay handsome fees just to keep control of their brands.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #66: The Robot Who Fooled Me, Block That Buzzword and Domain Name Insanity appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
Old friend Sam Whitmore joins us to talk about a fictitious open letter he wrote from the head of a PR agency to its marketing VP client telling just how badly the relationship was being managed. The letter touched off a strong response from readers of Whitmore’s Media Survey service, with most agency people agreeing that Whitmore had said what many of them have long felt. In this podcast, Whitmore explains his motivations for writing the open letter and tells what platforms should get more PR attention as the B2B buying process changes.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #65 With Sam Whitmore: Why Customer Review Platforms Are PR’s Great Missed Opportunity appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
This week’s grab-bag includes tough times at Medium, the victimization of an innocent Washington Post editor by fake news, five approaches to working with public relations agencies and a smart influencer relations program at Huawei.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #64: Smart influencer relations, a fake news nightmare and five ways to outsource PR appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
Dena Bauckman has an unusual background for product marketer. She holds a Certified Information Systems Security Professional accreditation, which means she can go deep into the features and technology behind her company’s products. Her perspective on the interplay between product marketers, corporate marketers and product managers stresses the need for understanding, accommodation and priority setting. After listening, you just may want to go back to school yourself.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #63: Product and Corporate Marketing: What’s the Diff? With Dena Bauckman appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
We continue our discussion on fake news, adding in Paul's perspective from one of his books and more from a Teen Vogue article about gaslighting, along with some expert commentary from PR pro Christina Farr.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #62: New Perspectives on Fake News, ‘Gaslighting’ and Best PR practices appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
We look at the world of fake news and how to stop it, or at least how to understand the ecosystem. Censorship isn't the answer, but readers need simpler and faster tools to mark stuff they think is bogus.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #61: The Care and Feeding of Fake News appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
More companies are marketing themselves research, and a lot of it is pretty awful. Small sample sizes and leading questions are prime culprits. The surprising results of last week’s presidential election highlighted some of the fragility of surveys, and may make us all more skeptical. If you’re going to mount a marketing campaign around research, spend a little extra and do it right.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #60: Dos and Don’ts of Marketing With Research appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
Why reporters need to understand lead gen, how to ask for better graphics to accompany your stories, the passing of Bill Machrone of PC Magazine, and why Strom's Web Informant newsletter has been around for decades.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #59: PR tips and Strom’s 21-year newsletter streak appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.
Forrester Research’s Andy Hoar discusses The Death Of A (B2B) Salesman, a report in which he predicts that one million US B2B salespeople will lose their jobs to self-service e-commerce websites by 2020.
Continue Reading →
The post FIR B2B #58: Forrester’s Andy Hoar and the death of traditional B2B sales appeared first on FIR Podcast Network.