We see this in Marketo's business, and I'm sure many of you see the same trend in your business. This is the hard-to-measure but undeniable connection between brand building and lead generation, between buzz and demand, between social media and inbound leads. The B2B buying process is far from rational or simple. Enquiro's groundbreaking research into the B2B buying process. found that managing risk plays a much bigger role in buying decisions than previously thought, and that companies that can manage the "risk gap" will be at a significant advantage for driving new business. MORE >>

It's interesting how trends tend to surface as the "Cash for Clunkers" theme seems to be present in a few posts this week. link] Paul Dunay ( @pauldunay ) of Buzz Marketing for Technology raises an interesting thought in a "Cost Per Advocate" model to replace cost per click or cost per impression. Some great posts last week from the marketing automation and B2B marketing blogging community. I've enjoyed a lot, so it's hard to pick out just 10 as favorites. The requisite cash-for-clunkers sales offer is of course there, but it would have been odd if it was missing. MORE >>

Friday, November 05, 2010 Trend Micro Risk and Compliance Assessment tool (powered by Alinean) Trend Micro wanted to help busy security officers and IT managers quickly and easily understand where they might be falling short on security risk and compliance management policies, and how not addressing these issues could lead to potential downtime, data loss, fines, brand damage and bottom-line impact. Alinean joins Content Marketing Institute (CMI) Trend Micro Risk and Compliance Assessment tool (p. CIO Priorities for 2011 Indicate Continued Frugaln. They do if they are. MORE >>

Instead of scouring the web in search of the latest insight on B2B marketing tactics and trends, consult our list of 25 must-read B2B marketing posts. 50 Content Ideas That Create Buzz - Rely on this tip list from ConversationAgent blogger Valeria Maltoni to make your content get read and get shared, including incorporating visual elements and writing something unexpected. Simple Steps for Decoding Website Analytics - Google Analytics provides a wealth of data for B2B marketers, but it can be difficult to know where to begin to uncover trends. MORE >>

Social media can be many things: a place to network with friends, a way to follow market trends and monitor brand sentiment, a customer service tool for identifying unhappy customers. ll begin with a short history of B2B marketing trends, including the evolution of social media. The Changing Buyer and Evolving Marketing Trends. Marketing trends : Marketers focused primarily on brand building and awareness. Tomorrow, I’ll explain why these changing trends mean that investment in social media translates into higher quality inbound leads. MORE >>