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what we think.

We don’t think of ourselves as know-it-alls, but we do like sharing our thoughts, experiences and POV from time-to-time. We are in continual learning mode and here is what we think, when we think it.
Tell Your Story /  what we think.
May 29, 2015
in Blog, Events, Business Marketing Association
by Ellen DePodesta

Top 10 Takeaways from Day 2 of #BMA15

[caption id="attachment_3187" align="aligncenter" width="675"] The #BMA15 tweet wall on Day 2[/caption] There were some really strong presentations at BMA15 Thursday. I like the cadence of this conference, with most sessions half an hour or 45 minutes long—enough time to delve into a topic without getting slow. There were many remarkable speakers today; heavy hitters from companies like Forrester Research, Pinterest, Dow and Daimler Trucks. Here are some of my favorites and some of the memorable sound bites from the day.   1. Joe Pulizzi. Just the guy to jump-start our brains after a night of staying out way too late. He talked about some of the characteristics of great content marketers, and gave examples of companies that do it right. Those who succeed document and write down their content strategy. It’s not enough to think about it, or have it in your head. And, they work to build an audience, a key component...

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May 28, 2015
in Blog, Events, Business Marketing Association
by Amanda Pollard

Top 10 Takeaways from Day 1 of #BMA15

[caption id="attachment_3175" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Google's Jim Lecinski presents at #BMA15 Photo Credit: DejaViewsUSA.com[/caption] The Tell Your Story team proudly joined more than 950 fellow b2b marketers for Day 1 of the world’s biggest and best b2b marketing event, BMA15. In addition to staffing the press room and managing press for the conference, our team soaked up a plethora of valuable ideas, insights and takeaways that we can apply to our b2b marketing programs and careers. The conference has our entire team inspired and energized to “Be More.” Here are our top 10 takeaways from Day 1 of BMA15: [caption id="attachment_3177" align="alignright" width="325"] The number of B2B searches has tripled in the past two years. Photo credit: DejaViewsUSA.com[/caption] Millennials now make up almost half (46%) of b2b buyers. Reach them via mobile and video, or get left behind. Data, data, data! We don't need more dashboards, we need insights to guide decisions. There’s much disconnect between...

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May 26, 2015
in Blog, Interesting Things, Events, Business Marketing Association
by George Rafeedie

Top 10 Takeaways from BMA15 Chapter Leader Day

[caption id="attachment_3162" align="aligncenter" width="500"] #BMA15 kicked off today with the Chapter Leader pre-session[/caption] No long blog posts here this week! The 2015 edition of the National Business Marketing Association National Conference, BMA15 / Be More, kicked off today with a pre-session of Chapter Leaders. Chapter Leaders are those who serve in leadership positions at the 20+ local chapters that make up the BMA.   As promised, no long blog posts from Tell Your Story this week. So here are my take-aways from today. Watch for our other lists from my colleagues at the end of each day.   10. Chapter Leaders are passionate. We have all built great communities. That needs to continue – local B2B community building.   9. The merger with the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) could potentially be a good thing in terms of promoting the profession of B2B Marketing, but the beauty of BMA is that we are not too corporate. ANA is...

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April 24, 2015
in Blog, Client News, Events
by Nicole Benzer

B2B Marketers Can Learn a Thing or Two from the LMA

I recently had the opportunity to attend the Legal Marketing Association (LMA) Annual Conference on behalf of client One North Interactive, a digital marketing and technology agency that has historically worked with some of the world’s largest and most prominent law firms.   [caption id="attachment_3110" align="alignleft" width="383"] One North Interactive's booth[/caption] Maybe it was due to the event backdrop, which was set on the glorious San Diego Bay, or maybe it was the stellar lineup of keynote speakers and session leaders (including One North!), but more than 1,300 legal marketers attended the trade show, setting a record for the international conference.   Although this event was specific to the legal industry, many of the insights and conversations shared apply to all business marketers and professional services organizations. Here are a handful of the ones I noted during my time there.     Relationships don’t build themselves   [caption id="attachment_3109" align="alignright" width="403"] LMA Welcome Session[/caption] Even though building and maintaining business...

