The thing is, there isn’t really one big thing. And most of what I’ve seen has been either very broad for marketing in general, or heavily focused on business-to-consumer marketing.

So what’s a business-to-business marketer to do when it comes to planning ahead for 2016?

Well, I’ve been doing this a long time, and here are thoughts I have that are relevant to the clients I work with.

Content marketing: This has been a buzzword for a while, but now it’s a bona fide strategy. If you aren’t doing content marketing, you’re probably falling in search rankings and seeing analytics for web and email efforts dropping.

Everyone’s big problem, however, is getting content produced. Marketers must generate original, substantive content to keep the audience interested and to demonstrate knowledge and expertise.

Social: Speaking of social media, many b-t-b companies are still a little gun-shy, but I think they’ll step out more in the coming year. No longer just a trend, social platforms have become valuable and effective ways to connect with individuals and to push out information.

Lead generation vs. engagement: We all know the sales funnel; you can draw it in your sleep. But these days, what happens inside the funnel is of equal concern to marketers than simply feeding it. Refer back to above comments about content marketing and social media, and be sure you’re connecting on an individual level. Hmm – might direct mail be an option? I’ve been waiting for it to make a comeback…

Trade shows: This is the most polarizing topic of the year. Corporate marketing folks either love or hate trade shows. The expense is an issue, but you must consider if your absence would be noticed and misinterpreted. Companies are going 50/50 on trade shows for 2016, and overall are allocating a smaller budget toward this line item.

Advertising: Corporate marketers still can’t agree on advertising. Some love it and put budgets in place for both branding and service-line advertising. Others are skeptical of the ROI and grudgingly approve small budgets to keep their logo out there. And some shy away from it completely. My recommendation is to try some new things, mix it up a bit with a new medium, a new campaign, or a new outlet. Do your research to make smart choices, but don’t be afraid to put your company out there.

Planning: Finally, evaluate marketing goals and activities more often. The duration of a marketing plan has been shrinking each year. We used to plan out for 12-18 months. That dropped to 12 months, and then to six months. These days, quarterly action plans are popular. But don’t just look at your budgets quarterly, look at goals and activities to see if they’re moving you in the right direction.

Questions you might ask every three months include:

• How have things changed inside my sales funnel?
• Are my prospects engaging with me? How?
• What are my competitors doing better/differently than me?
• Am I meeting my short-term goals and also making steps toward my long- term goals?

Almost every break out time slot had a speaker sharing insights and ideas for email campaigns. There were also a few really great content marketing sessions. I made note of a lot of great tips: some we implement already and a few we can’t wait to explore.

Emails are being read first on mobile devices. Now, this obviously depends on your industry, and individual results may vary, but by and large, people are reading email, especially outside the hours of 8am-5pm, on their mobile devices. That being said…

(Michael Barber)

• Emails should be glance-able
• No scrolling left to right
• Large calls to action (thumbs are bigger than mouse pointers)
• Large font, too – at least 16pt

(Justine Jordan)

• Remove “Click here.” People do not “click” with their thumb
• Personalize your emails – they perform better to the tune of +26% open rates
• Send emails based on birthdays, purchase history, or any other data you have

And if you need any inspiration for emails, check out reallygoodemails.com.

The show hasn’t changed all that much over the years – lots of very smart people talking about cutting-edge drug development and manufacturing processes, students looking for a big career break, companies big and small talking about their capabilities, new equipment and building expansions.

I’m a true believer in integrated marketing – using a range of tactics to communicate with your audience and meet your goals. But I also acknowledge that tactics have a way of cycling through. Whether they are effective or not tends to change over time.

So what about the industry trade show? Where it is in that cycle?

This year at AAPS, we definitely saw a smaller representation of companies in the exhibit hall. Companies had a smaller presence – firms who previously had HUGE booths in the 40×40+ range had downsized to 20×20 or even 10×20. Companies had fewer giveaways and contests. And some firms who had a decent-sized presence in past years weren’t exhibiting at all.

But on the flip side, some firms with smaller booths added more value to their presence. They had special events at their booths, offered premium food and beverage during cocktail hour (which, FYI, begins at 3 p.m. in trade-show land) and some even hired entertainment (break dancers!)

Break dancers at AAPS!

A video posted by Sinclair & Co. (@sinclair_co) on Nov 11, 2015 at 1:08pm PST

Many people wondered aloud to me if it was worth it to come to the show and exhibit. Does spending all that money really result in a more prosperous bottom line? Do you get new clients? Close deals? The discussion was especially relevant because the number of attendees was down, as well. With fewer attendees and exhibitors, how could this be a good expenditure in a tight budget year?

But then something happened. The networking began. Hands started shaking, business cards were exchanged, the buzz of conversation took over the exhibit hall.

By my last day at the show, I’d talked to a LOT of folks. And we all agreed that even though the quantity seemed to be down – from the number of attendees to the number and size of the exhibitors – the quality of the show was still up where it needed to be. Yes, meetings were had, deals struck and connections made.

So, as an integrated marketing tactic, the industry trade show – at least this one – is still a viable option. While many hope that future years will see attendance climb back up, no one seemed willing to skip it entirely. And even if their presence will be on a smaller scale, everyone I talked to planned to return.

