How To Develop Content For Each Stage Of The Buy Cycle
In B2B marketing, the effectiveness of your content strategy often hinges on how well you tailor your messaging to the different stages of the buy
Lead Gen & Video Marketing: The Top Three Questions B2Bs Should Be Asking
In my discussions with marketers about their content plans and lead generation strategies, I find that many ask generalities about the video production process, yet don’t inquire about the actual role of video in the B2B sales and marketing food chain. Here are the top three questions marketers should be asking of themselves, their teams and their video marketing specialist in order to develop content with impact.
Don’t Pooh-Pooh Podcasts Just Yet
Podcasting has been around for more than a decade, but it just hasn’t caught the same explosive fire as Facebook or Twitter. However, the podcast’s time may have finally come. If your B2B brand has been ignoring the podcast as a viable content marketing tool, it might be time to reconsider.
Do You Have a Lead Guide?
Have you ever gone on a hike and lost your way? The best way to avoid getting lost is to have a guide. A guide could be a simple map or it may include a person who’s intimately familiar with the territory. The same is true when you align your marketing and sales teams around a lead management program. If marketing and sales get lost, it becomes quite scary for everyone.
The Most Bang for Your Buck: Create Fireworks with a Strategic, Integrated Marketing Mix
Nothing says Fourth of July like fireworks, especially those large-scale displays at theme parks and shopping malls. If you pay close attention to such displays, you’ll notice that you’re not seeing just one type of pyrotechnic, but a multitude integrated together for maximum impact. Like pyrotechnicians, marketers increasingly understand that just one form of outreach is no longer adequate for fully grabbing the attention of busy buyers these days.
Four Marketing Lessons from Television’s “Golden Age”
When I immigrated to the United States from the United Kingdom 34 years ago, I quickly realized that while we share some things in common culturally, in reality, a common language separates us! One of the first differences I noticed, and that still persists today, is how many American pop culture references—from television, movies and sports—creep into business conversation.
5 Tips to Produce Interview-Style Videos Like a Pro
Year over year, use of video among B2B U.S. companies is steadily climbing. The 2015 B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends survey found that 76 percent of B2B companies in North America are using video, compared to 63 percent the year before. Clearly, savvy marketers are incorporating video into the marketing mix and reaping the benefits. But it’s not always easy to get it right.
My Name is Marketing, and I’ll Be Your Server
When you dine at restaurants, good servers will converse with you to learn more about your tastes so they can recommend dishes that appeal to you. Unless you are a regular customer, it’s unlikely that they know enough about what you like to provide you with a tailored recommendation. Fortunately, B2B marketing and sales representatives don’t have this problem.
Social Media and SEO Go Together Like Peas and Carrots
Since the first of the year, I’ve been fortunate to be part of teams launching several new B2B brands. While our clients were familiar with the need to optimize their new websites for search, they were surprised to learn that SEO was equally important within their social media channels. For new brands entering an already competitive marketplace, SEO is vitally important.
Keep Marketing Momentum Going In Between the “Big Stuff”
We all have them—those periodic major announcements that give us something to really blow our horns about. But what do you talk about in the lull between the “big stuff” like new product launches, key customer wins or industry partnerships? To augment those major announcements you have a time or two each year, it’s important to generate a secondary, regular flow of interesting content to keep your marketing momentum going in between.
B2B Video Doesn’t Have 2B Boring
I recently saw a fantastic infographic that illustrates how video is becoming an exploding medium for b2b marketers in 2015. With dramatic statistics—like 70 percent of b2b marketers are starting to use video, and 58 percent of them describe their previous experience in video marketing as successful—it’s clear more b2bs will soon be going “in front of the camera” to reach their customer audiences.
Integrated Content Campaigns Can Help Your Customers Find You
Do you remember playing hide ’n’ seek or catch ’n’ kiss when you were a kid? If you really wanted to get caught, you’d make it easy for your friends or that cute girl or boy to find you, right? Now that you’re a sales or marketing whiz, don’t you wish your customers could find you as easily?
Overcoming Sales Obstacles
Sales development representatives (SDRs) face challenges every day to connect with prospects and convince them to take some type of
Salesforce’s State of Marketing Report Delivers Key Insights, Recommendations for 2015
Earlier this year, Salesforce released its 2015 State of Marketing Report that delivers marketing insights from over 5,000 global marketers.
