Marketing Spark (The B2B SaaS Marketing Podcast)

In simple terms, account-based marketing (ABM) is about targeting the prospects that really matter. It's about a laser-focused approach to marketing and sales. Behind the scenes, however, a lot needs to happen. It includes ensuring that marketing and sales work together to attract, engage, and nurture prospects. On this episode of Marketing Spark, Andrei Zinkevich also points out that ABM also involves determining the customers that you don't want as much as the customers you do want. Andrei goes into depth about how his company, Full Funnel, helps B2B SaaS companies leverage ABM to drive leads and revenue growth.

For many B2B SaaS companies, conversations are the ultimate success metric. When customers directly engage with you, relationships are established and, as important, the sales journey is jump-started. On this episode of Marketing Spark, Mark Kilens, Drfit's VP of Content & Community, talks about how conversation marketing gained momentum last year at a time when conferences disappeared. Drift pioneered conversation marketing with the introduction of an AI-powered chatbot that attempts to engage, understand and recommend solutions. Mark and I also talk about Drift's approach to content marketing, the importance of content distribution, and some of the metrics used to assess content marketing success.

Over the past 19 months, a growing number of people have embraced LinkedIn as a platform to make connections, drive conversations, and share content. Among the most successful is Joel Lalgee , a professional recruiter, who has more than 73,000 followers. In this episode of Marketing Spark, Joel looks at how LinkedIn has evolved and how his approach to LinkedIn has changed. It's great insight from someone who has clearly seen huge ROI from LinkedIn. Joel also talks about the "Great Resign" movement that has dominated the work landscape, as well as the challenges and opportunities of working from home.

When did building a personal brand become so important? Does everyone need a personal brand? DP Knudten has some great insight into why a personal brand is a key part of how to operate professionally and personally. He looks at the keys to success and the mistakes made by people along the way. As well, DP talks about his Non-Fiction Brand approach to personal branding.

Many marketers believe that when they hit "publish" on a piece of content, the job is done. But the reality is it's just beginning. Ross Simmonds says one of the keys to content marketing success is distribution. Without it, he says all you're doing is building a content library. In this episode of Marketing Spark, Ross talks about: - Why so many companies and marketers struggle with content distribution - How to kick-start a content distribution plan - How to repurpose content on multiple platforms - Why it's important to focus on quality, not quantity - How to create content that's valuable and SEO-friendly.

To gate or not to gate, that is the question. Should prospects cough up an email address to access content? It’s a question that I’ve asked many marketers in recent months. And most of them believe that gated content is disappearing. In theory, gated content is a great way to attract MQLs and justifying/quantifying marketing investments. In practice, however, getting email addresses is increasingly challenging. On the Marketing Spark podcast, Jonathan Bland suggests that marketers need to look at content differently. Rather than it being about email farming, the focus should be brand awareness and funnel development. “It’s about getting maximum reach,” Jonathan says. The decision to un-gate can be a difficult pill to swallow but the digital marketing landscape has changed. There’s so much good content that a company simply can’t afford to create a barrier or friction.

When marketing fails to perform, a frenzy of fixes happens. It’s about tactical optimization and doing things differently. But often marketers are addressing symptoms, not root problems. Sometimes, bad marketing is caused by a rotten foundation. Marketing execution stumbles when it’s not underpinned properly. Michelle Tresemer describes this problem as “compounding defects”, a term that she borrowed from the construction industry. Compounding defects happen when there is no strategic vision or purpose. This leads to marketing that isn’t focused, structured, or aligned. Michelle says that “by the time you to tactics, there are no guardrails or no direction. Everyone is just doing what they think is best and it doesn't work”. In the physical world, compounding defects is what happens when a skyscraper’s foundations are slightly off. As the building is constructed the foundational flaws are magnified and exacerbated. In the marketing world, compounding defects can involve a lack of leads or sales, or content that a CMO finds difficult to approve because it’s somehow off the mark.

In many organizations, marketing and sales operate in silos. Sales complains that marketing delivers crappy leads while marketing claims sales can't close deals. In an ideal world, sales and marketing operate as a cohesive team that collaborates to effectively attract and engage prospects. On the Marketing Spark podcast, April Palmer provides insight into how startups and entrepreneurs can create powerful marketing and sales teams. As well, she talks about the mistakes that many companies make when hiring a sales leader, and how to build a sales organization in the right way. For companies looking for sales help, April has advice on how to hire a third-party sales organization.

