Read Barry's Blogs
Insights, learnings and stories from the world of B2B marketing and communications, direct from Velo’s B2B agency team
B2B Content, B2B Marketing in Technology, Customer Experience
Why successful B2B technology companies are investing in customer success stories – and how you can too
Customer success stories are used by B2B marketers, particularly in the technology sector, to reassure new customers that their solution, and process of working together solves their problems, by demonstrating it has done it before. This is important in earning trust before a transaction and cements the relationship with the customer in the story as […]
B2B Branding, B2B Content, B2B Creative
Brand marketing is back! What B2B marketers need to know…
As an agency and trusted partner for clients, it’s important we stay up to date with the latest thinking and influences on B2B marketing. Continuing a series of short posts looking at the some of the important trends that are going to impact strategy and implementation this year, this post looks at brand for B2B. […]
Privacy and the attention economy – What B2B marketers need to know
As an agency and trusted partner for clients, it’s important we stay up to date with the latest thinking and influences on B2B marketing. In this first in a short series of posts, we’re looking at the some of the important trends that are going to impact strategy and implementation this year. What does […]
ABM, B2B Marketing in Technology
Unlocking the full potential of Marketo for B2B marketing
The Velo team has been working with Marketo for a number of years. As with most marketing automation software, there is much to learn in order to get the most from it. We’ve learned many lessons on our path to unlocking the full potential of the platform for clients. Some lessons proved to be best […]
Why an experiential event should be part of your thinking as a B2B marketer in 2022
We’ve all heard how events need to be more experiential, but let’s dive down into the reason why they are such an effective sales and marketing tool to achieve your critical marketing objectives. 1. Build customer relationships Nothing is more effective for a business than strong customer relationships. Creating a connection, a shared conversation, […]
How to use events to create and drive a progressive staff wellbeing strategy
Nothing is as valuable to your business as your employees. They are your greatest asset, so doing something just for them, and to enhance their wellbeing, is a top priority for business success, bringing with it multiple rewards for all involved. Up to this point, as a business, our employee wellbeing has taken a less […]
B2B Branding, B2B Campaigns, B2B Marketing in manufacturing
What are the 5 main challenges for B2B industrial marketing?
Industrial manufacturing still forms a dominant part of most national economies. Including food, drink, transport, and pharmaceuticals, it can be as high as 70% in GDP terms and is responsible for millions of jobs. Although markets are currently buoyant in terms of demand, many are facing unrivalled challenges in terms of raw materials shortages, price […]
B2B Creative, Customer Experience
Is data gathering as tiresome as it seems, or do we just need better tools?
Whether you are a large corporation or a small local business, data is a crucial element in driving effective decision-making. How else do we know how many sales are made or how many people got close enough to committing to a purchase before leaving the site before checkout? Data is an invaluable asset to have […]
B2B Content, Customer Experience
How do you make your B2B brand story resonate?
Crafting creating and engaging storytelling for B2B marketing. Part 3: In a three part blog series, agency strategist Rene Power looks at why storytelling in b2b marketing has become a go-to approach for so many marketers and how to start doing it effectively. In this third and final post, we offer some practical tips on […]
B2B Events, Customer Experience
Post-COVID, B2B Events Are Back But Not As We Knew Them
It has been incredibly difficult for event organisers since Covid began. Attendees are reluctant to travel, exhibitors unwilling to commit to floor space in advance, starving exhibition organisers from the cash needed to market their events and sponsors nervous of investing marketing budget when uncertainties around attendance exist. In addition, and this is particularly in […]
It’s time to rethink cybersecurity marketing
What hinders cybersecurity marketers from doing their jobs well? And what can be done about it? If you’re a cybersecurity marketer, you’ll know that the industry is heavily populated by multiple companies purporting to solve endless cybersecurity needs. Crafting messaging that cuts through this quagmire is no small feat. This challenge is compounded by the […]
5 reasons to consider Augmented Reality in your B2B marketing mix
Not so long-ago Augmented Reality (AR) felt like something so distant and far off in the future, that the majority of us didn’t give it another thought, let alone think about using it for marketing purposes. But in a little over ten years since BMW triumphed as the first brand to use the then extremely […]
B2B Audiences, Customer Experience
How to effectively plan customer experience touchpoints using user story mapping
Our agency formula for ‘B2B marketing to be proud of’ consists of three core components: Customer Experience, Integrated Marketing and Brand Communications. We believe these elements working together ensure that your audience connects with your brand, your customers are nurtured towards an ultimate sales goal, and you turn engagement into long-term customer loyalty. If any […]
