WEBVTT
00:00:06.000 --> 00:00:08.080
I'm so excited that you're here.
00:00:08.320 --> 00:00:12.000
Um we are live at the B2B Marketing Expo in Miami.
00:00:12.240 --> 00:00:23.199
Um and I'd love to start off our conversation just by having you introduce yourself, tell our audience um what you do and where you're from, and maybe a little bit about what you're um sharing at the expo this week.
00:00:23.440 --> 00:00:23.600
Yeah.
00:00:24.000 --> 00:00:25.199
Well, thank you for having me on.
00:00:25.839 --> 00:00:30.239
Um so I'm Vita Mollis, I'm the head of editorial at the B2B Institute.
00:00:30.719 --> 00:00:36.000
We're a small think tank within LinkedIn, focused on the advertising business.
00:00:36.079 --> 00:00:40.159
And we're really, you know, I say we're obsessed with helping B2B marketers, bro.
00:00:40.719 --> 00:00:41.119
Love that.
00:00:41.359 --> 00:00:47.119
Um and we're here to debut a new piece of work that's called the credibility code.
00:00:47.840 --> 00:00:52.240
Um so we unpacked all this the stack, the credibility stack in all those layers.
00:00:52.640 --> 00:00:57.359
Um and we also double-clicked on creators as really a core part of that stack.
00:00:57.600 --> 00:00:59.039
And then that is fantastic.
00:00:59.280 --> 00:01:05.760
I love what you're saying about credibility because it's so important in the B2B buying cycle.
00:01:06.239 --> 00:01:12.159
As you know, it is rarely only one person making a decision when it comes to those purchase choices.
00:01:13.040 --> 00:01:26.560
Um, can you share just a little bit more about what that credibility index means um and what people are sort of paying attention to when it comes to making the right impression with the right people?
00:01:27.120 --> 00:01:27.439
Yeah.
00:01:27.760 --> 00:01:29.439
Um, so absolutely.
00:01:29.519 --> 00:01:33.760
The the so B2B buying is changing and it's getting more complicated, right?
00:01:33.920 --> 00:01:38.560
And so, like what inspired this study was looking at B2B journeys.
00:01:38.640 --> 00:01:41.359
They're 272 days, they're really long.
00:01:41.519 --> 00:01:45.280
They involve 10 stakeholders, sometimes as many as 22.
00:01:45.680 --> 00:01:49.760
Um, and actually there's more millennials and Gen Zs involved now.
00:01:49.920 --> 00:01:57.359
So a recent Forrester study found that 71% of B2B decision makers are um millennials or Gen Z.
00:01:57.599 --> 00:02:00.640
So the dynamics are changing, the expectations are changing.
00:02:00.959 --> 00:02:08.240
And what we learned last year is that actually B2B marketers don't have a reach problem, they have a credibility problem.
00:02:08.400 --> 00:02:17.039
It's really about building that trust and building that coherence of message that especially Gen Z and millennials are looking for.
00:02:17.280 --> 00:02:20.879
Um, so our research unpacks that credibility stack.
00:02:20.960 --> 00:02:23.520
So it it brand, it starts with brands, right?
00:02:23.759 --> 00:02:41.039
Brand has to have a point of view and a messaging, but also there's opportunities to trickle that message through employees because employees have huge reach, but they also have really strong engagement by bringing their stories um, you know, specifically to their audiences.
00:02:41.120 --> 00:02:45.360
They know their audience, they know their friends and their peers um that are on the platform.
00:02:45.680 --> 00:03:10.319
And of course, like customer advocates and peers play a role, but creators really create this compounding effect and and drive that message holistically in the marketplace, especially in B2B, where we see niche um subverticals and communities where you expect like a sense of like technical expertise and really specific um credible signals.
00:03:10.719 --> 00:03:10.960
Yeah.
00:03:11.199 --> 00:03:19.280
I love I love that you were able to share some of those statistics about just how long these sales cycles are and just how many touch points that requires.
00:03:19.520 --> 00:03:19.840
Right.
00:03:19.919 --> 00:03:31.840
We know that in general, people have very short attention spans and that it requires a high volume of touch points and contact points to build that value and tell that story.
00:03:32.240 --> 00:03:39.919
And as soon as you compound that across a buy-in committee, yeah, the the exponential nature of it becomes almost impossible to comprehend.
00:03:40.000 --> 00:03:41.280
Very overwhelming.
00:03:42.319 --> 00:03:45.439
And so the very nature of we have to connect with how many people?
00:03:45.840 --> 00:03:52.800
How many places do we want it you've you start to understand why so many B2B organizations do feel this sense of overwhelm?
00:03:52.960 --> 00:03:53.199
Yeah.
00:03:53.680 --> 00:03:58.319
Um, and it's it's really impressive to hear it quantified because we feel it.
00:03:58.479 --> 00:04:10.560
Um, our our team here at Compression Marketing works a lot with B2B organizations, particularly in those regulated spaces, and they have a very complicated story to tell, and they need to tell it.
00:04:10.879 --> 00:04:13.919
Uh, but it often takes far more effort than they realize.
00:04:14.479 --> 00:04:26.079
Um and what you're sharing, I think, just reinforces how evident that is for a target audience and how much you have to invest in making that happen.
