Microsoft and Oracle released a new cloud partnership that is designed to help customers run workloads and seamlessly move data between Microsoft Azure and Oracle Cloud.

Demandbase has launched the Demandbase ABM Ecosystem, which is designed to expand ABM from single-vendor solutions to include marketing automation, CRM, content management systems, direct mail platforms, analytics engines and more technologies needed to execute an effective ABM strategy.

During its Modern Customer Experience conference, Oracle unveiled new features for its Marketing Cloud. The updates to Oracle Eloqua, Responsys, Infinity and Maxymiser aim to eliminate data silos and provide real-time insights into behavioral data. Shashi Seth, SVP of Oracle Marketing Cloud, shared details on the updates and more in an exclusive interview with Demand Gen Report.

MRP, a predictive customer acquisition platform, announced that it has partnered with Oracle Marketing Cloud to integrate its Prelytix solution with Oracle Eloqua and position mutual customers to trigger email marketing campaigns in sync with active ABM programs.

If you’re looking for some inspiration, check out this collection of resolutions from industry experts, including authors David Meerman Scott and Pam Didner, Jeff Pedowitz of The Pedowitz Group, Masha Finkselstein of Google, Kelvin Gee of Oracle and Michael Brenner of Marketing Insider Group — all of whom will be speaking at the B2B Marketing Exchange in Scottsdale, Ariz. on February 25-27, 2019.

Oracle has entered an agreement to acquire DataFox, an AI-based data management provider, and unveiled a new CX Unity product designed to provide a comprehensive view into customer engagement and interactions across channels and applications. The company stated that the acquisition and product announcements are designed to better position its customers with accurate data, as more businesses plan to incorporate AI and machine learning capabilities into their go-to-market strategy.

The pressure is on — marketers are becoming more responsible for driving revenue. In fact, Forrester research shows that 82% of CMOs have goals tied directly to revenue. As such, modern marketers are taking an active approach to measuring and accelerating pipeline — a task that was typically reserved for sales. But at companies such as Oracle and CenturyLink, there is a growing priority for marketers to generate pipeline metrics, including velocity, which can provide key insights to accelerate deals and streamline customer retention and advocacy.

Oracle released updates to its B2B marketing automation platform, Eloqua, including new content creation, sales and auditing tools that aim to streamline marketing and sales processes and boost conversion rates.

Progressive B2B brands are taking a note from the B2C playbook and meeting buyers on their preferred platforms, such as on podcasts, through videos and on social media. In fact, the number of buyers using social media to research potential solutions has grown from 20% in 2012 to 54% in 2018, according to the B2B Buyers Survey. Yet, research from the Content Marketing Institute shows that while 80% of B2B marketers have a social media strategy in place, only 32% have documented it.

A winning social media strategy must be documented and expansive. B2B companies should leverage a variety of social media platforms to not only promote their products, but also share relevant content, engage with customers, build brand awareness and more. Here are five B2B brands with a stellar social media presence we can all learn from:

MailChimp Mixes Eye-Catching Visuals & Humor On Instagram

MailChimp is an email marketing platform, but you wouldn’t necessarily know it by looking at their Instagram. The company’s Instagram page is a beautiful blend of bright colors, entertaining videos and a dash of humor — a winning combination that has landed MailChimp over 83,000 Instagram followers. Visit the page for yourself and see if you can resist hitting the follow button.

Slack Drives Customer Engagement, Service Via Twitter

Slack leverages Twitter as a two-way communication platform to engage with current and prospective customers. On most days, the Slack Twitter is awash with relevant videos, articles and more, and the Slack team is constantly responding to comments from other Twitter users. But on days where Slack is down, the company uses Twitter as an active platform to send out status updates and field individual questions and feedback from users. With Twitter, Slack can provide real-time customer support in an easily accessible and scalable way.

HubSpot Continues Post-Event Conversations Over Facebook 

The best brands don’t just have social media pages for their companies, but also their events. HubSpot is a shining example of Facebook use at its finest.

The company has created a separate Facebook page solely for its annual INBOUND event. Although the event takes place in early September, the company is dedicated to building a year-long, sustainable community around it. To do so, HubSpot created an INBOUND Studio page, where it posts video interviews, “dear attendee” tips, quotes and more on a regular basis. The posts help drive engagement long after the event has ended, as well as build excitement around the following year’s event.  

Oracle Humanizes B2B Marketing On LinkedIn

LinkedIn is repeatedly named the top social media platform to reach B2B buyers, and Oracle is a prime example of how to best leverage the site. The company is ranked 9^th on LinkedIn’s top companies list and has amassed more than three million LinkedIn followers. Beyond just sharing content and relevant news, Oracle makes a point to connect with its followers and showcase the people behind the brand.

Earlier this month, the company opened up about losing 11 employees on 9/11. Then, in the wake of Hurricane Florence, Oracle posted a video of two employees who are delivering supplies and providing aid to those affected by the storm and urged its followers to join them in giving back. In doing so, Oracle humanizes its brand and creates a company image that people will want to support.

Adobe Fuels Instagram Feed With Customer Content

Instagram is quickly growing in popularity and is considered the number one platform for engagement. Nevertheless, you’ll be hard-pressed to find many B2B brands using the platform, let alone posting content on a regular basis.

Adobe, which recently acquired Marketo, has a notable Instagram presence on par with MailChimp. The Adobe Instagram feed looks like something straight out of Pinterest, with breathtaking travel photos, inspirational quotes and quirky designs. But don’t be fooled by the professional-looking photos, as they are often created by Adobe users themselves. By crowdsourcing user photos, Adobe always has a steady stream of content available and can showcase the power of its products over social media.

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To be successful in today's B2B marketplace, companies must make innovative decisions throughout their organization to stay above the competition. This not only includes product or service innovation, but also innovation in how marketing and sales teams engage potential customers to offer genuine, seamless buying experiences.