CES from a B2B Marketing Perspective

Adam Gelles, Editor
Last week I joined 100k+ people in Las Vegas for CTA’s Consumer Electronics Show. A great time was had by many, for sure. But, I thought I’d review my experience through the lens of an experienced B2B marketer. Here are a few notable lessons. It’s NoisyTo give you a sense of cacophony, there were over 3200 exhibitors at CES this year. That’s a lot of logos, brand messages, and products features to remember — never mind absorb. On top of that its Vegas, baby and there is a myriad of distractions. For B2B Brands, a memorable experience is the key… Read More

RMS: The Key to Make Sure the C-Suite Embraces Your Marketing Plan

Adam Gelles, Editor
One of the key challenges I see with many heads of marketing is the lack of the ability to communicate the value of marketing’s efforts in terms of business value. This gap translates into a fundamental challenge of ensuring the executive ranks and line of business owners are engaged in your marketing planning efforts. As I say all too often, if you plan marketing in terms of activities (e.g., website traffic or MQLs) then you are tactic of the business. But if you plan marketing in terms of revenue or growth then marketing has a seat at the c-suite table.… Read More

3 Traits Great B2B CMOs Must Have

Adam Gelles, Editor
Once a quarter I have a group conversation with several mentors. They mostly are CEOs and CROs at mid-market and enterprise companies. But a recurring discussion that comes up is: what makes a great CMO in B2B. Over the years, I evaluated hundreds of marketing leaders for a company’s c-suite or board of directors There are certainly three traits that I see regularly show up in great marketing leaders. Trait #1: Great Storytellers Marketing is storytelling – both internally and externally. And much of marketing leadership is about telling your brand’s, your team’s, and your product’s story. And great marketing leaders… Read More

3 Rules to Build a Lasting Marketing Tech Stack 

Adam Gelles, Editor
With tens of thousands of tools on the market, it’s easy to mistakenly implement a tool that creates more headaches than solves – technologically, operationally and financially. Here are 3 rules of thumb that I share with clients to intelligently build a martech stack that drives business and marketing results. Rule #1: Strategy Before TechnologyBefore even building your technology stack, your strategies and goals need to be aligned, documented and mapped. It’s easy to rely on the technology to drive processes, but that won’t work in the long term. Tools in of themselves cannot make any team, company or person… Read More

3 Keys to Strengthen Brand Equity

Adam Gelles, Editor
Your brand is an asset to your company and over time will deliver increased financial value. The more people place trust in the promise of your brand and what it stands for, the more your brand builds equity. Higher equity yields increase pricing elasticity, improved customer retention and increased sales. Here are 3 Keys to Strengthen Your Brand Equity: Key #1: Brand Consistency Who are you and what do you stand for as a company? Why should people choose you? What makes your company different? Establishing a solid brand identity through consistent messaging, artwork, brand voice, and so forth is… Read More

3 Ways to Ensure Your Event Strategy Aligns with Your GTM

Adam Gelles, Editor
As B2B marketers events has always been an imperative in our marketing efforts. But ensuring our event plans are aligned to our go to market is always a bit of a challenge. And some industry events are boondoggles and provide little or no business value. Here are a few ways to ensure your Event strategy conforms to your overall go to market. Key #1: Analyze The Event AudienceLooking across hundreds of event plans that we’ve evaluated over the years one big misstep is investing in events that don’t have the right audience to support your business and marketing strategy. It’s… Read More

3 Keys for Effective PR Storytelling

Adam Gelles, Editor
Having great PR is paramount for a B2B brand to accelerate revenue. Throughout the years working with many PR firms and practitioners, I’ve discovered a consistent pattern. They are great storytellers. And when you dig deeper on what makes them great storytellers is that they push themselves / clients to improve their efforts in three key ways: Key #1 – Have a PerspectiveB2B brands need a point of view. B2B companies and their public facing leadership, need to be able to articulate this POV across a myriad of topics that impact customers, shareholders, partners, and employees. A point of view… Read More

3 Rules When Selecting your Event Sponsorships

Adam Gelles, Editor
Event sponsorships have long been a tool for B2B marketers to connect our sellers with buyers. As we return to in person events, selecting the right event sponsorship investments are evermore critical. Over the years, I’ve managed both small and large event sponsorship budgets from $50,000 per year all the way to several million dollars per year. But there are 3 cardinal rules that I use to evaluate event sponsorships and sponsorship ROI. Rule #1: Industry Impact As companies grow, the position of a company in its industry grows in importance. Choosing the right event can demonstrate your leadership in… Read More

3 Keys to Select an Exceptional PR Firm

Adam Gelles, Editor
Public relations is a key tool for B2B brands to go to market. And selecting the right PR firm is critical to your company’s success. Over the past decade, I’ve been involved in about 100 PR agency selection processes. Here are 3 areas I recommend to review when evaluating a public relations agency partner. Industry ExpertiseIt goes without saying, but industry knowledge is a must-have for a successful PR effort. As PR firms spread their wings and add social, content marketing, and other adjacent services this requirement is ever more important. My key, make sure there is a managing partner… Read More