Atomicdust

Taking over sales taught me I’d been doing some things wrong as a marketer. (My role expanded about 18 months ago to oversee sales, after focusing on marketing for the previous five years.) # 𝟭 - 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵. Sure, I’d meet with clients sometimes, and I led a couple client projects. But I wasn’t making nearly enough time (or putting myself out there) to hear directly from our target audience, ask what they care about, and discover what they need. Talking to clients in new business conversations has made me a 10x better marketer. #𝟮 - 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗼𝗻 𝗻𝘂𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺. The greatest top-of-funnel marketing in the world won't mean much if your bottom-of-funnel doesn't work. And cranking up your close rate on qualified leads will boost your bottom line way faster than attracting more leads into the top of your funnel. #𝟯 - 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵. Closing a deal when the lead comes to us from a referral is 10x easier than when they’ve found us through search or social. We’ve been re-focusing some of our efforts to get more referrals—and then personally thank the amazing people who tell their colleagues, family and friends about us. In other words, I wasn’t seeing the whole picture. It probably sounds obvious, but when my role expanded to cover more areas of the business, I gained a better sense of how marketing affects it all—and the ways our team could improve both our efforts and our outcomes. I’m only at the tip of the sales iceberg. I have lots more to learn. Sales can be tough, but I’m grateful for how it’s made me a better marketer.

Microcopy matters. The words in a call to action can make or break a website's effectiveness. Take the new ARCO Construction site. No 'Get started's or 'Learn more's here. Each CTA reinforces ARCO's brand promise—and inspires visitors to imagine what's possible. #commercialconstruction #aecmarketing #constructionmarketing #websitedesign

My team analyzed 100+ logistics companies over the last couple quarters. (We have several logistics and logistics-adjacent clients, and competitor research is part of our process.) Here’s a few things we noticed: 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗲 𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿. We found several businesses—especially in logistics SaaS—that invented new categories and carved out a niche in a saturated market. A company addressing pain points that competitors aren’t has a huge opportunity to attract attention, be seen as an innovative leader and even charge higher prices. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲. For a lot of buyers, logistics services are a commodity—and lowest price wins. Too many companies in the logistics space don’t use intentional positioning, messaging or visuals to explain to audiences how they’re different, or why they’re worth more. Don't get stuck in a race to the bottom. 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆’𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗧𝗨𝗙𝗙. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆’𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗘𝗢𝗣𝗟𝗘. Several of the most compelling sites we dissected put people front and center. Photos of end users, testimonials and success stories from happy clients, and audience-specific messaging and solutions pages help prospects imagine themselves as clients. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗯𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗯𝘃𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴: 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀. ‣Global carrier network < A carrier for every cargo type ‣API Integration with 100+ platforms < Easy integration with any tech stack ‣Up-to-the-minute visibility < Stress less and profit more with real-time tracking Don’t just say what your company offers. Show how it makes your customers’ lives easier. The logistics industry is booming right now. The companies that have embraced tech stacks as part of their sales offering are reaping the rewards. The same can be said about those with strategic branding, messaging and business development. #b2bmarketing #brandmarketing #logisticsmarketing

I started an agency when I was 24. Twenty four. And without a lot of knowledge of how to run a business, I read every book I could. A lot of the books had ideas that were really bad. Or just not my style, and I wrestled with that for years. But no business (or person) is the same, and you have to figure out your own approach. 23 years in, and I’m still figuring it out. I just found this video clip from a talk I gave to some design students in 2020, but it’s a nice reminder to myself that I will probably never have things completely figured out–and that is business. Plus there’s a cameo from Bill Murray on the chair pillow behind me. Thanks for hanging out.

Tracy Family Foundation awarded more than $8 million in grants last year—more than ever before. So when they asked for our help creating an annual report that showcased that impact, we knew we wanted to create a design that was bold and celebratory. Congrats to the hardworking team behind the Foundation on another year of building up communities! #nonprofitmarketing #annualreport #annualreportdesign #printdesign

Two years ago, who would have thought LinkedIn would turn into a place for influencers and user-generated content? But here we are... Growth-minded companies are now rushing to start podcasts, make videos, and ride this new wave. For B2B marketers, this change is a great chance to grow brand awareness, become industry leaders, and connect better with prospects. Ironically, Sam Heaton breaks it down in this video. #b2bbranding #brandmarketing #contentmarketing

What's the easiest, most effective way to implement content marketing? The amazing Anna Estes breaks down our approach to scaling B2B content. She has some great advice on how it can all cyclically feed into each other, helping companies get the most impact for the least effort. Also: Anna never wanted to be on camera, so please tell her how awesome she is in the comments.

Porano has reopened, with just a few tweaks to the brand we created for the original location nine years ago. We stopped by on opening day, and you can't go wrong with the risotto balls. Or caesar salad. Or build-your-own pastas and pizzas. And obviously the gelato pops. Really, you can't go wrong. Anyway, you should probably make plans to eat there soon. In the meantime, take a look at the refreshed brand, new website and reimagined environmental graphics. #branding #brandidentity #foodandbeverage #restaurantbranding

If nobody's told you lately, you're doing a great job. Reward yourself by learning something new, leveling up your career or just hanging out with some like-minded folks. Explore the top marketing and design events happening in August at the link in the comments.

Being able to see the road ahead makes it far easier to walk down. Showing how a brand actually works is more powerful than just describing what it looks like. Jesse explained it well: when you can visualize your brand, get everyone on the same page, and everyone sees the way forward—your business gains an advantage.