Gain valuable insights and perspectives to build your business and respond to market changes from Kristen Taggert, VP of Integrated Marketing Communications.

Perspectives from Kristen Taggert | Brunner

Vice President, Integrated Marketing Communications

Kristen Taggert

Explore the latest trends in B2B solutions with Brunner.

Explore the latest trends in B2B solutions, where we recognize that B2B customers are just like everyday consumers. Discover insights on how to adapt your marketing strategies to meet evolving customer expectations and drive meaningful connections in a digital-first landscape.

B2B Solutions Content and Perspectives: Trends and POVs | Brunner

b2b solutions

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As a B2B brand, your target account list could fall within a variety of buying phases. Some accounts might be in market, ready to make a purchase decision. Some might be out of market, happy with their current partnerships. Some accounts might not be in your list but you’re in theirs.&nbsp;&nbsp;So, how do you identify the stage that these audiences are in and focus your efforts?&nbsp;Account-based marketing (ABM).&nbsp;&nbsp;An ABM approach is focused on the buying stage of your target accounts and the personas involved with that account. ABM programs are not new, but they are getting more sophisticated. By using the right technologies, ABM programs help businesses connect with their most engaged prospects through by using intent data that influences customized buying experiences resulting in better relationship-building and business growth.&nbsp;<h2>What is ABM?&nbsp;</h2>Account-Based Marketing (ABM) is a strategic approach that aligns marketing and sales to a set of prospective accounts. Unlike traditional marketing, which focuses on broad segments, ABM treats each prospect as a market of its own by identifying high-value accounts, understanding their needs, and creating personalized campaigns to engage and convert them.&nbsp;Core components to a successful ABM program:&nbsp;<ul><li>High-value accounts agreed upon by both sales and marketing&nbsp;</li><li>Understanding the account’s buying group and individual personas needs&nbsp;</li><li>Personalized campaigns to engage, further segment and drive desired actions&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>Strong measurement and lead scoring frameworks across tactics and tools&nbsp;</li></ul>Once campaigns are in market, the focus will be on identifying the most “engaged” accounts, ensuring that all efforts are highly targeted and consistent, leading to greater ROI and improved customer loyalty.&nbsp;<h2>Why is it Essential for B2B Brands to Adopt an ABM Strategy?&nbsp;&nbsp;</h2>Meet Your Audience’s Expectations: <a href="https://www.brunnerworks.com/perspectives/to-reach-todays-business-buyers-brands-must-embrace-brands-for-humans-marketing" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Today's B2B buyers</a> expect personalized experiences and content that speaks directly to their needs and pain points, just like they do as a general consumer.&nbsp;ABM enables companies to deliver highly valuable messaging based on who they are and where they are in their buyer’s journey, increasing engagement and conversion rates.&nbsp;Scale Internally: Focus your resources on high-value accounts, resulting in more efficient and effective marketing efforts, and a more strategic allocation of resources on prospects with the highest potential to convert.&nbsp;&nbsp;Alignment Across Sales, Marketing, and Customer Experience Teams: A successful ABM program requires close collaboration between sales, marketing, and customer experience teams. By aligning these groups, companies can ensure a consistent and seamless experience for their target accounts, leading to improved customer satisfaction, retention, and loyalty.&nbsp;Measure Impact on Business Goals: ABM provides a more accurate way to measure marketing's impact on business goals. By focusing on specific accounts, companies can track the progress and success of their campaigns — and attribute revenue and other key metrics directly to their marketing efforts.&nbsp;View the Full Customer Lifecycle: By tracking interactions and engagement at the account level, businesses can gain valuable insights into the entire customer life cycle, so they can optimize their strategies and drive better results.&nbsp;<h2>5 Steps B2B Brands Should Implement Before Diving Into ABM&nbsp;</h2>To launch ABM successfully, companies need to prepare their teams to ensure a smooth implementation. Here are five key steps to follow:&nbsp;1. Know your target audiences: Developing in-depth knowledge of your target accounts is crucial for ABM success. Create your ideal customer profile, including firmographic information and industry context. Identify buying groups within your target accounts, as well as individual account personas to help tailor campaigns to meet their specific needs.&nbsp;2. Align your sales and marketing teams: To effectively implement ABM, your sales and marketing teams must align their approach and efforts. This includes developing and agreeing on a lead management process, a lead scoring model, and aligning on desired outcomes.&nbsp;3. Manage your customer data: Conduct a thorough audit of customer data. The audit should determine the key customer data you need, evaluate existing data formats, and identify any gaps. ABM platforms can help open doors for campaign attribution by providing additional insights about your customers.&nbsp;4. Evaluate and adjust your technology stack: Having the right technology is important for ABM success. Evaluate your existing tech stack to understand its capabilities and ensure you can integrate across platforms. Consider investing in a CRM system to house all account-related data. In addition, a marketing automation platform will allow you to operationalize campaign efforts and connect key marketing channels.&nbsp;5. Enlist your company’s top leaders as ABM champions: Buy-in and advocacy from your company’s top leaders will provide a strong foundation for a successful ABM implementation and commit to the necessary resources and process changes.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>Ready to Begin Preparing for ABM?&nbsp;</h2>Account-based marketing offers B2B companies a powerful strategy to focus and personalize their marketing efforts to drive better business outcomes. If your company is ready to get started, the Brunner team can help. We’d love to hear about your business objectives and marketing challenges. Please reach out so we can help with your ABM needs.&nbsp;

