This Week in Marketing: Find Your Audience

Your audience is everywhere. Why is finding them so hard?

Buyers are engaging with more channels than ever on the path to purchase. McKinsey found that by the end of 2021 the number was at 10, up from five in 2016; presumably, it’s even higher now. This expanded journey gives marketers a diverse range of touchpoints for connecting with decision makers … but also more factors to consider and prioritize in their strategies.?

Finding your audience – at the right moment, with the right message – is becoming more complicated, especially as privacy regulations evolve. First-party data and audience insight hold the key to impactful, personalized content and campaigns. You don’t need third-party tracking cookies to reach your prospective customers in a targeted fashion, but you do need a thoughtful plan.

The critical step is getting leadership aligned on that plan. Marketing teams are feeling the squeeze, with a new survey from Marketing Week showing that nearly half experienced tighter budgets in the past 12 months. Developing a shared vision that speaks in terms financial decision makers can understand will create buy-in and momentum for your marketing to succeed.

Our round-up of top trending content for B2B marketers starts there, while also highlighting creative tactics, emerging technologies and more.

What to Read

The CMO-CFO Divide Isn’t the Only Challenge; Let’s Talk About GTM C-Suite-CFO Alignment (LinkedIn Collective): Transmission President Ricky Abbott says full-fledged C-suite alignment and a unified GTM are the best solutions for bridging the gap between financial and marketing leadership.

B2B Mascots Are Out of Favor, But They Still Deliver Great Results (The Drum): “No one seems to want a mascot,” observes Matthew Kilgour, Head of Creative Strategy at Earnest. “Which, from where I'm sitting, means it's the right time to get working on one.” As he points out, there’s plenty of evidence to suggest fluent devices (i.e., a mascot) are very effective in B2B advertising.

3 Ways to Engage B2B Buyers Pre-deal (Martech): As Qvest VP of Marketing Sarah C. Weiss emphasizes, the most influential marketing content comes in the form of “relevant experiences, not sales pitches in disguise.” She explores three focal points for engaging buyers at a prime moment of opportunity.

Is Authenticity Lost When AI Enters The Narrative? (Skyword): CEO Andrew Wheeler unpacks a critical topic in the realm of content marketing: What does authenticity really mean, especially in the age of generative AI??

Trending Products for Content Managers (LinkedIn Collective): Digital content is now more versatile than ever in terms of formats, functions and channels. Content managers are turning to a variety of powerful software tools and solutions to keep pace.

What to Watch

Emerging Trends & Technologies for B2B Growth in 2024

In case you missed it, we’re excited to share our latest LinkedIn Collective Live broadcast for your on-demand viewing! LinkedIn's Penry Price was joined by senior leaders from Visa, Google Ads and Just Global Inc. for an in-depth discussion around the new fundamentals of growth here in 2024. It's very insightful and I highly recommend setting aside some time to watch if you didn’t catch the livestream.

What to Know

According to new research from Walker Sands, almost 9 out of 10 business leaders are more focused on business objectives today than five years ago. At the same time, only about a quarter say they start the planning process by identifying their desired business outcomes.?

Learn how to set objectives for your LinkedIn Ads campaigns!

Make sure to follow the LinkedIn Collective for more insights.