There was a recent exchange on twitter where a prominent, intelligent and well-respected analyst predicted that content marketing will destroy social media. mean “Whoa!”…The ”…The power of content marketing! The suggestion was that content marketing will result in the rapid erosion of the sacred trust we all have in the established media. certainly do not agree with these statements, but I do think  this topic deserves a healthy dialogue and discussion… Some of the relevant questions this raises for me include: what is the definition of content marketing? MORE >>

We recently had the opportunity to catch-up with our good friend and B2B Marketing Strategist, Ardath Albee. Ardath is CEO of her firm, Marketing Interactions , Inc and has over 25 years of business management and marketing experience. She specializes in helping companies with complex sales utilize eMarketing strategies to generate more and better sales opportunities.  In addition to being a frequent blogger and instructor, Ardath is also the author of eMarketing Strategies for the Complex Sale. You can follow Ardath on Twitter at @Ardath421. Albee:   I think storytelling is hugely important. MORE >>

Reports, surveys, studies and infographics are among the most popular content posted and shared across social networks. We’re all hungry for data. Marketers, we’re told, need to think like publishers. But which networks are most effective for spreading the content produced? How widespread, really, is the use of social media for marketing? How are B2B marketers using social media differently from their B2C counterparts? How are marketers measuring social media success? Who is actually consuming all of this content? General Social Media Statistics. hours to 6.3 for the year). hours. MORE >>

In a Marketing Sherpa Case Study  The Complex Sale: Lead scoring effort increases conversion 79%  (click the link for the full case study) But we summarize here. It was found that almost 3 out of 4 leads (73%) being passed to sales are not sales-read y. This is a massive waste of time and money. Find New Customers needs to share this with top executives in B2B companies. By implementing Lead Scoring , the number of leads went down and revenues went up. Fewer leads means higher revenue. Lead scoring needs to be part of your marketing strategy. RESULTS. Converted leads increased 79%. MORE >>

Julie Meredith is a Community Engagement Specialist at Radian6 with a focus on social strategy as it relates to financial services. had a chance to engage in a Q&A with her on the topic of  measurement in B2B and financial services. You concentrate on financial services at Radian6 and there’s been so much discussion about the role social media plays in that industry. Most stories present the industry as social media laggards — is that a myth that’s been created or do you find that financial services firms are still learning? Slowly. Are you ready for a real-time B2B world? MORE >>