The Marketing Mix: Thought-starters for B2B Business Leaders Steve Cummins - Solent Strategies

Responsible Marketing; Sustainability; Eco-friendly business practices. Whatever you call it, companies are increasingly exploring how to “do better.” And on this episode, we explore how businesses can embed Responsibility directly into their marketing strategies.

Chad Hickey, CEO of Givsly; and Lauren Burke of Ljs Advisory, share their experience in integrating these practices into B2B events and campaigns. Reducing unnecessary tradeshow swag; creating thoughtful event activations; and showcasing company values in advertising and outreach. There are many ways that Responsible Marketing can be embedded in the strategy.

We also discuss the motivation for companies to adopt this approach - to reflect their internal values; appeal to an increasingly tuned-in customer base (we’re looking at you, Gen Z); or respond to their employees’ expectations. And provide some guideposts for marketers and business owners who are looking to get started.

Key Takeaways:
 Responsible Marketing is a valuable part of building brand reputation Any initiative should be an integral part of your marketing strategy A senior marketer has to be the internal champion for this to succeed Take time to educate the Sales team on the benefits to the sales process KPIs should ideally align with existing metrics, to ensure buy-in across the company 
Resources:

Connect with Lauren here
Connect with Chad here 

If you’re worried about how “search” is going to be impacted by AI…then you’ve clearly been paying attention! But beyond all the hype, what are the most likely outcomes in the next year or so. Should your SEO strategy be changing? Should your marketing investment be going in different places?

Greg Brooks and his team at SearchTides spend their time thinking through these exact issues – based on data and their own experience. And on The Marketing Mix, Greg shares some of his thoughts on the changes that are already happening. And how marketers and business owners should be adapt.

We start off by talking about foundational elements of SEO; consider the long term value of content marketing as a search strategy; and think through the overall marketing approach as search becomes smarter.

Will the "Human Element"  be the thing that makes the difference, and keeps you ahead of the game?

Key Takeaways:
Current SEO best practices - authority, relevance, and technical optimization - will continue to be the bedrock of search. But we need to consider an additional “human” layer to boost its value.If AI is driving the cost of producing content to zero, how do you add value? Expertise and Experience are the areas where human input can improve on AI generationGoogle's continued focus on 'helpfulness' should guide the strategy, rather than looking to AI-specific tactics and shortcuts. Make your content useful, and – whatever Search becomes - it will be found.
Find Out More:
Connect with Greg on LinkedIn
Read more about SearchTides, and dig into their research

Timestamps:
05:20 The Role of SEO in Business Growth 
08:40 Impact of AI on Content Marketing 
14:15 Google wants to be Helpful
26:15 The Human Era of SEO: 
36:00 A Drink at The Search Bar

Are we ready to take advantage of AI in Marketing yet?

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, is quoted as saying that AI could automate 95% of tasks currently performed by marketing agencies. I don’t agree with the number, but it’s a bold enough statement to pay attention to. And, for sure, AI is going to have a significant impact on how we “do” marketing over the next few years.

So in this episode, I talk through the options that marketers should consider as they start to look into AI; share some examples and use cases of how to incorporate AI into your daily workflows; and consider where we might be with AI tools a year from now.

Really, though, this episode is an encouragement to “Just Do It” (to use a turn of phrase!). If you’re not yet using AI, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and start to play around with AI tools - whether that’s a standalone AI assistant like Chat GPT or Claude; or tapping into the AI features of the software you’re already using. And we’re giving you some pointers to get your journey started.

Plus, since the subject of Large Language Models and AI in Marketing is constantly changing, I share some of the resources I’m using to stay ahead of the curve!. See below:

Timestamps:
04:35What to think about when you think about AI
07:05Which AI Assistant should you use?
12:10Three use cases to get you started
19:20How is this going to change the way we work?

Articles and Newsletters mentioned in this episode:
Sam Altman’s “95%” quote. Link

“Best Practices for Working with Large Language Models”
- The New Stack column, by Jon Udell. Link

“Claude 3: ChatGPT finally has a serious rival"
- Understanding AI Newsletter by Timothy Lee. Link

“Your guide to Google Gemini and Claude 3.0, compared to ChatGPT”
- AI for Good Newsletter by TarenSK. Link

"Which AI Should I Use?”
- One Useful Thing Newsletter by Ethank Molik. Link

“Microsoft promises Copilot will be a 'moneymaker' in the long term”
- The Register. Link