In the software world, agile has been around for many years. It's how software is developed more efficiently and iteratively. But agile is also being embraced by organizations looking to make their marketing more successful. Michael Seaton says agile fundamentally changes how marketer think and work. It's about making marketing more structured, focused and effective. It's about giving marketing teams the psychological safety to test and learn without getting sent to the penalty box if they make mistakes.

As more B2B brands embrace content marketing as the way to engage, educate, and connect with prospects and customers, it's becoming increasingly difficult to break through and stand out. In this episode of Marketing Spark, Brad Smith, CEO with Wordable, offers in-depth insight into: How companies should approach content marketing The importance of focusing on keywords that can be ranked for in the short term. How to build a content marketing team and how to assess its performance How to never run out of content ideas How to effectively distribution content once it's been published.

One of the most interesting parts of the B2B marketing landscape is watching marketers do their own marketing. I see a lot of it on LinkedIn – my social media platform of choice. There are marketers who create text posts, videos, carousels, and, of course, polls. But, believe it or not, there is life beyond LinkedIn for B2B marketers. And one of the more intriguing places is TikTok. Yeah, TikTok. It’s no longer just a social media platform for goofy videos but a place where B2B marketers can successfully leverage. A marketer who appears to have cracked TikTok is Stephen Pope, who runs SGP Labs in L.A. In this episode of Marketing Spark, Stephen talks about why he embraced TikTok and his tactical approach to making videos that attract prospects.

Being an early adopter is not easy. There is a risk to embrace a platform or product that isn't popular or perhaps not ready for prime time. In 2017, Michael David Chapman walked away from his job. With no backup plan, he started to post on LinkedIn - sometimes three or four times a day - about his personal and professional challenges. This is way before LinkedIn emerged as a vibrant content platform. As an early adopter, Michael capitalized on a huge opportunity by doing what other people weren't doing. His posts generated huge audiences and Michael has attracted 276,000 followers. In this episode of Marketing Spark, we talk about Michael's LinkedIn journey and how he sees the platform evolving. We also do a rapid-fire session on all things LinkedIn.

Can you feel the marketing pendulum swinging back to the basics? For years, the focus has been data, KPIs, and quantifying anything under the sun. But marketing success happens in different and sometimes mysterious ways. Some of it is measured while other marketing isn’t directly attributable. Many marketers have embraced data because there are so many tools to access analytics and insights, scale, and automate processes. When technology makes it easy to reach a global audience, it’s easy to not spend as much time on fundamentals or first principles. But it appears like marketers are starting to focus more on fundamentals. In my business, I’m seeing more interest in positioning and messaging. Zineb Layachi said technology makes marketers forget about the reality they are trying to connect with people. While tools allow marketers to amplify their efforts, she says the marketing pillars are important. “How can you connect with target audiences and do marketing? What makes an impact? People are at the center of that. I keep talking about the fundamentals when you get the fundamentals right, you scale on solid foundations.”

How do you scale a marketing team at a hyper-growth company? It’s definitely a nice problem to have. Who wouldn’t want to ride a rocket? Managing growth is a major challenge for Ruth Zive, who has led marketing at Ada for nearly three years. Earlier this year, the Toronto-based company raised $130 million. Ruth, who has headed up marketing at Ada for nearly three years, says momentum and capital have allowed her to take a different approach to marketing, “We have the wind in our sails and we are well-capitalized. So, now we can take a breath and be a lot more thoughtful and strategic about the future,” Ruth said on my podcast. “In the past, we would make decisions from month to month. Now, we very deliberately planning for one or two years out.”

Sadly, most marketers don’t really know their customers. They have buyer personas and ideal customer profiles. But these tools barely scratch the surface. The only way to know your customers is to talk to them. Yet many marketers don’t do it because: - They claim to have no time - They have bigger priorities - They’re afraid doing hard work - They don’t get why it matters That’s not good enough. Ryan Gibson not only believes in the value of talking to customers, but he pivoted his consulting business to focus on “customer investigations”. It is insightful and often surprising, he says, what customers and prospects will tell you if you ask them questions.

The “unsubscribe” notification is painful. Someone wants to end a relationship. They want you out of their lives. It’s not them, it’s you…and your newsletter. But is the unsubscribe really that bad? Should marketers, in fact, celebrate unsubscribes? When you step back, someone disconnecting from a newsletter means they’re not your target audience. The effort invested to create a newsletter isn’t resonating with them. So, it’s perfectly fine for both sides to move on. On the Marketing Side podcast, Jules Dan said it’s more important to focus on the people who want your email marketing. “I sometimes encourage people to unsubscribe.”