00:04:27.360 --> 00:04:28.240
Absolutely.
00:04:28.639 --> 00:04:40.399
Do you see, um, especially in the creator side of things, I think this is this is something I hear asked a lot from clients is um the sort of concept of a B2B influencer.
00:04:41.199 --> 00:04:44.800
And this concept being something that people haven't really thought about much.
00:04:45.040 --> 00:04:49.439
Um, do you all uh sort of expose yourself to some of that discussion?
00:04:49.519 --> 00:04:52.079
And and if you if you do, where do you sort of play a role?
00:04:52.319 --> 00:05:06.240
Yeah, so uh I didn't mention in my background, so I actually was at TikTok a couple of years ago, and so I was right in the you know, beginning of creators exploding and and thinking about what role they play.
00:05:06.720 --> 00:05:10.879
Um and we're really seeing that same kind of pattern when it comes to B2B.
00:05:11.360 --> 00:05:20.720
Um and more specifically, like so what we did in this study that we unveiled, we looked at lots of different creator archetypes or like profiles of like where do you start?
00:05:21.360 --> 00:05:28.639
Um and there were two, a lot of them were very strong, but there were two in particular that helps to drive long-term brand building.
00:05:29.120 --> 00:05:34.319
So one of them has to do with like this edutainment archetype, right?
00:05:34.399 --> 00:05:34.560
Okay.
00:05:34.959 --> 00:05:38.560
So there's um entertainment value, certainly interest.
00:05:38.639 --> 00:05:50.160
You want to get interest, you want to have a, you know, a hook again, you want people to be invested in the content, but also educational value and like giving getting that like utility, like something useful that you can learn.
00:05:50.319 --> 00:05:57.199
But the other profile, which I where I think the gold actually is for B2B, is executives and founders.
00:05:57.839 --> 00:06:06.560
Um, executives and founders have not only are they able to drive long-term sales, they're also long-term brand building, they're also able to drive short-term sales.
00:06:07.360 --> 00:06:17.600
And um, when we look at how uh engagement happens on the platform on LinkedIn, um, actually people are really engaged in C-suite content.
00:06:17.680 --> 00:06:21.920
They're four times more engaged in C-suite content than than other content.
00:06:22.639 --> 00:06:47.199
And I think this is my hot take, I think that executives are breaking that glass ceiling when it comes to B2B creators because there's such an easy way to drive like you know, tests in an organic kind of fashion and then drive to like a more paid motion once you get a piece of content that looks viable via engagement and impression levels um with thought leader ads.
00:06:47.279 --> 00:06:54.480
So I think that the executive and founder cannot understate that as an opportunity and an easy one to start with with organic.
00:06:55.439 --> 00:06:58.240
That is a wonderful, wonderful piece of advice.
00:06:58.399 --> 00:07:05.439
I think there are there is a sort of a it's almost like it's a sleeper version of something, right?
00:07:05.600 --> 00:07:11.920
I feel like executives maybe don't realize that they can have that kind of an impact.
00:07:12.639 --> 00:07:27.519
And it takes folks that are working in maybe a Marcom department or in PR to help them understand that audiences are very receptive to hearing your voice and your authentic take and producing content in that way.
00:07:28.319 --> 00:07:37.680
Um, I think it's one of those things that the more founders that begin to take advantage of that, the more that's only going to highlight how impactful it can be.
00:07:38.000 --> 00:07:44.959
Yeah, we talk about that as like we talk about creating bounded authenticity, is how to bring that to life.
00:07:45.120 --> 00:07:50.240
So we don't, you know, when it comes to video, you know, you don't want it to be completely staged.
00:07:50.639 --> 00:07:50.800
Right.
00:07:50.959 --> 00:07:51.040
Right.
00:07:51.199 --> 00:07:55.600
And so how do you create from a brand safety, like I could just hear the internal conversation?
00:07:56.639 --> 00:07:56.800
Right.
00:07:57.680 --> 00:08:00.879
Compliance and legal department is already getting their red pen out.
00:08:01.199 --> 00:08:01.360
Yeah.
00:08:01.839 --> 00:08:07.439
Um, so like how do you create those bounded authentic moments that are brand safe?
00:08:07.600 --> 00:08:12.160
And with executives, there's lots of ways to do that as they go to events like this, right?
00:08:12.240 --> 00:08:15.040
Like this is a great example of bounded authenticity.
00:08:15.120 --> 00:08:16.879
You know, us sitting down and having a chat.
00:08:17.120 --> 00:08:18.879
You have the branding already here.
00:08:19.040 --> 00:08:28.319
You've got a lot of things that are um on site, and there are ways to create that kind of content that then can be leveraged for months, yeah, right?
00:08:29.759 --> 00:08:30.399
Absolutely.
00:08:30.639 --> 00:08:49.519
Yeah, we have found that these conversations at events like this are some of the most valuable discussions that we have because they're real time, they're unscripted, um, they are just opportunities to talk about what's working, what's not working, um, what people are observing and experiencing.
00:08:49.679 --> 00:08:52.720
Um, and they're just a lot of fun at the same time.
00:08:52.960 --> 00:08:53.120
Yeah.
00:08:53.519 --> 00:08:59.200
Um, it's a great way to get connected with audiences, but also learn from each other.
