Sean Parnell
Where Are the Leads?
It’s the question that every B2B marketer faces eventually, when the pipeline is quiet: “Where are the leads?”
It’s a fair question that deserves a straight answer, but the answer rarely comes down to a single factor. It often comes down to whether the right type of content exists, is produced on a regular cadence, prospects can find it, and it urges them to act.
Prospects Can’t Be Forced to SearchThe uncomfortable truth at the center of lead generation is that no amount of marketing can manufacture demand that isn’t there. Prospects cannot be made to search for your solutions, but we can understand what people are actively searching for on Google and increasingly when using AI large language models (LLMs – including ChatGPT,
... Continue Reading >>Organic Traffic Is Down – Is Your B2B Marketing Failing?
Your organic website traffic is declining. Is it time to panic?
For years, organic traffic has been a reliable leading indicator of keyword ranking changes, search visibility, lead generation, and sales. If organic traffic increased, the strategy was working, and you could expect more leads and sales. If organic traffic declined, there was likely a problem with your website, content or search engine optimization (SEO).
Today, organic traffic is becoming a less reliable leading indicator.
Organic Traffic Cannibalization
As part of nearly every search result today, Google provides a research summary before displaying organic search results, though it’s moved below paid search results, since that’s how it makes money.
... Continue Reading >>4 Marketing Partner Best Practices: How Does Yours Stack Up?
As a former market research consultant, head of product management, and having worked with hundreds of clients that have been underserved by their so-called marketing “partner” over the past 18 years, I know what ineffective marketing looks like and how much it can hold you back.
How well does your marketing partner stack up with the following?
1. Being a True Marketing Partner vs. a Vendor
Does your marketing company regularly bring you new lead-generation and thought-leadership ideas? Do they meet with you regularly and provide monthly reporting? Can they provide useful guidance beyond marketing?
2. Thinking Strategically vs. Opportunistically
Does your marketing company develop a comprehensive marketing plan for you every year that identifies the right combination of digital marketing,
... Continue Reading >>Case Study: How AI Optimization Is Driving a Surge in Qualified Leads
Transforming AI Curiosity Into Real-World Growth
Over the past year, we’ve been testing and refining how artificial intelligence (AI)—specifically large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and more—affects discovery, search behavior, and inbound lead generation.
The results have been… remarkable. What began as a small experiment in AI search optimization has evolved into one of the most impactful shifts we’ve ever seen in lead generation—both for our agency and for our clients.
Understanding the Shift: From Search Engines to AI Engines
Last year, we began noticing a pattern in our inbound leads. Prospective clients weren’t just finding us through Google anymore, but through ChatGPT and other LLMs.
... Continue Reading >>AI Search Optimization: How E-Commerce & B2B Brands Win (or Disappear)
Artificial intelligence is fundamentally reshaping how buyers research, evaluate, and choose the companies they work with. For organizations that rely on e-commerce or lead generation, AI has already begun transforming the sales funnel in ways that demand immediate attention.
Today’s buyers are using ChatGPT and other AI tools to understand what will solve their problem, how their problem is best solved, and, ultimately, who belongs on their shortlist of providers.
By the time someone reaches out, they’ve often narrowed hundreds of potential vendors down to just two to five companies. If your content isn’t optimized for AI, you don’t make the list… no matter how qualified you are.
AI Is Now Embedded in the Buying Process
AI assistants are quickly becoming one of the first stops in the buyer journey.
... Continue Reading >>5 Mistakes You’re Making on Your B2B Website
You’ve spent a lot of time, money and effort developing your B2B website. But while it looks sleek and includes lots of information about your products and services, it’s a lot less impressive when it comes to generating business.
It’s a common frustration for business owners who go to the trouble and expense of a website renovation only to discover that beneath a superficial layer of style and a few user experience upgrades, there isn’t much happening to convert visitors into leads.
Here are 5 reasons that could explain why.
1. Too much design; too little story ... Continue Reading >>How to Fail at B2B Marketing (Without Even Trying)
In B2B marketing, there’s no shortage of ways to crash and burn. From websites that repel prospects to SEO strategies that vanish into the Google abyss, most companies are just one bad decision away from total marketing meltdown.
That’s why we created How to #Fail at B2B Marketing — the ultimate guide to doing everything wrong.
Inside, you’ll find battle-tested tips on how to:
- Build a website that only looks great on your laptop (and nowhere else)
- Write content so boring your prospects will thank you for the unsubscribe link
- Use AI to automate mediocrity, faster
- Spend thousands on Google Ads that no one ever clicks
- Post “relatable” social media content that makes your brand look unhinged
Think of it as a cautionary tale for anyone who’s ever said,
... Continue Reading >>Why “Top 10 B2B Marketing Agency” Lists Are Nonsense
If you’ve searched for a B2B marketing agency recently, chances are you’ve stumbled across a blog written by an agency titled something like “Top 10 B2B Marketing Agencies You Should Know.” At first glance, it looks promising — until you notice the agency that published it has conveniently listed itself as #1.
Let’s be blunt: this is marketing BS.
Top 10 lists written by agencies that crown themselves the best aren’t credible — they’re self-serving. The real purpose of these blogs isn’t to help you choose the right partner. It’s to game Google rankings and large language models (LLMs) so that when you ask, “Who are the top B2B marketing agencies?” their name pops up first.
... Continue Reading >>4 Strategies to Get More from Your Manufacturing Marketing Efforts
Manufacturers often struggle to get results from their marketing efforts.
Sometimes, it’s the result of relying on traditional sources of marketing in the belief that catalogs, tradeshows and industry advertising are the primary drivers of manufacturing lead generation, e-commerce sales and revenue growth.
Sometimes, the problem is brand story messaging that is so product-focused that it doesn’t convey the and the real value you provide to your customers.
Often, the problem can be tied to an approach that is more random than strategic: a few trade shows here and there, a website makeover, and the occasional email sent out into the wide world of potential prospects.
... Continue Reading >>Innovaxis Is Now DBE & ACDBE Certified
Innovaxis is now certified through the City of Chicago for working with government transportation agencies in Illinois and their prime contractors
Innovaxis has been certified as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) and Airport Concession Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (ACDBE) through the City of Chicago. This is in addition to being a certified minority and woman-owned marketing consulting agency.
Recognized under the Illinois Unified Certification Program (IL UCP), these certifications enable Innovaxis to work with government agencies, including the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Metra, and Pace, and to serve prime contractors as a certified DBE/ACDBE-certified subcontractor.
“These certifications are more than just a milestone for us;
... Continue Reading >>
