The BL[OZ]

Even the most well-crafted content can sometimes fail to deliver the results you want. As our world gets more digital, it’s not uncommon for businesses to pour money and time into creating high-quality content, blogs, videos, social media posts, and eye-catching designs, only to find that their efforts don’t connect with their target audience or drive results. In most cases, this isn't a reflection of the campaign's quality, but a sign that it simply doesn't align with the company's "big picture" and goals. Consider this: A company puts together an insightful blog post packed with valuable information and engaging visuals or an expert educational webinar. The problem is, if that campaign isn’t aligned with the brand’s broader marketing goals and strategy or tailored to the specific needs and behaviors of its audience, it’s likely to miss the mark. Without a strategic framework guiding planning, production, and distribution, even the best campaign can get lost in the noise of the internet, failing to generate traffic, engagement, or conversions. Your campaign could have all the right elements in place - compelling storytelling, high production values, and a strong call to action, but without the strategic groundwork, it is likely to struggle to achieve meaningful results.

Why Often Misses the Mark?

Creating digital content that truly connects with your audience is no small feat. The landscape is crowded, the competition is intense, and audiences are more critical than ever. While many businesses pour resources into content creation, they find that their efforts do not translate into engagement or conversions. Most of the time, it's just a lack of alignment between content and the organization's overall business goals. Without a clear, strategic framework, content can become scattered, inconsistent, and ultimately ineffective. This is exactly why companies should consider stepping back to take a broader view. Rather than rushing ahead with the next campaign or content piece, a strategic pause to reassess and realign can be incredibly valuable. This is the essence of the discovery and study processes, a strategic approach that will build a solid foundation for your digital marketing campaign.  

Understanding the Study Process

The primary aim of the Study process is to provide a focused analysis of your current digital marketing efforts. It’s about taking a step back and evaluating what’s working and what isn’t, allowing for strategic adjustments that enhance performance. This process is ideal for annual strategy reviews, specific campaign assessments, or when there’s a need to refresh the approach to your digital marketing.

What It Achieves?

The Study process delivers actionable insights that help fine-tune your digital strategy. By concentrating on specific areas, such as target audience engagement, campaign effectiveness, or digital content performance, the Study process allows businesses to make data-driven decisions that improve ROI. It helps you understand where your content may be falling short and offers concrete steps to address these issues.

How It’s Done?

• Initial Consultation: In-depth session to clarify your business’s current digital marketing objectives and identify the key areas that require attention.
• Targeted Research: Assessing the performance of specific campaigns, audience engagement metrics, and the effectiveness of your content in driving desired outcomes.
• Strategy Refinement: Adjust and optimize existing strategies based on findings.
• Implementation and Monitoring: Monitoring and tweaking the revised strategy as needed.

Example: A company uses the Study process for an annual strategy review, identifying gaps in campaign performance and refining their approach to improve results.

Exploring the Discovery Process

The Discovery process offers a broader, more comprehensive approach to digital strategy development. It’s designed for businesses that are launching new brands, undergoing a rebrand, or expanding into new markets. The Discovery process is about building a solid strategy that aligns with long-term business goals and keeps consistency across all digital channels. The Discovery process offers a deep dive into your brand’s identity, your market, and your audience. It provides a holistic understanding of your brand’s digital landscape. It uncovers opportunities for differentiation, identifies potential challenges, and sets a strategic direction that makes sure all digital efforts are aligned with your overarching business goals. One of the unique offerings of the Discovery process is the development of a visual language for your digital activities. This component ensures that your brand communicates consistently and effectively across all platforms, enhancing brand recognition and coherence, which is not typically included in the Study process. The goal is to develop a strategy that meets immediate needs as well as positions your brand for long-term success. This process is particularly beneficial for companies preparing for major changes, such as a new brand launch or market expansion.

How It’s Done?

• Kick-off Meeting: Clarify goals and challenges.
• Comprehensive Research and Analysis: A thorough examination of the market, competitors, and internal capabilities. Key activities include identifying Buyer Personas, conducting a Competitive Digital Analysis, and performing a detailed SEO review.
• Digital Strategy Development: Based on the research insights, a full-scale digital strategy is formulated. This includes defining content pillars, creating a media plan, and developing creative visual guidelines that ensure brand consistency across all platforms.
• Presentation and Implementation: Once approved, the strategy is implemented, with ongoing support to ensure its success.

Example: A company undergoing rebranding uses Discovery to align its digital presence with its new identity, resulting in a cohesive and impactful digital strategy.

Why Discovery Is the Better Choice?

While both the Study and Discovery processes offer valuable insights and strategic direction, the Discovery process stands out as the more comprehensive and long-term solution. Here’s why Discovery might be the better choice for most businesses: Long-Term Strategic Value Discover aims to build a digital strategy that will serve your business for years to come, not just address immediate needs. By conducting thorough research and analysis, the Discovery process helps you create a strong, adaptable strategy that can evolve with your business. This long-term focus is particularly valuable in today’s fast-paced digital environment, where trends and technologies are constantly changing. Comprehensive Insights Unlike the Study process, which offers a more focused review, the Discovery process provides a holistic view of your digital strategy. This includes everything from a detailed SEO review to the development of creative visual language guidelines. These insights are crucial for making sure that all aspects of your digital presence. From content to design, everything is aligned with your brand's goals. Flexibility and Customization One of the key benefits of the Discovery process is its flexibility. The process can be adjusted to your specific needs - whether you’re launching a new product line, rebranding, entering a new market, or looking to create a unified visual identity for your campaigns. This customization helps make sure that your digital program is relevant, consistent, and effective.     With the digital marketing arena being so fast-paced, it’s easy to get caught up in the rush to produce content and launch campaigns. Taking the time to reassess your digital strategy allows you to see what’s really working and where you might need to adjust course. It’s not simply about tweaking a campaign here or there, but rather making sure that every piece of content you create is connected to your broader goals and truly resonates with your audience. Whether you’re considering the focused approach of the Study process or the more comprehensive Discovery process, this strategic pause is crucial so your content doesn’t just reach your audience—it makes an impact.    

Imagine a ballerina trying to dance with one hand tied behind her back. That’s how it often feels during a branding process at a medical company. The marketing team wants to fly high, while the regulatory team wants to keep your feet firmly on the ground, ensuring you comply with every sentence, word, and letter. There are no good guys or bad guys in this story. It’s simply about complexities of a different magnitude that your brand needs to successfully navigate. It's a story about a road not yet taken.  

When the journey takes an unexpected turn

During branding strategy kick-off meetings, we take a deep dive into your product, technology, and service.  We’re looking for a fresh perspective, a promise not yet made, a story yet to be told. At this point, we get excited as we hear about groundbreaking technologies, solutions, and life-enhancing, life-prolonging products. Our jaws drop. With this WOW feeling, we continue the learning process in which we talk to customers, analyze the competition, and create a multi-participant meeting within the company to fine-tune its significant and differentiated strengths and generate outstanding benefits for its customers. As the process continues, we begin to understand the regulatory limitations. Suddenly, “Cinderella”, your extraordinary technology is being held back by regulatory limitations and is covered with “soot”.  

Understanding limitations and optimizing capabilities

During the process, we’ve heard “It’s a given” or “It's powerful, but I can't confirm it" more times than we can count. Responses like these made us understand there must be a better way.  That’s how our new module was born. It’s placed right at the beginning of the branding strategy process, which sets the stage for an open and guided dialogue between marketing and regulatory early on.

Challenging the norms

This dialogue is about helping the marketing team to understand the limitations in depth, and for the regulatory team to delve into the marketing team’s needs. It’s an authentic dialogue that creates a space to carry out activities that weren’t possible before. Understanding the precise needs opens up new perspectives and enables solutions within the boundaries of regulations. We understand the importance of compliance, but our experience shows that there are many degrees of freedom that are not being tested.

It’s not about overstepping the bounds of the approved claims, but we also don’t want to take a step backward in the name of conservatism.

Sometimes it's a matter of overall wording, sometimes it's just changing one word. It's the little things that make a big difference. Stopping to ask questions often gives you a competitive advantage. Sometimes, there won’t be any flexibility in the claims you make, but at least you’ll know that you’ve turned over every stone.  

Structured and managed conflicts are an opportunity

Remember, whoever sits at the decision-making table wants the company to succeed and do the best they can. Inherently, conflict is not a negative; it can also be an opportunity. Don't let emotions run the process. As we often say, “Don’t be right, be smart!” As with every relationship where there’s an inherent conflict, there’s great value in professional guidance to create the conditions for a productive dialogue. To meet this need, we’ve created a special collaboration between OZ Global B2B and Leap, led by Moran Faibish, who has extensive experience in leading marketing in global medical companies. Moran has hands-on experience in bridging the gap between marketing and regulations to create deep and unique brand promises — promises that aren’t possible without providing an informed and professional framework that enables constructive communication.

Play smart

The more we play smart within the regulatory limits to make the most of your claims, the more we can create a differentiated value proposition that more accurately reflects your breakthrough technology. This is how your brand will shine. We’ll be there every step of the way to guide the process, refine the messaging, and make sure your “WOW” comes through loud and clear. If you’ve nodded your head while reading this, it’s time for us to talk.    

But first, a disclaimer: My name is Rivi, and I'm a proud Zionist (I believe in the Jews' right to self-determine in their ancestral homeland).

In recent years, while immersed in the online world of Hasbara, I’ve witnessed firsthand the challenges of representing Israel's narrative in a vast digital landscape. With Jews comprising just 0.2% of the global population, our voice can easily be drowned out in the maelstrom of social media.

This blog post examines a fascinating case study in digital activism: how a simple fruit emoji became a battleground for narrative control. We'll explore the marketing strategies at play and their implications for Israel's online presence. While we analyze these tactics objectively, our goal is to empower pro-Israeli voices in this ever-evolving digital dialogue.

At the end of this blog, you'll find actionable recommendations on supporting content creators who are amplifying Israel's perspective in the online world.

The Roots of a Symbol

As we approach National Watermelon Day on August 3rd, let's slice into a juicy marketing tale that's more complex than meets the eye. It's the story of how a simple fruit emoji became a powerful symbol in one of the world's most enduring conflicts. The roots of this story begin back in the 1960s, when the watermelon, with its colors reminiscent of the Palestinian flag, became a covert symbol of Palestinian identity. Palestinian activists used the watermelon imagery in graffiti and posters, primarily because in 1967, Israel passed a law prohibiting the raising or display of Palestinian flags (which had been canceled, during the Oslo Accords in the 1990s). The watermelon became a symbol of political resistance, and if we fast-forward to today's digital age, this symbol has found new life as an emoji, skillfully wielded by pro-Palestinian activists in their online narratives.