00:08:59.360 --> 00:09:06.399
And I I think that's that's sort of a theme that I've heard from a lot of people that I've been talking to at the expo is this eagerness to learn.
00:09:06.559 --> 00:09:11.679
It's a lot of question and a lot of QA, question and answering going on, which I love to see.
00:09:12.159 --> 00:09:22.240
Um and the networking seems to be for those purposes of like, I really want to connect with someone and understand and get new knowledge and new information, and I love to see that.
00:09:22.879 --> 00:09:29.840
Um, and that's sort of the I feel like that's sort of the new expectation for in-person events too.
00:09:30.080 --> 00:09:34.080
People really want to have a different kind of connection point and experience.
00:09:34.399 --> 00:09:36.320
And so it's fun to bring that to life.
00:09:36.879 --> 00:09:37.759
A hundred percent.
00:09:38.080 --> 00:09:48.480
Uh one of the things that um that I've always sort of talked about with customers and with clients is the importance of authenticity.
00:09:48.799 --> 00:09:56.799
And in B2B in particular, I feel like we've always B2B has always sort of been polished and produced and corporate speak, right?
00:09:56.960 --> 00:09:59.519
We have a lot of jargon that we like to put into things.
00:09:59.679 --> 00:10:05.759
It has never felt unvarnished, maybe like some B2C materials might standard issue sound.
00:10:06.480 --> 00:10:14.320
Um what are you all, what are you sort of seeing and experiencing from that B2B lens when it comes to stripping away a little bit of the polish?
00:10:14.559 --> 00:10:19.679
So um we launched this year our 2026 Trends for the Contrarian Marketer.
00:10:20.639 --> 00:10:24.240
Um and the name on the tin does not match uh what it is.
00:10:24.399 --> 00:10:26.559
So it's not trends from a content perspective.
00:10:26.799 --> 00:10:31.039
It's actually like principles that we believe marketers should be thinking about this year.
00:10:31.440 --> 00:10:33.440
Might be old is new again.
00:10:33.600 --> 00:10:35.759
It might be this is a new thing that's coming up.
00:10:36.080 --> 00:10:53.279
One of our trends was um the authenticity tightrope because we do feel like in B2B, it feels like a tightrope that you have to walk with, you know, all the compliance and yet all of the, you know, Gen Z and millennial stakeholders that you want to try to get in through the real relevance.
00:10:53.840 --> 00:11:03.519
So um what we found is that actually most B2B decision makers don't find advertising and don't find content in B2B to feel authentic.
00:11:03.679 --> 00:11:10.720
Yet B2B marketers, I think that's sad is like 92% of B2B marketers feel that they are producing authentic content.
00:11:10.879 --> 00:11:12.399
Only like 50 something.
00:11:12.799 --> 00:11:13.919
That's quite the mismatch.
00:11:14.240 --> 00:11:15.440
There's a big mismatch.
00:11:15.600 --> 00:11:21.759
There's like universally authentic, only 50% of people are like, yeah, maybe that's a big mismatch.
00:11:21.840 --> 00:11:24.080
We there's something that we as B2B marketers need to learn from that.
00:11:24.639 --> 00:11:27.279
Um so we found this to be really interesting.
00:11:27.440 --> 00:11:40.399
And I think that part of the conversation as we talk about like credibility and the credibility stack and all of that, like all of those voices kind of speaking in the same not speaking in the same language, but like driving the same message.
00:11:41.279 --> 00:11:45.279
Um we think about authenticity as coherence.
00:11:45.600 --> 00:11:55.600
So what I think, so I did one of the first studies on authenticity at TikTok um a long time ago when marketers were saying to me, Well, what what is even authenticity?
00:11:55.679 --> 00:11:56.480
How do you express it?
00:11:57.279 --> 00:11:58.879
Um and now it's become a buzzword.
00:11:58.960 --> 00:12:04.240
But in B2B, I think it has more to do with coherence rather than authenticity.
00:12:04.480 --> 00:12:20.720
I'm able to validate that what you're telling me is actually, you know, true, is is uh being repeated in other ways through my peer from my peers, from customers who are actually, you know, leveraging this whatever tech platform, right?
00:12:21.120 --> 00:12:24.240
From creators, from the whole stack, right?
00:12:24.480 --> 00:12:34.879
So it's that coherence, and in order to create that coherence, I think there needs to be some, you know, unstructured, unfiltered, but also in a brand safe environment.
00:12:34.960 --> 00:12:39.360
And that's what we mean when we say, you know, um bounded authenticity.
00:12:39.600 --> 00:12:40.000
Yeah.
00:12:40.240 --> 00:12:40.639
Yeah.
00:12:40.799 --> 00:12:58.480
That's a really interesting point, too, around when you talk about brand compliance or you talk about um complicated things that you are trying to explain with authority and with expertise, but without talking down to people or anything of that nature, right?
00:12:58.559 --> 00:13:14.639
It is it can be very complicated to be working in an environment where you do have something that is really, really specific and you have to talk about it in a certain way while you have a core audience that is begging you to just talk to them like a normal person.
00:13:15.120 --> 00:13:15.440
Yeah.
00:13:16.159 --> 00:13:31.440
Um, and that is a very interesting bridge to try and and cross um when you're talking about I I love what you're saying about coherence, and it's not meaning that it's not just something I'm saying, but it's something that the industry is echoing.
