2025 Geospatial 2.0 Innovators .. Sit Up and Take Notice!
Matt Sheehan
Demystifying the convergence of Geospatial, AI, and Spatial Computing ~ Unlocking geospatial's potential at Versar
Geospatial 2.0 is that unstoppable tsunami. It is about to transform our world. But we are in danger of getting stuck in a technology/data conversation (3D, metaverse, digital twin, AI/GenAI, AR ..). There remains a fundamental commercial conversation which is missing. And that is the focus of this article.
New Rules of Geospatial Sales and Marketing for 2025
Write that blog post. Publish that article. Pay for that expensive LinkedIn ad. Prepare that must watch webinar. Pitch that 'must buy' product. And watch those leads and $ come flooding in.
Not!
The rules of sales, content and content marketing have changed. The old model of selling is long gone. And yet still too many are guided by what used to work. Let's call that muscle memory.
But it is not working!
So what next? The B2B space, is noisy and overcrowded. Getting noticed has never been more challenging. Your potential customers are busy. Their attention spans have shortened. Long is being replaced by short. Sales and marketing are converging. Education, community, shared purpose have become essentials.
Begin at the Beginning
Content marketing has 3 connected focus areas.
- Top of the Funnel - This is the attention/curiosity phase
- Middle of Funnel - This is the interest phase
- Bottom of the funnel - This is the decision phase
Content designed for each of these phases is quite different. In this article I will provide a brief guide to the most important, and most misunderstood, phase of this journey - the top of the funnel.
Top of the Funnel - Making LinkedIn your Best Friend
Most marketers get LinkedIn horribly wrong. But make no mistake, LinkedIn can become your best friend if you follow some basic ground rules. Let's be punchy and short here: Oh, and I have left the most common LinkedIn mistake towards the end of this list.
a) Always remember, your content has two audiences. Firstly, the LinkedIn algorithm: keeping people on LinkedIn is its primary goal. Secondly, the audience you are targeting. Interest is key here.
b) Post content daily.
c) Certain days and times of the week are 'must publish' days (and they are not what you might expect)
d) Post (or republish with your own comment) content under your personal account and not your company page (personal is preferred by the algorithm).
e) Post a mix of content, but lean heavily towards short-form video. Video, at the end of 2024, became preferred by the LinkedIn algorithm and this is still evolving. Opportunity knocks!
f) Video is all about getting attention; that makes the first 2 seconds critical. Prefer profile over landscape (smartphone-friendly). Start with a hook ("Have I got some news for you today!")
g) DON'T SELL .. let me repeat that .. DON'T SELL!
h) Don't post images of your show stand or images of your product or how great (you think) your solution is ... you care .. BUT WE DON'T CARE. Most importantly, nor does the algorithm.
i) Make your posts sticky. Play with - by carefully tracking all your content - what works for your audience (video views for example) and what works for the algorithm (impressions).
j) Here is the most common LinkedIn mistake. Focusing on gaining followers, profile views, impressions, video views .... are all important. BUT THEY ARE OF SECONDARY IMPORTANCE! Driving those whose attention you have gained - who are curious - to the middle of the funnel should be your primary goal. THAT MEANS A CLEAR CTA.
k) I worked with one VP of sales who scoffed at LinkedIn (okay, she was a little bit of a dinosaur). But followers, profile views etc. from content posted or reposted by sales folks are hugely important. These are potential leads. Too many in sales still don't realize that!
l) Have a look through your LinkedIn feed. How many posts have CTA's? Sure you will read follow me, comment on or like my post (that is the popularity contest we discussed above). But a solid CTA which encourages your readers, through opt-in, into the middle of your funnel and away from LinkedIn. Now you are off to the races!
m) Adding a CTA ... that sounds easy. Trust me it is not! Here are examples of what will not work:
It is important that you experiment with different CTA's. But one approach tops all others ...
Community Building
Success in LinkedIn is very much about building community. This is after all social media. We see this done super well in the B2C world. On Instagram you might follow those who share cooking or clothing tips. On YouTube those who share (in my case) GenAI/AI news. On Twitter (in my case) augmented reality news.
But cracking this community building nut in B2B remains both a challenge and a huge opportunity. Shared interest and purpose are key, that means connection and education leading to trust.
Conclusion
I remember in the early 90's with the emergence of the World Wide Web (Internet) being told many times: "Our marketing budget cannot be stretched to support the building of a company web site" (btw, even then it it was crazy cheap). Inertia is hard to move past.
Geospatial 2.0 is a game-changer. Geospatial 2.0 is about educating and solving. We now have the technology and data to change our world. But success requires us to explain what is possible. That can only be done by building community. A community who will listen when you tell your story.
Many are still struggling, but B2B social media innovator will be the ultimate winners!
Need help being a B2B social media innovator ... DM me on LinkedIn Matt Sheehan