New to 2020: Recent LinkedIn features that you should know about
LinkedIn has had an incredibly busy year, that’s for sure. With new features rolled out across the platform nearly every other week throughout 2020, LinkedIn has continued to evolve to become a channel B2B marketers simply cannot live without. In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been a significant transformation towards H2H (human-to-human) or […]
B2B Audiences, B2B Content, B2B Research
All You Wanted To Know About Research-Led Marketing
Not sure how to implement research into marketing campaigns? We have everything you need to get started. Part 2 of our podcast with Peter Cohen of HolistiCyber and Matt Lewis of NCCGroup is now live. In Part – An into to research-led marketing – we discussed what makes for compelling research-based marketing and provided examples of thegood, the bad, and the factually incorrect. But […]
How to successfully prep your interviewees for video customer testimonials
Let’s face it, being interviewed in any capacity is not the most natural thing in the world to endure. Throw a camera into the mix….. and well, ‘rabbit’ and ‘headlights’ is the most likely outcome for your interview subject. But with video customer success stories and case studies becoming a key marketing tool in the […]
Our top 10 WordPress Plug-ins – and why you need them today
You’ve installed your WordPress site, it’s up and running along with a nice clean theme, and you’re ready to add content. But there’s a few things you need to know before getting started. In this blog we’ll help you add the ideal WordPress plug-ins to enable notifications, set up contact forms, ensure the security of […]
Cybersecurity Marketing Podcast: Episode 2, Part 1: An intro to research-led marketing
Everything you wanted to know about research-led marketing, but were afraid to ask. What is the role of research in Who does it well? If you’re either new to this area or are unsure that your current approach is working, how do you get your head around this vast and complicated space? Our latest podcast […]
Cybersecurity Marketing Podcast: Episode 1: Accepting you have a problem
The first in our ‘Marketing Cybersecurity’ podcast series, where we unpick some classic marketing challenges in this space. Our guests are Becky Kiely, Head of PR for UK and US, F-Secure, and Eliza-May Austin, CEO and Co-founder of th4ts3cur1ty.company. Join us for the very first episode of our ‘Marketing Cybersecurity’ podcast series. If you’re a […]
Wassup?’ Lessons in brand storytelling
TBT to 1999 and a group of friends ‘watching the game, having a Bud.’ Gayle Kennedy, our Director of Storytelling, explains what brand storytelling lessons we can glean from this iconic advertising series. Our #tbt this week goes back to 1999, in which one question was asked: ‘Wassup?’ On the face of it, this […]
B2B Marketing Leadership, B2B Strategy
What does COVID-19 mean for your marketing strategy?
We are all feeling apprehensive at the moment, but let’s make the most of this time to complete some projects and try some new things. Creativity will get us through the darkest of times. Today, instead of posting our usual quick Tuesday tip, we thought it would be more helpful to talk to you about […]
B2B Strategy, Customer Experience
Five ways to make your online workshops more engaging
Workshops are an integral part of the marketing industry, and a useful platform to get team members involved in presentations and new pieces of work. But with an ever-changing landscape due to the backdrop of Covid-19, running them has become a much bigger challenge for B2B agencies and their clients. That’s not to say that […]
Navigating a post COVID-19 world
It’s a rough time for business leaders. No one really knows what’s going to happen, how long our lives will be impacted by enforced isolation, how long the looming recession will last, or how much governments will intervene and support us. There are some things we definitely do know though. The world will be different […]
You are not the protagonist
Writing a brand story can seem frivolous, but it’s a crucial reminder of your product’s role in your customer’s everyday life. Writing your brand story can feel like one of the more esoteric moments in crafting your positioning. Destined to stay within the confines of your brand guidelines, the more hardened and cynical amongst a […]
B2B Campaigns, B2B Content, B2B Sales Enablement
The most personal is the most creative
Because brand storytelling lives under the ‘business’ umbrella, it can be easy to assume that the principles of ‘real’ creativity do not apply. It’s time for this to change. At the 2020 Oscars (before everything changed), Best Director winner Bong Joon Ho cited this quote by Martin Scorsese in his acceptance speech: ‘The most […]
ABM, B2B Marketing in Technology
‘THE’ hot topic of 2020 in the technology industry: Covid-19 recovery and what it means for b2b marketing
While it’s been technology that has allowed the business world to keep going during the pandemic, it hasn’t just been all good news for the tech sector. They, like most other businesses, are in full recovery mode. The pandemic has impacted everything from raw materials supply, disrupting the electronics value chain, and causing a huge […]
B2B Marketing in manufacturing
‘THE’ hot topic of 2020 in the manufacturing industry: Covid-19 recovery and what it means for b2b marketing