00:13:32.240 --> 00:13:42.159
And that can add that legitimacy and that accuracy component that I sort of hear you talking about around resonance and and that continuity.
00:13:42.480 --> 00:14:06.879
Um I think it's one of those things that B2B is consistently trying to navigate and and get better at because as you pointed out with the shifting demographics in who sits in those decision maker seats, um, the way that they're motivated and the way they consume information and what they trust are very different than a generation ago.
00:14:07.200 --> 00:14:07.759
Absolutely.
00:14:08.000 --> 00:14:13.279
And we're we're in a place where we're having to learn how to bridge that, which is fascinating work to do.
00:14:13.600 --> 00:14:14.159
It is.
00:14:14.399 --> 00:14:14.639
Yeah.
00:14:14.879 --> 00:14:17.279
I mean, you said it, we're we're having to learn every day.
00:14:17.360 --> 00:14:28.320
And I think that's the the most exciting part of being in marketing now is that we're constantly evolving and learning and trying, trying new things to see what sticks.
00:14:28.799 --> 00:14:29.679
We're never bored.
00:14:29.919 --> 00:14:32.159
We have we never have an excuse to be bored.
00:14:32.399 --> 00:14:38.080
Um, we're often the first to adopt and play with and break things and and yeah and try things, which is good.
00:14:38.240 --> 00:14:41.039
I think it's good that we have a propensity to try and experiment.
00:14:41.200 --> 00:14:43.200
That's how we learn, that's how we get better.
00:14:43.360 --> 00:14:55.360
Um and I hope that uh I hope that B2B marketers in general will continue to test and try and um learn from our peers that that are doing it well.
00:14:55.600 --> 00:15:04.960
Um that'll be important for our continued growth trajectory, regardless of what the future of advertising tech looks like.
00:15:05.120 --> 00:15:14.159
We still have to communicate our value props correctly and authentically and accurately um within the confines of what those definitions are.
00:15:14.320 --> 00:15:18.080
You mentioned uh the definition of authenticity sort of changing a little bit.
00:15:18.799 --> 00:15:19.919
Um neither of us okay.
00:15:20.399 --> 00:15:27.840
What is it what is something that from your experiences, not just at uh within the think tank experience, but also based on TikTok?
00:15:28.000 --> 00:15:40.240
Like what are what are maybe your best tips and tricks or the most important advice that you would want someone working in a B2B company to really take away when they're thinking about some of the things that we've been talking about today?
00:15:40.720 --> 00:15:46.000
Yeah, I mean it's it's um to me, it comes down to growth mindset.
00:15:46.799 --> 00:15:49.679
And you can't be in a growth mindset all the time.
00:15:49.840 --> 00:15:52.159
It's not like a personality trait, right?
00:15:52.559 --> 00:16:10.240
Um and you know, there's attacks to being in that learning mindset, but I do wholeheartedly believe that if we keep taking small steps, small experiments, small trials, and and getting like lessons out of that, you will be surprised how far that comes.
00:16:10.320 --> 00:16:19.759
I mean, the test and learn environment in in all of the tech at tech platforms is really where we've seen a lot of the gains and a lot of the learnings.
00:16:19.840 --> 00:16:36.720
And so, you know, as what I would say to B2B marketers is try, you know, take some safe risks and learn from them and look at them as an opportunity to gain an insight um versus like hit a target, like again, safe with places.
00:16:37.039 --> 00:16:40.240
I like I really I like what you're saying too about the safe, like the safe risk.
00:16:40.320 --> 00:16:50.159
It's almost I um I use like the science example, like have a hypothesis that you're trying to test and explain that these are the steps you're going to take to test this hypothesis.
00:16:50.320 --> 00:16:58.399
And hopefully that gives you some of the footing that you need with a compliance team or with a legal team to have the space to test it, to try it.
00:16:58.480 --> 00:17:00.559
Yeah, um, and to get those results back.
00:17:00.720 --> 00:17:05.839
Because no matter what, the information you get back is important and useful.
00:17:06.000 --> 00:17:09.119
You're you're going to learn something that's going to move the needle one way or the other.
00:17:09.279 --> 00:17:17.039
So I love that you're sharing that advice to try things, to test things and to take those risks.
00:17:17.200 --> 00:17:20.799
Cause I think that that is very important in marketing in general.
00:17:20.880 --> 00:17:26.559
But I think B2B in particular needs to remember that there's value in taking those risks.
00:17:26.720 --> 00:17:28.000
So I I love that advice.
00:17:28.079 --> 00:17:29.119
That's so, so sharp.
00:17:29.359 --> 00:17:29.599
Thank you.
00:17:30.000 --> 00:17:31.839
Um thank you so much for joining us.
00:17:32.079 --> 00:17:34.000
This was this is a super fun conversation.
00:17:34.160 --> 00:17:45.519
And thank you for sharing about the importance of sort of that authenticity uh component and what that is evolving into, especially for B2B organizations.
00:17:45.759 --> 00:17:47.920
Um, I've just really, really enjoyed our conversation.
00:17:48.160 --> 00:17:48.799
Yeah, likewise.
00:17:48.880 --> 00:17:49.920
Thank you so much for having me on.
00:17:50.160 --> 00:17:50.319
Yeah.