Discover the five essential steps to kickstart your Account-Based Marketing (ABM) strategy and drive more meaningful business results with ABM platforms.

Five Essential Steps for Getting Started with Account-Based Marketing

From campaign tips to influencer collaborations, discover perspectives from our team.

Discover perspectives from our experts on influencer marketing, where influence meets strategy. Explore insights on how to effectively partner with influencers to enhance your brand's authenticity and connect with your audience.

Influencer Marketing Content and Perspectives | Brunner

influencer marketing

From brand messaging to social media tactics, our communications team shares meaningful insights to enhance your connection with key audiences.

Discover how our communications team can elevate your brand through powerful storytelling and strategic messaging. Explore our insights on messaging strategies and tactics that will help you connect with your audiences in a meaningful way.&nbsp;

Communications Content and Perspectives: Trends and POVs | Brunner

communications

Imagine you run a company that makes electrical components used in residential construction. To market those products, you need to reach electricians. Your marketing team can run campaigns on traditional channels, or you can try something new — influencer marketing.&nbsp;&nbsp;Your brand could partner with a well-known electrician who owns a company, works residential jobs, knows the right electrical components for each project, and has built a huge following on social media by sharing insights, how-to lessons, product reviews and more, all for a loyal audience of electricians.&nbsp;You may think of influencer marketing as tactic for consumer brands and lifestyle sectors, but it has huge potential as a compelling and effective option for industries like construction and building supplies, too.&nbsp;<h2>B2B Influencer Marketing to Reach Target Audiences&nbsp;</h2>B2B influencer marketing involves partnering with individuals who have authority, expertise, and a substantial following within particular industries, like construction and building supplies. These B2B influencers can be seasoned pros, bloggers, or social media personalities. In the home construction world, for example, influencers might be architects, construction managers, builders, interior designers, and even technical experts focused on construction technology.&nbsp;By teaming with these influential voices, you can boost your brand’s awareness, build trust, and generate leads in ways traditional marketing might not be able to match.&nbsp;<h2>The Value of B2B Influencers for Construction and Building Supplies Brands &nbsp;</h2>B2B influencers in the construction and building supplies industries offer specific benefits for reaching potential customers.&nbsp;<ul><li>Credibility and Trust: The building supplies industry relies heavily on trust and credibility. Influencers, with their established reputations, can provide this assurance. When an industry expert endorses your product, other businesses are more likely to trust that recommendation and choose your brand.&nbsp;</li><li>Targeted Reach: B2B Influencers have built substantial followings within their industries. By partnering with influencers whose followers are predominantly industry professionals, you can ensure your message reaches potential customers most likely to benefit from your products.&nbsp;</li><li>Engagement and Education: Influencers can create engaging content that not only promotes your products but also educates potential customers on uses and benefits. Their content can include product demonstrations, how-to guides, and case studies that highlight real-world use.&nbsp;</li><li>Niche Expertise: Home construction is a specialized field. Influencers in this category possess deep knowledge and expertise that makes their recommendations highly valuable to construction pros. Influencers can share insights into the latest industry trends, innovative materials, and cutting-edge construction technologies, helping businesses and pros stay ahead of the curve.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>Authenticity: In an industry where relationships and reputation matter, the authenticity of influencer endorsements can be more persuasive than traditional advertising. Influencers can share genuine experiences and honest reviews, which resonate more with their audience.&nbsp;</li></ul><h2>B2B Influencer Marketing Campaign Drives Consideration with Plumbing Pros&nbsp;</h2>The Brunner team has partnered with B2B influencers to drive success for several construction and building supplies clients. For a B2B client in the water heater industry, we partnered with four influencers who are well-known among professional contractors and plumbers. Those four created compelling video content to debunk common misconceptions about tankless water heaters.&nbsp;The campaign saw impressive results, driving over 1.7 million impressions and a cost per video view of $0.18, while spreading our client’s key messages around tankless hot water heater benefits and new products.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.brunnerworks.com/our-work/rinnai-influencer-case-study" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Read the case study</a>.<h2>Ready to Explore Influencer Marketing for Your B2B Strategy?&nbsp;</h2>Incorporating influencer marketing into your B2B strategy can provide a powerful boost to your brand’s visibility, credibility, and sales in the building supplies industry. By partnering with influential voices, businesses can build trust, reach new audiences, and stay ahead of industry trends. As the landscape of B2B marketing continues to evolve, embracing influencer marketing can help you stay ahead of the curve and achieve long-term success.&nbsp;&nbsp;We’d love to learn more about the challenges you’re facing and offer some thoughts about how we can help. Please feel free to get in touch!