A Clever Marketing Strategy

But here's where it gets interesting from a marketing perspective: the use of the watermelon emoji isn't just a random choice. It's a clever strategy that serves multiple purposes:

1. Bypassing Algorithms: By using an innocuous fruit emoji, activists can often fly under the radar of content moderation systems. It's a digital sleight of hand that marketers call "Algospeak."
2. Viral Potential: Emojis are the universal language of the internet. They're easy to use, easy to share, and can convey complex emotions and ideas in a single character. It's virality in its purest form.
3. Continuity of Message: By adapting a historical symbol to modern digital platforms, the pro-Palestinian movement maintains a consistent narrative across generations. It's brand continuity at its finest.

The Israeli Perspective

Yet every story has another side. In Israel, where watermelons are a staple of hot summers and where the country produces a whopping 140,000 tons annually, this digital co-opting hasn't gone unnoticed. Enter the counter-narrative: Pro-Israeli social media users have begun their own campaign to reclaim the watermelon emoji. It's not about fruit anymore; it's about identity, representation, and the power of symbols in the digital age. Some Israeli users have started adding emojis of the Israeli flag, watermelon, and yellow ribbon (for the hostages) to their usernames, while others are creating actual content around watermelons: recipe videos, which are inherently popular on social media, featuring watermelons with the Israeli flag proudly displayed in the background. Other users (typically younger ones) are simply riding existing trends, adding watermelon eating to dances, trendy sounds, and more. Some have gone as far as creating simple online games centered around watermelons, while pro-Israeli creators are directly addressing the appropriation of the watermelon as a Palestinian symbol, calling it an unfounded act.

Marketing Insights from the Emoji Wars This digital tug-of-war offers fascinating insights for marketers:

1. The Power of Symbols: Who knew a fruit could carry so much meaning? It reminds us that in the right context, even the simplest symbols can convey complex messages.
2. The Importance of Proactive Strategies: The pro-Israeli response underscores the need for brands to be vigilant about their symbols and ready to reclaim them if necessary.
3. Authenticity Matters: The most effective responses are those rooted in genuine cultural connections. Israel's agricultural tie to watermelons provides an authentic base for their counter-narrative.
4. David vs. Goliath in the Digital Age: The pro-Palestinian digital presence significantly outnumbers the pro-Israeli one. It's a reminder that in the world of digital marketing, it's not always about who's loudest, yet sometimes it is.

Beyond Emojis: The Real-World Impact

While we engage in digital discourse, let's not forget the real-world stakes. Our brave soldiers are fighting daily to protect our nation and bring our hostages home. This online 'battle' is more than just emojis and trends; it's our way of supporting Israel's narrative on the global stage. As we participate in these digital efforts, we stand united with those on the front lines, showcasing the resilience and spirit of the Israeli people. Every post, every share, is a small act of solidarity that contributes to our national strength and resolve. In this digital age, we all have a role to play in supporting our country and its values.

Conclusion: The Power of Digital Symbols

This National Watermelon Day, as we enjoy this summer fruit, let's also appreciate the complex world of digital symbolism it represents. It's a world where marketers, activists, and everyday users are constantly innovating, adapting, and yes, sometimes battling, in the ever-evolving landscape of online communication. After all, in the grand fruit bowl of digital marketing, the watermelon has proven it's not just a seasonal favorite – it's a year-round player in the game of global narratives.   Join the Digital Movement Want to show some love to Israeli content creators this Watermelon Day? Here are a few ways you can contribute: 1. Follow prominent Pro-Israeli content creators: Adiel - TikTok Instagram Montana Tucker – Instagram TikTok Baby Ariel - TikTok Instagram Michael Rapaport – Instagram Tiktok Daniel Ryan Spaulding - Instagram TikTok Mia - TikTok Instagram Stop antisemitism – TikTok 2. Like and share posts featuring the "Hebrew Watermelon": instagram instagram tiktok tiktoK tiktok tiktok tiktok tiktok tiktok 3. Feeling creative? Use this trending TikTok sound to make your own Watermelon Day video: Tiktok   Remember, this upcoming Watermelon Day might see increased pro-Palestinian activity on social media. For those of us who are pro-Israel and want to contribute, the methods mentioned above are a great way to start. Every like, share, and post counts in this digital age of narrative shaping. Let's make our voices heard while remembering the real battles being fought and the importance of standing united for Israel.

Building a new brand or giving an existing brand a facelift, is a golden opportunity to create a one-of-a-kind standout brand promise that will make a difference in the world. Building a significant brand is complex, but B2B brands bring a whole level of complexity that simply doesn’t exist in the B2C world. Decision-making processes are lengthy, decision-makers come and go, and increasingly, the decision-makers are Gen Y and Gen Z. The road to the end user is paved with importers, distributors, and dealers. The orientation of most of the people you are working with is engineering or sales. Your brand needs to make its way into everyone's hearts on the long and winding road ahead. From time to time, I still hear that "in the business world, people make rational decisions." In my experience, people are people even when they sit in the decision-making chair. Their considerations are professional, business, and personal and the brand needs to touch all these points

A meaningful brand must be relevant, differentiated, and inspired

1. Be relevant

Before you begin, define your audience. Unlike launching a product line that appeals to distinct customers, a B2B brand speaks to a wide range of audiences – existing and potential customers, employees and candidates, investors, suppliers, opinion leaders, and influencers.

However, you operate in a very specific world, so finetune the audience that interests you and create circles of influence. Who is in the first circle and who is in the more distant circles? The brand needs to speak directly and accurately to members of the first circle and still be relevant to other circles.

To be relevant, you need to know your audience, what their challenges are, and where you can help them deal with their challenges well. To motivate people, we must touch their “operating” buttons, speak their language, and solve the problems that bother them. We want to sell them what they want to buy and not what we want to sell — even if it's the same thing.

2. Build a differentiated value proposition

To build a differentiated value proposition, start with A, B, and C: Assets, Benefits, and Core Values. Assets – What are your biggest assets? What strengths are you most proud of? Make a list of the things you're best at – unique patented technology, people with unique knowledge, exceptional support and service, and more. Make sure that every strength that makes up your list is grounded in reality, and not an aspiration for something you'd like to have. From the list, extract the three most significant strengths. As much as possible, select those that differentiate you from the competition. Benefits –Step into your customers' shoes and think about what they get out of your strengths. This is where you ensure that you provide professional benefits that help them upgrade their professional field; business benefits that contribute to their business performance; and no less important, personal benefits. Ultimately, everything is personal simply — because people want to make sure that choosing you promotes their reputation within the organization. Core Values – Brand values are always important, but even more so in the B2B world. People are an integral part of your value proposition – whoever defines the specifications with the customer, develops, sells, installs or integrates, provides service and support – all these and more bring the brand to life. They must follow a uniform set of values to ensure that they deliver the benefits to the customer and subsequently deliver on the brand promise. If the company was founded recently, the values may be naturally infused into the brand. If the company is alive and kicking, the values are usually passed down over the years. Make sure the values reflect the company's DNA.

There's nothing new under the sun You may find that your competitors have an asset, benefit, or value that appears to be similar to yours. However, the combination of assets, benefits, and values must be unique to your company. That's why starting with unique assets and formulating benefits that address your clients' deep and diverse needs is important.

The more you get to know your clients, the more likely you will produce differentiated benefits. This is another opportunity for differentiation: your founders, owners, and significant employees are the unique spirit that makes your company what it is.

3. Bring inspiration to life with a promise

To make sure your brand inspires you and everyone you meet, go back to your vision. The thing that fascinated you when you started your business or that attracted you to join the company. The reason you get up in the morning and go to work. The North Star lights the way for you, even on days when visibility is poor. Your vision is an ambitious statement that describes what your organization ultimately wants to be. Spoiler alert: you're not supposed to get it, you’re supposed to aspire to reach it. As Aviv Geffen put it, " The moon is so high up there that we can't touch it, and there are some who are still trying.” Your vision is there to lift you high above your daily activities and inspire you.

Building or refreshing a brand is a strategic task

Don’t cut corners. Enjoy the journey as much as the destination. Get as many people involved in the process as possible to make everyone feel a part of it. This is how to make them the best ambassadors for your brand.

Formulating a brand strategy is an extremely important and complex process, but it’s only the beginning. From now on, the entire organization has to fulfill it, to bring the brand into the lives of those who experience it exactly as you intended. In the B2B world, your brand will touch a lot of people for many years to come. Make sure that everyone has the same experience, irrespective of the language they speak.

A brand is a promise. A strong brand is a promise that is fulfilled every day in every encounter between the brand and the world.

Digital marketing is crucial for B2B companies to effectively reach their target audience, generate leads, make data-driven decisions, and stay competitive in the market. However, while most B2B businesses see the need for digital marketing, they don’t necessarily have the team, tools, or budget to handle it in-house.

Digital Marketing as a Service (DMaaS) is a model that works

As an on-demand model, DMaaS allows your company to access a wide range of digital marketing expertise, tools, and resources without hiring and maintaining an in-house marketing team. While digital marketing toolboxes, tactics, and strategies differ according to client needs, they frequently comprise smart content, webinars, outreach and Account-Based Marketing (ABM), Search Engine Optimization (SEO), sponsored campaigns, and marketing automation to reach target audiences and drive traffic or conversions.

4 great reasons why DMaaS makes sense for your B2B business

1. Access top-tier talent without the overhead costs associated with traditional hires Budget constraints and HR challenges may be standing in the way of hiring an in-house digital marketing manager. DMaaS offers a cost-effective solution, allowing your company to alleviate the burden of recruitment, training, and retention, freeing up your resources to focus on your core business operations.
2. Effectively navigate the complex digital landscape Tap into the expertise of seasoned professionals who possess a comprehensive understanding of digital marketing strategies, tactics, and execution skills that can help you achieve your marketing objectives.
3. Adapt to changing market conditions Your business has to constantly adapt to market needs and business growth. DMaaS has built-in flexibility, allowing your business to scale up or down, based on your changing needs and budget.
4. Set goals, measure results & change the game plan as needed In the dynamic world of digital, the goalposts are constantly changing. By setting key performance indicators (KPIs) and using accessible analytics tools such as those available in HubSpot, you can easily track the success of your marketing campaigns, optimize strategies as needed, and demonstrate the value of using DMaaS services.

