Have I told you that I'm a maniac for B2B marketing eduction? Well, I am. Know why? Because the B2B landscape is constantly shifting. Things change so fast that it's a real challenge to keep ahead of the curve. However, the Real World Marketing Syllabus, presented by Brian Kardon of Eloqua is here to help all of us.
The Real World Syllabus is the best example of a self-directed learning course for marketers that I've seen. I like where it's pointing us to look and I want you to recognize that it's a great example of a content curation piece, as well.
Brian Kardon shares what Eloqua has dubbed The New 4Ps of Marketing, but as I reviewed the syllabus — and because I'm kind of cheeky — I decided that each weekly lesson deserved a "P" of its own:
- Personal - You know I'm all over this one. This first course is designed to get you thinking about branding and how it's changed in the corporate world due to social media and Web 2.0. It covers branding, how to stay nimble to be disruptive, how personal and corporate brands overlap and social networking etiquette.
- Publishing - You know this is a major skill all marketers need to hone for advantage. From what content marketing is, to how to use content effectively, there are some great resources included.
- Progression - Branding and publishing must be done purposefully to build momentum to the buyer experience. This lesson covers demand generation, lead management and lead nurturing. I don't know a B2B marketer out there that can't benefit from improving on all three. What works continues to evolve along with our buyers. Continuous learning is a necessity in this area.
- Packaging - I really like the take on this one. With so much data out there and such a huge appetite for information from our prospects and customers, the latest challenge is how to "package" it well so that it delivers value. Some great resources are included here for you to get your head on straight about data visualization.
- Positioning - This lesson is for marketers at startup companies, but I think even marketers at larger companies will glean some useful insights about staying nimble.
- Propagation - The role of search in a real-time sales cycle. Gain an understanding of this competency that's becoming more critical everyday if you want your company to be seen, be found and be successful.
- Preparation - As marketing plays a bigger role across the organization, marketers must be prepared to address challenges and needs in product management, customer support, and more. "As Jay Baer says, 'everything becomes marketing's problem now.'" And these resources will help you grow successfully into the new role of the marketer.
- Physics - The new math of marketing. This lesson provides tools and resources to help you embrace data-driven marketing. It's incumbent upon marketers to move beyond the art of the right brain and embrace the science of the left, if they want to help their companies gain sustainable advantages.
And, in case the resources that Eloqua has curated here for your continuing education aren't enough, they've also included original articles from Geeta Sachdev, Todd Defren, and Brian Clark. That's what elevates this piece to a great example of content curation. They've gathered resources into context around 8 distinct topic areas, included some of their own resources and added original content that you can't get elsewhere.
But wait - there's one more thing - each of the experts they cultivated as professors is included on this Twitter list so that you can follow them to create your own continuous education program for marketing excellence.
I'm also thrilled that they chose a couple of my resources in the syllabus!
Go get your copy of the Real World Marketing Syllabus to prime your B2B marketing mind.
