Since I’ve been working in the B2B Marketing space for over 25 years from the days of direct mail and faxes to artificial intelligence and virtual reality, there is one thing that is certain: change.
Adapting to change and continuously improving is essential for B2B marketers that want to survive and thrive whether the market is on the up or in times of uncertainty. Brands that can quickly and effectively adapt and even innovate can rise above and even elevate the performance of their marketing efforts. However, staying on top of what’s new vs. what’s effective can be a challenge.
That’s why opportunities to learn, network, and be inspired are critical. Opportunities like the Ignite USA conference happening in Chicago May 23-24, 2023. There, you’ll find a concentration of B2B marketing pioneers, innovators, and game changers offering their expertise to insight-hungry B2B marketers from across the country. There are inspirational keynotes, topic-specific breakouts, and roundtables plus deep-dive workshops to pick from featuring over 40 industry experts across 5 themed tracks. For even more inspiration, there’s also the B2B Marketing Elevation Awards showcasing the best work in the B2B marketing space.
Content at Ignite USA is focused across 5 themes including: Strategy, Creativity & Innovation, Experience & Engagement, Growth, and Marketing Operations. If you want to accelerate your knowledge and elevate your B2B marketing craft, Ignite USA is a great opportunity.
BONUS: The charismatic, creative and high energy Katie Martell will be co-hosting Ignite USA with Editor-in-Chief of B2B Marketing Joel Harrison. The Katie Martell experience is not to be missed!
Besides my own presentation (3pm May 23) about how B2B brands can create their own influencers to accelerate thought leadership and marketing success, here are several other presentations I’m looking forward to:
Nothing works anymore: Why B2B needs a new playbook
Jon Miller @jonmiller – CMO, Demandbase
In this keynote, Jon will share his new playbook based on what works at Demandbase. It’s filled with account-based techniques that are working today, including focusing on the right accounts, conditioning the market to your solution, and engaging the right accounts at the right time with the right plays.
Dawn of the next-gen B2B marketer
Paul Roetzer @paulroetzer – Founder & CEO, Marketing AI Institute
In this presentation, Paul lays out the vision and opportunity for next-gen marketers who use AI to deliver the personalization and experiences modern consumers expect; unlock previously unimaginable creative possibilities; and drive efficiency and growth that leadership demands.
Using content as evidence of your most important claims
Melanie Deziel @mdeziel – Speaker, Author, & Coach, StoryFuel
This session will share how to corroborate your claims, demonstrate your value and educate your audience on all of the differentiators that are most important to your business and brand.
Marketing’s role in creating an inclusive future: Workforce + supplier diversity
Karen McFarlane @karenkmcfarlane – Chief Marketing Officer, LetterShop x KMC
This session will share how marketers can use their strategic prowess to build an inclusive brand that strikes the right chord and speaks to the hearts and minds of their community.
The new frontier of B2B influence: Inside out
Lee Odden @leeodden – CEO & Co-Founder, TopRank Marketing (Hey that’s me!)
Research shows that employee content sees 8X more engagement than content shared on brand channels. Growing influence from within is an important differentiator and priority for B2B brands to build credibility with customers, industry thought leaders and improve sales conversations. This session will share use cases, ways to gain executive buy-in, top content formats and collaboration tactics for B2B brands to grow influence from within.
The marketing singularity: Large language models and the end of marketing as you knew it
Christopher Penn @cspenn – Co-Founder and Chief Data Scientist, TrustInsights.ai
For marketers, with the advent of large language models and generative AI, the singularity is here. Models like GPT-3 and GPT-Neo-X have trivialized some tasks, allowed others to scale rapidly, and are changing the very foundations of digital marketing, particularly around SEO. Marketers are profoundly unprepared for what’s happening right now and what’s just around the corner.
Ten steps to customer reactivation
Ruth Stevens @RuthPStevens – President, eMarketing Strategy
The facts are clear: It costs far less to reactivate a dormant customer than to acquire an entirely new one; recent activity is a powerful indicator of customer lifetime value; and investments in retention marketing deliver the highest ROI of any strategy. This session will review the strategies that are most effective in stimulating a renewed relationship with your dormant customers, to reduce customer defection and churn.
Strategy and swinging for the fences…
Phil Clement @PhilClement84 – CMO, Johnson Controls
The session explores marketing’s value along the lines of two primary vectors – a firm’s evaluation multiple and EPS. In the conversation Phil plans to demonstrate – through case studies and past experiences – how marketer’s actions translate into both metrics and the importance of purpose and passion in that business mix.
Whether you’re in the Midwest or anywhere in the U.S. really since Chicago is centrally located, make sure you check out the agenda and information about this B2B marketing conference. It’s a great opportunity to learn, be inspired and connect with peers without having to deal with the chaos of massive events with overwhelming session options and drowning crowds of people.
Ignite USA is May 23-24, 2023 in Chicago and you can easily register and get more information here.
