In this new era of evolving technology, we have come to see a dramatic increase in the amount of people turning to their smartphones, iPads, or tablets for entertainment.
Studies have shown that rather than grabbing a snack, or engaging in small talk during a commercial break, consumers are increasingly turning to a new ritual: surfing their devices.
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As B2B marketers, we look at our audience differently. Our decision makers aren’t choosing a brand of chips for lunch – they’re deciding which customized software solution is right for their entire department or company. Now, I know that’s a bit of an exaggerated comparison. But let’s assume the purchase is larger. Maybe I’d like to buy an expensive camera for hobby use.
It’s a big commitment, so I am asking some of the same questions that I would if I was making a business decision:
But this is a personal decision. So I am also thinking about how the product will make me feel. I am remembering an ad I saw recently where a couple was hiking in the Himalayas with their camera and their photographs were perfect. Not only that, but they seemed really happy. I can see myself happier with this product. I will travel more. I will be more creative.
If I were purchasing this for business use, my emotions wouldn’t factor in to the decision, (or so the traditional thinking goes). I’d skip right from bullet three above into asking how others in my company would use the camera, how it fit into our overall budget for the year, etc.
In B2B, we are very comfortable focusing marketing efforts around product benefits and case studies, and not so much on triggering client emotions. However, in a recent Ad Age article, Keith Navratil highlights the importance of remembering that company decision-makers are not simply businesses incarnate.
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As we settle into the new year, there are already some standout companies doing exciting things in the world of marketing. Forbes has outlined what marketing disruptors to watch out for, and how they’re pushing the envelope in 2014 and beyond. Here are some of those companies.
One of the most popular custom sponsored content campaigns that we ran last year was for SuccessFactors. The topic was 2014 HR Trends. It began with a sponsored survey, which drew responses from over 300+ HR professionals. We then compiled results into a branded report, which was promoted as a free download to our HR Daily Advisor audience of more than 240,000+ subscribers, and through our social media channels. You can check out the report and the branded landing page that gathered registrations here.
Following the release of the report results, we created a branded infographic to highlight the responses of readers about the use of social media in HR functions. The infographic was distributed to our HR network, and was also picked up by number of external sites and blogs. Here’s just a sample:
Check out the infographic below. If you’re interested in partnering with us for custom content, just let us know. We’ll work with you on an integrated campaign that’s engaging for readers…and right for your company.
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This summer, workplace safety leaders and experts will converge in Atlanta to discuss practical guidance for overcoming the latest safety management challenges. Discussions will focus on how to leverage new mobile devices and multimedia platforms to manage and communicate safety, new technologies and methods to “design” safety in to the work space, how to meet new hazard communication standards under GHS, protecting employees from heat stress, and much more.
The 2014 BLR Safety Summit is sponsored by Bulwark, Kimberly-Clark, Milliken Amplitude®, Milliken, and Scott Safety. If you are interested in presenting your product or service to top professionals, become a 2014 sponsor. For more information, contact: Rafael Cardoso 860-510-0100, Ext. 2278, or email rcardoso@blr.com.
The folks over at London-based design studio, Vitamins came up with an amazing solution to a problem that we all have: organizing and updating calendars. Here at BLR Media, whether we’re managing schedules or planning campaigns, we rely heavily on calendars. That’s why we were so impressed to see this LEGO solution that is tactile, visual, and surprise…online ready.
We’re already big fans of the LEGO Group. Their U.S. headquarters is only about an hour away from our Connecticut office, and their HR group was mentioned in one of our recent sponsored articles here.
For Vitamins, the LEGO bricks show project (by color) and periods of time (each brick represents half a day of time). When the calendar is updated with LEGO bricks, it can be easily captured with a photo and distributed to employees. Vitamin’s software scans the image and translates it into calendar information that syncs with google calendar.
That’s pretty cool.
The best part is that Vitamins plans to release their programming code so that soon other businesses can use this same idea. Find out more about Vitamins here.
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Welcome to BLR Media! We’re proud to share our new site with you. BLR Media is the advertising division of BLR®—Business & Legal Resources, a well-known provider of legal and regulatory compliance information products and services to U.S. employers for more than thirty-five years.
BLR Media offers advertisers to target professionals in key industries such as HR, Employment Law, Safety, Environmental, Compensation, and Training. Our popular daily e-newsletters reach 600,000+ subscribers.
Please take a look around, and contact us if you have any questions!