00:00:06.000 --> 00:00:08.080
I'm so excited that you're here.
00:00:08.320 --> 00:00:12.000
Um we are live at the B2B Marketing Expo in Miami.
00:00:12.240 --> 00:00:23.199
Um and I'd love to start off our conversation just by having you introduce yourself, tell our audience um what you do and where you're from, and maybe a little bit about what you're um sharing at the expo this week.
00:00:23.440 --> 00:00:23.600
Yeah.
00:00:24.000 --> 00:00:25.199
Well, thank you for having me on.
00:00:25.839 --> 00:00:30.239
Um so I'm Vita Mollis, I'm the head of editorial at the B2B Institute.
00:00:30.719 --> 00:00:36.000
We're a small think tank within LinkedIn, focused on the advertising business.
00:00:36.079 --> 00:00:40.159
And we're really, you know, I say we're obsessed with helping B2B marketers, bro.
00:00:40.719 --> 00:00:41.119
Love that.
00:00:41.359 --> 00:00:47.119
Um and we're here to debut a new piece of work that's called the credibility code.
00:00:47.840 --> 00:00:52.240
Um so we unpacked all this the stack, the credibility stack in all those layers.
00:00:52.640 --> 00:00:57.359
Um and we also double-clicked on creators as really a core part of that stack.
00:00:57.600 --> 00:00:59.039
And then that is fantastic.
00:00:59.280 --> 00:01:05.760
I love what you're saying about credibility because it's so important in the B2B buying cycle.
00:01:06.239 --> 00:01:12.159
As you know, it is rarely only one person making a decision when it comes to those purchase choices.
00:01:13.040 --> 00:01:26.560
Um, can you share just a little bit more about what that credibility index means um and what people are sort of paying attention to when it comes to making the right impression with the right people?
00:01:27.120 --> 00:01:27.439
Yeah.
00:01:27.760 --> 00:01:29.439
Um, so absolutely.
00:01:29.519 --> 00:01:33.760
The the so B2B buying is changing and it's getting more complicated, right?
00:01:33.920 --> 00:01:38.560
And so, like what inspired this study was looking at B2B journeys.
00:01:38.640 --> 00:01:41.359
They're 272 days, they're really long.
00:01:41.519 --> 00:01:45.280
They involve 10 stakeholders, sometimes as many as 22.
00:01:45.680 --> 00:01:49.760
Um, and actually there's more millennials and Gen Zs involved now.
00:01:49.920 --> 00:01:57.359
So a recent Forrester study found that 71% of B2B decision makers are um millennials or Gen Z.
00:01:57.599 --> 00:02:00.640
So the dynamics are changing, the expectations are changing.
00:02:00.959 --> 00:02:08.240
And what we learned last year is that actually B2B marketers don't have a reach problem, they have a credibility problem.
00:02:08.400 --> 00:02:17.039
It's really about building that trust and building that coherence of message that especially Gen Z and millennials are looking for.
00:02:17.280 --> 00:02:20.879
Um, so our research unpacks that credibility stack.
00:02:20.960 --> 00:02:23.520
So it it brand, it starts with brands, right?
00:02:23.759 --> 00:02:41.039
Brand has to have a point of view and a messaging, but also there's opportunities to trickle that message through employees because employees have huge reach, but they also have really strong engagement by bringing their stories um, you know, specifically to their audiences.
00:02:41.120 --> 00:02:45.360
They know their audience, they know their friends and their peers um that are on the platform.
00:02:45.680 --> 00:03:10.319
And of course, like customer advocates and peers play a role, but creators really create this compounding effect and and drive that message holistically in the marketplace, especially in B2B, where we see niche um subverticals and communities where you expect like a sense of like technical expertise and really specific um credible signals.
00:03:10.719 --> 00:03:10.960
Yeah.
00:03:11.199 --> 00:03:19.280
I love I love that you were able to share some of those statistics about just how long these sales cycles are and just how many touch points that requires.
00:03:19.520 --> 00:03:19.840
Right.
00:03:19.919 --> 00:03:31.840
We know that in general, people have very short attention spans and that it requires a high volume of touch points and contact points to build that value and tell that story.
00:03:32.240 --> 00:03:39.919
And as soon as you compound that across a buy-in committee, yeah, the the exponential nature of it becomes almost impossible to comprehend.
00:03:40.000 --> 00:03:41.280
Very overwhelming.
00:03:42.319 --> 00:03:45.439
And so the very nature of we have to connect with how many people?
00:03:45.840 --> 00:03:52.800
How many places do we want it you've you start to understand why so many B2B organizations do feel this sense of overwhelm?
00:03:52.960 --> 00:03:53.199
Yeah.
00:03:53.680 --> 00:03:58.319
Um, and it's it's really impressive to hear it quantified because we feel it.
00:03:58.479 --> 00:04:10.560
Um, our our team here at Compression Marketing works a lot with B2B organizations, particularly in those regulated spaces, and they have a very complicated story to tell, and they need to tell it.
00:04:10.879 --> 00:04:13.919
Uh, but it often takes far more effort than they realize.
00:04:14.479 --> 00:04:26.079
Um and what you're sharing, I think, just reinforces how evident that is for a target audience and how much you have to invest in making that happen.
00:04:27.360 --> 00:04:28.240
Absolutely.