…And What About Google+
Since the beginning of the year, we’ve conducted a number of competitive social media audits for clients, and the single,
A “TIP” for Keeping Your Video Resolutions in 2015
Today, we’re featuring a guest blog from Kathy Berardi of Red Clip Video, a strategic multi-media services partner to Carabiner. If
B2B Visions: Fuel Mobile Marketing through the Power of Where
In my earlier blog post, “Warming Up for 2015,” I talked about focusing on what you do best and leveraging
Sales-Driven Marketing
How does marketing come up with all of those creative campaigns that deliver compelling content that resonates with prospects? Do
Creating and Enhancing Customer Loyalty in 2015
No matter the type of business, there is a universal need for customer loyalty. Most sources, in fact, estimate that
Happy Holidays from Carabiner Communications!
Happy Holidays from everyone at Carabiner Communications. We hope your holidays will be filled with joy and laughter through the
Warming Up for 2015
It’s the time of year when people like me dust off their crystal balls, peer in for a look at
This Year B2B Buyers Increasingly Relied on Social Media. So What’s Your Plan for 2015?
As social networks have become more entrenched in business-to-business (B2B) communications and have garnered more widespread acceptance as viable marketing
Why Every Brand Needs a Story that Pops
Today, Kathy Cabrera from Red Clip Video shares a video interview she conducted with iconic Hollywood storyteller Richard Walter, chair of the UCLA
Scrapping Strategic Tactics in Favor of Tactical Strategy
In a previous post, I suggested that the nature of “messaging” has changed so dramatically that the traditional messaging document,
Key B2B Marketing Takeaways From Coke’s CMO Replacement
What does Coca-Cola replacing its CMO have to do with B2B marketing? Based on just the headline, you could conclude
Planning Your 2015 Content Marketing Strategy
A funny thing happened recently when I was attending one of my son’s baseball games. My husband was out-of-town due
This Ain’t Your Mama’s Meme: How B2B Marketers Can Successfully Tap into this Trend
As B2B companies continue to look for ways to stay relevant and top of mind amid the sea of information
Smart Video Marketing at B2B Trade Shows
Today, we’re featuring a guest blog from Kathy Cabrera of Red Clip Video, a strategic multi-media services partner to Carabiner. Kathy shares
Developing Content that Converts
Why does that white paper you spent hours and hours developing not resonate with your prospects? How come that video
Feeling Overwhelmed? Consider a Dashboard to Take the Work Out of Social Media Marketing
While social media sites have opened new avenues for better engaging with prospects and customers, the daily grind of keeping
3 Hollywood Tips for Giving Your Business Videos a “Blockbuster” Punch
Today, Kathy Cabrera from Red Clip Video shares her insights on how businesses can use Hollywood-style storytelling tactics to produce engaging
Social Media’s Role in Product Design and Development
There was a time when companies weren’t the least bit interested to hear what consumers had to say about their
Maybe you can’t judge a book by its cover, but “looks” sure count with the solutions we create
Googling the exact phrase “Don’t judge a book by its cover” returns nearly 13 million results. That’s an astounding number
Three Tips for Better Customer Case Studies
If there’s one tried-and-true marketing tactic still in vogue in the digital age, it’s customer case studies. Such vignettes showcase
Social Media’s 10-Year Snapshot: High School Connections, Commerce and…Cat Videos
So what were you doing in 2004? While we were collectively recovering from Janet Jackson’s “wardrobe malfunction” during the Super
Three Quick Tips for Elevating Your Website’s Q4 Performance
Kathy Cabrera, founder of Red Clip Video, joins us today to share her insights on how to use Hollywood-style storytelling to
New Metrics for Determining Marketing Success in the Digital Age
Coinciding with the celebration of Carabiner’s 10 years in business, we’re taking a look at how the role of marketers
Cupboards, Old Dogs and the Decade That Flew By
When I emigrated from England to America in the early ‘80s, I found that some of the sayings my mom
Infographic: Celebrate a Decade of B2B Marketing and PR Evolution
Cue the birthday party horns. Let the balloons fly. Light the candles on the cake. Carabiner Communications is celebrating its
“Messaging” Didn’t Die; It Went Direct
Marketers today have unprecedented, direct communication channels to prospects and customers that have come to dominate messaging. We tell our
Marketing Performance: How Do You Measure Up?
According to a recent marketing performance management and measurement survey, 85 percent of marketers feel increasing pressure to measure marketing’s value
Three Tips for Mastering the Art of Storytelling in the Digital Age
There’s a big difference between a direct product pitch and what we at our agency refer to as “storytelling.” The
Three Reasons Why You Should Optimize Email Marketing with Video Now
Today Kathy Cabrera, the founder of Red Clip Video, an affordable video production company that operates as a strategic multi-media
Can passion for helping a community be the basis for starting a company?