Click on “Ask for a Demo’. It’s the CTA on every B2B SaaS website. But what happens after the click? How do companies educate, and delight prospects? In many ways, the demo is almost taken for granted within the marketing process. Marketers are focused on messaging, value propositions and content to attract and engage. The demo belongs to sales. But that’s the wrong approach. The demo should be a coordinated effort between sales and marketing. A demo is a golden opportunity to encourage, inspire and showcase your product in the right way. If marketing isn’t involved in this crucial process, that’s a mistake.

The biggest marketing challenge for many companies simply getting started. There are so many options that it’s almost paralysis by analysis. In many cases, companies do too much. They believe that more channels or campaigns equal more success. It’s better to focus on doing a small number of things really well. Pick a channel and run hard with it. A key part of Jordan Behan ’s approach to getting started with marketing is: One Big Thing. Pick a marketing tactic like an eBook, Webinar, video, or course to stand out. I like the idea of One Big Thing because it establishes realistic expectations, structure, and focus.

In an ideal world, B2B SaaS marketing and sales teams move forward in lock-step. In reality, they often operate in silos. The result? Sales complain that marketing gives them crappy leads. Marketing counters that sales can’t close deals. How do you address this conundrum? The answer may be field marketing. While it may not be the best-known marketing term, field marketers quarterback sales and marketing activities. In this episode, Nick Bennett offers insight into field marketing; what it is, how it works, and why it is so effective.

Chris Walker’s on fire. He’s a high-profile B2B marketing thought leader. His LinkedIn posts generate huge engagement. His agency, Refine Labs, is red-hot. But here’s the interesting thing: Not that long ago, Chris wasn’t the belle of the B2B ball. Many of his ideas about B2B marketing were dismissed. Hard to believe, right? On the Marketing Spark podcast, Chris said: “For the first five to seven years of my career, everyone thought my marketing ideas were not smart, and they didn’t want me to do the things that I was doing like podcasts. They were heavily scrutinized at all the companies that I worked for.” Chris’ frustration and appetite to do the marketing he wanted led to the creation of Refine Labs.

Hiring a marketing leader is not just about someone's skills and experience but creating a partnership between the CEO and the head of marketing. Avoma CEO Aditya Kothadiya provides first-hand insight into the process that he recently took to hire a director of marketing. Aditya says one of the keys to success is hiring the right person based on a company's growth stage. Once a marketing leader comes on board, Aditya said it is important to align around expectations and goals so the rules of engagement are established.

As much as many people have seen significant ROI from LinkedIn (connections, conversations, and leads), I'm beginning to see some people explore other social media platforms. It could be that LinkedIn is getting busier and/or that people see potential to make connections on places like Twitter, Tik Tok, and Instagram. To get an insider's view of the landscape, I talked with Marcus Schaller, who recently shifted some of his social media time to Twitter. Most interesting is how Marcus is taking some of the key lessons from LinkedIn and applying them to Twitter.

"LinkedIn is way too slow, too reactive and not pro-active enough ." That's a blunt assessment from Charlie Whyman, a LinkedIn trainer and "marketing momentum builder". In this episode, Charlie and I explore some of the ways that LinkedIn evolved in 2020 and what she expects will happen in 2021. This includes: - Analytics for personal accounts; probably not going to happen. - More use of Stories as conferences and events come back to life. - Improve content discovery tools through the use of tags. - Better corporate pages Charlie also offers insight into automation tools (they're evil) and how marketers are ruining LinkedIn by using these tools to drive leads and Website traffic.

Marketers love the thrill of the chase. We pursue prospects with reckless abandon. MQLs are B2B digital hunting trophies. But when marketers catch prospects, the game’s over. They quickly forget about these newly-minted customers….because prospects are sexier. It shouldn’t be this way. Prospects shouldn’t be engaged separately by sales, marketing, and customer success. The three groups should be working together to attract, capture, and serve customers. John McTigue argues that silos create friction, which drives customer unhappiness and churn. He believes a unified approach is a win for B2B companies and customers.

Marketing is hard. It's even more challenging when you're the lone marketer. You need to strategize, coordinate, tactically execute, and organize. In other words, you have to be a multi-task player. On the Marketing Spark podcast, Nancy Kwan talks about life as a solo marketer. One of her biggest pieces of advice: "Don't become a yes person. Be comfortable saying no." Nancy says that solo marketers need to be strategic and ask tough questions before committing to anything.