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February 11, 2015
in Blog, Interesting Things, Career Thoughts
by Nicole Benzer

All the Feels: 14 Reasons Why Marketers Are in Love with B2B

The closer we get to February 14, the harder it becomes to avoid the Valentine’s Day restaurant guides, Tinder-themed events and Red Velvet Oreos (although nobody really wants to avoid Oreos). While B2C marketing steals so much of the spotlight, all this attention only reaffirms my love for one thing: the B2B industry.   I know I’m not alone in this thinking. All the B2B marketers I know are filled with passion, admiration and respect for the work we do. You may not know it, but B2B is hot. Here are 14 reasons why B2B marketing is the ONE for so many of us.   1)  “It’s where the business is! And because we can.” – Jeffrey W. Hayzlett, Primetime TV & Radio Host, Chairman of the C-Suite Network   2)   3)  Understanding B2B is to understand the world around you; how businesses operate, how purchase decisions are made, how the global and digital economy works.   4)  B2B...

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February 11, 2015
in Blog, Interesting Things, Events, Tell Your Story News
by Nicole Benzer

Give Back the Love

“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.”  – Winston S. Churchill   The team at Tell Your Story prides itself on making a living by doing what we love: working with some of B2B’s brightest innovators and marketers, creating award-winning marketing and social media campaigns, and getting impactful results for our clients.   But outside of the 9 to 5, our team members are more than just marketers: we’re volunteers, fundraisers, and community supporters. Giving back is an important part of our culture and we do so in many ways. Two highlights of the past year are our involvement with non-profits Barbells for Boobs and Tutoring Chicago. Barbells for Boobs Fundraiser  [caption id="attachment_3058" align="alignleft" width="175"] George raising the barbell.[/caption] Tell Your Story, through CrossFit Wilmette, participated in a fundraiser for Barbells for Boobs, a non-profit organization dedicated to the early detection of breast cancer, with an emphasis on women under 40...

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February 11, 2015
in Blog, Client News, Interesting Things
by Ellen DePodesta

It’s More Than Love – The Female Condom Story

Say the words “female condom” and you’ll get a raised eyebrow, a nervous laugh or worse. But did you know the manufacturer of the FC2 Female Condom is headquartered here in Chicago? The Female Health Company has distributed tens of millions of female condoms to 144 countries around the world since 2007. Recently the company enlisted our help to roll out new female condom packaging, which went from hospital-looking white to passionate purple. [caption id="attachment_3054" align="aligncenter" width="300"] New packaging for the FC2 Female Condom was introduced to public health workers, educators and clinics.[/caption] Tell Your Story was charged with introducing the new package to public health workers, educators and clinics in the U.S., so this was a B2B, not consumer, campaign. We developed refreshed messaging that emphasized the protection, empowerment and choice that the female condom represents for women. The Female Health Company invited five of the world’s leading experts on sexual...

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February 4, 2015
in Blog, Interesting Things, Career Thoughts
by Karen Davis

Why I Am Outraged By the Lack of Love in the Workplace

We are pleased to share this guest post from our friend, Karen Davis. This post originally appeared on Karen's Facebook page, and we LOVE it! [caption id="attachment_3020" align="alignleft" width="300"] Karen Davis, Executive Coach, NCC, PCC[/caption] I have a fire burning in the very depth of my soul and it has been burning for a very long time. I am outraged by the immense stress, intimidation and fear created in our country by the vast majority of organizations. Our people are walking out of their jobs every day with bottomless empty souls. My children and your children will be walking in those doors if we don’t do something about it now.   According to the latest Gallup study only 1 in 4 people are engaged with their jobs. People are going home from work every day with no sense of meaning or purpose in their lives. These same people go home to their families and treat...

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January 22, 2015
in Blog, Interesting Things, Events, Business Marketing Association
by Nicole Benzer

Just Use a Pencil: Knowing How to Apply Big Data

[caption id="attachment_3011" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Jim Carey talks "Dancing With Big Data"[/caption] What do marketing, sales, finance, and IT professionals have in common? Apparently, we’re all really confused about big data. More specifically, how to use the vast amounts of data we have at our fingertips.   By (Wikipedia) definition, big data is “any collection of data sets so large or complex that it becomes difficult to process them using traditional data processing applications.” I had trouble processing that sentence.   Undoubtedly, big data is a pain point for most professionals; many have made it their personal mission to wrangle the beast. Jim Carey, adjunct professor at Northwestern University Medill IMC, is one marketer with such an attempt.   Carey, who specializes in data mining for B2B and B2C companies, led recent BMA Breakfast Seminar “Dancing With Big Data,” where he shared his insights and findings on what makes big data so…big, based on interviews with leading marketers and industry pros. Here’s...

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