I had lunch the other day with a friend who asked, hypothetically, if I thought passion for helping a community
Bring Your Trade Show Online
You might initially think that trade shows and social media are opposites. One’s an old-fashioned, feet-on-the-floor physical meet and greet,
Even Geeks Take a Pass on Google Glass
In our May issue of the Carabiner Communications newsletter, we feature a number of articles alongside Peter Baron’s recent blog
The Entrepreneur and the Jedi Mind Trick Selfie
Unless your geek quotient is low, you know that a Jedi mind trick uses powerful suggestion to influence and control
Didn’t Attend Digital Summit 2014? Here’s the Digital Download!
I just got back from Digital Summit 2014 in Atlanta, which is coined as “the event where industry leaders and
Avoiding Online Image Copyright Issues
We all know that images – photos, graphics, even animated GIFs – can significantly up the appeal of websites,blogs and
Can You Tell Your Story as Well as Your Customers Can?
Carabiner recently developed a case study to serve as a basis for marketing outreach on a client’s behalf. The task
In Lockstep with LinkedIn Showcase Pages
On April 14, 2014, LinkedIn will remove the Products & Services tab from all Company Pages, in favor of presenting
Best Practices for Content Marketing
Content marketing is a super buzzword these days, but do you absolutely know what it is? And how it’s different
Hands-on Science Laboratory at Georgia World Congress Center
If you’re like most people, your most vivid memory of science class in high school is dissecting a frog. For
Treating the Customer as an Individual
In my year-end blog post, I predicted that 2014 would be the year of the great marketing U-turn – the
#SoCon14 Mash Up: Lessons Learned from the Southeast’s Largest Social Media Un-Conference
For the sixth year running, Carabiner was out in full force at SoCon, the Southeast’s largest social media “un-conference.” At
Is LinkedIn’s New Publishing Feature Right For You?
LinkedIn is the ultimate networking platform for professionals. But many think of it primarily as a platform for promoting their
Is Media Relations a Dying Breed?
We are often asked this question here at our agency, particularly by our clients who are budgeting their PR and
Crowdfunding: Is Entrepreneurial Acceleration Headed Our Way?
The more I look into crowdfunding, specifically the coming of equity crowdfunding, the more I’m intrigued by the democratization of
No Free Lunch: The Importance of Paid Social Media
It couldn’t last forever. Social media has finally grown up and realized it had to get a real job. What
Three Tips for Creating More Effective Surveys
Online surveys can be used to achieve many objectives, from engaging audiences and driving website traffic to collecting valuable insights
Going forward, we’ll realize that “marketing automation” is really “marketing assistance”
In my December blog post, I predicted that 2014 would be the year of the great marketing U-turn. My third
B2B Content Calendar Planning: Let Thoughtful, Fun Ideas Be Your Guide
Congratulations! It’s mid-January and you made it not only through the holiday rush, but also survived the impact of re-entry
New Year, Better Organization: Does Your Business Need an Intranet?
Outside of client related activities, I spent a large portion of 2013 dedicated to the creation of our agency’s first
Get Social or Go Home! 2014 Essentials for Your B2B Strategy
A recent Fast Company story on social media trends got me thinking about the companies we serve here at Carabiner,
My 2014 Prediction: The Great Marketing U-Turn
What’s a blog without year-end predictions? After Dana took her turn in our last post, I peered into the Carabiner
Three PR and Marketing Trends for 2014
We’re nearing the end of another year, which gets us all thinking about what changes 2014 might bring. While I
Grateful
My immersion in Atlanta’s technology scene started over 20 years ago, and during that time I’ve had unique opportunities to
Are You Thankful for Your Content Strategy?
It’s that time of year again when most of us reflect on the things for which we are thankful, such
Got Deadline Drama?
