#TA 175: 🤯 Overhead at the B2B Forum: Marketing takeaways & a vibe check

Sunday, November 17, 2024

Hello, hello!

What's the difference between a webinar and an in-person marketing event...?

Nothing. At least if you think that the point is straight-up information. Unhinge top of head; pour in best-practices bullet points.

But last week I saw a Grand Canyon of difference between Webinar and Live Event.

Last week, MarketingProfs sold out our B2B Forum: roughly 800 of us gathered in Boston.

Sold. Out.

I need to say that twice—because it was the first time the B2B Forum sold out since the sweet, innocent pre-Covid time. (And boom there's the third reference!)

Real talk for how monumental this was... We sold a mere 175 tickets in the first year back in person, post-Covid. (Yes, we lost money. So effin painful.)

So Sold Out this year? Pretty proud of it. (There's the 4th reference, if you're tallying.) 

Events are back! It's clear. But there's more to it, too.

Events are expensive and inefficient.

• For the attendees... who buy tickets and plane tickets and hotel rooms, and lose days away from work and family. (But not necessarily their dogs; we love 'em.)
   
• For the sponsors, who lug swag and booths.
   
• For the speakers, who speak to a limited number of actual 🍑🍑🍑 in seats instead of an unlimited Zoom-room.
   
• For the organizers, because you will not actually believe how much it costs—especially when you care about food as much as we do.

Short diversion on that last point... A can of Coke is $1 or so at your local gas station, right? Hotel catering charges us $6.90 per can*. Is there actual cocaine inside, you wonder? No. That's just how Hotel Math works.

* Plus tax, gratuity, and an "admin fee." Hotel Math is more confusing than multivariable calculus. (Kids! Go into Hospitality! You'll make bank!)

Does that stop us from serving Walking Lobster Rolls and a burrata bar and a gelato station...? Does that stop us from offering lots of options for the usually neglected vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free, and gluten-free among us...?

Please. Of course not. Food and experience matter A LOT. 

No one feels taken care of when they're eating shitty conference food.

The walking lobster rolls in a potato chip bag. I inhaled 2.
 

So why go to a marketing event when you can easily learn everything you need to know in a webinar? Where you can sit on your own couch, wearing soft pants and slippers and sipping a can of soda you paid $1 for?

What's the difference? What's the point?

I guess you can intuit the answer... Insert some language about human connections in an age of AI blah blah blah... But it's more complex and (at the same time) more basic.

* It's the way that speakers at MarketingProfs bring something fresh and fun that you can't get in a webinar—like the way a somber Paul Ince delivered a funeral eulogy for the Marketing Funnel (RIP), set to a funeral march.

* It's the silly joy of seeing Ryan Brock deliver a Wizard of Oz-themed talk while sweating inside a full cowardly lion costume—as if this was a Furry Convention.

* It's the no-tweeting/texting/X-ing-or-you'll-never-work-again-Cone of Silence for Michael Barber's panel on The B2B Real Real: Real truths from leaders who have been there, done that, have the scars to prove it.

* The delight I felt drawing keynote speakers and introducing them like this:

Can you solve for David's last name? (Answer in the Department of Shenanigans!)

* It's the group selfies and the camaraderie and the way people feel seen by others sharing their own experiences and insights, struggles and solutions.

* It's the joy and belonging you get from being part of something bigger and better than yourself.

And in Boston... exactly one week post-election, that hit different.

Not gonna sugarcoat it. I was nervous heading into last week.

We all were. For the elephant (and the donkey) in the room. For all the reasons you'd imagine.

I did my best to set the tone during my opening keynote. But the rest was up to the audience. And by the end of it... any weird vibes shape-shifted into best vibes.

And you know what...? It was our best year ever.

We were together somehow, with a shared goal of wanting to stick the landing on our programs and personal bests. The joy, the connections, the community vibes.

They felt... not just okay. But needed. And necessary.

One week post-election, it also felt... important.

To be all on the same page, rooting for the same thing.

If only for a day or two.