Personal branding is red-hot. Seemingly, everyone you turn, someone is offering personal branding advice and consulting. Is the focus/obsession with personal branding due to the gig economy, the ubiquity of social marketing, or the reality that people will work for multiple employers so a personal brand is important, if not necessary? On this episode of Marketing Spark, Rich Cardona and I dive into personal branding, why it matters, and how to build a personal brand. We also discuss the importance of content marketing and why, like many people, his time on Clubhouse has gone way down.

Most business books are dull. I read the first 25 pages before a book loses its appeal. The writing is dense, the topic doesn't warrant a book, or I quickly get the point. Laura Valvasori has developed a new and interesting way for people to get more value from business books. She recently launched the Business Book Collective, a virtual community that combines a Mastermind group and a book club. Each month, you read a book and share your thoughts and take-aways with like-minded people. It's a brilliant concept because you're held accountable to finish the book and you benefit from the collective wisdom of the community. Laura literally stumbled upon the idea a few months ago. But unlike many ideas that come and go, she embraced it and launched in January.

Jay Desai has always wanted to be an entrepreneur. At 11-years-old, he had a newsletter business. In middle school, he was reselling sticks of gum bought at Costco. While working for Trend, a B2B startup last year, Jay came upon a problem: how to collect content from around the Web for future reference. One thing led to another and Jay created Swpely, which he describes as Pinterest for B2B. It's a free service that makes it easy to collect digital content, social media, updates, videos, and photos. In this episode of Marketing Spark, Jay talks about the transition from full-time employee to entrepreneur, and how he plans to grow Swpely into a full-featured content aggregation platform.

Networking still matters. I'm not talking about social networks but establishing connections with people professionally and personally. A lot of things in life happen due to relationships. It's how we develop trust, empathy, and connections. Marc Angelos is a long-time Wall St. salesman who intimately understands the power of value of networking. In this episode of Marketing Spark, Marc takes a deep dive into the keys to success networking and how to make it happen in a digital world.

It goes without saying the marketing landscape has dramatically changed over the past year. The disappearance of conferences (a go-to channel for B2B companies) has been a game-changer, forcing marketers to embrace virtual events, high-quality content, newsletters, and social media. Who better to provide perspective on marketing today and where it’s heading (as well as how business is transforming) than Mitch Joel, an entrepreneur, investor, author, and trusted advisor. In this episode of Marketing Spark, Mitch and I discuss: - The domination of the advertising landscape by Google and Facebook - The growing importance of storytelling - How and when in-person conferences will return - The future of LinkedIn and Clubhouse.

The subscription economy is expected to grow from $15-billion this year to $475 billion by 2025. That's 68% year-over-year growth. Adam Levinter operates in the eye of the hurricane as a subscription economy consultant, podcaster, and author. In this episode of Marketing Spark, Adam and I explore why the subscription economy is growing so fast, the sectors seeing the most momentum, and how companies can embrace a subscription business. We also take a look at how the subscription economy will impact marketing, which will focus on customer acquisition and, as important, customer nurturing.

I have been working with B2B SaaS companies since 2008. I can honestly say that few of them have struck as truly innovative. Many of them were cool but they didn't blow me away. Lately is an exception to the rule. When I learned what it can do, it resonated as a game-changer. The company turns content (blog posts, eBooks, video) into social media posts. It takes the painful, time-consuming work out of creating updates for multiple social media networks. Imagine the ROI from being able to create social media content at scale effortlessly. In this episode of Marketing Spark, I spoke with Lately co-founder and CEO Kate Chernis about her journey from popular DJ to marketing to SaaS entrepreneur. We explored the personal struggles that Kate endured in the music industry, why she backed away from raising money because she believed the VCs weren't treating her in the same way as male entrepreneurs, and how to operate a business remotely.

In some respects, newsletters are the Rodney Dangerfield of the digital marketing world; they get no respect. They’re widely used by B2B companies to engage and convert customers but they’re not seen as sexy. To get some insight into the world of newsletters, I saw down with Ashley Guttuso, Director of Marketing at Simple Focus Software and the author of the Opt-in Weekly newsletter. We talked about: - Best practices and mistakes to avoid - HubSpot's acquisition of The Hustle - How and when to use curated content within newsletters.