So if you’re in the contract pharmaceutical and manufacturing industry, I guess I’ll see you next year at AAPS!

If you finish this blog post with one nugget of advice, I hope it’s this: be authentic. Twitter itself suggests that the best tweets share meaningful moments — big and small. People follow companies (for a variety of reasons, including) to get a look behind the curtain, and see who you really are and what you’re all about.

Here are a few easy-to-implement tips to get you started and to keep in mind as you grow your Twitter base.

What is it they say about pictures?
Tweets with images result in more engagement whether you measure Retweets, Favorites or Replies. You have a limited number of characters to work with. Including an image uses a finite number of those characters, but you know what they say: A picture is worth a thousand words.

First is better than third.
Even if you’re tweeting as a company and not an individual, use first person language. Say “we,” not the name of the company. Never include your own handle in a tweet. Twitter is all about conversation. If your Twitter account seems boring and sterile, your company may seem that way, too.

Oreo is a great example of a lighthearted and personable Twitter account.

Be a tease.
Twitter is practically designed to help you be coy; take advantage. 140 characters are all you have to intrigue people and entice them to click on your content. While teasing your information, also be clear with your wording as people are more likely to click on your link if they know what to expect.

Tweet around.
If you tweet around your industry and about the things that you find interesting, it’s likely that your followers might also find it interesting, even if it’s not directly related to your products or services. Not every tweet is going to close a sale or gain a new follower. You’re trying to promote conversation and engage with your followers.

For example, Nike has built a very successful and recognizable brand. Some of their tweets are about the fitness industry without pushing anything they sell. In the example below, they do include their tagline as a hashtag, but this tweet doesn’t tell you anything about their products.

Peak time.
Have you picked up on any trends in engagement among your followers? Do you get more retweets or mentions on certain days of the week or even at certain times of the day? Pay attention to engagement by day and time and see if you pick up a pattern. (By the way, you should also be checking out your Twitter Analytics for other great stats on your account!) For B2B companies, we typically see peak engagement on weekdays after 11am ET, and it’s pretty quiet between 8pm and 9am ET as well as on the weekend.

#ButNotTooMany
Hashtags are a great way to extend your reach. You probably have a goal to increase the number of your followers, and an easy way to reach potential followers is to include hashtags in your tweets. Be sure to search and include hashtags that already have a strong presence. New, custom hashtags can also be included in your next campaign to promote conversation and engagement.

And remember, one or two hashtags per tweet is ideal. Any more than that, and well…

1. Spread cheer!

Share good wishes for your clients to enjoy the holiday season. Keep it general enough that no matter what your customer’s religious or cultural practices, your message will apply and not accidentally offend.

2. Show your personality.

This is a great opportunity to be creative, light-hearted and fun. But that’s not to say that I’m not advocating dancing elves a la Jib-Jab for every company.

Pretty photos or images are a nice way to convey a personality or feeling. One way we’ve done this is sharing images of how our client companies’ hometowns celebrate and bedeck themselves for the holidays.

For Metrics, located in Greenville, NC, we shared a photo and information about how many White House Christmas trees have come from North Carolina. (This year’s is the twelfth.)

For OsoBio, located in Albuquerque, NM, we included photos of the nearby Sandia Mountains and talked about the winter recreation OsoBio employees enjoy there.

These personal touches make a connection with your readers.

3. Thank your customers and look forward to another good year ahead.

It’s a simple formula, really, for what should be a simple message. I just have one don’t, and will hope that common sense and the do’s above will lead you down the right path.

Don’t make a sales pitch.

Don’t talk about your business. Don’t make it educational or informative. Don’t talk about your products or services. The only time this is ok is if you are offering customers a discount or gift of products or services. Otherwise, just don’t go there.

I do think that it’s okay to give folks a reminder of office closures or special holiday hours you’ll be keeping. Otherwise, this email has one purpose: spread holiday cheer and show your gratitude.

Starting the agency’s Pinterest account wasn’t a lot different than starting to browse Pinterest in your PJs from your couch. First, create a company account with Pinterest. You can create the account using your Twitter or Facebook accounts, or simply create a unique username and password. From there you can upload a picture or company logo and fill in other specifics on your profile. After that, all that’s left is to create a few boards and add some pins.

We’ve set up a number of different types of boards: by client, by project type, etc. Some boards showcase a recent project we’ve completed while others have a range of clients shown, but all one particular service.

We’ve also created some just-for-fun boards, like our Holiday Favorites board. Here we’re spreading holiday cheer and sharing our favorite holiday recipes. We’ve incorporated the pins into blog, Facebook and Twitter postings.

If you’re looking for a way to improve your company’s visual representation, Pinterest is a great place to start. Pinterest boards leave a lasting impression on your new business meetings and are a great tool to incorporate into your overall marketing efforts.

At a recent tradeshow it was apparent that people are running out of ideas when it comes to giveaways. I didn’t see the quantity of stuff that’s normally out there, and what I did see lacked in creativity.

