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Marketing Expert Interview

Maureen Cole, Marketing Director, Cohesive Solutions

Maureen Cole

Derek Little·August 26, 2019

“Understanding customer feedback in real-time is imperative for marketing leaders moving forward....

Laura Patterson, President, VisionEdge Marketing

Laura Patterson

Derek Little·August 10, 2019

“We need to demonstrate proficiency and mastery before we pursue the next...

Ted Birkhahn, President, Hot Paper Lantern

Ted Birkhahn

Derek Little·August 10, 2019

“More B2B brands are embracing the concept of storytelling and the opportunity...

Bill Rice, CEO, Kaleidico

Bill Rice

Derek Little·August 7, 2019

“The traditional concept of growth hacking where you build tools and experiences...

Paul Kiesche

Derek Little·July 25, 2019

“Some influencers are pumping out a lot of junk. And I think...

Jim Van Meer

Derek Little·July 25, 2019

“What I think is going to be a big trend in 2020...

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The B2B Marketing Trends Survey
“B2B Marketing professionals! Increase your credibility and visibility by getting interviewed for my upcoming report on B2B marketing trends – 2020. Visit TrailblazerWriting.com for details.” Derek Little, CEO, TrailblazerWriting.com Tweet B2B Marketing has never been a more exciting and vibrant profession. The industry continually reinvents itself, and now technology is playing an ever increasing role. Tell us what you think the biggest B2B marketing trend is by taking our survey. What’s the biggest B2B marketing trend for 2020?
The B2B Marketer’s Journey
How to Get the Best B2B Marketing Results Small business B2B marketers are often under constant pressure to generate leads and get a marketing ROI. That’s why I wrote “The B2B Marketer’s Journey: How To Generate More Leads With High-performance B2B Copywriting.” The goal of this book is to give you a brief overview of the complete B2B marketing process in a way that lets you get the best results from your B2B copywriting. It explains how great marketing strategy under-pins great copywriting. It gives you a better grasp on the entire B2B marketer’s journey while sharing a new perspective on B2B copywriting. 10 Reasons B2B Copywriting Fails If you were a Formula One race car driver in the early 1960’s and 70’s your odds of getting killed in a race were around 20%. While Formula One racing has become a lot safer over the years, being in business hasn’t. Only 50% of US businesses survive 5 years or more. The number #1 reason companies fail is that they can’t attract enough paying customers in a cost-efficient manner. Here are ten reasons why this happens. No overall plan for directing marketing activitiesNo strategy behind the brand and product messagingNot knowing what motivates prospects to buyNot researching customer SEO keywords in advanceMismanaging the buyer’s journeyAn ineffective B2B websiteChaotic approach to lead generationNot driving website traffic with SEO copywritingNo system for pre-qualifying leadsNot staying abreast of the latest B2B marketing trends A Roadmap to Lead Generation Success Have you made the B2B Marketer’s Journey? It’s a great challenge, no doubt. Some of the largest companies in the world struggle to make any impact at all. One of the biggest difficulties is the length of time it takes for B2B buyers to decide to buy. And, at any point you could lose them to a competitor. Their journey as a buyer is part of your own journey as a marketer. Marketing delivery often comes down to the copywriting. Generating leads is the result of many steps in building and marketing a compelling brand with high-performance B2B copywriting. This takes a blend of marketing strategy and tactics that let you plan and implement an effective B2B marketing effort. It starts with your Value Proposition. Your Value Proposition defines your overall marketing strategy. It lets you develop a Copy Platform that serves as the guide for all your copywriting. This leads to your Buyer Personas, the model of your most likely customer. The keywords they use form the basis of your SEO Strategy. Then your Buyer’s Journey puts all the elements of your marketing strategy into context. Finally, the tactical elements of your marketing can be put into action. Your website copywriting, B2B Copy and Content, and SEO Copywriting can be organized into a predictable Lead Generation System that keeps you in step with the latest B2B marketing trends. The Making of The B2B Marketer’s Journey: The Book “Rush,” is a movie about Formula One racing in the 1970s. It inspired me to write my book. Here’s a video on the making of Rush. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKMHXmWvQXA
Introducing the Jobs To Be Done Theory of Copywriting