LinkedIn is a mysterious creature. The algorithm is a well-kept secret and there are rules that should be followed to stay onside and attract engagement on the platform. In other words, it's not as simple as writing a post and clicking "publish". Moritz Lang is a Swedish digital marketer who has emerged as a LinkedIn "guru". On LinkedIn, he posts frequently on best practices and how to do the right things to create engaging content but also establish a strong presence. For anyone looking to raise their LinkedIn game, this podcast is a must-listen.

In marketing, nothing is guaranteed. Sometimes, it’s about taking risks and leaps of faith. In a data-driven world, data doesn’t deliver all the answers. Marketing is an unpredictable and often surprising creature. Last year, a lot of B2B wanted to de-risk marketing. They pulled back on spending, chopped staff, and counted every dollar. But that approach only works for so long. At some point, you need to get back in the game and take risks to succeed. On the Marketing Spark podcast, Mano Guiragossian talks about how he has navigated the risk journey with clients.

For people who spend a lot of time focused on a particular topic or area of interest, the idea of writing a book is appealing. It's a great way to demonstrate thought leadership, attract a bigger audience, and get speaking gigs. But Juliet Clark says writing a business book isn't for everyone, particularly if you don't have a large audience. Clark, who helps authors self-publish their books, says writing a book isn't for everyone. It takes a lot of work, not only to write a book but, as important, promote it. From personal experience, writing a book is a labor of love. The ROI is being able to differentiate yourself in a crowded marketplace.

It used to be that marketing and sales meant jumping on airplanes to meet prospects and clients. Many people didn't think twice about flying hundreds of miles to a meeting and returning the same day. At one time, Andrew Deutsch was a hard-core road warrior. He flew as much as 300,000 miles a year. Andrew visited a lot of places but eventually decided it was an unsustainable lifestyle. Today, Andrew does most of its selling and from home via Zoom or virtual conferences. On the Marketing Spark podcast, Andrew and I talk about the new age of sales and marketing, and how new in-person business activities could emerge post-COVID.

How’s Clubhouse going to make money? Given the platform’s growth, it’s a fascinating question. Of course, Clubhouse has time given it just raised more VC. But, at some point, Clubhouse will embrace monetization. Mallory Lee says the possibilities are endless. She believes the options include: - Advertising - Sponsored rooms - Private rooms for companies looking to connect employees via audio rather than video Personally, I think podcasting a huge opportunity for Clubhouse.

Every company wants its marketing to drive leads, sales, and ROI. But marketing can be an up and down situation. Sometimes, marketing works. Sometimes, it doesn't. On this episode of the podcast, Yaag Ganesh talks about why revenue marketing is an approach that ROI and predictability. It's about focusing on marketing that works and then developing structures and workflows to "shampoo, rinse, and repeat." Yaag and I also talked about: - The rise of Clubhouse and why he's been spending a lot of time on the audio-only platform - Building a personal brand as an international marketer.

How much content do you consume? Most of us probably overdose on reading, watching, and listening to content. There’s so much great content available that it’s hard to resist. I would argue that most of us need to be more structured, disciplined, and focused. Nemanja Zivkovic has an interesting approach. He’s on a “content diet”. Nemanja consumes content selectively and judiciously and relies on a few go-to resources but tries to stay above the fray. It allows him to be strategic about content consumption as opposed to gorging out at the content buffet.

Marketers love chasing, engaging, and nurturing prospects. Marketers love MQLs and revelling in sexy metrics how about well they are performing. But once a prospect turns into a customer, marketers move on to the next shiny prospect. A customer becomes the responsibility of customer success or customer service. Linda Komisak, CEO of Upturn Consultants, believes this is the wrong approach. Not marketing to customers, she says, means you're: - not making enough of an effort to keep them happy and loyal - not educating to get more value from your product - not creating opportunities to expand their business with you. In this Marketing Spark podcast, Linda talks about how marketing to customers matters and why "trusted advisors" play a key role in making sure customers are served properly.

LinkedIn's 2020 was stunning; more than 60 million+ additional users and its emergence as a truly social platform featuring content, connections, and conversations. Like a lot of people, Liam Darmody jumped hard into LinkedIn last year. You only have to look at the 530+ posts that he published to understand his enthusiasm. In this episode of Marketing Spark, Liam and I talk about how and why LinkedIn changed last year, how he approaches the platform from a content and connection perspective, and how LinkedIn will develop in 2021. It's a high-level, strategic conversation about a platform that many people discovered or rediscovered and, in the process, saw amazing ROI. If you're on LinkedIn, check out Liam's recently launched LinkedInthusiasts! page.

