three poisonous b2b marketing metaphors

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THREE POISONOUS METAPHORS IN B2B MARKETING.

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Three metaphors in B2B content marketing and how they can lead you astray. Content Marketing is guided by the language we use to describe our activities. So metaphors can really shape our thinking. Three in particular are widely used and can be misleading.

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Page 1: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

THREE POISONOUS METAPHORS IN B2B MARKETING.

Page 2: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

METAPHORS ARE POWERFUL THINGSTHAT HELP US MAKE SENSE OF THE WORLD.

Page 3: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

BUT SOMETIMESMETAPHORS STOP WORKING.

AND LEAD US DOWN THE WRONG PATHS.

Page 4: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

THIS IS ABOUT THREE METAPHORS THAT ARE CENTRAL TO B2B MARKETING.

Page 5: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

METAPHORS THAT ARE BROKEN BUT ARE STILL BEING USED EVERY DAY.

Page 6: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

IT’S IMPORTANT BECAUSE PEOPLE TEND TO FORGET THAT METAPHORS ARE JUST METAPHORS.

SO THEY END UP ACTING AS IF THE METAPHORS WERE TRUE.

Page 7: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

AND THAT LEADS TO LAZY MARKETING.

MARKETING THAT MAKES FATAL ASSUMPTIONS.

Page 8: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

THE FIRST POISONOUS METAPHOR…

Page 9: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

THE FUNNEL.

Page 10: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

IN SOME WAYS, THE FUNNEL IS AN EFFECTIVE METAPHOR. AFTER ALL…

Page 11: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

THERE ARE LOTS OF POTENTIAL BUYERS IN THE WORLD…

Page 12: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

AND ONLY A FEW OF THEM KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT YOU…

Page 13: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

AND EVEN FEWER ACTUALLY MAKE THEMSELVES KNOWN…

Page 14: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

AND EVEN FEWER ENGAGE WITH YOUR SALES PEOPLE…

Page 15: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

AND A VERY FEW END UP BUYING.

Page 16: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

SO WHAT’S WRONG WITH THE FUNNEL METAPHOR? TWO THINGS.

Page 17: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

REAL-WORLD FUNNELS BENEFIT FROM GRAVITY.

Page 18: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

A FORCE THAT, IF YOU DO NOTHING AT ALL, COMPELS EVERYTHING PUT INTO THE TOP TO FLOW OUT THE BOTTOM.

Page 19: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

THE B2B MARKETING FUNNEL WORKS IN EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE WAY.

Page 20: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

THE FORCES ACTING ON PROSPECTS TAKE THEM AWAY FROM YOU, NOT CLOSER TO YOU.

Page 21: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

B2B MARKETING FUNNELS SHOULD REALLY BE SHOWN UPSIDE DOWN.

Page 22: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

WE NEED TO COUNTER THE NATURAL FORCES THAT DRIVE PEOPLE AWAY FROM US.

Page 23: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

REAL-WORLD FUNNELS ALSO HAVE HARD SIDES.

Page 24: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

THERE’S ONLY ONE WAY OUT.

Page 25: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

B2B MARKETING FUNNELS DON’T WORK LIKE THAT.

Page 26: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF WAYS OUT.

AND ONLY A FEW THAT LEAD TO YOUR SALES PEOPLE.

Page 27: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

SO IF YOU MARKET AS IF THERE’S SUCH A THING AS GRAVITY AND BELIEVE THAT YOUR MARKETING FUNNEL IS HARD TO ESCAPE FROM…YOUR MARKETING WILL SUCK.

Page 28: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

ASSUMING THAT PEOPLE WILL TUMBLE DOWN YOUR FUNNEL UNTIL THEY BUY SOMETHING IS JUST PLAIN WRONG.

IT’S JUST A METAPHOR.

Page 29: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

THE SECOND POISONOUS METAPHOR…

Page 30: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

THE PURCHASE JOURNEY.

Page 31: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

YES, PURCHASE PROCESSES ARE KIND OF LIKE JOURNEYS.

Page 32: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

PEOPLE WHO END UP BUYING STARTED OUT REALLY FAR AWAY AND NOW THEY’RE REALLY CLOSE.

LOOKS LIKE A JOURNEY RIGHT?

Page 33: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

NOPE.REAL-WORLD JOURNEYS HAVE SOME IMPORTANT THINGS THAT B2B PURCHASE PROCESSES DO NOT.

Page 34: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

PEOPLE ON REAL-WORLD JOURNEYS START WITH INTENTIONS.

Page 35: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

THEY KNOW WHERE THEY WANT TO GO BEFORE THEY EVEN SET OFF.

THEY BUY A MAP.THEY PACK A LUNCH.THEY PEE THE KIDS.

Page 36: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

REAL-WORLD JOURNEYS ARE SELF-MOTIVATED.

PEOPLE GO PLACES BECAUSE THEY REALLY WANT TO GET THERE.THEY NEED NO EXTRA INCENTIVE.

Page 37: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

IN CONTRAST, B2B PURCHASERS DO NOT INTEND TO BUY YOUR PRODUCTS.

THEIR MOTIVATION DOESN’T INCLUDE YOU (UNLESS YOU DO SOMETHING TO CHANGE THAT).

Page 38: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

B2B PURCHASERS ARE GROPING AROUND IN THE DARK.

THINKING ABOUT THEIR OWN PROBLEMS.

Page 39: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

OCCASIONALLY, THEY STUMBLE OVER SOME KIND OF LUMP.

THAT LUMP IS YOU.

Page 40: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

THEY MAY OR MAY NOT INVESTIGATE THE LUMP.

PROBABLY NOT.