Influencer marketing for B2B is important in reaching key audiences. Discover how B2B influencers are transforming the construction and building supply industry.

Impact of B2B Influencers for Construction and Building Supplies Brands

Unlock the Impact of B2B Influencers in Marketing for Construction and Building Supplies Brands

Stay informed with the latest updates from Brunner.

Stay informed with our latest updates, where our commitment to being good people drives everything we do. Explore insights that highlight how our collaborative approach and rich experience empower us to deliver innovative marketing solutions while nurturing lasting client relationships.&nbsp;

Agency Updates | Brunner

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<h2>Brunner Joins Demandbase Partner Program&nbsp;</h2><a href="https://www.brunnerworks.com/b2b-solutions/brands-for-humans-insights" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Modern B2B buyers</a> behave like B2C consumers and expect a similar purchase experience. Over 90% of B2B brands are currently out of market, and over 50% of those in market make a decision about your brand or your product without ever speaking to a sales representative.&nbsp;&nbsp;Yet it continues to be important for B2B marketers to balance the effort of keeping their brand top of mind and zeroing in on an in-market buyer.&nbsp;&nbsp;So, how do you achieve both while avoiding wasting resources?&nbsp;&nbsp;Enter account-based marketing solutions like <a href="https://www.demandbase.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Demandbase</a> — the leading AI-driven account-based go-to-market platform. These solutions are gaining momentum due to their ability to target based on intent signals and streamline workflows to move audiences through campaigns as they progress in their buying journey.&nbsp;&nbsp;I am thrilled to announce Brunner's partnership with Demandbase. As a provider of B2B marketing services, we recognized a growing need from clients for more sophisticated ABM solutions. We wanted to have a trusted partner who shared our values to offer clients. Demandbase stood out not just for their technology, but for their focus on service throughout the entire client relationship.&nbsp;As an agency with a roster of B2B clients and success stories, Brunner continually assesses marketing solutions to help clients reach the modern in-market B2B buyer. This partnership will allow us to provide best-in-class ABM solutions for our clients who need them.&nbsp;<h2>Demandbase’s Market Focus and Reputation Align with Brunner’s Vision&nbsp;</h2>In addition to executing ABM programs through Demandbase, we will gain access to:&nbsp;<ul><li>Exclusive online resources like trainings, in-depth insights, and event opportunities to keep us up to date on the latest in ABM tech advancements and help us guide our clients who use Demandbase.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>A community of like-minded professionals dedicated to transforming the B2B experience.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li></ul>“We’re thrilled to welcome Brunner to our Partner Program,” said Vanessa Willett, vice president of partnerships at Demandbase. “We really value Brunner’s deep knowledge of the B2B marketing space as well as their data analytics and management capabilities. We’re excited to grow this collaboration to mutually benefit each other’s clients.”&nbsp;While the opportunities with Demandbase are vast, we’re perhaps most excited about their use of AI. From seamlessly identifying your audiences and optimizing campaign performance, to targeting enhancements and predicting which accounts are going to be the most successful for your business, there’s so much opportunity this opens up for clients. We’re excited to see how this partnership will help us deliver more targeted, effective, and efficient campaigns.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>Ready to Learn More About How We Can Deliver B2B Solutions?&nbsp;</h2>When you’re ready to get started with ABM solutions, feel free to contact us. We’d love to learn more about your brand and how we can effectively reach your target accounts.&nbsp;

Brunner partners with Demandbase to provide ABM solutions for B2B brands. Learn more about this strategic partnership.

Brunner and Demandbase: A Strategic Partnership for B2B Success 

Brunner and Demandbase: A Strategic Partnership for Accelerating B2B Success 

Captivating content is key to engaging your audiences. Stay updated with insights from our team to enhance your content strategy and drive results.