“Rather than trying to explain what a copywriter does, it would be better to describe what jobs you can hire Copywriting to do. And there are four main jobs copywriting does.” Derek Little, CEO, TrailblazerWriting.com Tweet What exactly does a B2B copywriter do? When the average person asks me what I do and say I’m a “B2B Copywriter,” Most people just give me a puzzled look. And some of my clients aren’t sure how to use copywriting as effectively as they could. That was… until I figured out how to explain what a Copywriter does. In this video I share a powerful insight on B2B copywriting as well as the success story that led me to this realization. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=za1m-eFltbQ This video gives you four ways to use high-performance B2B copywriting to improve your marketing results. The 4 strategies I’m about to reveal give you a complete roadmap for choosing the right type of copywriting for your needs. To begin with, I’m Derek Little, Business-to-business copywriter and founder of Trailblazer Writing. I write compelling copy and content for technology CEO’s, Creative directors, Account Executives, Consultants, and Marketing Directors at top B2B firms. My background is in B2B sales, including software sales. This helps me create compelling content – like case studies. It also helps my clients generate more leads on social media. But when the average person asks me what I do and say I’m a “Copywriter.” Most people just give me a puzzled look. And some of my clients aren’t sure how to use copywriting as effectively as they could. That was… until I figured out how to explain what a Copywriter does. And I’d like to share that with you now… But first I’d like to share the success story that led me to this realization… The Story of Innovator’s Dilemma In 1997, Harvard Business School Professor, Clayton Christensen wrote a book called the Innovator’s Dilemma. His book has been called the most influential business idea of the 20th century. Because of his expertise in innovation, Christensen was once hired by McDonalds to help them figure out how to sell more milkshakes. Before they hired him though, McDonalds had tried conducting focus groups on milkshake buyers. They asked them what they wanted and tried applying their suggestions. But this had little impact on sales. So, Christensen had a colleague stand outside a McDonalds and track everyone who bought a milkshake. What they learned, was that 50% of the milkshakes were sold before 8:30 in the morning. Then, they started asking the milkshake buyers a very strange question… “What job are you hiring that milkshake to do?” As it turned out, most people had a long boring drive to work. Not only were they hungry, they had a free hand available as they drove their car. So, the job they were hiring the milkshake to do was… to not only provide a quick and easy breakfast… but to also to keep them awake on their long drive to work. And a milkshake was perfect for the job, since it takes around 23 minutes to slurp a milkshake up through the thin straw McDonald’s gives you. Once McDonald’s knew this, they could take steps to increase milkshake sales, such as offering pre-paid milkshake cards. Jobs to Be Done Theory (of B2B Copywriting) When I heard about this “Jobs to Be Done” theory, it made me realize… Rather than trying to explain what a copywriter does… It would be better to describe what jobs you can hire Copywriting to do. And there are four main jobs copywriting does… Job 1. Strategic Marketing Direction I’m sometimes asked to write marketing copy with little or no strategy provided. But it’s impossible to create effective copy if you’re not clear who’s reading it or what they want. Strategic copywriting solves this problem. It’s sometimes referred to as: A copy platformA buyer personathe buyer’s journey or a creative brief Job 2. Promote your Business One thing you can never stop doing if you’re in business is creating top of mind awareness. But more than just that, you must build relationships. And without a doubt, the best B2B tool for initiating awareness is Linkedin. Other tactics that can help include: Video marketingEmail marketingDirect Mail Job 3. Educate your prospects Some of the biggest problems are where people don’t realize they don’t have one in the first place. And if they don’t realize they’ve got a problem, they’ll never buy your solution. Some types of copywriting that can help prospects consider their options, are: White papers eBooksPodcasts Job 4. Provide Product Information There’s lots of things people want to know about a product before they’ll buy it. And the first place they go for this is your company website. Here you can provide… Case studiesProduct descriptionsCorporate biographies Fill the Gaps in Your Sales Process So, the next time you’re talking with someone, who “I” can help with copywriting… And they start fretting about their business frustrations… Such as… We’ve got cash flow problemsOur advertising isn’t workingWe don’t have enough customersWe’re worried about the future Tell them the Milkshake story. And ask them what copywriting job needs to be done to solve their problems. Because whatever their B2B marketing challenges are, high-performance copywriting can help, every time. And now that you know what jobs B2B copywriting does, you also know what I do as a B2B copywriter… I write all that stuff – like this video script! So, if you know someone who needs to… Improve their marketing strategyPromote their business Educate their customers Or explain their products. Tell them to call Derek Little, the B2B Copywriter. I’ll help them find the gaps in their sales process. And, suggest ways they can use copywriting to generate more leads and sales. How to Generate More Leads with B2B Copywriting For more information on my “Jobs to Be Done” theory of B2B copywriting, you can check out my best-selling book on Amazon.com. It’s called the… The B2B Marketer’s Journey: How to …