KoMarketing Top B2B Marketing Blog Posts From 2016

With 2016 swiftly (and unbelievably) drawing to a close, it is time again to reflect on what has worked well, where we can improve, and what opportunities present themselves in the new year.

Towards the end of last year, I outlined how our focus in our own online marketing efforts has led to quadrupled website traffic, thousands of inbound links and mentions, and the ability to hit goals in lead acquisition and brand development.

And, in my presentation for the Boston Marketo User Group earlier this year, I explained how content marketing now plays a critical role in KoMarketing’s own inbound lead generation channel.

This success is built off of the hard work team members have put into the process of creating engaging content and marketing communication.

While it’s great to see many of our articles from previous years continue to perform well, we continued to capitalize on experience, research, and analysis to create impactful content marketing assets throughout the year.

Here is a look back at our ten most popular articles written in 2016, based on traffic, links, mentions, and impact in the lead generation process.

10 Digital Trends to Inspire Your 2017 B2B Content Marketing Strategy

Well-written articles looking into future trends and opportunities almost always do well. Ryan Young’s list of ten digital marketing trends looked at what B2B marketers should consider when thinking about next year’s content strategy, including the impact of video, personalization, and further integration with sales teams.

30+ Statistics Designed To Guide B2B Social Media Marketing Strategy in the New Year

Curated posts also do quite well. My article showcasing 30 different insights geared towards B2B social media budgeting and strategy planning also was near the top of the list for mentions, shares, and most importantly, lead generation opportunities.

In this article, I highlighted tactics, challenges, and the future of social media strategy, amongst other topics for B2B marketers.

10 Digital Marketing Trends That Should Influence Your 2016 Content Strategy

Ryan’s second article in this list, from the first quarter of the year, reflected six months of trends and experience that had a direct impact on 2016 content marketing strategies, including data management, digital content prioritization, and how brands need to build trust with their audiences.

30 B2B Social Media Tips for 2016

Remember when I said curated posts tended to do well? So do comprehensive lists.

At the start of 2016, Casie Gillette gave our audience 30 tips to help improve their B2B social media strategy, including the importance of a content calendar, employee advocacy, and making sure that social aligns with both sales and marketing objectives.

8 Key Google Changes B2B Marketers Need To Know In The New Year

Readers were also interested in our perspective on how to react to changes in both the search engine and social media landscape.

This article from the beginning of the year highlighted eight key developments Google made in 2015, and what those developments could mean in both the short and long term, for B2B marketing professionals.

15 Key Visualizations & Diagrams From #MarTech 2016

Changes in search engine technology are just one of the challenges facing B2B marketers, as it pertains to marketing innovation.

To that extent, it was encouraging to see our coverage related to #MarTech 2016 receive such a positive response, with respect to traffic, social shares, and third party references.

5 Ways To Make Social Media A Part of Everyday Marketing Strategy

On the other end of the spectrum, simplification can also be a welcomed experience. My post on ways to invest in social media at a more practical level was geared towards that objective.

In it, I outlined five ideas that B2B marketers can use to begin building a social media strategy, without sacrificing too much time upfront.

B2B Video Marketing Done Right

As Ryan Young alluded to in a previous reference, video is becoming more critical for B2B marketers. Heather Rast’s article on video marketing helps cover the spectrum of needs in this endeavor, from key characteristics to potential categorization, along with exemplary examples where applicable.

Top 3 Chinese Search Engines: What B2B Marketers Need to Know

We are more invested than ever in helping B2B organizations with global online marketing initiatives. To that extent, helping B2B marketers better understand each market becomes critical.

One of Rebecca Li’s first KoMarketing articles was designed to give B2B marketers an idea of why search engine marketing is important in China and why Chinese search engines are different from Google or Bing, or other Western search engines.

The 10 Don’ts of Twitter for B2B Marketing

And finally, taking the contrarian point of view can also be valuable. Kristen Vaughn’s article highlighting ten things NOT to do on Twitter rounds out our own top ten posts from 2016.

In this article, Kristen highlights practices to avoid using, if the goal is to build authentic relationships and utilize Twitter as an important asset for B2B marketing.

Final Thoughts

Our digital marketing program wouldn’t be successful without the thousands of online users that read, share, and reference our content on a weekly basis. On behalf of the team at KoMarketing, Thank You for being a part of our success this past year.

Seasons greetings and we wish you the very best in the new year and beyond!