Follow the yellow brick road

As a global B2B marketing expert, OZ has spent years building a strong reputation. Digital trends may come and go, but dedication, commitment to success, experience, and professionalism never go out of fashion. At OZ, we believe that long-lasting partnerships are based on deep listening, understanding, and transforming your goals into measurable results. That’s why many of our clients stay with us when they move companies, and why many clients come to us by word of mouth.

Your dedicated digital account manager will be your work BFF

With OZ, your account will be managed by a dedicated digital account manager backed by a multidisciplinary team with expertise in every aspect of digital marketing, and more. Your OZ manager is always backed up by a team comprising a graphic designer, strategist, and content writer. Your OZ manager becomes an integral part of your marketing team, offering full commitment and dedication to your company's goals. It's not just one person, but an entire team of digital experts working behind the scenes to drive your digital marketing success. Every member of the OZ team brings with them a high standard of professionalism and expertise gained from working with numerous B2B companies across various industries.

Boost your bottom line

DMaaS enables you to reach and engage with your target audiences effectively, measure the success of your campaigns with precision, and adapt your strategies in real time based on insights and feedback. It’s there to act as a driving force in your marketing strategy, enabling you to access the resources and expertise required to enhance your brand visibility, attract and retain customers, and drive sustainable growth.  

How to amplify your tradeshow potential – a step-by-step guide

So, you've invested quite a bit in a stunning trade show booth. The team is buzzing with excitement expecting it to be the center of attention. Yet, when the day arrives, the anticipated crowds turn out to be rather scarce. When this happens, you've probably missed a key aspect of trade show preparation - not fully integrating digital marketing into your trade show strategy.

The Challenge: Bridging the Gap to Maximize Potential

Too often, companies focus heavily on their booth's physical setup and ignore the digital engagement that goes with it. This oversight can lead to disappointing foot traffic, missed opportunities, poor engagement with potential customers, and a less effective exhibition as a whole.

The Strategy: A Holistic Approach - Integrating Digital with Physical

Achieving trade show success means thinking beyond the booth. It involves a proactive approach before, during, and after the event to ensure all marketing efforts are harmoniously aligned to maximize your return on investment. Let's explore the steps you can take to make this happen:

Laying the Groundwork: Pre-Show Essentials

Just as the booth and marketing materials are planned months in advance, your digital marketing strategy must follow suit. This helps make sure that every aspect of the exhibition strategy is aligned and optimized for maximum impact. Setting Goals Start by establishing clear objectives:

1.  Increasing brand awareness by strategically utilizing your presence at the expo.
2.  Maximizing traffic to your exhibition booth
3. Creating a database for ongoing engagement and nurturing
4. Defining KPIs - Measuring performance and continuous improvement (eg. Number of campaign impressions, website or landing page visits, email open rate, event participation, and more)

Targeted Messaging Strategy Development: Two months before the trade show, start with a deep dive into your industry's landscape to come up with a marketing concept and message that is both relevant and memorable to your audience. Digital Infrastructure: Make sure you set up a dedicated landing page and integrate a CRM system to effectively collect leads that will allow you to follow up with interested prospects after the event. Ramp-Up Engagement: A month out, it's time to ramp up engagement with targeted ads to raise awareness. It's here that your social media strategy kicks in, building anticipation through ad and email campaigns, regular and engaging social media content, and events so that your physical and digital efforts complement each other seamlessly.

During the Show: Capturing and Engaging

When the trade show is underway, keeping the energy high is crucial. Continuous updates, engaging social media posts and stories, interviews with keynote speakers, and live interactions help keep up the excitement and draw attention and visitors to your booth. You might also want to consider adding interactive presentations and videos that boost visitors' experience, leaving a lasting impression

Building Connections: Post-Show Follow-Up

The interaction doesn’t stop when the show ends the work is only just beginning. The focus now shifts from the show to leveraging the connections you've made. Now's the time to implement a structured follow-up process to keep your brand top of mind for future marketing opportunities. Design and implement targeted follow-up campaigns, using structured email marketing complemented by a strong social media presence to continuously nurture new contacts until they are ready to reach out to you. Last but not least, tracking the results of your campaigns and marketing activities is a must to measure their effectiveness and adjust them accordingly. Be sure that the initial contact was handled and nurtured, and answer customer questions as soon as possible. (more on that another time).

Imagine this: you're scrolling through your social media feed, bombarded with content. Posts whizz by in a blur of colors and text, each fighting for a sliver of your attention. Suddenly, something stops you. A captivating image, a thought-provoking headline, a story that unfolds in a way you haven't seen before. This is the power of a creative concept campaign, uniquely crafted to stand out and resonate deeply. When you think of a targeted product or service marketing campaign, it's not the broad strokes of the brand that should catch the consumer's eye, but the unique twist of the campaign's creative concept. Like various products under a single brand umbrella, each with their unique packaging to highlight different features and appeal to different demographics, every marketing move should also stand out on its own, supported by what we like to call "creative cracking." So, how do you stand out from the crowd and make them stop, read, and want what you offer?

Creative Cracking: The Art of Standing Out

Creative cracking refers to the process of developing a distinctive creative concept that adds a layer of uniqueness and power to your digital marketing campaigns. It's about breaking through the norm, providing a fresh perspective that draws attention and maintains it, and achieving a high rate of engagement. This process is like how different products under the same brand differentiate themselves through packaging. Similarly, each marketing move should encapsulate a distinct message and visual style that communicates its unique value proposition and resonates with specific target audiences. A successful marketing campaign must go beyond the typical visibility of the brand. It must be distinctive in its visual presentation and messaging. This requires a deep understanding of the product's features, qualities, and the demographics it aims to attract. By aligning these elements with a creative concept that pops, the campaign delivers its message with increased impact and memorability.

When to Launch a Creative Concept?

So, how do you know when it's time to invest in a creative concept campaign? Here are a few key moments: • Launching a New Product: Generate excitement and buzz around your latest offering with a campaign that speaks directly to your target audience's needs and desires. • Entering a New Market: As you venture into uncharted territory, a creative concept campaign can help you build brand awareness and establish yourself as a leader in the new space, enhancing your brand recall. • Making a Big Announcement: Whether it's a shift in your industry focus or a strategic partnership, a creative campaign can add weight and memorability to your message.

From Insights to Impact: Our Creative Concept Process

At Oz Global, we understand the power of storytelling real-time marketing. We take a data-driven approach to developing creative concepts, working closely with you to understand your specific needs, target audience, and brand voice. Here's how we do it - Laying the Groundwork: Gathering Information and Formulating Ideas Our approach begins with gathering comprehensive information about your business objectives, the competitive landscape, and your target audience's preferences. This phase is crucial as it lays the groundwork for crafting marketing moves that are not only creative but also strategically aligned with your business goals. Visuals and Messages that Speak Volumes With a clear understanding of your marketing goals and audience insights, we move ahead to shape the visual and narrative elements of your campaign. This involves selecting colors, typography, and imagery that align with the brand's identity while introducing something new and exciting. Continually experimenting and testing directions, before zooming in, selecting, and finetuning the winning concept. And a new creative direction (or two) is born. Concept Ideas: The Survival of the "Fittest" Once you choose the path that best aligns with your vision, we'll get working on crafting an engaging campaign that extends across your channels. From a captivating landing page to eye-catching social media banners, every touchpoint will, from this moment on, speak the same creative language, cementing your brand identity, generating buzz, and driving high-rate engagement. Bringing Creative Concepts to Life After finalizing the design, we bring the creative concept to life across various platforms and touchpoints. Whether it's digital ads, social media content, or physical marketing materials, every element is designed to reflect the unified creative concept, ensuring consistency and boosting brand recall.

Why Creative Concepts are Marketing Gold

To break through the noise and engage professional audiences effectively in B2B marketing, creative concepts are a must. With innovative marketing strategies, that tap into your audience's emotions (emotional appeal), a standard product launch can turn into a compelling business story that lands on the desks of decision-makers. Creative concepts help to raise the perceived value of a product or service and build meaningful connections with your customers, driving conversions and strengthening long-term partnerships. By prioritizing creativity, B2B companies can make sure their marketing efforts are seen, remembered, and acted upon. And don't forget the power of a clear call to action (CTA) during a targeted product or service marketing campaign! Whether it's encouraging a visit to your dedicated landing page, downloading your white paper, or signing up for an upcoming webinar, a strong CTA will ensure your audience knows exactly what you want them to do next.

Your Story, Amplified

Employing a unique creative concept does more than just attract attention, it amps up all your marketing efforts, by - - Standing out: It separates your campaign marketing moves from your ongoing brand marketing programs, helping your campaign stand out. - Boosting Engagement: Adding visually appealing and message-oriented concepts helps make a campaign more memorable and engaging. - Building Long-term Brand Recall: Just as unique packaging can make products memorable, unique creative concepts can help marketing moves linger in the minds of consumers, helping to achieve long-term brand recall.

A Final Thought

For a marketing move to be successful, it needs a strong creative element. In the same way that different products of the same brand thrive in unique packaging, each marketing campaign needs its own creative concept to make sure it speaks directly and powerfully to the target audience. Not only does it boost visibility, it leaves a lasting impression. So, are you ready to break free from the monotonous scroll and make a lasting impact? Let us help you develop a creative concept campaign that gets noticed, remembered, and drives real results.

A content marketer’s job is never done

Constantly creating high-value content is a neverending story — there’s always a new chapter to write. Having created a piece of content, it needs to be repurposed into different media for different marketing channels. It also needs to be managed – the performance of every piece of content needs to be tracked, to see how it’s performing, draw informed conclusions, and new content created that delivers even better results.

The quest for great content

The new hero in the marketer’s quest to create and manage memorable content is Content Hub. It’s the all-in-one AI-powered content marketing software in HubSpot that will help you devise and deliver content to fuel the entire customer journey. As a content specialist, you may already be cringing. Are you about to be made obsolete? Absolutely not! While Content Hub is an exceptionally powerful platform, it’s there to empower you. It requires savvy marketers to make it work to its full capabilities – which ultimately will make your life a lot simpler and help you focus on being creative. Before you roll your eyes, we highly recommend you give it a test run. Trust us, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

What can Content Hub do for you?

