Carter Hostelley News & Articles

Any B2B marketer worth her salt can list the many benefits of blogging -- search engine optimization, social media engagement, audience development and brand building. But guess what most B2B marketers really want from their company blog? Thought leadership.

Sure you’re smart. You’re part of the 91% of B2B marketers that do content marketing, right? You understand that content is a must for engaging buyers before they’re ready to buy, and building brand trust for when your sales team starts reaching out to them. And chances are good you've been doing content marketing for a while now -- so to quote Dr. Phil: “How’s that working out for you?”

Let’s face it, social media has changed how we marketers are doing our jobs. In addition to all the work that’s already on our plate, we now have to do LinkedIn updates, Twitter tweets, Facebook posts and, oh yeah, Google pluses. That’s not even counting blogging (or chasing down guest bloggers!). And it’s all with the hope of getting the word out about our company… and maybe generating some quality leads too.

We can all agree on the value of PR and B2B Marketing, but do we know the differences?

Chances are pretty darn good you’re already a content marketer. But do you find yourself sometimes hitting a wall?

New data coming out shows that social media marketing is now almost as important as search engine optimization (SEO) for B2B marketers. 

We don't buy it.

Have you ever had the sneaking suspicion that something was wrong, but were afraid to investigate further and find out? Sure you have, and so have we. Well, you can’t hide under the covers any longer, it’s time to come out and face the truth. 

Holiday shoppers are deciding which brands are being naughty and nice. Do you know if your customers will be giving you a lump of coal this year?

We just downloaded last year’s Forrester Research report on "B2B Marketing Trends and Predictions for 2012." No, it’s not that we’re a year behind with our reading (we are behind, but not THAT behind!). It’s just time to think about 2013, and what that might hold for B2B social marketing.

And what better way to start than reflecting on how 2012 turned out?
 

Agencies do great work. So, this post is not meant to be a rant on them at all ...

The days of being happy with mentions and followers on social media are over. To take your social marketing to the next level, it's time to build relationships.

Come on B2B marketers, just face it: you don’t know what you’re doing with social media.