Read Helena's Blogs
Insights, learnings and stories from the world of B2B marketing and communications, direct from Velo’s B2B agency team
Helena Phillips
Holding senior roles at B2B marketing agencies for most of her career, including over a decade of experience in B2B financial services marketing - particularly insurance - HP leads Velo’s strategic marketing projects.
B2B Events, Customer Experience
5 ways B2B exhibitions have evolved. Have you?
B2B exhibitions are becoming increasingly important and increasingly central to how specialist markets connect. We know because we’ve been there. Across 2026, Velo has participated in the major exhibitions that matter to our sectors, including Utility Week Live, MACH, Fire Safety Expo, The Health & Safety Event, The Workplace Event, BIBA and more. These are not fringe moments in the marketing calendar. […]
Does ABM work in long, complex buying cycles?
There is a common belief in certain sectors. “Account-Based Marketing does not work here.” You hear it most in markets with long sales cycles, complex procurement and heavy reliance on industry frameworks. The thinking is simple. Decisions are slow, structured and often predefined. Marketing cannot influence them in the same way. Or can it? What makes these markets different These environments are […]
ABM, B2B Content, B2B Marketing in Insurance, B2B Marketing in Professional Services, B2B Strategy
Why is storytelling vital in ABM?
Storytelling in B2B is often misunderstood. It is not about entertainment for its own sake. It is about making information meaningful, memorable and trusted. After all, even in B2B, there are still people at the other end. At its core, storytelling reflects how people actually make decisions. B2B buying is human, memory-driven and trust-led. Storytelling is the thread that connects those elements. It […]
How ABM can influence the dark funnel
Let’s get one thing straight. The “dark funnel” is not a funnel – it’s what happens when real buying behaviour refuses to fit neatly into your reporting. The dark funnel is everything that happens outside your visibility: the conversations you can’t see, the recommendations you can’t track, and the moments that never show up in your analytics. It is the Slack message between colleagues. […]
Is there such a thing as intent in an ABM program?
What your ideal customer really means Intent has become B2B marketing’s favourite shortcut. The promise is seductive. Find the accounts that are “in market”, focus your effort there, and watch conversion rates climb. The problem? B2B buying doesn’t work like that. Intent exists. But not in the neat, predictable, high-confidence way it is often sold. First party intent is the […]
From pilot to programme: 8-step approach to scalable ABM
Account-Based Marketing (ABM) is often misunderstood as a tactic when it is, in reality, a strategic approach to growth. At its core, ABM is about focusing effort on the accounts that matter most and building meaningful engagement with them over time. A scalable ABM programme takes this thinking and makes it repeatable. It allows you to […]
How to choose the right priority accounts for your ABM programme
What your ideal customer really means In account-based marketing, identifying your priority customers is not about building the biggest possible list. It is about making deliberate commercial choices. Your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) is the filter that defines where you should focus your effort and, just as importantly, where you should not. It ensures your time, budget and energy […]
B2B Campaigns, B2B Content, B2B Creative, B2B Marketing in Professional Services
What my favourite romantic movies taught me about B2B marketing
(Apparently, all starring one of two Julias – must be my ‘type’!) Romantic films endure for a reason. They understand people – their insecurities, quirks, and moments of connection. Strip away the meet-cutes and soundtracks, and you’re left with something B2B marketing still struggles to get right: how relationships actually work. Valentine’s Day got me thinking… are […]
B2B Branding, B2B Campaigns, B2B Content, B2B Creative
Defying perceptions: Why B2B brands need a little more Elphaba energy
We’re in full Wicked fever again, and while most people are debating Ariana and Cynthia’s weird relationship IRL or that Elphie & Fiyero scene, I keep spotting parallels with B2B marketing. Stay with me – I promise I’m onto something! Because under all the emerald sparkle is a truth every marketer knows too well: being brilliant doesn’t matter if your story isn’t being heard. There’s a […]
B2B Research, B2B Search, SEO & GEO
B2B marketing without third-party cookies: three steps to stay smart, sharp and compliant
Third-party cookies were never flashy. But for years, they quietly powered B2B marketing: enabling retargeting, fuelling behavioural targeting, and feeding reports with data we trusted (perhaps more than we should have). It meant we could re-reach visitors to our sites on other websites even if we did not know who they are. These cookies weren’t […]
Looking for your new
agency partner?