At Brunner, we believe that captivating content is the heartbeat of audience engagement. Explore insights from our experts on how to enhance your content strategy and create valuable connections with your target audiences.

Content Marketing Content: Industry Trends and POVs | Brunner

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<h2>Use an Audience-First Approach to Create B2B Content That’s Valuable, Relevant and Helpful for B2B Buyers</h2>As a B2B marketer looking to build awareness, generate leads or drive sales, it’s essential that you know how your prospective customers navigate the buying process, especially what information they need to get to “yes.”&nbsp;&nbsp;Today’s business buyers take an increasingly stealthy approach by doing their own research long before they get in touch with you — if they ever make contact. Did you know:&nbsp;<ul><li>75% of business buyers prefer a sales experience that does not include a sales representative (<a href="https://www.gartner.com/en/sales/insights/b2b-buying-journey" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Gartner</a>)&nbsp;</li><li>71% of B2B buyers consume multiple pieces of content, such as blog articles, videos, white papers and e-books, to help them make a decision, and they share that content with colleagues on the buying team (<a href="https://www.demandgenreport.com/resources/b2b-buyer-s-survey-economic-uncertainties-renew-buyers-focus-on-price-functionality/7938/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">DemandGen Report</a>)&nbsp;</li><li>84% of B2B buyers say the winning vendor’s content had a positive influence on their purchase decision (<a href="https://www.demandgenreport.com/resources/2022-b2b-buyer-behavior-survey-orgs-must-remain-agile-as-buyers-conduct-self-service-anonymous-journeys/7456/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">DemandGen Report</a>)&nbsp;</li></ul>To win the attention of business buyers, you need high-quality, relevant, and valuable B2B content they will rely on to inform their buying decision. To create that content and get it in front of this audience, you need a well-researched B2B content strategy.&nbsp;At Brunner, we develop audience-first content strategies for a wide range of B2B clients. Our B2B content strategies give clients a roadmap for unified, consistent messaging and storytelling that’s integrated across their marketing channels, all to get their target accounts to “yes.”&nbsp;Here’s our approach.<h2>Research and Really Know Your Target Audiences</h2>

Having an effective strategy for connecting with B2B audiences through compelling content is crucial. Learn how we establish B2B content strategies for our clients.

Brands Need a B2B Content Strategy to Connect with Business Buyers

Brands Need a B2B Content Strategy to Connect with Stealth Business Buyers

Explore strategic insights from Kevin Amos, Brunner Partner, Chief Media and Data Officer.

Perspectives from Kevin Amos | Brunner

Partner, Chief Media and Data Officer

Kevin Amos

Social media is a key way to communicate with your customers. Hear from our teams.

Social media is a key way to connect with your customers and foster meaningful relationships. Hear from our experts as they share insights on building authentic engagement, crafting compelling content, and staying ahead of trends in the organic social landscape.

Organic Social Media Content: Industry Trends and POVs | Brunner

organic social media

Unlock the potential of programmatic display advertising with our collection of resources and expert insights.

Dive into our expert insights on programmatic display advertising and discover how to reach your audience with precision. From best practices to innovative strategies, we’ll guide you in maximizing your brand’s visibility and impact.

Programmatic Display Content: Industry Trends and POVs | Brunner

programmatic display

Stay updated on all the latest paid social trends.

Stay updated on the latest trends in paid social media to amplify your brand's reach. Explore insights on effective strategies, targeting techniques, and creative approaches to connect with your audience and drive engagement.

Our Perspectives on Paid Social Media | Brunner

paid social media

Search engine optimization is constantly changing. Stay up to date with perspectives from our team.

Search engine optimization is constantly evolving, and our team is here to ensure you’re always ahead of the curve. Stay informed with insights from our experts as we explore the latest trends, strategies, and best practices in SEO to help you grow your brand and dominate search rankings.&nbsp;

