Every Monday we round up the Most Clicked and Most Shared content items from the previous week. This week we discuss cognitive biases and how they may affect your communications plan and an interview addressing influence within B2B marketing.
Most Clicked: Cognitive Biases and Your Communications Plan
“You know the product or service like the back of your hand,” said Laura Petrolino of Arment Dietrich. This is just one of fourteen cognitive biases she highlighted in a recent blog post. The Curse of Knowledge bias is based on the idea that your audience may not be familiar or aware of your product/service and so implied information is lost within your audience.
Ms. Petrolino defined cognitive biases as “affecting the way people process information and make decisions.” Petrolino explained:
“In communications, these often represent the obstacles and opportunities we have to work within a consumer’s own psychological tendencies. Biases help us address four problems: Too much information; Not enough meaning; Need to act fast; What we should remember and discard.”
50+ Marketing Tip: Look at your product or service through the eyes of an uninformed audience. Don’t assume the audience is aware of your offering and give clear communication.
To read about the remaining 13 cognitive biases and how they affect your communications plan, click here: http://bit.ly/2qnaD29.
Most Shared: Increasing Influence of B2B Marketers
Kimberly Whitler, through a series of interviews, explores the increasing influence B2B marketers have on generating sales. Ms. Whitler has noticed a difference in the role of the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) because of technology-enabled customer insight over the past decade. Sales professionals no longer “rule the roost as they own customer understanding, relationship development, and the process to drive superior outcomes,” said Ms. Whitler.
One question Ms. Whitler asked, “Are there any unique opportunities that B2B CMOs have to create value?” Margaret Molloy, CMO of Siegel+Gale, responded “the employee.”
Ms. Malloy goes into further into detail by stating marketers need to effectively communicate the company’s culture and mission to their colleagues. By transferring their knowledge of the company’s brand, the employee becomes the brand representatives and “culture carrier.”
While Ms. Whitler and Ms. Malloy were focused on B2B marketing, this is true of B2C industries as well. Creating Results’ Jessica Ruhle addressed the value of “brand champions” in a 2015 post on boomers marketing trends:
“One way of making sure that the internal experience is matching the external marketing message is by enlisting brand champions within your organization. These are employees or residents who understand the brand promise and make sure that it’s followed throughout the community. Residents can be hosts for prospects at events. Employees take care of the logos, fonts, and public spaces to make changes or apply the brand where necessary. And together they live and breathe your core mission.”
50+ Marketing Tip: Is your brand apparent in the workplace and if so, does everyone embody the culture? Strengthen your own brand by engaging with your employees to ensure they are able to communicate the company’s values and mission in their actions and language.
To read the full interview click here: http://bit.ly/2pylsRj