B2B Marketing Archives | Harris CMO Partners B2B Marketing.

Executive Branding…makes a big difference

by Mike Harris | Aug 29, 2023 | B2B Marketing, Chief Marketing Officer

Driving on a freeway in Nashville…

I was startled to see one of the best advertisements I’ve seen in 2023.

On a moving truck.

Turns out the truck is from a Nashville franchise of Black Tie Moving Company. The guy is Chuck Wicks, country music singer and owner of the franchise.

For me, the startling thing about this ad is that it’s for a moving company. And it’s a pic of a real live principal of the company.

I don’t know about you, but I seldom see cool advertising on the freeway. And I sure never see anything cool and memorable from a moving company.

So I did a deeper dive on Black Tie’s marketing to see what it could teach. Here’s what I found:

1. Positioning. This is the first time I’ve ever seen a moving company advertise a differentiated experience that potential customers can place on their ladder of experiences and preferences.

2. Positioning statement: “First Class Moving Experience”. With four simple words they created an intriguing reflection on the brand.

3. Credibility. They make liberal use of the Inc. 500 and Forbes brands. And they should. They are all over their website, social media, advertising, moving trucks, et. al.

4. More credibility. A quick look at their reviews quickly turned up one that’s very positive, memorable and helps polish the company’s community service image:

5. Even more credibility. In addition, Black Tie is the fastest growing privately held moving company in the U.S., with a 3-year growth rate of 1180%. [according to their LinkedIn profile]

Why focus on credibility?

It’s all about the competition. According to the BBB, more than 10% of moving companies have an F rating. Which means even more have a D or C rating. To compare, all companies in all industries have an average 2.7% of F ratings. Read the report here.

I don’t know about you, but I’d at least like to have a B-rated company handle my move. All things factored, I’d be happy to pay extra for an A-rated company.

Well synched marketing…

Kudos to Black Tie’s marketing team for synching so many elements well.

Positioning, brand, advertising, social media, executive profiling and more.

And it’s not just executive profiling either. It’s rank-and-file profiling, which says that whoever’s in charge cares about their employees.

In summary, here is what Black Tie’s marketing team has created:

a GPS that maps prospective customers to Black Tie’s ‘why us, why now’
a memorable narrative that causes something to happen in the minds of their audience
a hook by which an audience will place Black Tie on their ladder of experiences and preferences
a trusty loom that has transformed mere threads into a colorful tapestry that prompts people to think ‘tell me more’.

Props to the entire Black Tie Moving Company team.

I can do this…

I offer multiple solutions for executive and company profiling.

Would love it if you checked them out!

Personal Branding for Executives

Building Executive Brand Image

by Mike Harris | Jun 28, 2023 | B2B Marketing

Here’s what I’m seeing in B2B marketing:

There’s a lot of talk on building executive brand image today. And for good reason.

I’ve been in the c-suite for decades, mostly in marketing.

Let’s look at the reasons why exeutive brand matters.

#1 – It’s getting much harder to differentiate

#2 – Most solutions seen as commodities

#3 – Lack of relevance & personalization in B2B

#4 – Ad-blocking & ad-blindness

#5 – People follow humans, not companies

Why build executive brand image?

You may not like their view, but plenty of B2B purchasers view most solutions as commodities at first glance.

Still, most buyers will pay attention to what makes you different, if they notice a human touch.

Think of executive branding as:

a GPS that maps prospective buyers to your company’s ‘why us, why now’
a meaningful narrative that causes something to happen
the hook by which an audience will place you on their ladder of experiences and preferences
a trusty loom that transforms mere threads into colorful tapestries that create visualizations

What’s not working?

😧 your history? not so much…

😧 leadership bios? meh…

😧 client logos…everyone has those

😧 speeds and feeds…worked in the ’90s

Building executive brand image is a touchy subject

Many talented people feel frozen about executive branding strategies.

Yet they’re experiencing:

lack of market presence and acknowledgement

small fish in a big pond syndrome

not enough engagement with quality followers

missed opportunities in growth and career

Building executive brand image answers ‘why connect with you?’.

Also, it helps you resonate with your market. Remember, people buy from people they like.

Most executives have integrity and credibility, but those are not apparent to the casual observer. But in our new era of increasing distrust, your integrity and credibility can be a powerful motivator for others to engage.

Building an executive brand image is crucial for selling solutions and ideas, attracting talent, and moving up the ladder.

Opportunities abound

Yet, you don’t have to go all Ernest Hemingway to build an executive brand image.

Here’s the blueprint:

Highlight your successes
Show how you do it
Talk the real you..be yourself
Share your passions and motivations

That’s all there is to it.

If you don’t have the time or skillsets, hire someone to help you. Make a decision about investing in building an executive brand, just like you invest in exercise for your health and wellbeing.

It’s what we do…

I offer multiple solutions for tech and SaaS executives stories and brand image.

Would love it if you checked them out!

Personal Branding for Executives

B2B Marketing ROI

by Mike Harris | Aug 31, 2023 | B2B Marketing, Chief Marketing Officer

It’s B2B Marketing ROI season again!

Your 2024 Marketing Plan will soon be due. Here’s a free online calculator to help you validate your campaign metrics and measurements.

Free ROI Calculator - Google Sheets

Present your 2024 plans with confidence

“Marketing suffers from a crisis of credibility. Often, executives outside the marketing department perceive that marketing exists solely to support sales, or that it is an arts and crafts function that throws parties, churns out Tweets, and puts logos on pens. Either way, marketing often does not command the respect it deserves.”

The Definitive Guide to Marketing Metrics and Analytics, Marketo™

Cover page of Marketo Definitive Guide to Marketing Metrics and Analytics

For B2B companies that want growth, B2B Marketing ROI is a must.

Also, credible metrics are now required from the Chief Marketing Officer and his/her team.

Not the Same As Brand Marketing

Demand generation is different from brand marketing. It consists mainly of inbound and outbound campaigns which lead to conversions and sales conversations. With engaging content that encourages audiences to say “tell me more”, campaigns also include a next step such as clicking to go deeper, engaging in chat, or registering for events and notificatinos.

Please note that asking website visitors to fill out a form is rapidly going by the wayside. We must be smarter with our outreach and deliverables, or risk losing prospect engagement.

Corporate marketing includes brand building, print advertising, public relations and other activities. Their impact is important however results are more difficult to measure when it comes to conversions and sales conversations.

"Measurement builds respect and accountability"

Free ROI Calculator - Google Sheets

B2B Marketing ROI

Campaigns and tactics can be adjusted to yield far better results when measured. This has huge implications for budget and B2B marketing ROI.

A marketing automation platform is the fastest way to do this. Thousands are in the market today and there are MAPs available for every size of B2B company. MAPs can personalize emails, segment databases, automate lead nurturing and track sales throughout the funnel. Plus they can give you reliable metrics so you can plan and adjust going forward.

Many B2B marketing leaders report difficulty in measuring overall results. We believe it’s due to an overall lack of education and willingness to tackle it, not for any lack of numbers. Focus on small victories before moving to more difficult measurements like calculating content ROI. Since email is the number one lead generator, start there.

Marketo is one of the world’s leading enterprise marketing automation platforms. Their Definitive Guide to Marketing Metrics and Analytics is a wonderful guide to B2B marketing ROI.

Use the button to view and download your copy. No fee or email required.

Read/download the Marketo report

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