Event marketing has long been a staple in B-to-B, where the face-to-face conversation enabled by a trade show or corporate event plays a valuable role in launching or deepening a business relationship.  But these days, business events are taking off in new directions, empowered by advancements in digital technology.  Event organizers can help registered attendees spread the word about upcoming shows with tools like Plancast , where members share news of their plans—both consumer and business—with friends and fellow social network members. MORE >>

And like most marketers, you are trying to determine what your 2013 event schedule will look like, and plan your accompanying strategy. We know that on average, marketers spend 20% of their marketing budget on events, which is a sizeable amount. Events provide a unique opportunity for lead generation , branding, customer and prospect engagement, and educating attendees. There are not many other tactics in a marketer’s toolbox that can deliver the same impact as an event. Choose the right event technology. MORE >>

This is a draft of chapter 10 of Social Marketing to the Business Customer by Paul Gillin and Eric Schwartzman. This chapter focuses on how to calculate ROI of social media and Internet marketing programs in general. We’ve told you about a few companies that have achieved a notable return on investment (ROI) from their social marketing initiatives. In conversations with hundreds of marketers over the last few years, we’ve observed that few of them closely track the ROI of their social marketing programs. Audience size. Market influence. EMC Corp. MORE >>

After the holiday lull, the year’s event calendar is warming up for what could be a very busy year for many of us. According to a recent Event Marketing Institute study, more than 80% of respondents agreed that event marketing is important to their organizations – and more than 40% consider it critical. But while cross-channel marketing plays such a critical role for B2B companies, just 29% of companies say their event marketing initiatives are very integrated with their other marketing campaigns. Leverage social marketing. MORE >>

'Trades shows and events. marketer''s best friend? guess it depends on your perspective, and how up-to-date (or out-of-date) your event marketing strategy is. As an inbound marketer, I''m all about finding ways to draw people in instead of interrupt them to get my message heard. Unfortunately, it often feels like events are just totally contrary to the inbound marketing methodology. Let me know what you think, and how other inbound marketers out there have found ways to make event marketing a little more "inboundy.". MORE >>