Google My Business can be a pivotal part of setting up a successful location-based business and boosting your search-ability. For B2B companies, being able to distinguish between company locations and similar consumer terms in search is paramount. The categories you choose and how well you stay up-to-date with them will be key to successful use of Google My Business, or any location-based search.

The 2019 State of IT Marketing report, which examines B2B technology company marketing spend, trends and challenges, found that 37 percent of respondents expect their marketing budgets to increase. The report attributes the findings to a “renewed priority on marketing is driving budget increases and enabling organizations to experiment with new marketing trends and technologies.”

In addition, 30 percent of budgets are expected to be allocated toward paid media efforts (search marketing, social media marketing, email marketing and display), 22 percent to trade shows and events, 21 percent on martech (content/experience, social/relationship, advertising/promotions, and data/analytics), and 19 percent on external agencies and contractors.

Are you familiar with AI? If not, now is a good time to introduce yourself. AI is expected to take over in 2019, changing the industry for both agencies and marketers.

Content marketing has historically been difficult to measure. So it's no surprise that in a recent article from the Content Marketing Institute (CMI), they ask whether content marketers are measuring the right things when it comes to gauging effectiveness.

After judging the 2018 Content Marketing Awards, the author notes that she was interested to see how entrants reported their success metrics. She says, “I was beyond disappointed to see many entries relying on the same ubiquitous metrics everyone touts, regardless of the nature of the content or the business goals it’s meant to achieve.”

While marketers have tons of metrics to gauge performance, it really comes down to measuring and reporting the right things that all tie back to business goals and types of content created. Because, according to CMI, the entire purpose of content marketing is “to drive profitable customer action.”

Personalization takes deep understanding of your ideal customer and customer journey. Take the necessary time to research and lay the foundation upfront to create a successful ABM campaign.

A new year brings new opportunities for a different perspective and a fresh approach. With the prevalence and maturity of content marketing, savvy B2B marketers well-recognize that a compelling content strategy is the cornerstone to any results-driven marketing program. However, according to the research, it seems many organizations lack a clear well thought out plan.