A running theme across the sector is that manufacturers will need to ‘thread the needle between uncertainty and opportunity’ this year. Trade association Make UK has reported the UK manufacturing sector is set to take one of the biggest hits from COVID-19, with industry output expected to fall by 55% in Q2 of 2020. 37% of […]
B2B Marketing Agency Selection
Compassion conquers all
What is a ‘culture of compassion’? While we have endeavoured to achieve this from the start, this week we truly put it into practice. We’ll be honest: we’ve been having a hard time keeping motivated this week. Maybe it’s because the sun has been shining. Maybe it’s because we still haven’t hit a rhythm […]
B2B marketers, here’s what to do right NOW to maximise ROI from your content
Get ready – I’m going to share some of Velo’s proven tips for successfully maximising ROI from your B2B content efforts. Tips you can implement RIGHT NOW that can achieve immediate quick wins. A blog or content hub is a staple component of any B2B website, providing a place for companies like yours to share […]
Our 4 Top Tips For Video Conferencing Like A Pro
We’ve worked with a range of clients over the past decade, and while we’re a London-based agency, our reach has grown substantially over the years. We have built Velo through our relationships with clients nationally, on the continent, and globally, and we couldn’t have done this without collaboration software – namely video conferencing – enabling […]
B2B Strategy, Customer Experience
CX, product, and price—getting the balance right
Customer Experience (CX) is transforming the business arena. Where quality of product and scale of price once defined a company’s reputation, success and revenue are now heavily influenced by how effectively your business interacts with customers across all touchpoints. Brands that invest in their customers’ experience are enjoying revenue growth rates faster than ever before. […]
Join the B2B video revolution and get ahead of the pack
Video is at the core of our day-to-day lives, whether we are relaxing at home streaming our favourite shows, or searching for a solution to fix a leaking tap – no longer are we reaching for DVDs or telephoning a plumber for an emergency call-out. Video has fast become the preferred method for many consumers […]
ABM, AI & MarTech for B2B, B2B Campaigns
5 reasons to try LinkedIn Sponsored InMail for B2B
We’re massive advocates of LinkedIn. We’ve used it for everything from hard-sell lead gen campaigns to methods of research when identifying target accounts. With over 260 million users (Jan, 2020), LinkedIn as a platform for targeted messaging is hard to ignore, and LinkedIn’s Sponsored InMail advertising option gives you access to the inbox of almost […]
Why B2B technology, industrial and professional services businesses choose WordPress
WordPress powers 35% of the 1.3 billion websites on the internet today (W3Techs, 2020 and Netcraft 2019). This means that a colossal 455 million websites are built on WordPress. It has become the most popular CMS, and for good reason. There’s virtually nothing that WordPress can’t do. B2B businesses of all sizes are built on WordPress, from […]
Get seen on small screens: Why mobile-first design is a business priority
Driven by the growing popularity of mobile devices, mobile-first design is a strategy that starts with the smallest screen first (mobile). This ensures that the user experience (UX) of a website is right across all devices. Before the mobile revolution, websites were designed for desktop first. A ‘mobile-friendly’ version was then tagged on, with varying […]
7 Steps to Manage Project Creep
In an ideal world, every project would be on time and in scope. But the reality is that projects morph and develop, and we need to be flexible to our client’s needs – and that means the potential for those two dreaded words; project creep. There are thousands of articles on how to prevent project […]
Video podcast: The Importance of Always-On in ABM
In early December, I had the opportunity to sit down with James Rostance from The 414 Live – a live LinkedIn video stream and podcast dedicated to discussing all things B2B marketing. My topic of choice was one I’m very passionate about (ask anyone in the office or any of my clients!). Said topic? The […]
What I Took Away From B2B Marketing’s 2019 ABM Conference
Last week, I went to B2B Marketing’s annual ABM Conference. It was a day for B2B marketing professionals to share their experiences of executing ABM strategies. From the conversations, it was clear that “true ABM” is still relatively new and immature, but that the key to success in the future is sharing our experiences and […]
The 12 Year Window – Why Now is the Time to Invest in your Brand
Regardless of if you’re a FTSE 100 company or a start-up, a well-defined brand will give you a competitive advantage. How? People are drawn to brands that look and sound confident about who they are. Potential customers believe that choosing a strong brand reduces the risk in a decision. The success of a defined brand, […]
B2B Audiences, B2B Campaigns, B2B Content
Localising your B2B campaign for local markets: how to make it work
Localising your global campaigns provides an opportunity to increase market engagement and lift your ROI. That seems pretty obvious, but why then do so many companies fail to make their content relevant, engaging, and easy for their potential international audiences to consume? Well written and easy-to-understand messaging in a native language makes readers feel more […]
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