Deadlines are part of life. Here are three steps for surviving them and making them less of a hassle. No
Want More Success Transforming Leads into Revenue? Personalize the Experience
I’m seeing first-hand that B2B buyers’ expectations are changing. Driven by the fact that they are and will forever remain
Venture Atlanta: Heavyweights Declare Us Among the Top Five U.S. Startup Cities
I posted last month about the Venture Atlanta Entrepreneur’s Reception as a preview to this year’s Venture Atlanta event, held
Are You Throwing Away Media Hits Like a Half-Eaten Banana? Five Quick Tips to Get Maximum Content Value
Back in the days of yore – you know, the late ‘90s – I was an intern for a corporate
New Survey Reveals Impact of Content Marketing on B2B Brands
The latest report on content marketing for B2B companies finds that 93 percent of these organizations rely on content marketing
The Direct Line between Compelling Content and Short-Term Growth
I recently talked with execs at a company that had just received a healthy dose of financing. These good people
Open. Click. Bounce
What do your email marketing metrics say about your newsletter's success? Are you average? Above average? It seems there’s always
Gamifying Your Website: Attracting Leads and Keeping Them There Can Be Fun!
No matter whether you’re trying to get your kids to eat their vegetables or motivate your company’s website visitors to
Presenting to Investors: It’s What They Need to Hear, Not What You Want to Say
Last Thursday evening, I attended the Venture Atlanta Entrepreneur’s Reception, thrown by Silicon Valley Bank for the 32 entrepreneurial CEOs
How Well Does Your Agency Listen to You?
Just recently, I was in the market for a new car – or more specifically, a “new to me” car:
B2B Video: It’s Not About Going Viral – It’s About Being Relevant
As far back as 2008, online video for marketing was “trending” as becoming an important medium. Five years later, the
8 Websites for Startups to Get Free Publicity
Every new company knows that exposure is vital to business success. Without it, your customers and other stakeholders, such as
Congrats – You’ve Posted Your Latest Blog! Now What?
Finally. You’ve finished your latest blog post and uploaded it to the web. So you high-five your nearest co-worker, scratch
Google Debuts New Gmail Categorization Feature, But Is It Curtains For Your Company’s Marketing Emails?
Earlier this year, Google began rolling out its new email categorization functionality for Gmail. Using new Inbox tabs, messages are
Tips for Increasing the Value of Marketing Infographics
By their very nature, infographics – graphic visual representations of information, data or knowledge – make for great content in
Blogging Made Easier – Four Ways to Keep Content Fresh Without Killing Yourself
By now, we all know the benefits of blogging: engaging with audiences, developing thought leadership, getting regular website hits and
Creating Stronger Connections with Customers and Delivering an Outstanding Customer Experience
What do you really know about your customers? Not just as buyers of your products or services, but as people?
How To Create Customer Connections That Keep Them Smiling
I recently shared some thoughts on how many companies, at least at the time of their initial launch, don’t always
National Small Business Week Panel Offers Tips for Managing Online Reputation
We just wrapped up another annual National Small Business Week sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration, and while there
Social Media – Key Marketing Tactic for Staying Competitive
Carabiner’s Director of New Media, Kathy Cabrera, interviews Marva Bailer of IBM’s NA Smarter Planet Industry Leader Software Group (on
Build Your Brand to Grow Your Business (And What Hollywood Can Teach Us About Creating a Customer Experience)
In an increasingly crowded marketplace, branding is more important than ever. Not only do we want customers to be aware
Atlanta’s Startup Community Embraces Enterprising Youth
Like many of you, I attended a standing-room only Startup Day Atlanta last week. Flashpoint and Hypepotamus were the sponsors
“I’ve Got News!” Series: How to Select and Use a Wire Distribution Service for Press Releases
Our friends at Venture Atlanta invited us to submit a guest blog series to break down the options available to
Not All Customers Are Created Equal: Four Tools for New Brands to Find the Right Buyers
Over the years I’ve had the opportunity to watch as well as take part in the launch of hundreds of
Five Insider Tips for Maximizing Corporate Blogs
According to HubSpot, companies that blog 15 or more times per month get five times more traffic than companies that
Atlanta’s Tech Scene: Still Young and Cool After All These Years
The TAG Business Launch Competition is always fun for me. I love to see the great new companies compete pitch-for-pitch
Social Media: The Fundamental B2B Customer Engagement Tool
One of the most powerful ways I use social media in my personal life is to stay engaged with my nieces
Three Tenets of Client Service
Whenever I’m in the Starbucks near my home, I often take note of a sign it has displayed. I’m paraphrasing,
The Art and Science of Earning Leads
Judging by the conversations we are having with clients and prospects lately, lead generation is top of mind with many
New Social Media Marketing Report Highlights Challenges; Most Effective Tactics
A new report reveals insights into the social media strategies of nearly 700 B2B and B2C companies around the world.
SoCon13: Highlights and Key Takeaways for B2B Business Owners
Several Carabiners attended this year’s SoCon, the Southeast’s longest-running social media conference. The event included an interactive keynote panel of