An Interview with Ty Heath from LinkedIn's B2B Institute

1. A new year brings the opportunity to grow better. Professionally, what was your biggest takeaway from 2022?

Last year, I became more intentional about prioritizing meaningful moments and making great memories. Living more intentionally made the link between memory and brand building more present for me. "The most important search engine is still the one in your mind." This statement makes a point all marketers should internalize about buyer behavior: most purchases start not by searching Google, but by searching our memory. If you believe most buyer behavior starts with memory, it then follows that the primary job of marketing is not to generate clicks, but instead to generate memories. Memories are highly situational. There are fascinating studies that look at the relationship between situation and recall, and one such repeated experiment has shown that if we learn vocabulary under water, our recall is best when we are underwater again. In other words, memories rarely exist independent of situations. Most conscious memory recall happens as a result of a situational trigger. This was the topic of my INBOUND 2022 session Category Entry Points in a B2B World.

2. Trends come and go-and right now there are many for marketers to jump on. What are your top three bold predictions for 2023?

At the B2B Institute when it comes to trends, we have a contrarian take. Marketers always want to know what's going to change. But that's the wrong question. The right question is: what won't change? Marketing is a long-term game, so your marketing strategy should be based on long-term trends. We have a report on three macro trends that will define the next 10 years of B2B marketing. It's called 2030 Trends. The first trend, War on Brand addresses the increasing importance of brand building. The second trend, Blockbuster Marketing, explores creative strategies with making big bets and distinctive creative assets. The final trend, The Death of Hyper-targeting, covers distribution strategy and pursuing relevant category level reach.

3. March is Women's History month. How should Global Organization be supporting this area of the workforce throughout the year?

• Progress relies on action and global organizations should be supporting all year round, not just during Women's History Month! Companies can make a real difference by creating space for discussion and investing time, funding and meaningful resources into the conversation. It's not just women who should be taking action - everyone can play a role in driving systemic change. Organizations can use advertising to reflect a variety of stories, bringing historically excluded groups to the forefront. Let's make sure we are entertaining, inspiring and telling great stories throughout the year - not just in Women's History Month - to truly drive progress.
  
  

• At LinkedIn we are thrilled to be partnering with Dove on a mission to end race-based hair discrimination in the workplace, and make #BlackHairIsProfessional a reality! If you click on the hashtag on LinkedIn, you'll be welcomed by a flurry of inspiring stories from Black professionals. We are confident that by promoting conversations about belonging, we can make a real difference in the workplace culture. To that end, we are offering free access to 10 LinkedIn Learning courses on DEI and inviting everyone to join us in this mission!

4. Marketing is an ever-evolving practice, and marketing leaders are often keeping up with the latest and greatest at breakneck speed. In the face of so many changes and disruptions, what guiding principles anchor your approach to marketing?

While marketers have managed through uncertainty over the past few years, this business cycle is introducing new challenges. An All-Weather Marketing strategy focuses on staying steady and committed to your long-term marketing objectives, even as outside circumstances are swirling around you. It helps combat understandable reactiveness to declining lead volume, and equips marketers with the tools they need to advocate for steady investment and a long-term focus, including practical recommendations for marketers as they determine their strategy, creative, distribution, and measurement plans for the year. Inspired by famed investor Ray Dalio's concept of an "All Weather Portfolio," designed to perform well during both booms and busts, an All-Weather Marketing strategy is particularly valuable for moments like the one we are in. These principles are always critical, but even more so when budgets are limited:

1. 1. Think long term and don't cut your advertising investment.

   2. Prioritize old creative over new creative.

   3. Prioritize channels with reach, context and attention.

   4. Diversify metrics beyond cost per lead.

5. What advice do you have for marketers today?

6. You're a force in the marketing field and beyond. What do you do to make work sustainable for yourself? Let the record show that this is very much us asking: how do you do it all?

• Living a purposeful life is important to me. I want to take on things that are worthy of this life. The opportunity to build community and build with people always resonates with me. I am out to find ideas that matter and lend my voice. I seek like-minded people with a goal of building.

  
  

• I don't want to just go through the motions so I'm running on purpose and the knowledge that I can't do everything all at once. This means I have to intentionally choose where to focus. I believe in seasons of life and work. And I don't do anything alone. Without question, we are all where we are because someone saw potential in us and offered support. No one gets where they are going alone. I have really awesome colleagues, friends and family!