Over the years we’ve had a couple of clients who were firm believers in giveaways. And we agree! They’re more than just trinkets, they are concept builders and memory makers.

Here are two of our concepts that have stood out over the years:

Metrics Inc. used a baseball theme in 2009 to promote their team of scientists and their approach to client work. Each person at the booth had their own baseball card, complete with a picture on the front and stats on the back. We also gave out baseballs (stress balls), peanuts and popcorn in the exhibition hall

The concept was rounded out with:

• Ads in trade publications (printed front/back – very innovative!),
• A networking event where we gave out baseball-themed prizes and showed baseball movies and blooper reels on screens around the room, and
• A creative website implementation.

The concept was a hit and Metrics is still asked about it at shows.

Another good example is from Mulkey, a Raleigh-based engineering firm. Taking from their updated branding color palette, they gave out ice cold bottles of Orange Crush and Mulkey branded bottle openers at events, which reinforced their unique brand and connected them to a Southern favorite that folks were sure to remember.

I was pleased this year when Metrics told me that he’d been told that “Metrics had the best giveaway of the whole show.” Made my day!

Metrics trust message was communicated through a custom backscratcher imprinted with “We’ve got your back!”

Many people see a giveaway as just that, but it’s important to integrate a giveaway into a show or event and make it a memorable branding opportunity.

We’d love to hear how you’ve used giveaways at your shows and events. Tell us in the comments what your favorite was!

If you look at the date of this blog post and the previous blog post, you’ll see that somewhere along the way, we lost some of our Sinclairity. So when we caution our clients that a blog is big commitment, we say so while shamefully remembering our neglected blog.

When the going gets tough due to busy schedules, unexpected changes or a lack of focus, a blog is one of the easiest things to let slide. So how do you regain that focus? Here’s what we’ve done.

1. Review where you were.

Read your previous posts and see what you think of them. Use the distance and perspective to think about what you’d like to do differently.

2. Document where you want to be.

The big takeaway from our blog review is that we didn’t always focus on our four core competencies: marketing strategy, creative, digital and PR. We meandered a bit from our strengths and how we execute on them on a weekly basis. So our plan is to take a more introspective approach to future blog posts and share our perspectives on these areas.

Another idea that we’ve helped our clients with is to brainstorm a list of potential topics and put them on paper. These could be evergreen topics that you can pull from any time to quickly write on a topic you know well. These are good supplemental materials to the day-to-day work you’re doing or current events in your outside world – from your local community to your industry.

3. Repurpose!

The time it takes to put together a blog post seems like a better use of time when you’re using that content multiple ways. We will strive to integrate our Pinterest, Twitter, blog and our newly updated website to tell an ongoing story in a few different ways.

Since we last left our blog in 2010, a lot has changed in the social media world. Many of us at the agency are more involved in Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook and LinkedIn for ourselves and our clients and have been integrating them in interesting ways. We’ll talk more about that in another post.

4. Don’t go it alone.

We are a team of authors who hold each other responsible for generating new content. That’ll help.

If your blog has a single author, then reach out to your network, audience or colleagues for inspiration. Sometimes blogging can seem like shouting into a black hole, but knowing that you have a support network that is listening to what you have to say can add purpose to your posts. And it’s never a bad idea to keep your audience in mind for anything you’re writing.

5. It happens.

I recently heard from one of my favorite blogger friends who had slowed the pace of posting to his own blog. He shared that he was taking some time to reassess his material. I liked hearing this for a couple of reasons.

First, it’s a great idea to proactively take a step back and review your content and see if it is speaking to your own perspective and adding to the conversation. How are people responding to your posts: which ones draw the most comments, which the least?

Second, it is comforting to know that even a very good blogger who is an author and has a strong, unique perspective struggles. It happens.

That was in 2001, and Metrics’ business has changed and grown substantially from a start-up analytical lab into one of the fastest-growing contract pharmaceutical development and manufacturing organizations in the United States.

Over the past ten years, we’ve seen Metrics change and evolve as their business and the market they serve has grown. When we had our first meeting, it was in a closet of an office in a small building in Greenville, NC. Now, Metrics has their own 96,000 square foot facility, built to exacting cGMP standards and equipped with state-of-the-art pharmaceutical drug development and manufacturing equipment. They even have a dedicated lab on-site for potent and cytotoxic testing that is the first of its kind in the US.

Haven’t heard of Metrics? We’re not sure why. They’ve been recognized by the Pitt County Economic Development Commission as “Business of the Year” and as a “Business Champion” by Business Leader Magazine and Wake Tech Community College. They have recruited some of the best minds in pharmaceutical development, expanded their services with a presence on the West coast, and one of their founders, Dr. Bray, was even Tarheel of the Week in the Raleigh News & Observer.

After all this time, we like to look back and see how we were able to help a great company like Metrics become a leader in their field. Sinclair & Co. is proud to say we’ve worked with Metrics 10 years, and we’re looking forward to many more!

Charlie Johnson at Graphic Design Blog shares 25 examples that will either make you go, “HMMMMM” or “Wow, I wish I’d thought of that.”

Check it out. And get back to me if you knew there was an arrow in the FedEx logo.