SEO Content and Perspectives: Industry Trends and POVs | Brunner

Your brand has built a strong and effective presence on TikTok, for both organic and paid campaigns. The influencers you work with are building their communities on the platform.&nbsp;&nbsp;And your website data shows growing traffic from TikTok as people use it instead of Google to search for information.&nbsp;But a new federal law President Joe Biden signed on April 24 will force a sale of TikTok or ban the platform within 12 months.&nbsp;&nbsp;Marketers are asking, “Now what?”&nbsp;Brunner manages TikTok as a marketing channel for clients in industries from building supplies and auto insurance to consumer packaged goods and quick service restaurants. We’re sharing our point of view on what brands should know about the ban at this point and our recommendations. ByteDance filed suit May 7 in U.S. federal court to challenge the new law, so the TikTok ban timetable could change.<h2>What Does the Law Banning TikTok Require?&nbsp;</h2>The <a href="https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/395515/biden-signs-law-banning-tiktok-unless-its-sold.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">new U.S. law</a> gives ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, nine months to sell the app. If a sale is in progress at that point, ByteDance may be allowed another three months to complete the transaction.&nbsp;If a sale does not happen, TikTok will be banned in the U.S., where more than 170 million Americans use it. The app is especially popular with Gen Z, which makes up 44.7% of U.S. TikTok users, according to <a href="https://www.emarketer.com/insights/guide-tiktok/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">EMarketer</a>.

With the U.S. TikTok ban looming, marketers face a pivotal shift in their strategies. Learn the potential impact the TikTok ban can have on various channels.

What Does the U.S. TikTok Ban Mean for Marketers?

What Does the U.S. TikTok Ban Mean for Marketers? What Brands Should Know

Brunner is actively growing and earning awards. Stay in the know of all the Brunner happenings.

Stay updated on our latest achievements and growth as we continue to earn accolades in the industry. From award wins to exciting new initiatives, keep your finger on the pulse of everything happening at Brunner.

Agency News and Client Updates | Brunner

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<h2>Home Improvement Research Institute Picks Brunner for New Strategic Partner Program</h2>

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“Brunner shares our same mission to make a positive impact in the home improvement industry,” said Dave King, executive director of HIRI. “They are in the trenches working with leading clients in our space, so they have insight and marketing expertise that can bring a ton of value to our HIRI members. Partnering with Brunner felt like a natural next step.”&nbsp;<h2>Partnership Will Bring Value to Home and Building Products Industry</h2>The Brunner team will work with HIRI to develop original content for HIRI members, covering topics like:&nbsp;<ul><li>Creating an Impactful Brand&nbsp;</li><li>Turning Contractors into Brand Advocates&nbsp;</li><li>The DIY Index&nbsp;</li></ul>In addition, we’ll be an active contributor as a keynote sponsor at the annual <a href="https://www.hiri.org/summit" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">HIRI Summit</a>, where home improvement manufacturers, retailers, and stakeholders hear from experts on data-driven insights and new ideas.For decades, Brunner has helped to define category leaders across the home and building products industry. Some examples:&nbsp;<ul><li><a href="https://www.brunnerworks.com/our-work/yellawood" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">A 16-point purchase intent lift</a> for YellaWood, maker of pressure treated pine lumber products&nbsp;</li><li><a href="https://www.brunnerworks.com/our-work/home-depot-rental" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Multiple record-setting weeks in rental transactions</a> for The Home Depot’s rental business.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><li>Audience contextual studies for Owens Corning’s roofing business to better understand and target their homeowner customer.&nbsp;</li></ul>

Brunner is now a strategic partner with HIRI, the leading non-profit research organization in the home improvement industry. Learn more about our new partnership.

Brunner, HIRI Partner to Offer Marketing, Industry Solutions 

Hear PR perspectives from Cecelia Bender, Brunner’s Director of Communications.

Perspectives from Cecelia Bender | Brunner

Director, Communications

Cecelia Bender

Stay updated on the latest PR trends and tips for building brand reputation and effective media communication.

Stay updated on the latest PR trends and strategies to enhance your brand reputation. Explore insights into effective media communication, relationship building, and the art of shaping public perception in today’s fast-paced environment.

Our Perspectives on Public Relations | Brunner

public relations

You know your company has great stories to tell. Maybe it’s how your engineering team helped a B2B customer solve a risky problem and finally land that big account. Or how your product group turned an inspired idea into a new item that millions of B2C customers are snapping up.&nbsp;

Learn how strategic public relations can help your company build a stronger brand identity and stand out from competitors.

How Public Relations Can Help Your Company Stand Out

How Public Relations Can Help Your Company Build a Stronger Brand Identity and Stand Out From Competitors

In today’s digital landscape, content is the lifeblood of any successful online presence. But simply churning out random blog articles or social media posts without a clear direction in mind can lead to chaos, wasted time, and lackluster results.&nbsp;&nbsp;This is where content strategy comes into play. Instead of guessing what topics to cover and formats to use, you can develop a well-researched content strategy framework, grounded in data, to determine the right channels, the right formats, and the right target audiences for your content.<h2>What is Content Strategy?</h2>

Having a consistent content strategy helps guide your brand to meet specific business and marketing goals. Learn how Brunner approaches content strategy.

