Category: B2B marketing

HubSpot’s 100 Awesome Marketing Stats, Charts and Graphs

HubSpot has posted its newest collection of 100 Awesome Marketing Stats, Charts and Graphs.

It’s based on original research and data from a bunch of sources, including analysis of 4,500 HubSpot customers, surveys with hundreds of small and medium-sized businesses, and dozens of publications such as MarketingSherpa, eMarketer, Pew Research and McKinsey.

I flipped through the 134 slides (it goes fast). Following are a few morsels to whet your appetite.

Inbound vs. Outbound Marketing

  • B2B marketers are shifting more of their dollars to inbound marketing.
  • The average budget spent on company blogs and social media has nearly doubled in the last two years.

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5 Elements of Can’t Miss Copy

Whether for the Web, direct mail, a feature article, or an advertising campaign, I believe all effective copy shares certain characteristics or elements.

What are they? I offer my five must-haves below.

These aren’t new. The first three come from direct-response copywriting legend Herschel Gordon Lewis. Lewis grouped them under what he called The Umbrella Rule. “Your copy must succeed if it has these three ingredients,” he wrote.

With some additional inspiration from William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White (The Elements of Style), I offer the final two to round out my five elements of can’t miss copy.

1. Clarity

I was discussing copywriting recently with a writer friend who was in the process of completing a Q&A. We agreed that clarity trumps all. To the question, if there’s one secret to writing effective copy, it is … , he answered, “Clarity. Without clarity no one understands the copy, its purpose, or its value.”

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The Funny Truth Behind FedEx’s ‘Nordic Tuesday’

FedEx TV spots are popular. I can tell by how many folks arrive at this blog in search of “Nordic Tuesday,” a new commercial I posted about in recent days. Watch it here:

“Nordic Tuesday”

One of the things that makes FedEx TV spots so popular, successful and just plain funny is that they often expose a truth about corporate life and then apply a playful poke in the ribs.

Companies of all sizes and stripes often implement something new (outlandish example: “Nordic Tuesday”) and then pretend it’s for “fun,” or for the good of employees, when it’s actually for a basic business reason: to save money.

As the FedEx tagline in “Nordic Tuesday” says: “We understand. You need to save money.”

Love the guy in the men’s restroom under the hand dryer. My daughter and I laugh every time.

B2B Social Media: Who Is on LinkedIn?

For marketers, networkers, job hunters and others, LinkedIn has moved beyond a niche social media tool, reported Advertising Age in a November 2008 article.

Research firm Anderson Analytics sampled 70,000 members and surveyed a random sample of 800 with a 10-minute online questionnaire.

What they found is that LinkedIn has moved beyond an online niche tool. Its members span a wide range of ages, industries, job titles, and education and income levels.

What does it mean for marketers?

… the upshot is the ability to pick and choose business psyches, whether for research or target-marketing messages.

(I can attest to that.)

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Get the Circus to Town

Imagine the panic in the circus caravan when the elephant fell off the truck. Imagine the disappointment of local youth if after weeks of anticipation the circus didn’t reach town.

(Yes, in a true story from where I live, a circus elephant actually tumbled from a large vehicle at the bottom of a hill. The paved stretch is called Elephant Curve Road.)

Thankfully, the circus arrived as promised, set up and entertained for several days. Tickets and souvenirs were sold, amazing feats were performed, and everyone went home happy. The circus packed up and went to the next town.

Marketing is great, but if the circus doesn’t make it to town there are no sales – not great.

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