00:04:28.639 --> 00:04:40.399
Do you see, um, especially in the creator side of things, I think this is this is something I hear asked a lot from clients is um the sort of concept of a B2B influencer.
00:04:41.199 --> 00:04:44.800
And this concept being something that people haven't really thought about much.
00:04:45.040 --> 00:04:49.439
Um, do you all uh sort of expose yourself to some of that discussion?
00:04:49.519 --> 00:04:52.079
And and if you if you do, where do you sort of play a role?
00:04:52.319 --> 00:05:06.240
Yeah, so uh I didn't mention in my background, so I actually was at TikTok a couple of years ago, and so I was right in the you know, beginning of creators exploding and and thinking about what role they play.
00:05:06.720 --> 00:05:10.879
Um and we're really seeing that same kind of pattern when it comes to B2B.
00:05:11.360 --> 00:05:20.720
Um and more specifically, like so what we did in this study that we unveiled, we looked at lots of different creator archetypes or like profiles of like where do you start?
00:05:21.360 --> 00:05:28.639
Um and there were two, a lot of them were very strong, but there were two in particular that helps to drive long-term brand building.
00:05:29.120 --> 00:05:34.319
So one of them has to do with like this edutainment archetype, right?
00:05:34.399 --> 00:05:34.560
Okay.
00:05:34.959 --> 00:05:38.560
So there's um entertainment value, certainly interest.
00:05:38.639 --> 00:05:50.160
You want to get interest, you want to have a, you know, a hook again, you want people to be invested in the content, but also educational value and like giving getting that like utility, like something useful that you can learn.
00:05:50.319 --> 00:05:57.199
But the other profile, which I where I think the gold actually is for B2B, is executives and founders.
00:05:57.839 --> 00:06:06.560
Um, executives and founders have not only are they able to drive long-term sales, they're also long-term brand building, they're also able to drive short-term sales.
00:06:07.360 --> 00:06:17.600
And um, when we look at how uh engagement happens on the platform on LinkedIn, um, actually people are really engaged in C-suite content.
00:06:17.680 --> 00:06:21.920
They're four times more engaged in C-suite content than than other content.
00:06:22.639 --> 00:06:47.199
And I think this is my hot take, I think that executives are breaking that glass ceiling when it comes to B2B creators because there's such an easy way to drive like you know, tests in an organic kind of fashion and then drive to like a more paid motion once you get a piece of content that looks viable via engagement and impression levels um with thought leader ads.
00:06:47.279 --> 00:06:54.480
So I think that the executive and founder cannot understate that as an opportunity and an easy one to start with with organic.
00:06:55.439 --> 00:06:58.240
That is a wonderful, wonderful piece of advice.
00:06:58.399 --> 00:07:05.439
I think there are there is a sort of a it's almost like it's a sleeper version of something, right?
00:07:05.600 --> 00:07:11.920
I feel like executives maybe don't realize that they can have that kind of an impact.
00:07:12.639 --> 00:07:27.519
And it takes folks that are working in maybe a Marcom department or in PR to help them understand that audiences are very receptive to hearing your voice and your authentic take and producing content in that way.
00:07:28.319 --> 00:07:37.680
Um, I think it's one of those things that the more founders that begin to take advantage of that, the more that's only going to highlight how impactful it can be.
00:07:38.000 --> 00:07:44.959
Yeah, we talk about that as like we talk about creating bounded authenticity, is how to bring that to life.
00:07:45.120 --> 00:07:50.240
So we don't, you know, when it comes to video, you know, you don't want it to be completely staged.
00:07:50.639 --> 00:07:50.800
Right.
00:07:50.959 --> 00:07:51.040
Right.
00:07:51.199 --> 00:07:55.600
And so how do you create from a brand safety, like I could just hear the internal conversation?
00:07:56.639 --> 00:07:56.800
Right.
00:07:57.680 --> 00:08:00.879
Compliance and legal department is already getting their red pen out.
00:08:01.199 --> 00:08:01.360
Yeah.
00:08:01.839 --> 00:08:07.439
Um, so like how do you create those bounded authentic moments that are brand safe?
00:08:07.600 --> 00:08:12.160
And with executives, there's lots of ways to do that as they go to events like this, right?
00:08:12.240 --> 00:08:15.040
Like this is a great example of bounded authenticity.
00:08:15.120 --> 00:08:16.879
You know, us sitting down and having a chat.
00:08:17.120 --> 00:08:18.879
You have the branding already here.
00:08:19.040 --> 00:08:28.319
You've got a lot of things that are um on site, and there are ways to create that kind of content that then can be leveraged for months, yeah, right?
00:08:29.759 --> 00:08:30.399
Absolutely.
00:08:30.639 --> 00:08:49.519
Yeah, we have found that these conversations at events like this are some of the most valuable discussions that we have because they're real time, they're unscripted, um, they are just opportunities to talk about what's working, what's not working, um, what people are observing and experiencing.
00:08:49.679 --> 00:08:52.720
Um, and they're just a lot of fun at the same time.
00:08:52.960 --> 00:08:53.120
Yeah.
00:08:53.519 --> 00:08:59.200
Um, it's a great way to get connected with audiences, but also learn from each other.