In a nutshell, it can help you gear up your marketing strategy and put it into action. You can run and monitor every aspect of your marketing campaigns — creating everything from blog posts, emails, social posts, and more. Let’s dive in and take a look at the key feat

• AI blog post generator-  based on your description of what your blog is about and keywords, it creates a list of editable titles, together with monthly search volume (MSV), difficulty to rank, and keyword intents. Once you’ve selected the title you want, it provides a blog post outline. You have complete flexibility to add paragraph headings, remove those you don’t want, and add talking points. From there, it generates an entire blog ready for you to edit. Here’s when you put your mark on the copy, ensuring it’s on message and speaks your brand’s language. HubSpot is way ahead of you, providing a tool that allows you to define your brand voice using past writing samples. Once you’ve edited the blog to your satisfaction, you can preview it before publishing it. But wait, you need an image!
• AI image generator- simply describe the image you want (e.g. a steaming cup of hot coffee sitting on an office desk with a pair of spectacles beside it), decide on a style, and hit generate. Now, you can crop and edit your royalty-free image in the correct ratio for your blog posts, landing pages, marketing emails, and social posts.
• Blog post narration- with this handy feature, you can easily create audio from your blog content, customizing the tone and human voice before adding it to your blog or using it for different channels.
• AI language translation- translate your blog into multiple languages with a click. Voilà! Votre traduction est prête.

Drum roll, please! Killer feature coming up

Probably the most exciting tool in the Content Hub toolbox is Content Remix, which allows you to repurpose your content for multiple channels and formats in just a few clicks. Blink and it’s done. Here too, your sharp eye, copywriting chops, and editing muscles will come into play as you tweak the content until it’s just right.

But that’s not all…

Much like the shopping channel, there really is more! You can also create podcasts, smart content, landing pages and forms, CTAs, chatbots, and live chat. With HubSpot’s App Marketplace, you can create video content, engaging web experiences, and compelling design assets.

What happens the day after you unleash your content to the world?

You can easily track the performance of every piece of content you create, so you can leverage what’s working and drop what’s not.

MVP or VIP?

That brings us back to our original question: Is HubSpot's Content Hub the most valuable player of your content marketing team? Our experience shows that it can be a very important player greasing your content wheels —with you in the driver’s seat to define the strategy and goals, refine the messaging, customize it to your brand, and add those crucial finishing touches. It’s a valuable addition to the HubSpot platform that can simplify and streamline both the creation and management of your company’s content. Ready to give it a try? Ask our HubSpot expert for a demo.

Are you overwhelmed by the relentless pace of digital marketing and the constant need for SEO optimization? Imagine if you could put some of those tasks on autopilot. That's where Make (formerly Integromat) comes into play, offering a way to supercharge your SEO strategies with automation. Let's delve into seven automation strategies that can not only save you precious time but also improve your website's standing in search engine results.

1. Competitor Analysis Automation

Imagine having a secret window into your competitors' strategies, giving you the upper hand. By automating the tracking of their blog updates, keyword usage, and SEO maneuvers, you're essentially doing just that. It's like playing a strategic game where you're always one move ahead, nimbly navigating through the ever-changing landscape of digital competition. For Example: Automatically tracking a competitor’s blog updates and keyword changes.

How-to:

1. Set Up Triggers: Use RSS feeds or webhooks to monitor competitor blogs or websites.
2. Extract Key Data: Use Make scenarios to automatically extract new content details such as titles, keywords, and descriptions.
3. Analyze Changes: Use SEO tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs to analyze any new keywords or strategies they're employing.
4. Send Reports: Configure Make to send periodic reports with this data to your email or Slack.

2. Streamlined Local SEO Management

Streamlining your local SEO tasks, like keeping Google My Business listings up to date and monitoring reviews, can make a big difference in how you rank locally. Automation takes the heavy lifting out of the equation, making sure your local presence is both accurate and compelling without constant manual oversight. For Example: Updating and monitoring Google My Business listings for multiple locations.

How-to:

1. Connect to Local SEO Tools: Integrate with tools like Moz Local or Yext.
2. Automate Updates: Set up processes to automatically update listings with new hours, photos, or responses to reviews.
3. Monitor Reviews: Get alerts for new reviews to respond quickly.
4. Reporting: Generate regular reports on listing performance and local search rankings.

3. Image Optimization on Auto-Pilot

Automating the optimization of images on your website can significantly boost page performance. Faster loading times not only enhance the user experience—a key SEO factor—but also free up your time to focus on other aspects of your website. For example: Automatically optimizing images uploaded to your CMS. What can I do?

1. Monitor New Uploads: Set up a trigger for when new images are uploaded to your CMS.
2. Connect to an Image Optimization Tool: Use services like TinyPNG or Kraken.io within Make.
3. Optimize and Replace: Automatically optimize the images and replace the originals with the optimized versions on your site.

4. Efficient Content Research - Capitalize on Trending Topics

Automating your content research can keep you ahead of the curve. By pulling in trending topics from social media and news outlets, you can craft content that truly speaks to your audience and attracts more visitors, all while saving time on manual research. For Example: Gathering trending topics from social media and news feeds. What can I do?

1. Set Up Social Media Triggers: Monitor keywords and hashtags on platforms like Twitter or Reddit.
2. Integrate with News Aggregators: Use tools like Feedly to pull in trending topics.
3. Collect and Analyze Data: Aggregate this data for analysis to identify popular subjects.
4. Generate Content Ideas: Use this data to inform your content creation strategy.

5. Automated SERP Analysis - Monitor Your Keyword Success

Automated SERP analysis allows you to monitor your keyword rankings effortlessly. This ongoing oversight offers crucial insights, enabling you to tweak and enhance your SEO strategies for better results, without the need for constant manual checks. For Example - Monitoring search engine result pages for selected keywords.

What can I do?

1. Use SEO Tools: Integrate with tools like Moz or Ahrefs.
2. Set Keyword Triggers: Monitor specific keywords and get updates on their SERP rankings.
3. Analyze Data: Collect data on rankings, featured snippets, and other SERP features.
4. Adjust Your Strategy: Use these insights to refine your SEO strategy.

6. Proactive Broken Link Management - Maintain a Healthy Website

By automatically detecting and fixing broken links, you're ensuring your website remains navigable and SEO-friendly. This kind of proactive management keeps your site in top shape, enhancing both the user experience, and your SEO profile with minimal effort on your part. For Example: Regularly scanning your website for broken links.

What can I do?

1. Schedule Regular Scans: Use tools like Screaming Frog or Broken Link Checker.
2. Integrate with Your Website: Connect these tools to your CMS.
3. Automate Notifications: Set up alerts for when broken links are found.
4. Quick Repair: Use these alerts to promptly fix or replace broken links.

7. Social Media Engagement Tracking - Understand Your Audience Better

Automatically tracking your social media engagement gives you a clearer picture of what resonates with your audience. This insight allows you to adjust your content and SEO strategies to better align with audience preferences, streamlining your efforts for more effective engagement. Example: Analyzing engagement on your social media posts.

How-to:

1. Connect to Social Platforms: Integrate with platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn.
2. Gather Engagement Data: Collect likes, shares, comments, and other engagement metrics.
3. Analyze Trends: Use this data to understand what content resonates with your audience.
4. Report and Refine: Generate reports for your team to review and refine your social media strategy.

--- Incorporating these automation techniques with Make (Integromat) while combining them with other platforms as shown above can significantly elevate your SEO and digital marketing game. Not only do they save time, but they also offer strategic insights, helping you stay ahead in the ever-changing landscape of digital marketing. Start automating today and witness the transformative impact on your SEO efforts.  

As designers, AI is having a significant impact on the way we work. Designers have been using AI tools available in widely used design software such as Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator for some time. In OZ’s design department, we’ve also experimented with a variety of dedicated AI image generators, such as Midjourney, DALL·E 2, and eluna.ai. New applications are popping up all the time, so it’s worth trying them out and comparing them, to see what works best. Since this article is about AI, let’s get some input from ChatGPT about the benefits of integrating AI capabilities into software design tools: “It’s not only enhanced the capabilities of designers but has also redefined the creative process, ushering in a new era of efficiency and innovation.” So far, so good. While there are lots of advantages to using AI in design work, here are some key features:

• Automated image editing features — analyzes images to intelligently suggest enhancements and automatically makes adjustments such as color neutralizers and detail enhancers. This speeds up the editing process and is a valuable resource if you’re looking for inspiration or need to make quick refinements.
• Content-aware fill and object removal tools — by understanding the content of the image, enables you to easily remove unwanted objects or fill in gaps within a scene. This allows greater flexibility and streamlines the editing workflow.
• Accelerates the ideation and iteration phases — lets you explore diverse concepts efficiently.
• Intelligent recommendations — makes suggestions for shapes, layouts, and color schemes based on the context of their project. This makes the conceptualization phase faster and may even help you overcome a creative block.
• Organization and management of design assets — automated tagging and content categorization make asset management easier and help you quickly navigate vast libraries of resources. It’s able to analyze vast datasets and identify patterns that we might miss.
• Rapid prototyping — enables quick experimentation with lots of variations.

Traditional graphic tools have also made huge strides

In recent years, existing software and applications we’ve been using for years have incorporated a variety of tools that shorten processes and streamline design work. Because designers can give online feedback, the tools' capabilities keep getting better. During image processing, design tools can complete missing details, increase resolution, carry out color corrections, and produce more controlled and accurate results. There are also lots of options for image manipulations and variations. These advances have meant that the time between planning and the finished product is much shorter, and have saved me and many others from a tiring technical struggle with traditional design tools. However, AI has added new superpowers which can create impressive artwork at warp speed.

If AI can do all that, why do we need humans?

While AI provides a broad range of design options and there is a wealth of tools to choose from, the act of selection and focus during the design process has become more challenging. The need to differentiate the customer’s brand, memorably present their messages, and tell their unique story means that every designer needs a clear understanding of what they want to create using the tools. Formulating the design prompt and selecting results, when every result seems to be ‘beautiful and impressive’, means that designers need to carefully examine what is ‘right and appropriate’ — and ask themselves what will yield the desired results. It’s the same question that we’ve been asking for years when approaching a design task, long before AI tools entered our lives.

The human touch

“While AI excels at generating designs based on existing patterns, it lacks the intrinsic understanding of cultural nuances, emotional subtleties, and context that human designers bring to the table,” responds ChatGPT, adding that design is not only about aesthetics but also about storytelling, conveying emotions, and understanding the audience – elements that are deeply embedded in human experience. It goes on to point out that the human mind possesses the ability to empathize, interpret abstract concepts, and infuse designs with cultural relevance. Designers are adept at translating complex ideas into visual narratives that resonate with people on a profound level. “The intangible aspects of creativity, intuition, and emotional intelligence are quintessentially human and crucial to the design process,” it notes.

Don’t fire your designers!

