Carbon Copy

Carbon is the most present element on the planet and a core component of all living things. It is all around us. So are these blog posts.

Useful thinking. Real work.

A better next question.

Practical guides for the people building B2B brands, websites and marketing programs. Start with the question on your desk.

Workers measuring and cutting metal together in a working factory.
Manufacturing

PPC for manufacturers: which searches signal a potential customer?

Work through a manufacturing keyword example to separate supplier intent from research, jobs and irrelevant demand—and connect the right searches to the right page.

A person reviewing notes and a laptop at a working desk.
Demand generation

B2B paid search: what happens after someone fills out the form?

Follow an illustrative paid-search campaign from form submissions to qualified leads, sales follow-up and opportunities—with a measurement worksheet.

A laboratory technician transferring liquid into sample tubes.
Healthcare

How to build a medical-device marketing strategy

Build a practical medical-device marketing plan around the buying team, positioning, evidence and channels. Follow a clearly labeled example from brief to measurement.

Valencell brand identity creative from Carbon’s documented assignment.
Brand strategy

What changes when a technology company becomes a consumer brand?

A closer look at Carbon’s documented Valencell assignment: translating technical credibility into a more human brand, message and website.

A working whiteboard covered with notes arranged into planning columns.
Brand strategy

Brand architecture after an acquisition: what stays, changes or disappears?

Use a fictional portfolio example to work through brand names, endorsement, customer trust and the practical decisions behind an acquisition transition.

The Carbon crew working through ideas at a whiteboard.
Brand strategy

A B2B brand messaging framework you can actually use

Build a usable messaging framework with a completed fictional example, proof checks and an editable template for your website, sales story and campaigns.

Two people in conversation across a small office table.
Buyer research

Customer interviews or surveys: which will answer your question?

Choose interviews, surveys or a sequence of both using a practical decision table, a worked B2B example and lessons from Carbon’s buyer research.

A developer working on a laptop beside a mug and a plant.
Websites & search

How to preserve SEO during a B2B website migration

Plan a B2B website migration with a worked URL map, redirect examples and practical launch checks that protect useful content, search signals and inquiry paths.

A worker tending a machine on a factory floor.
Manufacturing

Manufacturing marketing strategy: where should the next dollar go?

A practical way to prioritize manufacturing marketing investment across awareness, websites, content and demand—with a decision worksheet.

A toolmaker working at a large bench in a sunlit workshop.
Manufacturing

What belongs on a manufacturing website—and what gets in the buyer’s way?

Plan a manufacturing website around applications, capabilities, technical proof and buyer questions. See a practical page map and the UFP example.

Hand-drawn website wireframes, notes and an orange pencil on paper.
Websites

The B2B website redesign checklist: questions to answer before design starts

Use this practical checklist to plan buyer journeys, content, redirects, forms and measurement before a B2B website redesign. Includes an editable version.

An engineer reviewing technical data on a laptop beside equipment.
Content

Content for engineers, procurement and the person signing the deal

Map manufacturing content to engineers, procurement and business decision-makers with a practical question-and-evidence matrix.

Small groups talking during an industry networking event.
Demand generation

Manufacturing lead generation beyond the trade-show badge scan

Turn manufacturing marketing interest into useful sales conversations with clearer offers, relevant proof and a practical follow-up plan.

Colleagues discussing a product with laptops and notes around a table.
SaaS & brand

SaaS positioning: turn the feature list into a reason to choose you

Build a clearer SaaS position around the buyer’s situation, alternatives and evidence. Includes an editable positioning worksheet.

HubSpot brand campaign creative featured in Carbon’s global media case study
SaaS & brand

A SaaS go-to-market plan for moving upmarket

Plan a move upmarket around the new buyer, the evidence they need, sales readiness and a connected brand and demand program.

Open reference material and handwritten notes beside a laptop.
SaaS & content

B2B SaaS content: what the whole buying team needs before the demo

Plan SaaS content around users, champions and evaluators. Use a question-and-evidence map to make the demo and buying conversation more useful.

A person reviewing a reporting dashboard on a laptop.
Brand measurement

How to measure B2B brand awareness without confusing reach with results

Separate B2B brand awareness, campaign exposure and business results. Build a measurement plan with a baseline, consistent audience and clear limits.

A team working together around a shared table in a brick-walled office.
Brand & demand

Brand and demand: build one plan with two different jobs

Connect B2B brand building and demand generation with a shared audience, consistent story, useful proof and separate measures for each job.