00:08:59.360 --> 00:09:06.399
And I I think that's that's sort of a theme that I've heard from a lot of people that I've been talking to at the expo is this eagerness to learn.
00:09:06.559 --> 00:09:11.679
It's a lot of question and a lot of QA, question and answering going on, which I love to see.
00:09:12.159 --> 00:09:22.240
Um and the networking seems to be for those purposes of like, I really want to connect with someone and understand and get new knowledge and new information, and I love to see that.
00:09:22.879 --> 00:09:29.840
Um, and that's sort of the I feel like that's sort of the new expectation for in-person events too.
00:09:30.080 --> 00:09:34.080
People really want to have a different kind of connection point and experience.
00:09:34.399 --> 00:09:36.320
And so it's fun to bring that to life.
00:09:36.879 --> 00:09:37.759
A hundred percent.
00:09:38.080 --> 00:09:48.480
Uh one of the things that um that I've always sort of talked about with customers and with clients is the importance of authenticity.
00:09:48.799 --> 00:09:56.799
And in B2B in particular, I feel like we've always B2B has always sort of been polished and produced and corporate speak, right?
00:09:56.960 --> 00:09:59.519
We have a lot of jargon that we like to put into things.
00:09:59.679 --> 00:10:05.759
It has never felt unvarnished, maybe like some B2C materials might standard issue sound.
00:10:06.480 --> 00:10:14.320
Um what are you all, what are you sort of seeing and experiencing from that B2B lens when it comes to stripping away a little bit of the polish?
00:10:14.559 --> 00:10:19.679
So um we launched this year our 2026 Trends for the Contrarian Marketer.
00:10:20.639 --> 00:10:24.240
Um and the name on the tin does not match uh what it is.
00:10:24.399 --> 00:10:26.559
So it's not trends from a content perspective.
00:10:26.799 --> 00:10:31.039
It's actually like principles that we believe marketers should be thinking about this year.
00:10:31.440 --> 00:10:33.440
Might be old is new again.
00:10:33.600 --> 00:10:35.759
It might be this is a new thing that's coming up.
00:10:36.080 --> 00:10:53.279
One of our trends was um the authenticity tightrope because we do feel like in B2B, it feels like a tightrope that you have to walk with, you know, all the compliance and yet all of the, you know, Gen Z and millennial stakeholders that you want to try to get in through the real relevance.
00:10:53.840 --> 00:11:03.519
So um what we found is that actually most B2B decision makers don't find advertising and don't find content in B2B to feel authentic.
00:11:03.679 --> 00:11:10.720
Yet B2B marketers, I think that's sad is like 92% of B2B marketers feel that they are producing authentic content.
00:11:10.879 --> 00:11:12.399
Only like 50 something.
00:11:12.799 --> 00:11:13.919
That's quite the mismatch.
00:11:14.240 --> 00:11:15.440
There's a big mismatch.
00:11:15.600 --> 00:11:21.759
There's like universally authentic, only 50% of people are like, yeah, maybe that's a big mismatch.
00:11:21.840 --> 00:11:24.080
We there's something that we as B2B marketers need to learn from that.
00:11:24.639 --> 00:11:27.279
Um so we found this to be really interesting.
00:11:27.440 --> 00:11:40.399
And I think that part of the conversation as we talk about like credibility and the credibility stack and all of that, like all of those voices kind of speaking in the same not speaking in the same language, but like driving the same message.
00:11:41.279 --> 00:11:45.279
Um we think about authenticity as coherence.
00:11:45.600 --> 00:11:55.600
So what I think, so I did one of the first studies on authenticity at TikTok um a long time ago when marketers were saying to me, Well, what what is even authenticity?
00:11:55.679 --> 00:11:56.480
How do you express it?
00:11:57.279 --> 00:11:58.879
Um and now it's become a buzzword.
00:11:58.960 --> 00:12:04.240
But in B2B, I think it has more to do with coherence rather than authenticity.
00:12:04.480 --> 00:12:20.720
I'm able to validate that what you're telling me is actually, you know, true, is is uh being repeated in other ways through my peer from my peers, from customers who are actually, you know, leveraging this whatever tech platform, right?
00:12:21.120 --> 00:12:24.240
From creators, from the whole stack, right?
00:12:24.480 --> 00:12:34.879
So it's that coherence, and in order to create that coherence, I think there needs to be some, you know, unstructured, unfiltered, but also in a brand safe environment.
00:12:34.960 --> 00:12:39.360
And that's what we mean when we say, you know, um bounded authenticity.
00:12:39.600 --> 00:12:40.000
Yeah.
00:12:40.240 --> 00:12:40.639
Yeah.
00:12:40.799 --> 00:12:58.480
That's a really interesting point, too, around when you talk about brand compliance or you talk about um complicated things that you are trying to explain with authority and with expertise, but without talking down to people or anything of that nature, right?
00:12:58.559 --> 00:13:14.639
It is it can be very complicated to be working in an environment where you do have something that is really, really specific and you have to talk about it in a certain way while you have a core audience that is begging you to just talk to them like a normal person.
00:13:15.120 --> 00:13:15.440
Yeah.
00:13:16.159 --> 00:13:31.440
Um, and that is a very interesting bridge to try and and cross um when you're talking about I I love what you're saying about coherence, and it's not meaning that it's not just something I'm saying, but it's something that the industry is echoing.