Bearing these unique human attributes in mind, ChatGPT’s conclusion is almost inevitable: While AI image generators are valuable tools, amplifying designers’ creative capacities and streamlining workflows, they are best seen as collaborators rather than replacements. The future of design lies in a harmonious collaboration between human designers and AI, where each contributes its strengths. While AI enhances the design process by offering efficiency and inspiration, according to ChatGPT, “the unique qualities of human creativity, ingenuity, and understanding will continue to be an indispensable force in the world of design.” As with any AI application, there are ethical considerations. Designers must “be mindful of potential biases in AI algorithms and exercise discretion in their application. Striking a balance between automation and human intuition remains crucial to preserving the authenticity and creative vision of the designer.” ChatGPT predicts that “As technology continues to advance, the symbiotic relationship between AI and design is poised to reshape the industry, unlocking new realms of creative possibilities.” On a personal level, I use AI design tools daily to carry out various tasks and to fuel my creative process. I also find that ChatGPT is useful in helping to formulate prompts and finding the right wording for the industry or application. The more accurate the prompt, the better the results. However, personal experience has shown AI can’t replace the invaluable interactions between our design team and our clients. We’re able to dig deep into their story and translate that into unique and powerful visuals that communicate their brand promise. It’s the ‘secret sauce’ that makes the difference. In short, AI will become our creative allies, but they’re not going to replace us any time soon.  

If you’re a fan of hummus, you’ll know that it goes great with pita. While you can eat them separately, they are quite simply, better together. The one really complements the other. The same can be said of HubSpot’s Inbound Marketing methodology and Account-Based Marketing (ABM). To make sure we’re all on the same page, let’s start by defining these methodologies:

Inbound Marketing

Attracts customers by creating valuable content and experiences tailored to them. It’s about building meaningful relationships with consumers, prospects, and customers.

Account-Based Marketing

A B2B strategy in which marketing and sales work together to create personalized buying experiences for a select set of high value companies.

Inbound lays the foundation for a strong ABM strategy

According to HubSpot, inbound marketing helps you attract contacts associated with your target accounts. ABM accelerates the flywheel (the cyclical marketing funnel comprising attract, engage, and delight) so you can win and delight your target accounts by providing a standout customer experience. By using inbound, you’re able to carry out highly-targeted allocation of the most relevant resources to your high-value accounts. As a B2B marketer, by using this combined approach you can attract a broader group of prospects than you would if you were only using one method.

Double up and deliver value

Your carefully crafted content has a two-for-one value. You can create and use content that serves both your ABM and inbound strategy. As an example, once you’ve created a personalized case study for a target account, you can also share on your website.

Leverage account-based marketing tools

HubSpot’s ABM tool makes it easy to implement ABM and inbound strategies in a complementary way. Its CRM platform connects all of your sales and marketing data and allows enables customer-centric automation and personalization. It makes it easy to use data to segment and target your accounts and marketing automation to nurture your buyers or buying committee and hand over your leads to sales. 1. Set up ABM strategy quickly and smoothly

• Use workflow templates to define your ideal customer profiles and identify good-fit target accounts
• Set up default properties to tag accounts and buying roles
• Leverage AI-powered recommendations of target accounts

2. Allow sales & marketing to easily collaborate

• Use shared tools that unite your teams around the same data in the same place
• Use the Target Accounts feature to obtain a bird’s eye view of progress across all target accounts
• Use Slack to support high-value target accounts, post KPIs, and share notes

3. Attract high-value accounts & build deeper relationships through personalized engagement

• Personalize content and tailor how you engage with stakeholders within an account
• Use account-level targeting in LinkedIn Ads integration to target companies by account status or tier
• Deepen your relationships over time & build connections with stakeholders within each account

4. Track and measure key milestones on an account’s journey

• Use the account overview feature to understand what’s happening at an account level
• Employ out-of-the-box ABM reporting dashboards to get a higher-level view
• Obtain a higher level view using company scoring to identify the highest value accounts and prioritize reachout

As an added bonus, HubSpot’s apps and strategic partners including Slack, LinkedIn, Sigstr, Madison Logic, RollWorks, and Irioblio help you easily customize your ABM strategy. ABM helps you communicate with high-value accounts as if they’re individual markets. HubSpot’s experience shows that if you do this, along with personalizing the buyer’s journey and tailoring all communications, content, and campaigns to those specific accounts, you'll see greater ROI as well as a boost in customer loyalty. This is borne out by an ABMLA study, which shows that compared to other forms of marketing, 76% of B2B marketers who used ABM in 2020 reported increased ROI. Using HubSpot inbound marketing and ABM tools to power your ABM strategy helps you identify your high-value targets, communicate effectively through the right channels, and deliver the results you need.

You’ve peppered your website content with all the keywords you want to rank for. Yet your site still isn’t appearing in Google search rankings, not to mention Bing. It may be time to rethink your SEO strategy. A quick reminder: SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It primarily drives two things: rankings and visibility — and it helps you position your brand throughout the entire buyer’s journey. When you plug your keyword into a search engine, it brings up a Search Engine Results Page (SERP). What happens next has a lot to do with how well your site is optimized for SEO. To ask an existential question: If your company doesn’t rank on the first ten search results, does it even exist in the mind of your potential buyer?

How is your website ranked?

Google’s algorithm changes daily, but as a general rule of thumb, it ranks your website on three main factors: on-page SEO, off-page SEO, and technical SEO.

• On-page SEO — covers three key areas:
  • High-quality content (the heart of on-page SEO)
  • HTML (source code including page titles, headers, meta descriptions, image alt-text, and more),
  • and site architecture elements (such as page URLs, internal linking, and more).
• Off-page SEO — social sharing, external linking, and more.
• Technical SEO — structured data, site, speed and mobile readiness.

There are many quick actions you can carry out to improve your search engine rankings such tweaking title tags, image tags, internal link structure, and inbound links, to name but a few. However, to significantly improve your results, you need to carry out an SEO audit. Based on your findings, you’ll need to build a comprehensive SEO strategy that includes on-page strategies (which use intent-based keywords) and off-page strategies (which earn inbound links from other websites). If all that sounds a little daunting, here’s the good news. You don’t have to do the heavy lifting. HubSpot’s put together a free kit on how to run an SEO audit including an SEO template, audit checklist, and 9-step guide.

Don’t procrastinate, automate!

Why waste time, money and manual work when HubSpot SEO Marketing Software does it all for you? It can help you plan your SEO strategy, optimize your content, and measure ROI in three key steps:

1. Get SEO recommendations to optimize your site- Obtain recommendations ranked in order of priority which show which optimizations will have the biggest impact
2. Create an optimized content strategy to build search authority- Obtain topic suggestions based on relevance, competition, and popularity and create high quality content around your core topics
3. Integrate your SEO software with HubSpot’s content management tools- Obtain search keyword data, choose canonical URLs, get estimates on which topics will yield organic traffic gains, and track key topics on your dashboard

Get topical!

As the SEO project leader, you need to decide on each page’s target audience, goal, topic, and target keywords and phrases. HubSpot’s SEO tools make it easy to research and organize topics and subtopic keywords based on your company’s areas of expertise, which serve as the foundation for all the content you create for your website. Creating relevant and up-to-date content helps your website get indexed more accurately by search engines such as Google, which analyze keyword phrases in your content, title, meta description, hyperlinks, and more.  

Key tips to getting started with SEO

• Crawl your website, conduct an SEO audit, and define your site architecture.
• Establish a value proposition for every page and review and edit your content accordingly
• Target your audience for that specific page (if it differs according to market segment, application, or product category)
• Update your URLs, page titles, and meta descriptions.
• Making sure that your keyword/s are included in your URL and are used throughout the page
• Incorporate and optimize relevant visual content
• Add internal and external links

Why use HubSpot for SEO?

If haven’t yet made our case for why HubSpot takes the pain out of SEO and adds the gain, here are a few more good reasons to check it out: You don’t need to be an SEO expert, because its built-in SEO tools are built with marketers in mind. There’s no need to know coding either. HubSpot handles the technicalities, so you can focus on content. Here too, HubSpot has a variety of content planning tools built into the platform. It makes it really easy to connect your marketing assets so you can track the buyer’s journey — from awareness to qualified lead to happy customer.  

When the new client, an impressive player in the B2B Medical industry, first approached us, we were fully aware that this was a challenge requiring our utmost dedication. In the following case study, we'll walk you through the five pivotal steps we took to completely revamp their online presence, enhancing both page health and authority in the process - bringing an increase of 25% in traffic in just a few months.

Dive into our latest in-depth SEO case study and learn how Page Health and Authority Optimization can drive real-world results. See the transformative power of a meticulously planned technical SEO strategy.  

Client Background

Our client, a prominent B2B business, from the medical industry, approached us with a pressing concern: their website's underperformance. The objectives were clear - bolster online visibility, boost organic traffic, and, ultimately, amplify revenue streams. The website presented several challenges, including a distressingly low Page Health score of 48 and a less-than-optimal Page Authority of 17. The Analytics showed a high bounce rate and a low average time on the page.

The mission was unequivocal: transform these pivotal metrics to drive higher organic traffic and conversions by improving its metrics.

 

Challenges Faced

• Low Page Health (Score 48): The website grappled with technical and on-page SEO issues that urgently required rectification.

• Limited Page Authority (Score 17): The website's trustworthiness and credibility fell short, impeding its ascent in search engine rankings.

• Stagnant Organic Traffic: Organic traffic had plateaued, failing to meet conversion rate expectations.

Strategy and Approach

1. Comprehensive Technical Audit

The first crucial step was an exhaustive technical audit.

This audit unearthed a multitude of issues, including a sluggish page load speed, poor mobile-friendliness, and crawlability impediments.

We also identified and rectified:

• Broken links, which were harming user experience.

• Duplicate content issues that led to search engine confusion.

• Inadequate URL structures that hindered proper indexing.

Furthermore, addressing page speed was of paramount importance. Google's Core Web Vitals update places significant emphasis on page speed, and our efforts in this regard had a profound impact on website health.

2. In-Depth Keyword Research

Simultaneously, we embarked on an extensive keyword research expedition. Our goal was to identify high-impact keywords that resonated with both the client's objectives and current industry trends. This laid the foundation for a robust keyword strategy, ensuring that the content aligned perfectly with the target audience's intent.

3. On-Page Optimization

Optimizing existing content and crafting new, keyword-rich content was the next step. This involved:

• Enhancing meta tags, crafting compelling headings, and optimizing image alt attributes to enhance visibility.

• Leveraging schema markup to provide search engines with structured data, enhancing search results' richness.

4. Technical SEO Enhancements

Technical SEO enhancements played a pivotal role in improving website health:

• We submitted updated sitemaps to search engines for expedited indexing.

• Canonicalization issues were addressed to prevent duplicate content penalties.

• An improved website navigation system and internal linking structure provided users with an enhanced experience.