A person working across two laptops, photographed through an office window.
Demand generation

Demand generation vs. lead generation: which problem are you solving?

Understand the difference between building B2B demand and capturing leads, with practical examples and measures for each job.

Two colleagues talking through a plan with a laptop and notebook.
Account-based marketing

ABM vs. demand generation: when should you use each?

Choose between focused account-based marketing and broader demand generation using account fit, sales capacity, evidence and opportunity value.

A laptop displaying a dashboard with line charts and bar charts.
Account-based marketing

ABM metrics that matter from first engagement to sales conversation

Build an ABM scorecard with defined account coverage, engagement, meetings and opportunities. Includes an editable measurement worksheet.

UFP MedTech creative featuring a clinical specialist and robotic technology
Account-based marketing

What an ABM campaign actually looks like: the decisions behind UFP’s program

Explore the audience, message, proof and channel decisions behind Carbon’s UFP Technologies ABM work—and what another B2B team can learn.

Colleagues reviewing figures and handwritten planning notes beside laptops.
Planning & pricing

Build a B2B marketing budget around the job you need done

Plan a B2B marketing budget around goals, evidence, production, distribution and measurement. Includes a blank worksheet and Carbon’s engagement options.

Two people in a focused conversation at a small table by a window.
Buyer research

Why satisfied B2B customers still replace their partners

Carbon’s 2026 buyer research shows satisfaction and partner reconsideration can coexist. Explore what the findings mean for B2B relationships and marketing.

Several people taking notes during a discussion around a wooden table.
Buyer research

Map the B2B buying committee before you write the campaign

Map the people who use, influence, evaluate and approve a B2B purchase. Includes a role-and-evidence worksheet to separate facts from assumptions.

Two people reviewing and marking up printed documents together.
Agency selection

A B2B marketing agency RFP template that gets useful answers

Write an agency RFP around the business problem, working team, evidence and scope. Includes an editable brief and a practical comparison rubric.

Two colleagues reviewing a website together on a laptop.
SEO & AI search

SEO, AEO and GEO: what changes—and what doesn’t?

Understand SEO, answer engine optimization and generative engine optimization—and the practical work that helps B2B content become useful and discoverable.

Two colleagues examining a laptop screen and discussing their notes.
SEO & AI search

An AI-search readiness checklist for B2B websites

Check whether your B2B website explains its expertise, supports its claims and can be discovered. Includes a practical SEO and AI-search worksheet.

Media

Decoding Digital - Ranking 2024’s Marketing Trends

2024 was a year of gigantic changes in the digital world. Many platforms changed or grew right under our noses, and the impact of new tech have shifted the way we think of media strategy and execution. Here are the biggest digital trends we saw this year.

Carbon Culture

2024 Holiday Party

Our 2024 company holiday party was one for the books - high stakes, high spirits and holiday cheer.

Technology

Google & Yahoo's new email policy

It’s that time of the year: a policy change by Google & Yahoo that could throw your entire business and marketing strategy out the window.

Carbon Culture

Santa is Real and I Can Prove It

Hi, my name is Elfie. I’m the Chief Elferating Officer (CEO). I bring gifts, and cheerful announcements to the Carbon Crew and clients.

Carbon Culture

May The Fourth Awakens

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away one rogue advertising agency dominated all the top awards at Cannesto Bight every year

Analytics

The Fallout of Apple’s iOS 14

Remember the days when “protecting one’s privacy” simply meant lowering the shades in your house, or shredding paper documents?

Technology

Digital Accessibility Made Accessible

Domino’s, Amazon, and Warby Parker. These are a few of our favorite brands…that have been sued for noncompliance with web accessibility standards.

Analytics

The W’s and H’s of CCPA

CCPA is affecting millions of companies that may already be in violation of compliance without their knowledge.

Media

The power of social media

The most successful brands have been able to use their social platforms to gain loyal followers, communicate with their customers and be a part of their daily lives.

Carbon Culture

Carbon Hires a CPO

Carbon announces Steve McCall as CPO (Chief Pizza Officer). Steve will also lead all client relationships as a Partner.

Carbon Culture

Carbon & the 40 under 40

One of Carbon’s founding partners, Jason Rivera, was recently honored at the Newburyport Chamber of Commerce 40 Under 40 Awards Night.