At a time when conferences are not happening and salespeople can't meet with prospects, marketing has become a key revenue engine. A growing number of B2B and SaaS leaders are realizing that marketing can effectively attract, engage, and nurture prospects. Marketing is no longer supporting sales but driving sales. And, in the process, marketing is getting more respects and budget. In this episode of Marketing Spark, Shiv Narayanan gets into the different roles that marketing is playing. We explore the growing importance of content marketing and how CMOs and CFOs need to establish close working relationships.

As B2B and SaaS companies scramble to leverage virtual events, many people are looking to become better and more engaging virtual speakers. These are people who thrive at in-person events but now they have to present digitally. There's no stage and no audience sitting in front of them. Now, that's a huge challenge. Andrew Churchill has seen his consulting business explode as more people look to become better, more dynamic virtual speakers. In this episode of Marketing Spark, Andrew talks about the tricks and techniques that speakers need to deploy to keep people focused, interested, and interacting. One good piece of advice is to stand up when presenting virtually rather than sitting down. It's simple but, when you think about it, makes a lot of sense.

It's one thing to do marketing; it's another thing to build a cohesive, collaborative, and productive marketing team. In this episode of Marketing Spark, Mitch Fanning provides insight into what it takes to build a team that drives marketing success. One of the things that Mitch likes in a marketing hire is "grit", which is the ability to get the job done even when things are challenging. Mitch also talks about how to create a partnership with a CEO to ensure that marketing gets the support it needs, as well as his marketing HR priorities.

B2B and SaaS companies are scrambling to find ways to connect with prospects and customers at a time when in-person conferences aren't happening. Some companies are attempting to replicate the in-person experience but many of these efforts are, at best, mediocre. Clio, which offers software to law firms, however, appears to have discovered the recipe for success. Its recent virtual conference attracted 4,500 paid (yes, paid!) attendees from 46 countries. In this Marketing Spark episode, Clio's Alex Shipillo offers a behind-the-scenes look into: - why and how the event was so successful - why it charged people to attend, and - what one sponsor did to make an impact.

Entrepreneurship is sexy and compelling. You call your own shots. You're the master/mistress of your own domain. It's an ideal way to make a living. Well, that's the perception. The reality is that entrepreneurship is stressful. It's a 24/7 activity that takes blood, sweat, and tears. In this episode of Marketing Spark, Luc Bohunicky and I explore the ups and downs of entrepreneurship, and what entrepreneurs must do to develop products and attract an audience.

In the B2B landscape, data dominates and, arguably, makes marketers less creative and interesting. Decisions are heavily (overly?) influenced by KPIs and metrics. The numbers don’t lie, right? But here’s something exciting (at least to me): B2B companies are starting to rediscover the value of brand and branding. In a noisy, ultra-competitive landscape, it is critical to stand out from the crowd. A brand has to be differentiated, compelling, memorable, and interesting. Otherwise, you’re just another company battling for attention, even if your product is amazing. Karen O’Mahoney says many B2B companies are starting to focus on the fundamentals and what really makes them different. They’re focusing on how they want customers, prospects, and employees to see the brand and what it offers. Karen, CEO of Brandlucent, says developing a brand strategy is not a one-and-done exercise. It’s about making sure that a brand evolves and changes as a company grows, pursues new opportunities and markets. Your brand should be your “North Star” that propels your company forward and allows you to boldly and distinctly stand out from the crowd.

2020 has been a big year for LinkedIn. The social media platform now has more than 720 million users globally. It has transformed into a platform dominated by content and connections rather than a place where HR professionals troll for talent and people look for new opportunities. In short order, many people have decided to embrace LinkedIn as the social platform to drive their personal profiles and careers. From doubling-down on the platform over the past seven months, I've seen first-hand the power of LinkedIn to drive my fractional CMO business. I've made new connections with people around the world and had dozens of conversations, including Camille Trent, a brand and digital marketing specialist with Texas Citizens Bank. I reached out to Camille because she has established an engaged following since jumping hard into LinkedIn in August. I want to learn first-hand about how someone leverages LinkedIn effectively.

In an ultra-competitive marketplace, brand differentiation can be the difference between attracting customers and going out of business. In this episode of Marketing Spark, Peep Laja talks about why brand differentiation matters and why companies are afraid to stand apart from the crowd. He also looks at the growing attraction of outsourcing marketing, something Peep describes as "vendor management".