The Impact of Content Strategy: A Roadmap to Engage Your Audiences

The Marketing Impact of Content Strategy: A Data-Driven Roadmap to Engage Your Audiences

Hear valuable media planning insights from Laura Kissinger, Senior Lead of Integrated Planning.

Perspectives from Laura Kissinger | Brunner

 Senior Lead, Integrated Planning

Laura Kissinger

Explore key strategy insights from our team.

Discover valuable insights from our strategy experts as we explore essential marketing principles. From defining your brand position to understanding your audience, our insights will help you create effective strategies that drive results and growth for your business.

Our Perspectives on Strategy: Industry Trends and POVs | Brunner

strategy

<h2>Be Positively Disruptive</h2>Millennials have passed the social media-obsessed crown onto GenZers, who are quickly taking over the landscape with endless new socials at their fingertips. This usually leads universities to think that they need to be everyone and anywhere their audiences are, but that is impractical and resource-constraining. This is where a well-thought-out strategy comes into play. Universities should take time to research where prospective students and their guardians are engaging and receptive to decision-driving content vs where they are going strictly for entertainment. This will ensure that you’re positively disruptive vs white noise. That might mean a “vintage” channel, such as Facebook or Instagram, which already has a large audience, is the place for you vs Twitch. According to <a href="https://www.emarketer.com/content/gen-z-preferred-social-platforms" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Insider Intelligence</a>, 33 million GenZers engage with Instagram monthly, and Facebook continues to grow steadily as Gen Zers ages out of popular teen platforms. Between Spring 2021 and Spring 2022, Brunner’s client, Indiana University of Pennsylvania saw a 48% increase in engagement on Instagram and a 100% increase in engagement on Facebook! If you’re seeing low engagement, maybe the platforms aren’t the problem …<h2>Let the Experts Handle the Questions</h2>Around 80% of prospective students are using social media to research and compare Universities – and they have a lot of questions. As a Higher-Ed expert, Brunner knows that universities have a wealth of knowledge on what prospective students should be asking, but it’s how universities are answering questions that make it relatable, engaging, and memorable to drive consideration. One strategy is to let your current students do the talking through peer-to-peer Q&amp;A sessions. Instagram takeovers are excellent for in-the-moment opportunities for prospective and current students to connect. Don’t lose out on the opportunity for that content to live past the Q&amp;A session, Reels are beneficial to extend the reach of the content created during the takeovers. Giving current students a platform will allow them to share their experiences on topics such as financial aid, majors and minors, campus clubs and activities, or just the best place to get a burrito at 1 am. They’re the experts on the questions that will mean the most to prospective students.<h2>Highlight Your Campus Community</h2>Every student is looking to find a “home-away-from-home” for the next few years. Universities should share photos of real students at various school activities and events, in class, and in other settings that will give prospective students a glimpse of life on campus. This will help current students picture themselves at the University before they get there, making consideration easier. It’s especially important to showcase the diversity of your student body and the support you give those who are underrepresented beyond the standard brochure images. In the Fall of 2022, IUP painted a rainbow sidewalk, as suggested by students from the LGBTQIA+ community. It has become a visible symbol of IUP’s commitment to making students feel welcome and supported as part of the campus community. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CfY7CAYs2Lz/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Multiple videos and photos of the sidewalk</a> and student reactions were shared across their social media platforms to highlight the type of campus community that prospective students can look forward to.<h2>Show Off Your Personality</h2>College can be stressful, so use social media to highlight the lighter side of college life. Universities can show off their personality and culture with light-hearted, fun, and behind-the-scenes content to show prospective students the balance of “work hard/play hard.” Engaging with student content creators is the best way to show the unique perspectives and personalities of your student body. Jumping on the latest social trends can be an easy way to have fun and be relevant. This Fall, IUP handed over their content creation to current students who let their personalities shine in a Welcome Weekend Takeover series. Followers were treated to an insider’s view of the campus complete with dorm and dining hall tours, silly dances with Norm, and advice from real IUP students. The 7 top stories from the weekend reached over 17,000 total impressions!

Discover four effective tips for higher education marketers to engage and attract prospective students.

4 Tips for High-Ed Marketers to Engage Prospective Students

CRM and marketing automation streamlines your business connections with powerful tools to manage customer relationships and drive sales. Hear from our experts.

Discover how CRM and marketing automation can streamline your business connections and drive sales. Explore insights from Brunner's experts on maximizing your platform investment and delivering personalized content that keeps customers engaged.

Our Perspectives on CRM Marketing Automation | Brunner

crm marketing automation

Unlock the power of your data with insights from Brunner’s data management and analytics team.

