By Alexandra Reid
The hand off of a marketing position is a tricky process for many professionals. It’s made even more complex when a professional has an online presence affiliated with the company or is responsible for managing multiple online company accounts. In content marketing, this is often the case, and so succession planning in this industry can often mean ironing out a lot of messy details.
This post is timely because I’m currently going through the process of sorting through all the information my successor will require to take over my position here at Francis Moran and Associates. Yes, dear readers, I’m sorry to say that my time here is running thin. But fear not; you will be in capable hands and this blog will continue to provide regular and valuable posts on all things under the immense subject umbrella of what it takes to bring technology to market.
For those of you currently going through this process, here are some things to keep in mind:
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By Alexandra Reid
This month saw a lot of action in the Canadian startup scene and we covered much of it here on our blog. Most notably, Startup Canada launched its much anticipated Startup Blueprints, an ambitious web platform that summarizes what the organisation heard this past summer, and sets out what needs to be done to turn those ideas and reflections into concrete action.
But that shouldn’t eclipse the wonderful work of Maple Leaf Angels and CanWit, two organisations that have fostered a partnership to create new investment opportunities for women-led startups in Canada. The National Angel Capital Organization also held its annual conference in Halifax, where important debates took place about the value of crowdfunding and how investment in this country could be improved.
Of course, those stories don’t even scratch the surface of our coverage this month. In case you missed any, here’s a handy roundup of our posts, ranked by the enthusiasm of our readers.
November 19: Lessons for entrepreneurs who wish to globalize their startups upon inception: Part 2 by Tony Bailetti
November 28: If Jack and Jill had worked together to engineer a well water system … by Leo Valiquette
November 20: Celebrating 25 years of community support by Alexandra Reid
November 29: A clarion call to make Canada an entrepreneurial economy by Francis Moran
November 6: CMI-MarketingProfs report reveals B2B content marketing confusion by Alexandra Reid
November 12: The CMO is dead by Dominique Turpin
November 27: Product management: Give the user the best possible mobile experience by Peter Hanschke
November 13: Hey, kid, I hear you want to be an entrepreneur by Leo Valiquette
November 26: Supporting investment in women-led startups by Alexandra Reid
November 7: Give capitalists the ball, let them run by Leo Valiquette
November 14: Lessons for entrepreneurs who wish to globalize their startups upon inception by Tony Bailetti
November 5: The neuroscience behind elections by Bob Bailly
November 8: Hootsuite CEO Ryan Holmes inspires hometown crowd: Video by Fiona Campbell
November 14: The subsistence diet of government — and some VC — funding by Francis Moran
November 21: Walking the digital tightrope: The perils of co-branded employees by Megan Totka
November 22: Startup Canada to call for urgent action to support Canadian entrepreneurs by Francis Moran
November 1: Even angels are going enterprise by Francis Moran
November 16: How to create brighter lives with content marketing by Alexandra Reid
Image: Oana Befort
By Alexandra Reid
Two content marketing all-stars, Katherine Fletcher and Darin Diehl, presented at Social Media Breakfast Ottawa on Wednesday on how businesses can use rich, interactive content to increase brand awareness, build communities and generate leads.
Katherine is the senior vice-president, senior partner and managing director of digital at High Road Communications, an interactive communications agency. She was also appointed in 2007 as a global chair for Fleishman-Hillard’s international digital practice group where she works with a small, global team of digital leaders to drive innovative digital communications with specialists worldwide.
Darin is the assistant vice-president of digital communications at Sun Life Financial Canada, and the leader of the team that developed BrighterLife.ca, a social media-powered, consumer-focused portal where Canadians can engage with the brand and each other about financial challenges and opportunities they face in their everyday lives.
Katherine and Darin developed and executed the content marketing program that would support the launch and ongoing success of BrighterLife.ca. On Wednesday, they explained the efforts that went on behind the scenes that helped it become an award-winning site. I also had the opportunity to chat with Katherine before the show to glean some more details about their content marketing program.
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By Alexandra Reid
Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs recently released a report on the state of B2B content marketing in North America that declared, “B2B marketers are spending more, using more tactics, and distributing their content on more social networks than they have in years past,” but that they are also “more uncertain whether they are using various content marketing tactics effectively.”
The 2013 B2B content marketing benchmarks, budgets and trends survey was emailed to a sample of B2B marketers from among MarketingProfs and Content Marketing Institute members and subscribers. A total of 1,416 B2B marketers responded from North American companies in August this year, representing a full range of industries, functional areas, and company sizes. The majority of respondents were from advertising and marketing companies that have fewer than 10 employees.
The survey found that 91 percent of B2B marketers use content marketing, but most are challenged with producing enough content. This is different from previous years when the top challenge was producing engaging content.
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By Alexandra Reid
As a regular feature, we provide our readers with a roundup of some of the best articles we have read in the past week. On the podium this week are StartupCFO, Harvard Business Review, Content Marketing Institute, MarketingSherpa, Forbes, and Fast Company.
How customers evaluate your product
If you sell to B2B customers then you know how hard it is to get that purchase order. It goes without saying that it helps to put yourself in the shoes of your prospective customer to try and see how they perceive your company and product. What would their concerns be? How would they go about evaluating this opportunity? Mark MacLeod shares a valuable framework for determining how customers think about a startup’s product.
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By Alexandra Reid 
