2018 was a near record year for fintech funding, with the first half securing $57.9 billion, almost surpassing the current record of 2015’s $62.5 billion. This momentum is expected to continue through 2019. There are three major ways we will start to see businesses benefit from this investment surge throughout 2019:

1. B2B Payments: It wasn’t long ago we started seeing a change in the way consumers pay for products, with more people reaching for a smartphone app to complete payment instead of their physical wallet or checkbook. Now, B2B payers can enjoy similar hassle-free automated payment options. A leader in this market is WorldRemit, which recently closed $175 million in funding and helps facilitate cross-border money transfers for employees and contractors.

2. B2B Lending: Anyone who has ever needed a bank loan knows how rigorous the process is to obtain credit. After banks tightened lending rules following the financial crisis, the space was left wide open for fintechs to use big data and technology to increase finance options. This is now being mirrored in the B2B world. Take, for example, Brex, a San Francisco-based startup that issues corporate credit cards to startup leaders so they don’t have to max out personal cards. It is predicted that there will be a dramatic increase in supply-chain finance options, with banks providing the capital and tech companies bringing parties together.

3. Better Bank Offerings for Businesses: Since 2008, fintechs have been putting a lot of pressure on banks. As more fintechs break into the B2B space, the pressure on banks continues. The B2B space offers larger markets, with higher profit margins, and banks are fighting hard to protect their market share. This translates into better offers for businesses. So while 2019 may be a great year for fintechs, it is business that will be the real winners.


Read the source article at Entrepreneur.

When it comes to B2B social platforms, Reddit may not be the first thing that comes to mind. With over 330 million unique monthly users and over 18 billion monthly views, it may be time to rethink how Reddit ads fit into your B2B strategy.

Michael Sheen of inteliKINECT says that while it is difficult to tie service sales directly back to Reddit, his company has seen nearly a 40% increase in page views and a significant increase in goal conversions within Google Analytics. Jack Paxton of Top Growth Marketing finds that Reddit is an efficient way to scale B2B leads.

To be successful on Reddit, you'll need to start with a channel strategy. Reddit users are among the most engaged and the most passionate of any social platform. Here are five steps to effectively advertise on Reddit:

1. Find the Right Subreddits: There are over 150K active subreddits, or communities, many of which are the perfect place for B2B ads. Examples include /r/digitalmarketing, /r/webdev and /r/contentmarketing. Take the time to determine which subreddits are right for your brand.

2. Engage with the Community: Narrow down your list to 3-5 subreddits and take a couple of weeks to immerse yourself. Find out not only what times are most active, but also what the community is interested in and how they speak.

3. Focus on Upvotes: Upvotes are king within Reddit, demonstrating value and popularity of your brand. Focusing on gaining upvotes will keep your cost per click low.

4. Don’t Hard Sell: Hard sells are likely to be downvoted or banned within many subreddits. Instead, advertise free webinars and infographics and use follow-up emails for selling.

5. Track Your Progress: Use UTMs and conversion pixels to figure out which titles and images resonate most and optimize from there.


Read the source article on CMS Wire.

Machine learning (ML) has always played a powerful role within Twitter, starting with onboarding users and continuing through connecting users to relevant conversations and topics. Twitter has recently announced the acquisition of Fabula AI (Fabula), a London-based company focused on machine-learning research to detect network manipulation, further establishing Twitter’s commitment to advancing its ML capabilities. Fabula utilizes graph deep learning, a novel method of applying powerful ML techniques to structured network data. Fabula’s technology is so precise that within hours of diffusion, it is able to identity up to 93% of “fake news” tweets and articles.

This is a key investment from Twitter, aimed at helping users feel safe and trust the information they come across on the social site, as well as helping users find the most relevant information fast. Michael Bronstein, co-founder and chief scientist of Fabula, says,“We are looking forward to applying our graph deep learning techniques to improve the health of the conversation across [Twitter].”

An increase in trust within the site is great news for B2B marketers, as 84% of Twitter users report primarily using the social site for discovering industry-specific news and products. From strategy to analytics and reporting, Red House is able to assist with any social needs your organization may have. Fill out the form below or click here to learn more about our social capabilities.


Read the source article on Twitter. 

Beginning July 1, 2019, Google says it will be enabling mobile-first indexing by default for all new, previously unknown to Google Search websites. And for other existing websites, Google will continue to monitor and evaluate pages for mobile-first indexing readiness.

B2B products may not be as flashy as B2C products and may skew towards the technical and overly complicated side of things, but many of them are far from boring—especially to the people who matter most: the buyers.

Micro influencers, or those with a following of about 2,000-50,000 on a social channel, garner more engagement and brand trust than any other paid media option. Although these influencers are traditionally used by B2C companies, many B2B organizations are now following suit. When deciding which influencer to reach out to, ask yourself these three questions:

Media and advertising consultant ID Comms surveyed 150 marketing, media and agency executives. The study revealed that 71% of respondents rated levels of investment in media training unsatisfactory or entirely unsatisfactory. This isn't surprising, as a similar study conducted in 2016 produced similar results.

Marketers have been singing the praises of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) for a while now, and with good reason. These technologies make our jobs easier and more effective. Make no mistake, though, a machine will never be able to replace a marketer. Fears of being outdone by a machine should be replaced with the comfort of knowing tedious tasks can be offloaded to a machine.

Trends in the B2B market are pointing to a new power player in the marketing technology space: Voice. And now, with Alexa gaining HIPAA compliance, it’s never been more critical for the healthcare industry to get on board. It’s time for brands to prioritize developing voice strategies that provide value to the everyday lives of patients—turning their brand into a trusted source for consumers to rely on as they go about their daily lives.

Client testimonials are essential for attracting new business and driving revenue, and many marketers get as excited for rave reviews from their clients as they do when they acquire a client in the first place. And nowhere are testimonials more important than in the B2B space. Here's why: