Marketing Managers are already beginning to take note of how 2016’s social media data will shape their strategy for 2017. Social media challenges faced in 2016 were more extrinsic, with things like reaching out to influencers (cold) and hosting live Q&A sessions, ranking high for many marketers.

2017 has seen a major seismic shift in the application of media and social channels to both empower and disrupt players in the corporate and political landscape. A whole new generation of media pundits and social media users are finding new voice and power over established brands.

So what are brands and marketers to do in this new, volatile world, where media channels are both a vehicle for enthusiasts, and a weapon for the disgruntled?

Marketing content has certainly evolved in the Internet age, and most companies have finally mastered how to make it work for a modern audience. From more personalised content to precise targeting, the tools are available to make a blog or video fit a specific demographic. However, you still need a strategy to create content that's compelling.

A strategic marketing action plan is vital to business success. From content creation to social media engagement, SEO to SEM, inbound marketing and online presence to traditional outbound campaigns – your marketing action plan should bring it all together.

There’s a reason 96% of B2B marketers use video in their marketing campaigns, and that 3 in 4 report positive ROI for their video marketing: it works. Consider these findings from HubSpot:

What were the campaigns that struck a chord for you in the last year? And can you remember why you responded or shared a piece of content with your friends?

Did it make you laugh? Did it move you? Did it resonant with something you value or believe?

Being a marketing manager is one of the most exciting careers available today, but it can also be a challenge to keep up with the latest marketing strategies and lead generation campaigns without going mad. To reduce the odds of madness, consider these strategies to make every day run smoother and more stress free.

Every now and then it pays to take stock of your marketing strategy’s effectiveness when it comes to your lead conversion rate. Recently I’ve been reflecting on the way my marketing practice has developed and getting my marketing strategy in place as we head into the new year. During this reflection period, I noted a number of things that really made a difference to the lead conversion rate of our clients, and our own marketing efforts.

Every marketing strategy revolves around one thing: the bottom line. To get to that bottom line, marketers need to weave their strategy around lead conversions. The problem with this is that, for the most part, the divide between marketing and sales is still prominent in most companies, making it difficult for marketers to capture qualified leads and for sales teams to convert them if they are not. Here are 4 lead generation strategies to help you move quality leads through the funnel, to your sales team’s door.

In order to maintain lead generation in today's ever-changing marketing landscape, understanding the psychology behind why personalised marketing generates more leads is priceless for marketers.