The Gartner Hype Cycle. Link

Fuggedaboutit Cocktails “Bot” By Michael A McConachie
- Link
The Mobster Mirage Cocktail Recipe:
[Verbatim, from the Fuggedaboutit Cocktails custom GPT]
1 oz Whisky: Pick a good one, something with character but not too overbearing.1/2 oz Cointreau: For a hint of sweet citrus to brighten things up.1/2 oz Dark Rum: Adds depth and a bit of mystery.1/2 oz Fresh Lime Juice: To cut through the sweetness and add some zing.Dash of Simple Syrup: Only if you like it a bit sweeter, see?Garnish: Lime wheel or a twist, for that touch of class.Chill Your Glass: Get a nice cocktail glass and fill it with ice or stick it in the freezer for a bit to get it nice and frosty.
Mix Ingredients: In a shaker, combine the whisky, Cointreau, dark rum, fresh lime juice, and simple syrup if you're using it. Fill that shaker with ice.
Shake It Up: Shake it like you mean it, but with respect
Strain: Strain it into your chilled glass. You want it smooth, with no ice chunks crashin' the party.
Garnish: Add that lime wheel or twist. It's like the suit jacket on a well-dress

In this episode, we talk with Chris Heffernan, the co-founder and CEO of Dlivrd. Think DoorDash, but for restaurant catering and same-day food delivery. Chris shares his insights on marketing as a founder, and how it has helped him scale his business. 
He discusses Dlivrd's unique positioning in the delivery ecosystem, at the intersection of technology, logistics and customer experience. They’ve created a business culture around the importance of a positive driver experience and building strong relationships with their partners – Chris tips his hat towards the “Happy cows make better milk" slogan from California! And that’s the main thrust of their marketing too - focused on events that celebrate and engage the drivers, and then taking content from those events to share through media channels.

Chris is a big proponent of using video in marketing, and shares his tips on how to get started with shooting your own material. He may not take all his business advice from Instagram(!), but he sure knows how to get attention through his very personality-driven videos
Key Takeaways:
Hosting driver events and creating engaging content from these events has proven to be an effective marketing tacticRealtors put their photos on business cards for a reason. How do you create that emotional connection?If you’re not comfortable with being on video, start with a voiceover and some b-rollChris believes in making marketing fun and enjoyable, focusing on projects that highlight the company's core values. If it’s not fun, he’s not interested! 
Resources:
Check out Dlivrd’s story here
Connect with Chris on LinkedIn here

And watch the pizza challenge  video here!

Positioning is a fundamental part of marketing strategy. But it’s not always explicitly defined, particularly in small, fast-growing companies. In many cases, it’s based purely on the original intent of the founder, and reflects early-adopters. But as a business scales, it’s worth taking time to think through the Why/Who/How of your product or service, so you can develop the messaging and the Go-To-Market strategy that’s going to have an impact.

Sharon Scott knows how to craft a positioning statement. As a marketing strategist and founder of OtterScope, Sharon works with companies to define their place in the market. And in this episode of The Marketing Mix, she shares the frameworks and strategies she uses to get to the “why” of brands and products.

We also discuss how marketing acts as the bridge between internal stakeholders, and the alignment of Product and Marketing teams. And Sharon shares some thoughts on how AI might be used to assist in customer research and the positioning process.

Key Takeaways:
Positioning considers the "why" of a product combined with the "who" of the target audience, along "how" the brand adds valueEven for tech products, a user’s emotional response is an important part of the positioningDon’t underestimate the value of unplanned, casual conversations across teams to break out of the silosAI tools might not be ready to play a major role in positioning, but they can help with early customer research tasks

Connect with Sharon:
 Find Sharon on LinkedIn
And check out OtterScope

A couple of good reads:
Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind - by Al Ries and Jack Trout. One of the classic books on the subject
Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore. I mention this during the conversation with Sharon

To kick off Season Two, Steve talks about marketing topics that have been top of mind since the last episode. He talks about the current state of the LinkedIn algorithm, (not great, but better than the alternative!); the need to productize your offering, whether it’s an actual product or a service; and the importance of positioning and defining your niche.
Steve also introduces his Marketing Mentor program, working with small businesses and their marketing “team of one” to build in-house capabilities and keep projects moving.
Finally, he previews the line up for Season Two of The Marketing Mix.
 
Links:
“The End of Social Media” – The Economist
The Marketing Mentor Program - More details
 
Timestamp      Summary
00:01:30           What’s wrong with the LinkedIn algorithm
00:04:45           Some steps to improve the quality of your LI feed
00:07:25           The Marketing Mentor Program
00:08:50           Positioning, and finding your niche
00:13:15           What’s coming up on The Marketing Mix