Topics

B2B Brands

Branding Is the Heart of Demand Generation

August 17, 2017 —

Branding Is the Heart of Demand Generation

Demand Generation for B2B Marketers In the dark old days of 2012, the process of tracking a lead through a sales cycle was a slow, manual process. With the rise of automation platforms and integrated CRMs like Salesforce and HubSpot, our pipelines are now routinely filled with promising leads. The only problem? Everyone else has access to the same toolkit. What might have been considered a competitive advantage is now table stakes. Demand generation might fill the barrel with fish, but it’s the strength of a brand that hooks the lead.  Refresh Your Brand According to Forrester Research, 68...
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The Role of B2B Messaging and How to Get it Right

May 15, 2018 —

The Role of B2B Messaging and How to Get it Right

Disruptive and Transformational Technologies Technology is advancing like never before. With disruptive technology advancements in AI, machine learning, iOT, analytics, and so much more, it’s becoming more and more difficult for businesses to keep pace. Industries are being transformed and the world we live in is changing before our eyes. So how can you develop more compelling and differentiated B2B messaging for marketing and sales teams? As an agency, we work with many tech clients who are in the midst of this change – racing the clock to get to market before the competition....
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Marketing Strategy That Fuels Growth

April 10, 2018 —

Marketing Strategy That Fuels Growth

More than ever, CMOs are being looked to as the primary growth drivers of their companies. But what if you seem to be doing everything right and growth is still falling short? You have a strong brand strategy in place, a good sales team, and your marketing strategy is being executed on time and on budget. What then? Chances are good that, if you’re experiencing a disconnect like this, the problem lies in the connection between your brand and your target audience. You may be reaching them. But how successfully are you really connecting with them? How can you identify the problem? And what can...
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2019 Marketing Budget Planning: Questions to Help You Get Started

January 1, 2019 —

2019 Marketing Budget Planning: Questions to Help You Get Started

It’s That Time: 2019 Marketing Budget Planning Developing your 2019 marketing budget is nobody’s favorite time of year. But it’s inevitable. Like clockwork each year, it’s here. As an agency immersed in helping businesses deliver the results they need to thrive, we understand first-hand that marketing budget planning can be overwhelming and taxing. Knowing what to include to deliver the results needed seems nearly impossible for many VPs of Marketing looking to drive growth, build brand, drive lead gen, and fuel revenue. We know CFOs can be tough audiences. In fact, many VPs of Marketing...
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Nothing Sells Itself: Why Storytelling Should Drive Demand Generation

September 13, 2017 —

Nothing Sells Itself: Why Storytelling Should Drive Demand Generation

Emotive Brand Expert #1: Greg Howard As a brand strategy and design agency, we have the privilege of being able to visit innovative companies from a myriad of fields. From global law firms to burgeoning start-ups, we get to pull back the curtain and observe how brands are built, from the inside out. Drawing on our ever-growing network, we’re excited to launch our Emotive Brand Experts series. In these posts, we’re interviewing past and present Emotive Brand clients to discover what they do better than anybody else – and how that expertise can be used to embolden your brand today. In this...
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Why a Startup Should Invest in the Brand Quickly

May 24, 2015 —

Why a Startup Should Invest in the Brand Quickly

Why we believe founders need to rethink their investment in their startup brand There’s the startup rush. That undeniable startup rush. That adrenaline flow that starts the moment you have an idea worth sharing. An idea that you’re willing to ask perfect strangers to fund. It’s a rush when someone says yes, and another rush when that first check shows up. The one that rents the homely first office and gets you going. After that it gets harder. The technology component of the idea might be easy for you. After all, it’s what you were trained to do. But for many startup founders, the hard part...
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Marketing vs. Brand? Do You Know the Difference?

May 15, 2016 —

Marketing vs. Brand? Do You Know the Difference?

Marketing vs. Brand People are sometimes confused about the difference between marketing vs. brand strategy. This is not surprising, because they are not mutually exclusive ideas. They are interdependent strategic activities that feed, inform, and drive each other. The important distinction to make is in the intent and desired outcome of each area. Brand Brand defines how people should ideally feel about your business and products. It strives to find how to optimize belief in what you do offer and what you stand for in the world. It is an abstract idea held in the hearts and minds of people...
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Professional Services: Elevate Your Firm By Embracing Purpose

May 4, 2017 —

Professional Services: Elevate Your Firm By Embracing Purpose

Professional Services Brands When it comes down to it, strategies to ensure credibility, expertise or commitment don’t make a professional service firm to stand out. We expect law firms, management consultancies, and professional services brands to be credible, to have expertise, and to be committed; they shouldn’t need to be reminded of these attributes, and this type of positioning holds no sway in an already overcrowded, homogenous group of competitors. Many professional services firms “brand” themselves around ideas of client-centricity and attentiveness. For us, this simply isn’t...
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Brand Strategy: What is the Role of B2B Branding?

November 3, 2016 —

Brand Strategy: What is the Role of B2B Branding?

What is the role of B2B branding? How is it different from sales and marketing? Why should B2B enterprises be adopting purpose-driven brand strategies? What benefits will they accrue by adapting themselves to the changing requirements of the Purpose Economy? It’s no longer business-as-usual in the B2B marketplace. Long-held beliefs are giving way to new opportunities. Many of the reliable tools of the past are no longer as effective as they used to be. All of this is prompting more and more B2B leaders to explore the idea of transforming their businesses into purpose-driven enterprises....
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Overcome Startup Competition in a Crowded Eco-system

October 10, 2016 —

Overcome Startup Competition in a Crowded Eco-system

Startup Competition is fierce Startup competition is tough. People used to think that consumers have mind-space for only three brands in any given category: the leader, the challenger, and the one other company lucky enough (or hard-working enough) to be noticed and considered. The rule of three may still be true, but the sheer proliferation of brands flooding a truly congested sector can starve every brand for oxygen and make it difficult for any brand to stand out. We deal with a lot of clients in crowded, complex categories and ecosystems: technology companies, software companies,...
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