What was your favorite commercial during last week’s Super Bowl?
Answers are sure to vary, but there’s a good chance your pick made some type of emotional impact on you. Whether Pepsi’s humorous “Is Pepsi OK?” sendup, or Stella Artois’ nostalgic Sex in the City/Big Lebowski throwback, or Microsoft’s heart-touching look at how technology can help children with special needs, the most memorable ads were (as usual) defined by their ability to connect at a deeper level.
More and more, B2B marketers are recognizing the vital importance of this element. A recent study on Global Business Influencers by Ipsos showed top decision makers opening up about their willingness to embrace emotion, with 58% saying they either “strongly agree” or “somewhat agree” that they “often rely on gut feelings to make work decisions.”
As Captivate Group CEO Chloe Ellis writes at The Drum: “Emotions have huge action potential and can enable consumers to receive messages they wouldn’t accurately perceive in another way, so if brands want to cut-through the noise and optimise messaging to drive action, they need to give much more consideration to the power of emotion.”
With that in mind, let’s explore some ways in which B2B content can achieve powerful resonance and leave a lasting impression.
What Marketers Were Reading and Sharing Most This Week:
1. 15 Inspiring Storytelling Quotes to Help You Move an Audience
Storytelling is one of the most effective ways to engage an audience emotionally. This collection of quotes from HubSpot’s Clifford Chi might help inspire you to spin an unforgettable narrative. Last week our Steve Kearns shared tips for telling your brand’s story on LinkedIn.
2. In a World of Facts, Ideas are King
“Compelling ads are more than a checklist of behavioral triggers,” according to Peter Minnium. “They must engage the audience’s imagination.” Here he vouches for the value of expressing your brand’s ideas, rather than just laying out a set of attributes.
3. How to Generate Endless Blog Post Ideas for Content Marketing
Speaking of ideas, sometimes they can be hard to come by for content creators. Luckily, Susan Moeller of BuzzSumo has a framework to help you keep the creative pipeline flowing.
4. Want to be Trusted? Here’s a Crash Course in Brand Journalism
Establishing trust is imperative if we want to build genuine emotional connections with our audiences. At Content Marketing Institute, Chris Gillespie explains how we can earn confidence by naming our sources, being objective, writing for our readers, and creating substantive copy.
5. Top 10 User Engagement KPIs to Measure
This in-depth post by SEO strategist Maddy Osman not only lists the most important engagement metrics, but also explains why they matter and how to improve them.
6. 5 Ways B2B Businesses Can Use Online Video
Video is known to be a strong driver of emotional engagement. To that end, Mitt Ray offers up five ways you can incorporate this format into a B2B content strategy. Try them out with your next LinkedIn video ad campaign!
7. These Are The Most Difficult B2B Marketing Skill Sets to Hire For
Breaking down new data from Spear Marketing Group, Marketing Charts points out that 92% of B2B companies are finding it difficult to acquire quality talent, with analytics presenting the greatest challenge.
8. How B2B Businesses Can Make the Most of LinkedIn in 2019
Looking to grow your LinkedIn strategy this year? This post from Vibhu Satpaul at Smart Insights includes some solid third-party perspective on the tools and products B2B marketers can use to reach their audiences on the platform.
9. How AI Will Redefine the Modern Marketing Campaign
On the Marketo blog, Casey Carey envisions the rippling effects of artificial intelligence in digital marketing’s future.
10. Embracing Interactive Content: 19 Statistics Every B2B Marketer Needs to Know
Interactive may be the next big frontier for engaging content. These 19 statistics, via Anne Leuman of TopRank Marketing, help illuminate the potential.
That’s it for today, but if you subscribe to the LinkedIn Marketing blog you can stay on top of all that’s happening in the world of B2B marketing.
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