Unlock the power of your data with insights from Brunner’s data management and analytics team. Explore how we transform complex data into actionable insights that drive informed decisions and uncover new growth opportunities.

Data Management and Analytics Content and Perspectives | Brunner

data management and analytics

In an era defined by data-driven decision-making, marketing intelligence is the cornerstone of strategic success. Discover insights from our team.

At Brunner, marketing intelligence is the foundation of data-driven decision-making. Explore our insights to learn how to leverage data effectively, target your audience, and stay ahead in a competitive landscape.

Our Thoughts on Marketing Intelligence Solutions | Brunner

marketing intelligence solutions

Digital marketing transformation continues to be a hot topic, and its acceleration has continued to increase exponentially. Businesses are implementing systems to better market to their customers; enable sales to understand, prioritize and react to leads that fuel opportunity; to manage the lifecycle of customer engagement; and at the end of the day, to hopefully tell a value story for marketing impact on sales opportunity and ultimately, revenue.&nbsp;&nbsp;So why do so many organizations struggle to get to that state of nirvana? There are certainly a lot of factors that contribute, but here are 3 guide rails to rally around that can lead to&nbsp;success.&nbsp;<h2>1. Always&nbsp;Start with Your Customers</h2>&nbsp;To be successful, everything you do must be keenly aligned to your customers. Who are they? What do they care about? How are you meeting their needs along the entire journey of becoming a customer? Who are decision-makers and influencers? What are the customer touchpoints along that journey that will not only allow you to win that business but to maintain that relationship long term?&nbsp;<h3>Start with&nbsp;Definition&nbsp;</h3>As&nbsp;marketers, everything we do serves&nbsp;and supports&nbsp;the customer experience.&nbsp;UX exercises such as empathy mapping and persona development can help define&nbsp;customer&nbsp;demographics&nbsp;and&nbsp;psychographics&nbsp;to&nbsp;better&nbsp;understand&nbsp;their&nbsp;needs,&nbsp;mindset,&nbsp;and behaviors.&nbsp;These simple&nbsp;exercises&nbsp;put&nbsp;you&nbsp;in the mindset of the customer and help&nbsp;you&nbsp;understand who&nbsp;your customers&nbsp;are, what they need, and even&nbsp;how your product or service can alleviate their specific&nbsp;pain points.&nbsp;When combined with supplemental&nbsp;primary&nbsp;and&nbsp;secondary research&nbsp;and analytics,&nbsp;organizations&nbsp;can&nbsp;sharpen their focus on&nbsp;defining&nbsp;customers&nbsp;which should&nbsp;in turn&nbsp;refine&nbsp;marketing strategies.<h3>Focus on Customer Experience and the Journey</h3>Having defined your customer, start thinking about what content&nbsp;and touchpoints&nbsp;are&nbsp;relevant to&nbsp;them at each step in their journey.&nbsp;Keep in mind, this isn’t just about awareness. It’s about&nbsp;a&nbsp;360–degree&nbsp;view of&nbsp;customer&nbsp;experience. From awareness and conversion to loyalty,&nbsp;the goal is to engage, win, and&nbsp;retain.&nbsp;Starting with simple activities such as journey maps can help&nbsp;sharpen your&nbsp;marketing and&nbsp;content&nbsp;strategy and&nbsp;develop relevant messaging across the customer lifecycle. There will be multiple touchpoints along the way, with different organizations within the business involved. Make sure to&nbsp;not only&nbsp;identify&nbsp;marketing and&nbsp;content strategy but&nbsp;other touchpoints along the customer lifecycle that should be considered. Those areas may include&nbsp;sales&nbsp;enablement,&nbsp;customer&nbsp;support,&nbsp;procurement, and even brick and mortar experience. It’s inasmuch about your&nbsp;marketing/sales&nbsp;experience as it is about your overall Brand experience!&nbsp;There are plenty of frameworks out there to leverage; but start&nbsp;simple,&nbsp;test&nbsp;and learn, and evolve quickly. The beauty of digital is that it allows us to do just that as marketers. Where you start with your strategy can and will evolve – and should be a natural progression of continuing to refine your customer strategy. And to better know,&nbsp;and serve,&nbsp;your customers.&nbsp;<h2>2. Focus on Your Data&nbsp;Model&nbsp;Early</h2>Data is often overlooked, and&nbsp;it’s&nbsp;a critical key to success—both&nbsp;at the system and customer level. Knowing that your business will more than likely have multiple systems in place that focus on customer data can add to that complexity. Not just for maintaining a single master record of the customer, but also how to standardize key pieces of information across systems. It can be a tough challenge, but one that can be&nbsp;realized. Here are some key considerations to think about&nbsp;along the way…<h3>Define&nbsp;and standardize&nbsp;your marketing data model</h3>Your marketing data model will typically consist of two types of information: demographic and behavioral.Both will have significance in how you develop and drive your content strategy, your ability to test and learn, and how you empower your Sales organization to assist with the sales process.Demographic data will help with your segmentation strategies, while behavioral data will give insight into interaction (or lack thereof). Both will play a key role in how you continue to Market to your customers and how a qualified lead is defined through marketing activities (lead scoring models). Thinking about the different types of information you’ll be collecting and standardizing within your marketing and sales systems is essential for success.