00:13:32.240 --> 00:13:42.159
And that can add that legitimacy and that accuracy component that I sort of hear you talking about around resonance and and that continuity.
00:13:42.480 --> 00:14:06.879
Um I think it's one of those things that B2B is consistently trying to navigate and and get better at because as you pointed out with the shifting demographics in who sits in those decision maker seats, um, the way that they're motivated and the way they consume information and what they trust are very different than a generation ago.
00:14:07.200 --> 00:14:07.759
Absolutely.
00:14:08.000 --> 00:14:13.279
And we're we're in a place where we're having to learn how to bridge that, which is fascinating work to do.
00:14:13.600 --> 00:14:14.159
It is.
00:14:14.399 --> 00:14:14.639
Yeah.
00:14:14.879 --> 00:14:17.279
I mean, you said it, we're we're having to learn every day.
00:14:17.360 --> 00:14:28.320
And I think that's the the most exciting part of being in marketing now is that we're constantly evolving and learning and trying, trying new things to see what sticks.
00:14:28.799 --> 00:14:29.679
We're never bored.
00:14:29.919 --> 00:14:32.159
We have we never have an excuse to be bored.
00:14:32.399 --> 00:14:38.080
Um, we're often the first to adopt and play with and break things and and yeah and try things, which is good.
00:14:38.240 --> 00:14:41.039
I think it's good that we have a propensity to try and experiment.
00:14:41.200 --> 00:14:43.200
That's how we learn, that's how we get better.
00:14:43.360 --> 00:14:55.360
Um and I hope that uh I hope that B2B marketers in general will continue to test and try and um learn from our peers that that are doing it well.
00:14:55.600 --> 00:15:04.960
Um that'll be important for our continued growth trajectory, regardless of what the future of advertising tech looks like.
00:15:05.120 --> 00:15:14.159
We still have to communicate our value props correctly and authentically and accurately um within the confines of what those definitions are.
00:15:14.320 --> 00:15:18.080
You mentioned uh the definition of authenticity sort of changing a little bit.
00:15:18.799 --> 00:15:19.919
Um neither of us okay.
00:15:20.399 --> 00:15:27.840
What is it what is something that from your experiences, not just at uh within the think tank experience, but also based on TikTok?
00:15:28.000 --> 00:15:40.240
Like what are what are maybe your best tips and tricks or the most important advice that you would want someone working in a B2B company to really take away when they're thinking about some of the things that we've been talking about today?
00:15:40.720 --> 00:15:46.000
Yeah, I mean it's it's um to me, it comes down to growth mindset.
00:15:46.799 --> 00:15:49.679
And you can't be in a growth mindset all the time.
00:15:49.840 --> 00:15:52.159
It's not like a personality trait, right?
00:15:52.559 --> 00:16:10.240
Um and you know, there's attacks to being in that learning mindset, but I do wholeheartedly believe that if we keep taking small steps, small experiments, small trials, and and getting like lessons out of that, you will be surprised how far that comes.
00:16:10.320 --> 00:16:19.759
I mean, the test and learn environment in in all of the tech at tech platforms is really where we've seen a lot of the gains and a lot of the learnings.
00:16:19.840 --> 00:16:36.720
And so, you know, as what I would say to B2B marketers is try, you know, take some safe risks and learn from them and look at them as an opportunity to gain an insight um versus like hit a target, like again, safe with places.
00:16:37.039 --> 00:16:40.240
I like I really I like what you're saying too about the safe, like the safe risk.
00:16:40.320 --> 00:16:50.159
It's almost I um I use like the science example, like have a hypothesis that you're trying to test and explain that these are the steps you're going to take to test this hypothesis.
00:16:50.320 --> 00:16:58.399
And hopefully that gives you some of the footing that you need with a compliance team or with a legal team to have the space to test it, to try it.
00:16:58.480 --> 00:17:00.559
Yeah, um, and to get those results back.
00:17:00.720 --> 00:17:05.839
Because no matter what, the information you get back is important and useful.
00:17:06.000 --> 00:17:09.119
You're you're going to learn something that's going to move the needle one way or the other.
00:17:09.279 --> 00:17:17.039
So I love that you're sharing that advice to try things, to test things and to take those risks.
00:17:17.200 --> 00:17:20.799
Cause I think that that is very important in marketing in general.
00:17:20.880 --> 00:17:26.559
But I think B2B in particular needs to remember that there's value in taking those risks.
00:17:26.720 --> 00:17:28.000
So I I love that advice.
00:17:28.079 --> 00:17:29.119
That's so, so sharp.
00:17:29.359 --> 00:17:29.599
Thank you.
00:17:30.000 --> 00:17:31.839
Um thank you so much for joining us.
00:17:32.079 --> 00:17:34.000
This was this is a super fun conversation.
00:17:34.160 --> 00:17:45.519
And thank you for sharing about the importance of sort of that authenticity uh component and what that is evolving into, especially for B2B organizations.
00:17:45.759 --> 00:17:47.920
Um, I've just really, really enjoyed our conversation.
00:17:48.160 --> 00:17:48.799
Yeah, likewise.
00:17:48.880 --> 00:17:49.920
Thank you so much for having me on.
00:17:50.160 --> 00:17:50.319
Yeah.
