Whoooooaaaaaa… Slow down for a minute, Mr./Ms. Marketer. Take a breath. Open your eyes and ears and see what’s going on. It’s bad. Really, really bad. And marketing can’t fix it.

For the record, I HATE EMAILS. Email campaigns are even worse. They’re boring. Stuck in the past. Nothing has really changed. They use old technology. They play by old rules.

Our company doesn’t respond to a lot of Requests for Proposals (RFPs) these days. The benefit for the issuer of the typical RFP is that you are attempting to source a product at the best possible price, under the assumption that the deliverable is generally the same from wherever it comes.

As soon as you throw out a term like “B2B marketing”, everyone in the room starts yawning. However, when it comes to marketing something like a utility, businesses are a target that can't be ignored.

Organizations that have a captive audience, like utility organizations do, have a distinct advantage in the modern marketing era.

I owned encyclopedias growing up. This is not important outside of the fact that until I reached high school the internet wasn’t something I thought of for research. It wasn’t a reliable source and the databases that now exist hadn’t been created.

Over the past few months, I’ve read multiple articles and have actively participated in the buzz surrounding research, analytics and data-driven results regarding advertising and marketing campaigns.

Consumers are starting, and sometimes completing, their research of financial products and services online. Online is the least committed place for consumers to start researching their options in what they feel is a non-biased platform that they can control.

The brackets are filled by the laptop with care,

The ball is tipped and March Madness is here.

As the NCAA markets its gem in the gym,

Three weeks of hoops and messaging we’re about to suck in.

Financial services marketing is slow to change. Consumer desires are not. That provides opportunity for financial institutions that can mentally separate the stifling government rules and regulations from their core offering. To be frank, to have more of a ‘can do’ than a ‘can’t do’ attitude.

Regardless of the marketing mix for business-to-business brands in 2014, storytelling is a common theme that reigns as marketers strive to differentiate themselves in a crowded marketplace. Psychology has confirmed that stories break the barrier of intellectual defenses, and to humans, a good story is received as a gift.

In order for you to believe that I’m a comedian, I need to tell you a joke. I can tell you all day long how hilarious I am. But until I actually make you laugh, you won’t (and shouldn’t) believe me. It’s a claim, not a brand position. That’s the point of content marketing. Produce ‘content’ that proves your brand position.