<h4>Start with demographic data</h4>Your demographic data can include simple things like Title, Industry, Role, and even things we take for granted like State and Country. These tend to be very structured types of data and help to define who a customer is. As a marketer it’s important to identify that type of information; to tightly define it (including data types); share it with key stakeholders in the business for alignment (sales, customer support); and to develop a cross-system integration strategy. And don’t forget to develop your business rules around data management – this includes how data enters your systems; whether through website/3rd party integrations, imports, or manual entry. It’s important to define those rules to maintain data integrity – that, at the end of the day, will allow you to report on marketing’s impact on opportunity more easily and empower your marketing efforts along the way.<h4>Apply&nbsp;the same definitions exercise&nbsp;for your behavioral data.</h4>Most, if not all, Marketing Automation and CRM systems will come with out-of-the-box fields you can leverage with the ability to define custom fields and to omit fields you don’t want. While the behavioral model may seem daunting, there are simple things to think about that can help. Establishing a strong UTM model across ALL your marketing channels can be a starting point. Don’t overlook things that sit outside of digital marketing where UTM’s are traditionally considered; remember, data can enter your system in many ways and your UTM model can be a gateway to first/last touch attribution and reporting. And one that you can easily roll out across all your marketing channels and be captured at the system level. Finally, think about measurable touchpoints that might be gathered outside of your UTM strategy; understand where that information is stored at the system level, what that data looks like (don’t forget to work on standardization!), and how that might play into your behavioral model.Once you have both established, think about systems standardization and engage key stakeholders. That may include Marketing Automation, CRM, ERP and other systems. Remember, it’ll be important to make sure key stakeholders outside of the marketing organization are involved to understand and agree upon data definitions that extend beyond marketing. And to also give those organizations insights into other types of customer data that may not have had prior visibility.<h2>3. Operational Readiness</h2>The last&nbsp;area to consider, and one that may&nbsp;actually be&nbsp;the most challenging, is operational readiness. It’s important to ensure cross-organization alignment as you start to implement your&nbsp;marketing strategies.&nbsp;Here are some general questions to consider that can help gain organizational alignment and streamline efforts for both short-term implementation and long-term business value.<ul><li>How defined is your customer data model across the organization? Do all groups understand what types of information&nbsp;are&nbsp;being collected?&nbsp;Where&nbsp;and&nbsp;how&nbsp;is&nbsp;that information stored?&nbsp;What&nbsp;is the&nbsp;structure of the&nbsp;data? And how it can be leveraged to support the customer experience?&nbsp;</li><li>Are&nbsp;the right team structures in place to support&nbsp;modern&nbsp;marketing and customer experience&nbsp;needs?</li><li>Have you defined&nbsp;and selected systems that focus on empowering the business to meet the need of the customer vs. and inward-focused&nbsp;strategy?</li><li>Have key stakeholders agreed upon the value of data and marketing efforts? And how that&nbsp;equates to&nbsp;empowering&nbsp;sales efforts and ROI?</li><li>What&nbsp;governance rules have been established for systems&nbsp;usage&nbsp;and integration;&nbsp;including data management, access, automated workflows, and how systems interact with one another?&nbsp;</li></ul>There is a lot to think about as a modern marketer, especially as systems become more advanced and businesses continue to evolve and drive demand for better customer experience (and ROI reporting!).&nbsp;Remember –&nbsp;start simple,&nbsp;test,&nbsp;and learn, and continue to&nbsp;refine&nbsp;your overall&nbsp;strategies. These&nbsp;three guide rails&nbsp;don’t work independently of one another, either.&nbsp;But when&nbsp;they start to&nbsp;align, they&nbsp;can be a powerful gateway to drive&nbsp;modern&nbsp;marketing and&nbsp;sales success.&nbsp;

Explore three key guidelines that can help ensure success in your B2B marketing efforts.

Kristen Taggert

Vice President, Integrated Marketing Communications

Kristen Taggert

Vice President, Integrated Marketing Communications

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