Page 41: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

IF THEY DO, THEY MAY OR MAY NOT GET IN TOUCH.

Page 42: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

AND EVEN IF THEY GET IN TOUCH, THEIR ‘JOURNEY’ HAS JUST BEGUN.

MOST OF THEM WILL STILL WANDER OFF.

Page 43: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

NOW YOU MAY CHOOSE TO CALL ALL THIS GROPING AND STUMBLING A JOURNEY.

(I WOULDN’T.)

Page 44: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

BUT IN B2B, BUYERS ARE NOT HEADING YOUR WAY ALL ON THEIR OWN.

THEY DON’T HAVE A MAP.THEY HAVEN’T PACKED LUNCH.THEY DON’T KNOW YOU EXIST.

Page 45: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

ASSUMING THAT PEOPLE ARE ON A JOURNEY TO YOU IS A FATAL ASSUMPTION.

IT’S JUST A METAPHOR.

Page 46: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

THE THIRD POISONOUS METAPHOR…

Page 47: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

THE “FOLLOWER”.

Page 48: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

WHETHER IT’S ON TWITTER OR FACEBOOK OR LINKEDIN OR GOOGLE+, YOUR ‘FOLLOWERS’ AREN’T REALLY FOLLOWING YOU AND THEY’RE NOT YOUR ‘FRIENDS’ AND YOU’RE NOT REALLY IN THEIR ‘CIRCLES’.

Page 49: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

THOSE ARE METAPHORS.

Page 50: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

IN SOCIAL MEDIA, THERE’S ONLY ONE WAY TO GET PEOPLE TO REALLY FOLLOW YOU AND REALLY BE YOUR FRIEND AND REALLY INVITE YOU INTO THEIR CIRCLES.

Page 51: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

YOU HAVE TO EARN IT.WHICH IS A LOT HARDER THAN GETTING THEM TO CLICK ‘FOLLOW’.

Page 52: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

YOUR ‘FOLLOWERS’ ARE STRANGERS WHO HAVE GIVEN YOU – AT BEST – A MICROSECOND EVERY MONTH OR SO TO GET ON THEIR RADAR. THAT’S ALL

THEY ARE.

Page 53: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

IF YOU’RE BUSY COUNTING YOUR FOLLOWERS AND COLLECTING ‘LIKES’, YOU’RE IGNORING THE THING THAT REALLY MATTERS.

Page 54: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

THE THING THAT REALLY MATTERS IN SOCIAL MEDIA IS EARNING A REPUTATION AS AN INTELLIGENT, CONSISTENT, ENTERTAINING SOURCE OF INSIGHT.

Page 55: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

IF YOU CAN DO THAT, TEN OF YOUR FOLLOWERS WILL BE WORTH THE MILLION PHANTOM FANS OF THAT ‘PERSONAL BRAND GURU’ WHO PUMPS HIS BANAL EFFLUENT INTO THE TWEETOSPHERE EVERY HOUR, ON THE HOUR. YOU KNOW THE GUY.

Page 56: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

‘FOLLOWERS’ AND ‘FRIENDS’ ARE METAPHORS.

LOOK BEHIND YOU.SEE ANY EAGER FACES, AWAITING YOUR NEXT POST?I THOUGHT NOT.

Page 57: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

LET’S REVIEW.

Page 58: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

FUNNELS AREN’T REALLY FUNNELS.

THEY DON’T HAVE GRAVITY AND THEY DON’T HAVE HARD SIDES.

Page 59: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

PURCHASE JOURNEYS AREN’T REALLY JOURNEYS.

YOUR PROSPECTS AREN’T SKIPPING DOWN THE YELLOW-BRICK ROAD TO YOU.

Page 60: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

YOUR FOLLOWERS AREN’T REALLY FOLLOWERS.

THEY’RE JUST PEOPLE WHO ARE DESPERATELY LOOKING FOR FOLLOWERS.

Page 61: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

Page 62: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

IT MEANS YOU HAVE TO CREATE THE GRAVITY IN THE FUNNEL.

THE FORCE THAT IMPELS PROSPECTS TOWARDS YOU.

Page 63: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

AND YOU HAVE TO BUILD THE HARD SIDES THAT KEEP PEOPLE ENGAGED.

MAKING IT HARDER FOR THEM TO WANDER AWAY.

Page 64: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

AND YOU HAVE TO TURN THE LIGHT ON SO THEY SEE WHERE THEY ARE AND WHY THEY NEED YOU.

SO THEY STOP GROPING AND STUMBLING AND START LISTENING.

Page 65: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

AND YOU HAVE TO EARN THE REAL ATTENTION OF YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA CONTACTS. SO THEY SIT UP

AND TUNE IN WHEN YOU TWEET.

Page 66: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

AND YOU DO ALL THIS WITH ONE EASY-TO-SAY BUT NOT SO EASY-TO-DELIVER THING… DRUM ROLL…

Page 67: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

YOU DO IT WITH CLEAR, COMPELLING, INTERESTING, USEFUL, PASSIONATE, FUN, INTELLIGENT, ARTICULATE, BEAUTIFUL, LOGICAL, DISCOVERABLE, MAGNETIC…

Page 68: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

CONTENT.

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CONTENT THAT HELPS PEOPLE DO THEIR JOBS, SOLVE THEIR PROBLEMS OR SEIZE THEIR OPPORTUNITIES.

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THAT’S THE ONLY THING THAT FILLS FUNNELS AND INCITES JOURNEYS AND INSPIRES FOLLOWERS.

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SO DO MORE OF THAT.

(AND LESS OF EVERYTHING ELSE).

Page 72: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

THANKS FOR CLICKING.

Page 73: Three Poisonous B2B Marketing Metaphors

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