Rating: ***

As Salesforce’s chief digital evangelist put it, “Video has gone mainstream for B2B marketers and switched from a nice-to-have to an absolute must.” Simply having a generic video for your product or service is not enough. Videos—like all assets—are only as good as they are relevant and helpful. People want to see the most useful information at the right time, instead of being inundated with all the facts at every turn. 

As a content strategist and producer, nothing beats a creative project that solves your client’s most complex content challenges. It’s an exciting journey that involves exploration, creativity, and collaboration. This is especially true of video projects, which often begin with a vision statement like, “we need a video.” Having delivered many creative videos over the years, we’ve developed a process that lets us explore and test ideas, while incorporating client input along the way and staying true to the project’s goals. 

Advances in web technology, specifically the ability to collect and analyze content consumption data, promise more personalized and relevant digital experiences for customers. The inherent business value of this idea has led many B2B marketers to invest in website personalization and optimization initiatives. Yet despite this investment, organizations still struggle to effectively use data to achieve these goals.

Behind all great brands are great stories. And behind all great stories is great content. Developing this great content depends on innovative ideas, unique points of view, compelling visual elements, and a distinct and consistent voice and tone—and that’s just naming a few key factors.

When you read the phrase “house style guide,” do you think it’s time to replace the office carpet? Many employees don’t know anything about their company’s style guide, or even that there is such a thing as an established writing style for a business. That’s a missed opportunity, because many customers find your business online and in print—not in physical offices and brick-and-mortar stores.

Marketers have access to more data than ever before. Our business decisions depend on it—so much so that “Show me the data!” has become a rallying cry heard in nearly every discussion in which strategy, execution, or measurement is up for debate. Content, and its role in the buying process, is no exception.

In January 2015, Google will officially roll out Google Tag Manager version 2 (GTM V2), its powerful website tag management system. If you aren’t using GTM yet to create and update tags to track activity on your website, now is the perfect time to start.