MAM
GUEST COLUMN: B2B brands need to think beyond lead generation
New Delhi: In business-to-business (b2b), marketing often comes to a halt at the lead generation funnel. Given the economic environment created by the pandemic, the stress on lead generation is not surprising, but working on the lowest hanging fruit is not a long-term strategy.
In the aggressively competitive environment, B2B brands need to think beyond just lead generation for their content marketing strategy. Simply put, what is your answer to this? What are you doing to help your customers succeed?
Your content marketing needs to be a method of helping your customers succeed. Under the pressure of an immediate lead and conversion, we tend to lack business empathy, and thus our content intended to be educational ends up being more transactional. I encourage B2B brands to use content marketing as a tool to support and help meet customer goals. That is what the purpose of your brand is in the first place. Keep connected to the roots of why you thought customers would come to you and choose your product or service.
There is a specific problem that your business solves for your customers, and that should be at the heart of your B2B content marketing strategy. It’s a whole new ball game possibly from what most B2B organizations are doing currently. Here are a few things to consider. I have outlined must-haves, good to have, and great haves for your content marketing strategy.
B2B Content marketing ‘must-haves’
Blog: While all organizations have a blog on their website but usually, they are sparsely populated and more focused on SEO than on content value. The resources section is Important and needs its due.
Case Studies: I recommend case studies that are not just a synopsis of what the process was and what the ROI was but also a customer’s point of view. It may take a lot more work but in this case, it is an excellent differentiator, a brand will earn 10X in credibility vs the increase in effort.
White papers, guides, and research: What is on ‘top of mind’ for any business is ‘who else is in my boat’ and what are they doing to navigate a circumstance. White papers are must-have tools in the arsenal. Remember that being unique is the key. Creating content is fairly easy. Creating good content that isn’t ‘hard selling’ and provides customers with genuine value — that’s a tricky, time-consuming business.
B2B Content marketing ‘good to haves’
Webinars and events: Online webinars and events are a good way to get your product or service to your customers, it is also an opportunity to build an improved relationship with your customers, it can be the platform to create thought leadership. Profiling and targeted invites are a great way to reach customers with whom you may not have engaged in the past.
Training & courses: Training is an important part of the B2B marketing content strategy. If you understand your customer then I recommend that based on your customer persona, develop training and certifications which not just train customers on your product but also add skills and learning beyond your product.
Co-Creation & collaborations: Customers are in the same storm, and very slightly different boats; they are stressed for leads and under pressure to build engagement. Create a partnership with your customer, build value with combined resources, co-host events, webinars, build joint resources, create PR opportunities. You will be surprised that in addition to goodwill and visibility, the value it builds for your business in hard number crunched ROI.
No matter which tools you choose, remember the Everest of marketing is getting your communication right and that peak is scalable only if you know and understand your customer.
(Ambika Sharma is the founder & MD of Pulp Strategy. The views expressed in the column are personal and Indiantelevision.com may not subscribe to them.)
MAM
Taboola names Krishan Bhatia as chief business officer
Digital ad veteran takes the reins to steer taboola’s global sales and AI growth
NEW YORK: Taboola has added Krishan Bhatia to its leadership team as chief business officer, signalling a bold push in global sales and partnerships.
Bhatia will spearhead revenue growth across Taboola’s full product suite, including its Realize performance advertising platform, publisher network, CTV performance, and generative AI offerings. He brings a proven record of driving growth at leading tech and media giants, including Amazon and NBCUniversal.
At Amazon, Bhatia launched and led the global video advertising business spanning Prime Video, Live Sports, Twitch, and third-party programmers as VP, global video advertising and partnerships. Prior to that, he served as president and chief business officer at NBCUniversal’s global advertising and partnerships division, overseeing digital, streaming TV, and advanced advertising.
“Krishan is joining Taboola at a pivotal moment in our journey,” said Taboola CEO Adam Singolda. “We are redefining performance advertising on the open web. Realize is gaining real momentum as advertisers look for scalable growth beyond search and social. DeeperDive is putting generative AI directly into publishers’ hands, helping them innovate and thrive. The opportunity ahead is massive.”
Singolda added that Bhatia’s experience in building global advertising businesses and executing at scale will complement Taboola’s growth. “We’ve built a strong foundation for long-term success, surpassing $2 billion in revenue under Eldad Maniv, our president and COO. With that momentum, I’m thrilled to welcome Krishan to the team to take our go-to-market execution to the next level.”
“Taboola has a bold vision, combining global scale and innovative technology to empower advertisers and publishers,” said Bhatia. “The launch of Realize has strengthened Taboola’s position as a leader outside search and social. With DeeperDive, generative AI, and a clear focus on partner success, there is a huge runway ahead. I’m excited to join the team at such a transformative time.”
With Krishan Bhatia on board, Taboola is all set to turn up the heat in performance advertising, blending global scale, AI innovation, and next-level partnerships to shape the future of the open web.