5. Content Marketing and Link Building

The final piece of the puzzle was content marketing and link building:

• Improving internal linkage between relevant content pieces within the website, which also improved time on site.

• We created high-quality, shareable content to attract backlinks, thereby elevating Page Authority.

• Employing ethical link-building strategies solidified the website's authority and trustworthiness.

Results Achieved

1. Page Health Transformation

Within a matter of months, our strategies propelled the Page Health score from 48 to an astounding 95. The resolution of technical issues, especially the optimization of page load speed, resulted in vastly improved overall website performance.

2. Page Authority Ascension

Page Authority, a key indicator of trustworthiness, surged from 17 to a highly commendable 29. The remarkable improvement was primarily attributed to the augmented backlink profile garnered through our content marketing and link-building endeavors.

3. Explosive Organic Traffic Growth

One of the most remarkable outcomes of our SEO campaign was the monumental 20% increase in organic traffic within just three months. Our meticulous efforts in addressing page speed and optimizing for Core Web Vitals played a substantial role in this growth.

4. Enhanced User Experience

By addressing technical issues and optimizing on-page elements, the website now delivers a seamless and engaging user experience. This has led to lower bounce rates and extended user sessions, cementing the site's position in search engine rankings.

Conclusion

This case study serves as a compelling testament to the power of a meticulously crafted SEO plan and precise technical optimization. The transformation of Page Health from 48 to an impressive 95 and Page Authority from 17 to 29 vividly illustrates the tangible benefits of strategic SEO efforts.

By systematically addressing technical issues, optimizing on-page elements, and implementing effective content marketing and link-building strategies, we achieved remarkable results. The client's online visibility, organic traffic, and conversion rates experienced substantial growth. This case study underscores the pivotal role of SEO in enhancing website performance and achieving substantial business growth.

In conclusion, for businesses aspiring to thrive in the digital sphere, investing in SEO is not just a choice; it's an imperative step toward realizing online success.

If you're seeking more detailed information on how optimizing page speed and eliminating duplicate content can enhance your website's health and drive remarkable traffic growth, visit us to read more: https://ozglobalb2b.com/SEO/

Ready to take your website's SEO to the next level? Book a meeting to schedule your consultation and unlock the full potential of your online presence.

Business-to-Employee, or B2E, refers to the strategies and technologies that companies use to support and engage their employees. B2E covers everything from attracting, recruiting, training, and onboarding employees, to providing self-service solutions and individualized access to essential tools or software. While traditional e-commerce models such as business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) focus on sales and customer interactions, B2E focuses on providing internal support systems, resources, and tools to employees. One of the main goals of B2E is to improve employee satisfaction and retention. When employees are disengaged or unhappy with their work environment, it can lead to lower morale and higher turnover rates, which can be costly and disruptive to a company's operations. By providing employees with the resources and tools they need to succeed, and creating a positive work culture, companies can improve retention and attract top talent. A B2E portal is a central hub that provides employees with easy access to company-specific information and resources. This can include company news, calendars, software solutions, and employee-defined documents. The portal is often customizable, allowing employees to personalize their experience and access the information and resources that are most relevant to them. One example of a B2E portal is an online service company management platform that allows employees to easily access information about their services or customers, as well as submit supply requests and manage their work schedule. B2E portal should also provide employees with access to company announcements, training resources, and tools for collaboration and communication. B2E strategies can also be used to support specific departments or teams within a company, such as sales teams that need flexible access to customer information and sales tools. For example, a B2E portal might include a CRM system that allows sales reps to easily access customer data, create and track leads, and manage their sales pipeline. There are many benefits to implementing a B2E strategy, including improved communication and collaboration, increased efficiency and productivity, and cost savings. By providing employees with the tools and resources they need to succeed, companies can create a more engaged and motivated workforce that is better equipped to meet the challenges of today's business environment. Have a question? Want to learn more? Don’t hesitate to reach out!  

Maytronics - OZ Global B2B

         

Account-based marketing (ABM) and lead generation are two powerful strategies for generating revenue and boosting return on investment (ROI). While both approaches have their own unique benefits, it's important to understand the key differences between them and how they can be used together to achieve optimal results. Lead generation, the core of demand generation, is a strategy that involves generating a large number of new leads for the sales team by targeting specific markets and industries. This approach is ideal for creating awareness and interest in a product or service, and can be done through various channels such as LinkedIn Campaign Manager. In contrast, account-based marketing (ABM) is a targeted approach that focuses on reaching out to specific named accounts, rather than a broad audience. ABM is designed to engage with the right accounts and create personalized content that captures their attention and drives further engagement. One key benefit of demand generation is that it brings leads in, at the top of the funnel and nurtures them until they become an opportunity for the sales team. However, as the market becomes saturated, the time, money, and resources needed to generate leads can eventually outweigh the results, leading to diminishing returns. This is where ABM comes in. By focusing on specific named accounts, ABM allows marketers to "land and expand" by targeting bigger fish that match the ideal account profile (IAP). This allows for a more efficient use of resources and a higher return on investment. While ABM and demand generation may seem like competing strategies, they can actually be used together to achieve optimal results. For example, demand generation can be used to create awareness and interest in a product or service, while ABM can be used to generate qualified leads and sign-up new customers. This marketing tactic, can start with a broad-based demand generation campaign to create awareness, which will help to identify targeted leads or target market segments, which can then be used to inform a more targeted ABM campaign. An ABM activity can be used to reach out to specific named accounts with personalized content. These combined activities allow marketers to use both strategies to accelerate the buyer's journey and assist with selling. It's also important to note that while ABM and demand generation are both outbound marketing strategies, inbound demand generation is also possible. By using inbound marketing tactics such as content marketing, SEO and other digital marketing strategies, you can drive leads and customers to your website and then use ABM to engage with them. On LinkedIn, there are two primary types of users. The first group is known as "active users" and they exhibit a high level of engagement on the platform, such as performing searches, interacting with content, and sharing posts. These users also typically stay on top of their inbox and respond to relevant messages. These active users can be effectively targeted through an awareness campaign, followed by account-based marketing efforts. The second main group of LinkedIn users are referred to as "basic users." These users tend to have a more limited level of activity on the platform, mostly just scrolling through their feed. They are less likely to respond to private messages. These basic users can be targeted through professional lead generation campaigns that will catch their attention while they are scrolling through their feed, with the use of an appealing message and creative content. It is important to note that there are other types of users who fall somewhere between active and basic user, and by combining efforts of ABM with lead generation it will help in effectively reaching out to all types of users, with the right format and message. In conclusion, account-based marketing and lead generation are both powerful strategies for generating revenue and boosting ROI. While they have their own unique benefits, it's important to understand how they can be used together to achieve optimal results. By using a targeted ABM approach in conjunction with a broad-based demand generation campaign, marketers can achieve their pipeline and revenue goals by capturing the attention of the right accounts and signing up new customers. For more info and questions contact us.

As ChatGPT gains momentum, concerns are growing regarding its impact on everything from coding to SEO.

It depends on who you ask, but the current consensus is that AI will not likely kill Search Engine Optimization. It may actually prove quite useful in enhancing and optimizing SEO efforts. AI-powered technologies can provide insights, automate tasks, and improve the efficiency of SEO strategies. If it’s repetitive and time-consuming, AI has got you covered Why spend time on keyword research, competitor analysis, and content optimization, when you can be focusing on strategic planning and higher-level tasks? Here are three key ways AI can help:

1. Data Analysis AI can process and analyze large amounts of data quickly and accurately, which can help identify patterns, trends, and opportunities for SEO optimization. This can include analyzing search data, website analytics, and user behavior data to inform SEO strategies and tactics.
2. Content OptimizationAI-powered content generation tools can assist in creating high-volume and optimized content. These tools can provide insights on keyword usage, content structure, readability, and relevance to improve the overall quality of content for SEO purposes.
3. PersonalizationAI can analyze user data and behavior to deliver personalized search results and content recommendations. This can help improve user engagement and satisfaction, which can indirectly impact SEO rankings. 

AI is your assistant, not your replacement

AI can’t replace human expertise in SEO. SEO professionals will still play a crucial role in interpreting and implementing the insights provided by AI, as well as adapting SEO strategies to changing algorithms, user behaviors, and business goals. AI tools can be powerful to support and enhance SEO efforts, but human creativity and strategic thinking will remain crucial in the SEO landscape.

How can you utilize ChatGPT for SEO purposes?

Here are its suggestions:

1. Content Generation: Use ChatGPT to generate ideas for quick content for your website, blog, or social media posts. You can input keywords, topic ideas, or specific questions related to your SEO strategy, and ChatGPT can generate content that aligns with your SEO goals.
2. Keyword Research: Utilize ChatGPT to brainstorm and generate keyword ideas for your SEO campaigns. You can input seed keywords or topic ideas, and ChatGPT can generate a list of related keywords that can help you identify opportunities for content creation and optimization.
3. Meta Tags Optimization: Use ChatGPT to generate optimized meta tags, including title tags and meta descriptions, that are relevant to your target keywords and audience. ChatGPT can provide suggestions and variations for meta tags that can improve your website's click-through rates (CTRs) and search engine visibility.
4. SEO Content Optimization: Input your existing content into ChatGPT to get suggestions on how to optimize it for SEO. ChatGPT can provide recommendations on improving content structure, keyword placement, and readability to make your content more search-engine-friendly.
5. On-Page SEO: Use ChatGPT to get suggestions on optimizing various on-page SEO elements, such as headings, image alt tags, and URL structure. ChatGPT can provide insights on how to improve these elements for better search engine visibility and user experience.
6. SEO Strategy assistance: Utilize ChatGPT to brainstorm and generate ideas for your overall SEO strategy, including content topics, and social media integration. ChatGPT can provide wide suggestions and insights that can inform your SEO planning and execution.
7. SEO Troubleshooting: Input specific SEO challenges or issues into ChatGPT to get insights and suggestions on how to resolve them. ChatGPT can provide troubleshooting tips and recommendations to overcome common SEO obstacles.

While ChatGPT can provide valuable insights and suggestions for SEO purposes, it's still essential to use human judgment and expertise in evaluating and implementing the recommendations. SEO best practices may vary depending on your specific industry, audience, and search engine algorithms, so it's crucial to conduct thorough research and consult with SEO professionals to build a comprehensive SEO strategy.

Watch Google's update on Search Generative Experience:

When I just started my career, an intelligent woman told me that only when I understand that the customers of the company pay my salary and not the company owners, will I be able to call myself a marketer. So when you think about the future of marketing, you need to first consider what kind of customers we will meet. Let’s talk about how you “consumerize” the customer journey; how you look at the B2B (Business to Business) customer a bit like a consumer.