* * *

Some key takeaways from MarketingProfs B2B Forum last week:

"AI and people both rely on LLMs: AI has large language models; people have little life moments. That's your source of stronger stories and more differentiated work. The question is, are you using your LLM?" —Jay Acunzo

"Great content helps people. It also uplifts the perception of the brand: We remember the helpers." —Wil Reynolds

"Dearly beloved... we are gathered here today to mourn the passing of the funnel and its long and fruitful life. How simple it was... getting visitors to visit our website with our well-written blogs, our SEO wizardry! The joy unbounded when the new prospect would sign up to receive the Holy Book, our lead magnet!. Sadly for the funnel... along came the internet full of Get-Ready-With-Me videos, ASMR, and @itsJeffwithaJ1967... who feels like his opinion matters." —Paul Ince

"We all want to stand out, but that requires [bravery]. Because who actually feels comfortable going against the grain...? No one." —David Fortino

"It doesn't take a village to put on this event; it takes an army." —Jo Roberts

Part of Team B2B Forum: Kim Midgette, Jo Roberts, Megan Cordero, Tenessa Gemelke, Terra Gardner, Kelley Whetsell, Jean Burrell.

"The more relevant, specific words you use in AI prompts, the better your results will be. And unlike writing for humans, jargon is your friend with AI. The more jargon you use, the more the AI knows the specific domain you're talking about." —Christopher Penn

"B2B weekend email sending volume is 88% lower than during the week. So people will see what you send: B2B weekend email click-through rates have gone up 62% in last 12 months." —Jay Schwedelson

"While there is a lot of buzz and panic about generative AI, you're not as far behind as you think. Everyone is struggling to figure out where it fits in their teams and workflow." —Katie Robbert

"Being data-driven is really about being customer-centric." —Zontee Hou

"You're supposed to get unsubscribes! You won't win over everyone." —Jay Schwedelson

"The millennial and Gen Z cohorts and others have redefined the buying process. They are more self-sufficient... they do more independent research... they are savvy. This shift necessitates a strategic pivot in how marketers approach demand generation. It also creates Dante's Inferno for marketers... let's call it The Nine Circles of Marketing Hell." —Kenda Macdonald

"The key to unleashing influence for your brand is simple: define your goals, partner wisely, and measure results like every single dollar is on the line." —Ashley Zeckman

"AI isn't going to come up with the hypotheses that move the needle, nor is it going to collect the data... but it can help you make sense of the patterns and segments in your data." —Zontee Hou

"Fear kills creativity. Humor is our most powerful tool to drive fear out of the system." —Tom Fishburne, quoting former Apple exec Hiroki Asai

"Here's the most important step to crafting a standout marketing plan... YOU BE YOU. Showcase your knowledge. Showcase your expertise. Be loud. Be proud. Tell them your recommendations in a logical and coherent way. —Pam Didner

"Podcasts are a lot of work. Podcasts are expensive to produce. Podcasts are a timesuck and a huge lift for the team. But also... Podcasts are influence. Podcasts help you build an audience. Podcasts grow your business." —Dorien Morin

"Your 30-second way to do competitive analysis: Sign up for a bunch of competitor emails. Have them all go into a single folder. Then make your screen really small and do a single screen grab of all your competitor emails and subject lines. Upload that into ChatGPT... and ask ChatGPT which headlines they would click on the most and why—and the least and why." —Jay Schwedelson

"Your content is a product. It's not marketing for a product. 'Even my social posts?' you wonder. Yes—ESPECIALLY those." —Me

"Once I let go of what I expected to see... I made room for what was there.... When we let go of expectations, we make room for chance... letting the universe to do its magic..." —Wendy MacNaughton

* * *

There was so much more to share... from these beautiful humans and others:

Clockwise from left: Chris Penn, Brian Massey, Brooke Sellas, Derrick Hollister, Andy Crestodina, Michael Barber, Jay Acunzo, Martin Smith, Melanie Deziel, Rand Fishkin, Justine Jordan

If you were in Boston last week... thank you for joining!

If you weren't... well, next year!

Tickets are now on sale for 2025 at a steep, steep discount. 

Get in while you can! We will sell out again... or I will die trying.
 

DEPARTMENT OF SHENANIGANS

Solve for the puzzle: 4-Tea-No

SELECT EVENTS

📆 DEC 5-6: BAM Marketing Congress, Brussels

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