There are many benefits to using buyer personas, but before you can realize those benefits, you must create the persona. To help you get started, we are sharing our tried and tested B2B persona template. Simply download the B2B Buyer Persona, and replace the information for Brian, the CFO at an insurance company. The step-by-step guide outlined below will help you document an effective buyer persona.

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A key frustration of marketers is trying to stay on top of the ever-changing list of marketing trends, updates and buzzwords. It is stressful trying to find the time to understand how the latest Google algorithm will impact web traffic, how the new Facebook features will affect engagement, or how to harness the insights from the just-released business best-seller that is supposed to transform our marketing efforts. 

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The face of marketing is radically different from even five years ago. Has your marketing department kept with the changes? Whether you’re a marketing department of one, or lead a team of 100, it’s important to catch these shifts in the prevailing “best practice” winds. Then you must adjust your strategies and tactics to match.

Below are seven relatively simple changes you can start today to make sure your marketing department stays in front of the wave.
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Earlier this week, I stumbled across a Fast Company article I had clipped to Evernote last year about the Top 10 Business Rivalries in History. I remember reading it, and the debate it sparked as my husband and I argued which company was the best. I was adamant that Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and Starbucks were clear winners over Pepsi, Burger King and Dunkin’ Donuts. (As for the battle between UPS and FedEx – it was a draw, as both delivered packages to my house akin to a year-round Santa Claus.) Yet, as I reread the article, I couldn’t help but notice that they had left off the most epic of business rivalries – the rivalry between marketing and sales. [Read more…]