Anti-content pillar, event surveys, referral woes

#1
Canadian tech innovation must include everyone

As America rolls back protections and support for DEI, the Canadian tech sector (and others) are following suit in their policies and actions. A (bilingual) open letter from What In The Tech highlights how this is the wrong direction for Canada, and you can add your name in support as well.

Couldn't put it any better myself: "Thousands of us — entrepreneurs, marketers, engineers, and support staff— have built Canada into the global tech leader it is today. We did this not by shutting people out, but by welcoming talent from every background. We must protect the Canadian values of equity, inclusion, and collective responsibility in our tech ecosystem."

And you can add your name to support, to!

My question to you: what important topics in your industry needs your brand's public support right now?

#2
Why content pillars are holding you back

There are all sorts of B2B marketing tactics that work for some folk, but not all. For me, it's "batching": create multiples of what you need (like LinkedIn posts for the week or month) all in one sitting. My brain doesn't work that way, so I write those about 2 days ahead of publishing. Gasp!

Another I see clients struggle with is "content pillars", where you determine topic buckets you will cover, and then try to keep up for 12 months via a content calendar. Easy peasy? Weeeelllll, for a lot of brands (especially when dealing with complex or sensitive topics) it can be challenging to stick to this. Maybe you need to be responsive to urgent changes. Maybe your audience research reveals there's a new priority affecting them you need to address. B2B isn't as neat and tidy as we'd like it!

If this is resonating, check out Erica Schneider's "The MP3 Framework: why content pillars are holding you back". She suggests going higher level than "topics" and thinking about bucketing what you create into:

Market the problem: what your audience is actually dealing with.
Market the process: your actual approach to solving those issues.
Market the proof: validate #2 with evidence

This is a great approach because it's audience-centric, positions you as an expert that can help, and is flexible enough that you can weave any of these in response to a shift in your ecosystem.

My question to you: even if you want to stick to content pillars, which of the 3 'p's in Schneider's framework is your content light on?

#3
35 post-event survey questions from a sold-out conference

Event marketing hits so many right notes, even though it requires a friggin ton of effort (hey, we can do hard things, right?). If you're running an event in the near future, here are 35 post-event survey questions from Ahrefs Evolve conference in Singapore. Organized into questions for attendees, employees, and sponsors, here are some that stood out to me:

Session Relevance: How relevant were the topics covered in the sessions to your professional needs?

Post-event Materials: How likely are you to access post-event materials (videos, presentations, etc.) if provided?

Plans for [next year's event]: Any new ideas for Evolve 2025, including potential locations?

Would you be able to provide us with a testimonial or quote?

Here's to the success of your next event. And if it's relevant to B2B marketing, you're alwaus welcomed to let me know so I can promote it in my newsletter!

My question to you: if you're not running an event, what ones can you attend in 2025 to fast-track brand awareness and prospecting opportunities?

#4
How to track and report on traffic from AI tools in GA4

Recently a prospect told a client of mine that they found their website because ChatGPT suggested it for something esoteric they were looking for. Since GA4 dumps AI tool traffic into the "Referral" channel by default, you may want to read/watch Dana DiTomaso's How to Track and Report on Traffic from AI Tools in GA4 to track it specifically.

Even if AI as a traffic source doesn't interest you, the (short and easy to follow) video in the post shows you how to create custom groups and reports. Handy!

My question to you: what metrics are you tying to your top marketing goals?

What should you do when referrals start drying up?

Please -don't- brush it off.

You might tell yourself it’s just a slow season. That your network will come through. Something will land soon.

But one day you realize the “easy yes” referrals that used to roll in aren't any more.

And then *shudders* RFPs will start to look like the only option to bring in new business.

(I know this pain because I was in this trap with my consultancy in 2022! Takes one to know one, as they say.)

The good news? This is totally fixable, without overhauling everything. But it does mean trying something different.

Here are 3 things I recommend to my clients to detangle their business from the "referral is our only marketing strategy" trap:

Audit your clients! Look at your last 5-10 clients. What problem did they think they had? What led them to choose you? This is the story your marketing should tell: what clicked for them -before- they said yes.

Show up! Future clients and referral partners are always gathering: industry events, panels, podcasts, etc. This is how new pools of people get to know you/your team now for opportunities later.

Stop asking to "book a call"! Provide other ways for prospects to get to know your brand without that pressure. Newsletters, polls, thoughtful DM conversations: B2B marketing and sales have longer lifecycles so let's honour that.

These are ways you tie marketing -into- your sales pipeline.

Because your work is too amazing and transformative to have your new business opportunities be solely left up to others "remembering to refer you".