The new B2B customer is a digital native

Our childhood determines our future behaviors as adults, the people we become, and the decision-makers we grow up to be. It is also true of the technological environment in which we were raised. The millennials, also known as Generation Y, were born after 1980. They are now in their 30’s. Generation Z, as you can see in the table, is still young, but we will soon see them influencing our businesses. Since technology is changing very quickly, a sub-generation was born between the Millennials and Generation Z. Zillennials were born between ‘93-‘98 and were influenced by more advanced technology than the Millennials. For their entire lives, digital natives have been surrounded by technology, social media, mobile devices, computers, and the internet. They speak this digital language as their mother tongue. They did not learn this language in their 20’s, 30’s, or later. They do not have an accent, so to speak. This impressive figure tells the whole story: More and more millennials and gen zers are entering the B2B decision journey, some as technological or professional influencers and others as decision-makers. It is important to note that among the people involved in decision-making, you usually meet several generations. A few months ago, we at Oz Global B2B did a project for the American agricultural market. The intergenerational integration in the decision-making process that arose there was very prominent.

• • A family business where the younger generation initiates a decision, and the founding generation approves it. Sometimes the founder initiates the decision but immediately passes it on to the younger generation to check online what the options are.
  • A senior manager at a big business closes a deal, but the people in the field - professionals or salespeople - do not “speak” the same language. This will greatly affect the next purchase.

Even if you think your business is less exposed, check again! It does not matter if the decision-makers are digital natives or digital immigrants. Within the process, there will always be a mix of generations.

The Millennials and Gen Zers highly influence who will enter the decision funnel

About 50% of all product searches on the web are conducted by digital natives. The customer journey is long, complex, and involves many stakeholders. By the time the customer recognizes that he has a problem, we are, in most cases, not there. Identification is an internal stage from which someone is appointed to start researching information to find options for a solution. 50% of those who conduct the research and seek alternatives regarding a product or service, may not take an "official" part in decision-making but are the ones who put the relevant suppliers in the decision-making funnel. They are the ones who build the long list. They are the ones who decide whether or not you will be included in the “consideration group,” which is of critical importance.

Two tips to gain the trust of digital natives:

1. Be authentic!

The generation that grew up on social networks, fake news, and unfounded marketing does not believe in marketing messages and does not believe in unproven statements. They have developed a hypersensitivity to online messages - they suffer from a blatant lack of trust in what is being said online. They continue to consume information online, but with a very large firewall. The bright side of it is that digital natives recognize authenticity when they see it..

So what does authentic marketing look like?

• 1. Get your executives to use social media Customers want to know the people behind the executives or the company representatives that they are in contact with.Make sure your site reveals who you are beyond your formal title. What topics do you choose to share? Who are your friends, what groups do you belong to, and to whom do you respond to?LinkedIn is not everything. Feel free to diversify to other social networks - Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and even Tik Tok.

• Share user-generated content from real people Show real things, with real customers behind them. If you trust your product, let it tell your story.
• Go live on social media platforms Talk without filters. To digital natives this sounds obvious, to digital immigrants, it is less trivial. At first, the digital immigrants posted posts after editing them numerous times. Then they agreed to post an edited video. The transition to live video is scarier, but this is exactly the meaning of authenticity.
• Promote employee advocacy Empower your employees to share smart, quality content with their own social networks. On average, employee networks have 10x more connections than a company has followers. Plus, according to the Edelman Trust Barometer, people are 3x more likely to trust company information shared by an employee than that shared by a CEO.

2. Consumerize!

This word does not exist in the dictionary yet but already stars in the literature that follows trends in the B2B world. As Mona Akmal, Falkon CEO and Cofounder, once said, “As work and life flexibly intertwine, so must our approach to reaching our target users.” Gone are the days when the customer was a business person between 9-17 and a consumer on evenings and weekends. Studies show that the business customer is very much influenced by his consumer experience and expects to have a similar experience in business purchases. The customer experience touches on all stages of the journey - collecting information, placing an order, contacting the company up to paying.

• More than 80% of B2B customers stated that they will look for a new supplier if their expectations in terms of customer service and user experience are not fulfilled.
• According to McKinsey & Co, B2B brands score below 50% on customer experience index ratings on average, compared to 65 to 85% for typical B2C brands.
• Gartner illustrates that 77% of B2B buyers report that their last purchase was very difficult or complex.

The conclusion is that as customer experience improves in the consumer world, B2B buyer expectations will rise as well. In short, do not compare yourself only to competitors in your immediate area. The customer or client expects from you the same experience as on Amazon, Netflix, or Uber.

To sum up…

1. The digital natives are digital animals. They were born into it, and it is their playground. It requires us to be present and comfortable in the digital space. Allow them to find us easily and learn about us in a convenient way that interests them. Allow them to easily consult, purchase and pay online.
2. Life in the digital arena has taught them to be suspicious, not to believe everything they are told. They have developed the skills and expertise to recognize fake news when they see it. This requires us to be authentic in interactions with them, without filters and edits.
3. Remember, before they are decision-makers, customers, or partners, they are first and foremost human beings. Their personal lives have seeped into their business life and it is very difficult for them to separate the two. So, we have no choice but to "consumerize" the way we treat them.

The different characteristics between the B2C and B2B worlds are getting blurry. Whether we are marketing to a B2B customer or a B2C consumer, we are actually humans who sell to other human beings. So let’s all agree that it is really H2H marketing. Want to talk to Nirit? You can reach her at nirit@ozglobalb2b.com

Key takeaways from HUG Haifa #2, “All About Video”

When’s the last time you watched a video? Today? Yesterday? That puts you in good company. Humans love video. 1/3 of all time online is spent watching videos. In fact, 500 million people watch a video on Facebook every day. And here’s another mindboggling stat for you: Adding a video to your website can improve the chance of a front-page Google result by 53%. That’s right. It doubles your chances of getting onto the first page of Google. Yes, video is big. Yes, it needs to be an important part of your B2B marketing strategy. And no, it’s not nearly as hard as you think to get started with video. From tactic to strategy Video has changed a lot in the past six years, points out Maria Trubicina, Senior Customer Success Manager at HubSpot. In 2013, videos were mostly passively watched on desktop or YouTube, hard to create and made by a few; in 2019, videos are actively watched on mobile or social, easy to create, and made by many. This calls for a change – moving from video as a tactic (made by a creative team, highly produced, expensive, one to many, an awareness play, unmeasurable), to a strategy (made by all teams, low production, cheap, actionable, BOFU and measurable.)   Listen up! To create relevant, actionable and engaging videos you need to get all your teams involved. That means talking to sales, quality control, production, legal, and even accounts. Every department will have a unique perspective about your product or service that you may not have even thought of. One video does not fit all. Each video needs to be tailored to the specific target market and goal. Make it simple. And keep it real.   What kind of videos should you be creating? You’ll need to develop targeted videos for every stage of the flywheel and for every purpose – attract, engage and delight – and modify them to meet the needs of the specific channel (YouTube, social media, website).

• Attract videos expand reach and build trust and credibility with your audience.
• Engage videos convert your visitors into leads and ultimately close them as customers.
• Delight videos encourage customers to embrace your brand and become brand evangelists.

You’ll want to create at least TWO videos for each of these stages. Watch videos across the buyer’s journey and take a look at these content ideas for each stage in the funnel. One critical question before you dive into video creation Before you whip out your camera and start filming, make sure you’ve asked this critical question: What’s the intent of this video? Get really clear about what you want to get out of this video:

• Increase brand awareness and attract customers to your site
• Help your prospects consider your solution to solve their problem
• Help your leads decide to do business with you

To keep yourself on track, it’s a good idea to set SMART goals. Once you’ve done that, you can move ahead to brainstorming ideas for your video content, writing a script, and producing that first video. Where do you get the content from? Chances are, you already have it. Take a look at your existing content. Which web pages were visited the most? What calls to action did users click on? What blogs were the most successful? Repurpose them into compelling stories. But make sure your video answers the key question your potential customers at the Attract and Engage stage are going to ask before deciding to watch or ignore your video: What’s in it for me? How are you solving MY problems?   Hold it! Don’t make these three mistakes. Video content specialist Sivan Felder, from Two Heads Consulting, points out that many B2B companies make these mistakes:

1. You’re not the hero of the story. This isn’t about you. It’s about your customer (the hero) who has a crisis. He meets a guide (your company). And thanks to your product or service, he survives or thrives.
2. The laws of human psychology apply to your target customer as well. Behind every rational purchasing decision is an emotion. Identify it and speak to it. Help your prospective customers out of confusion and into clarity. And remember to tell them what they need to hear (as opposed to what you want to say.)
3. A one-size-fits-all video. We’ve already said it, but we’ll say it again. Your customers want to hear different things from you at different stages. What are the touchpoints? Where are customers going to come into contact with your video and how are you planning to get your video out there?

  Set your KPIs Key KPIs that you’ll want to look at are:

• Play rate — the percentage of people who played your video divided by the number of impressions)
• Clickthrough rate — the number of times your call to action is clicked divided by the number of times its viewed
• Conversion rate — the number of times your visitors completed your desired action divided by the number of clicks on your call to action

  Elevate your video marketing To take your video marketing efforts further, consider using Vidyard or TwentyThree, which give you a host of valuable features. Also, consider these tips from Maria Trubicina:

• Make your videos an interactive experience. Use smart CTAs and embedded forms.
• Increase SEO effectiveness. Finetune your meta info to make it easy for search engines to find you.
• Monitor performance. Keep track of your video views, clickthroughs and conversions, so you can optimize them accordingly.
• Build relationships. Record one-to-one videos directly from the CRM and send directly from email.
• Provide better customer service. Use videos to improve the service experience and provide helpful tips or troubleshooting advice.

Video goes way beyond creating awareness and nurturing leads. It can also help you build relationships and excel in customer service.   Ready? Hit record! If you have HubSpot and want to get started with video marketing, contact us! Don’t miss out! Join a HUG These great tips are just a taste of what we talked about during our HubSpot User Group meeting, All About Videos. HubSpot makes it easy to make video an integral part of your marketing mix. Take advantage of all these great resources. Get some practical advice on how to get started with video marketing. Or take one of HubSpot’s great free video courses.

