01/25/21 – The Marketing Fix Newsletter

FIXYR’S VIEW: Hinge Marketing’s annual study of High Growth Accounting firms. An interesting read, particularly given the tumultuous year. Some firms have thrived and others have been more challenged, but one thing that remains consistent is that firms have taken this opportunity to reexamine all aspects of their marketing are better positioned for success in 2021.

Some highlights: Accounting firms grew on average by 9.3% in 2020, and the report breaks down the differences between firms that saw no growth, little growth, or high growth. High growth firms generate 30% more leads from digital sources, and invest more in digital marketing. While this is not surprising from our view, it is good to see the hard data to back it up.

FIXYR’S VIEW: Technology is a source of new competitive advantage for some organizations and a threat to the ongoing survival of others. Emerging technologies are reimagining how we organize, operate, and strategize. How can you embrace technology to augment decision-making, rethink customer experiences, and bolster equity initiatives?

This comprehensive report from Deloitte is organized into 9 key emerging tech trends that are critical to understand. Understanding these 9 trends can help you to assess how they will impact your strategy, your industry, your competitors and your clients in the future.

FIXYR’S VIEW: Many consultants and professional services try to be thought leaders but get trapped in the marketing hype of content marketing. Although the two overlap, they have distinct characteristics. A good quick read for marketers and consultants.

FIXYR’S VIEW: Interesting report from Gartner Research on how the B2B buying process is getting more difficult. The key takeaway – marketing and sales can make the buyer’s journey easier by understanding that it’s not a linear process and by providing information to assist the buying process.

The report uses a “jobs-to-be-done” framework, and identifies 6 “jobs” that buyers go through in the buyer’s journey. Starting with problem identification, they go to exploring solutions, building requirements, selecting a supplier, validating, and finally to creating internal consensus.

The Gartner research found that customers who perceived the information they received from suppliers to be helpful were 2.8x more likely to experience a high degree of purchase ease and 3x more likely to buy a bigger deal with less regret as they went through the buying process.

FIXYR’S VIEW: As many businesses continue to struggle with adjusting to the new digital reality of the pandemic world, the author of this article lists off 4 big mistakes that many firms are making that will not have any impact on their ability to generate more revenues this year.