Bill Furlong is the CEO and Co-Founder of SquareStack and the Author of Appify Your Business, which helps small and mid-sized businesses find and employ cloud tech solutions to improve the way they work. Bill has been at the forefront of B2B marketing for decades. He was the Managing Director and Publisher of B2B Magazine and then went on to successfully launch multiple startups, including Bizo, which LinkedIn acquired. Bill and Host Anthony Shop discuss why the B2B marketing landscape has shifted closer to B2C, the importance of authenticity in modern marketing, and the impact of social selling. 

Takeaways:

• While building a company’s brand is essential, it is often equally or more effective to develop the personal brands of the leaders within the company because people want to be connected to and learn from actual humans, not just brands.
• It’s crucial that leaders, especially those in the C-suite, have an active and authentic digital presence. Leaders should leverage their influence on social media platforms to forge personal connections, enhance their personal brand authenticity, and build digital relationships.
• The internet has revolutionized B2B marketing, leading to B2B adopting strategies that mirror B2C marketing. The merging of professional and personal lives, the need for more human connections in business, and the rise of technology drives this shift.
• Technology, especially AI, is now influencing marketing, creating virtual personas and automating drip campaigns. Be sure to avoid "over-automating," as this feels cold and impersonal. Interactions with your company should have a human touch.
• Content marketing plays a key role in companies establishing themselves as thought leaders in their industries. Curating great content relevant to your audience can be just as important as creating new content.
• While it can be challenging to measure the success of brand-building in the digital age, collecting and understanding first-party data are critical. Unifying customer data provides insights into the value of marketing and communication activities.

Quote of the Show:

• “Authenticity and a conversational approach to your digital self is so important” - Bill Furlong

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wkfurlong/ 
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/wkjfurlong 
• SquareStack Website: https://squarestack.com/ 
• Appify Your Business: https://a.co/d/24QqycR 

Shout Outs:

• Scott Galloway: https://www.linkedin.com/in/profgalloway/ 
• Scott Brinker: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sjbrinker/ 
• Thích Nhất Hạnh: https://plumvillage.org/#filter=.region-na 
• Brian Morrissey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianmorrissey/ 

Gale Wilkinson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/galevc/