The first HUG Haifa was a complete success where we learned from Stephen Fuery, principal Implementation Specialist at HubSpot and Ofir Marx, Marketing Manager at BERMAD fascinating topics that will take our Marketing and sales project to the next level. The first part of this extraordinary event started with Stephen defining Sales & Marketing alignment (SMarketing) as the practice of bringing a company’s sales and marketing departments together to achieve better communication, greater efficiency and as a result increased profitability. This is one of the premises of most of the companies that have both departments interacting with each other on a daily basis. But, why is aligning Marketing and Sales difficult? Here we have some facts that can help us with these answers:

• 87% Of the terms sales & marketing use to describe each other are negative
• 20% - The amount of revenue increase companies with strong sales & marketing are able to achieve.

If you hear… 

• I don’t know if the sales team is working my leads
• I don’t know the ROI of my marketing campaigns
• I’m getting too many leads and can’t prioritize them
• I don’t know what to do with these Marketing leads.

This indicates that your sales and marketing teams are not aligned. The following tips will help you to solve this:

Service Level Agreement (SLA)

This is a commitment between Marketing & Sales to deliver on specific goals. How do you create an SLA? Glad you asked 😊. Use Historical data to understand your goals, putting into consideration the common goals between the two teams. Ask yourself these questions as a roadmap to creating an SLA that serves both the marketing and sales teams:

• How many MQL’s is Marketing creating?
• Are Sales working MQL’s?
• At what rate are MQL’s converting to Customers?
• What % of deals are attributed to Marketing?

Decide on future SLA’s and build reports to measure them, presenting SMART (Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Relevant, Timely) goals.

Let’s compare: Goal 1: I want more website visitors, leads and sales. But this is too general, what about? Goal 2: I need 20,000 visitors, 500 leads, 12 customers within 12 months in order to achieve our revenue goal of $600,000 from Inbound. Goal 2 is a SMART goal. It will give you a complete picture of what you want to achieve.

Agree on Fit 

This is a measurement of how well you could serve a lead if they were to become a customer.

Segmentation: 

Let’s divide segmentation into two parts:

• Lifecycle stage: a way of categorizing where any given contact or company is within your marketing and sales flywheel.
• Lead Scoring: Lead scoring is a methodology used by sales and marketing to determine the worthiness of leads or potential customers by attaching values to them based on performance.

These steps are just the beginning of any successful and satisfying alignment between Sales and Marketing as was explained impeccably by Stephen. It’s astonishing how many things we can learn from two experts aiming to achieve your marketing and sales goals. Ofir Marx took over the second part of the event where he talked about how to communicate with end users and get feedback and its importance. One of the most important topics that he mentioned is how the rules of engagement have changed. The following Marketing activities will help you to understand your end user:

• Publishing professional blogs, case studies, and white papers
• Sending out nurturing emails to leads
• Posting on social media
• Using marketing automation to convert a lead to SQL

But wait, why talk to end users? Ofir explained that it is paramount to get the real market perspective from the end users and not from someone in the middle. This allows you to understand the real need for solutions, giving you, the businessperson an opportunity to evaluate the real potential in any specific market or territory. You need to always add value to your end customer. Ofir went further to demonstrate how BERMAD shows an increase in awareness and quantity of leads from places where they don’t have representation. They give specific solutions to clients to the extent of flying over to different countries to understand all the technical requirements that were involved. These efforts eventually translated into actual sales. This is definitely how you should know your end customers! From the HUG Haifa to you, these were the recommendations on how to take your marketing efforts to the next level:

• Increase involvement in LinkedIn discussion groups
• Target campaigns in specific locations
• Blog in other languages
• Introduce Account Based Marketing activities.

Truly, HUG Haifa speakers gave a great amount of knowledge and tips that you can implement to ensure satisfactory relations with our end customers and give a boost to your Marketing efforts as well as align your Sales and Marketing teams for the overall success of your clients. This was the first of a series of HUG events that are going to take place in Israel. This HUG was brought to you by OZ Global B2B and Cacao Media Marketing Agencies, HubSpot Partners and experts in B2B marketing.

Bermad, a kibbutz-based company manufacturing water control valves, built itself into a successful global concern from the ground up. Here’s what Ofir Marx, VP Marketing at Bermad had to say about inbound marketing and what it’s done for the company’s business.

The conversation has changed: From top down to two-way communication

“Today, we can communicate directly with customers,” says Marx. “In the past, our way of communicating with customers was top down. HQ communicated to its subsidiaries, who communicated to the dealers, who in turn, communicated to the end users. We never got direct feedback, and even if we did, it had passed through three to four different hands and got filtered along the way. That’s changed. Now by publishing blogs, case studies, and white papers, sending out emails, and posting to social media, we have the ability to deliver messages directly to the end user and get feedback.“

Generating leads, assessing quality

Leads are collected on landing pages with targeted calls to action (CTAs). By asking qualifying questions, Bermad is able to assess the quality of the leads received. The results show that 35% are sales qualified leads (SQL), 30% are marketing qualified leads (MQL), and the balance are service requests, spare parts or vendors looking to sell the company something. In short: More than 60% leads are relevant enquiries.

Key goals versus results

At the beginning of the process, Bermad set some goals:

• Increase site traffic to 20,000 Moved from 12,000 to 20,000 website visitors per month in less than 2 years
• Generate 500 leads per month Approximately 200 leads per month now and it’s rising
• Added Revenue of $1,000,000 per year Reached $700,000 in 2017; anticipate higher in 2018

Are we getting it right?

The ability to speak directly to the marketplace and understand what they are interested in and what questions they ask, enables the company to understand whether they need to do anything differently.

What’s next?

Marx believes that the awareness and exposure that is being gained is very important, and it’s only the beginning. There’s still much to be done, from increased involvement in Linked In discussion groups to targeted campaigns in specific locations, as well as blogging in other languages such as Spanish and Portuguese.

Leveraging the power of marketing automation

The company is just beginning to benefit from the powerful marketing tools available on HubSpot including lead scoring and nurturing. Having tripled the amount of contacts, there is a wealth of potential customers to cultivate, taking them from the awareness and consideration stages through to making the decision to purchase.

It takes time, effort and investment

Today, all Bermad’s divisions are involved, with 4-5 people at HQ contributing to content creation as well as support from professionals at the company’s various subsidiaries. Blogs are published on a monthly basis for all four segments (waterworks, irrigation, fire protection and building & construction), supported by email blasts, newsletters and ongoing social media posts. Campaigns are run to support product launches, exhibitions and special events. All marketing activities are integrated into Bermad’s CRM system, allowing the sales team to see a 360° view of potential customers and enabling them to close more deals. “Today, nobody asks why we are doing it,” notes Marx. “We’re just beginning to see the benefits.”

We speak a lot about branding — adding value to B2B brands, building global brands, marketing in a digital world, employee branding, etc. Yes, they are all absolutely vital to business growth and success. But we often tend to speak less about or even ignore a less “sexy” component— lead generation. Most people just hear the term and get overwhelmed, which is a major problem as despite the challenges involved, lead acquisition and tracking is a crucial part of any business. And in a world where the heat is always on to win (or maintain) market share and stay ahead of the competition, traditional methods are no longer enough. More of the same just doesn’t cut it anymore and creativity is key! In the case of Amiad Water Systems, a world leader in water treatment and filtration solutions, the marketing team decided to try something different to support and improve the sales process. This came after the company successfully underwent rebranding; and with a solid foundation in place, it was time to get the word out and translate all the efforts into revenue. After getting the go ahead from the sales team and researching potential buyer personas, the team created Amiad FilterIT — a digital tool (app) to help end users understand which of the company’s solutions best suited their needs. The idea was simple. The user would sign up and download the app, add the criteria, and receive information on the products that met these criteria. In addition to helping the end user and collecting highly-qualified leads, the Amiad FilterIT app could also be used to promote new and innovative products, push notifications to customers, track data and optimize products and services based on user behavior and needs. Once the app was implemented in one specific market, Amiad used a digital campaign to promote it and as a result, the sales team received hundreds of qualified leads that could then be nurtured through direct communication. Based on this success, Amiad is currently in the process of implementing the app in additional markets globally.

We’ve all heard the term Inbound marketing thrown around a lot lately. It’s become the latest catchphrase in a field that’s already packed with catchphrases. But what does it actually mean and can it help B2B businesses grow?

What is Inbound marketing?

Inbound marketing is the process of attracting potential customers and getting them to reach out to you. This is different to more traditional marketing (also known as push marketing or outbound marketing) where you actively reach out to potential customers through methods such as cold-calling, printed magazines, and traditional advertising. But how do you attract potential customers and get them to trust you before you’ve even pitched them your product? The answer lies in content —the foundation of the Inbound methodology. By creating carefully curated content, you’ll establish yourself as a trusted source of knowledge and attract the ideal visitors to your site, convert them into leads and then customers, and keep them engaged so they go on to promote your brand.  “By publishing the right content in the right place at the right time, your marketing becomes relevant and helpful to your customers, not interruptive.” - Hubspot

Inbound marketing in a nutshell

Inbound marketing is filled with complexities, but the following four steps (based on the Hubspot Inbound methodology) summarize the main Inbound stages:

1. Attract. Before you do anything, you need to fully research and understand who your ideal customers or buyer personas are. Once you have identified them, you can get them to come to you.
2. Find creative ways to “convert” these potential customers into leads by offering them something valuable in return.
3. Turn your leads into customers.
4. Continue to engage with your customers so they become promoters of your brand.

Inbound marketing in B2B

At this stage, you may be wondering whether Inbound marketing works in the world of B2B. The answer is a big loud “Yes!” In fact, Inbound marketing creates a win-win situation for you where you can get closer to your direct customers and distributors, and also increase brand awareness amongst end users to enhance end-user demand for your brand (even if you they are not buying directly from you). Read how Elcam used digital marketing to increase brand awareness>>

Combining Inbound and offline marketing

We’d like to emphasize that Inbound marketing does not replace the need for interpersonal interaction with your customers – especially in B2B industries where the customer model tends to be more complex and is often based on long-term relationships. The goal is to find the right communication mix for your specific B2B business needs, market and customers. By promoting your brand through a digital dialog and an inter-personal dialog, you can achieve a more effective and efficient sales and marketing process for better business results. For example, you can combine a compelling digital campaign to encourage potential customers to visit you at a trade show, and then meet them at the event to continue a direct dialogue with them. Look out for our next blog post on the need for face-to-face communication with your customers and creative ways to combine digital and interpersonal communication (coming soon).

Inbound marketing – here to stay?

Another big loud “Yes!” It’s quite simple - as more and more potential buyers turn to the Internet for answers to their challenges, they look to buy from suppliers who instill trust by answering their questions and offering solutions to their problems. This means that in order to stay relevant in the marketplace, you have to be present where your potential buyers are looking for answers - online. And that’s why everyone is fussing over Inbound marketing.