The Point

DECEMBER 13, 2019

The rate of change in B2B marketing and marketing technology continues to accelerate, and 2020 promises to be no different. I asked the best subject matter experts I know, my colleagues at Spear Marketing Group , what trends they think will highlight the next 12 months in B2B demand generation.

Demand 222

Demand Ideal Customer Profiles Demand Generation Agencies Account Based Marketing 222

The Point

JANUARY 19, 2021

2020 was a year of change for marketers worldwide, much of it not for the best of reasons. Will B2B marketing, and demand generation in particular, revert to “normal” once the pandemic subsides and economic recovery kicks in, or are recent trends destined to become staple tactics in the months and years to come?

Demand Generation Agencies 147

Demand Generation Agencies Demand Generation Demand Lead Ranking 147

The Point

JULY 13, 2012

Which leads to another question: do certain types of campaigns even need an offer in the first place? Take lead nurturing : is it strictly essential that every lead nurturing touch include a specific, gated, call to action? I have my concerns, however, about extending it to lead nurturing and the email medium.

Lead Nurturing 100

Lead Nurturing Lead Scoring Lead Ranking Campaigns 100

The Point

SEPTEMBER 23, 2015

If you’re not generating leads – as in: a lot of leads – from your company’s blog, you’re missing out on what is perhaps not only your best opportunity to convert organic Web traffic into actionable, measurable sales inquiries, but also the best way to actually show real ROI from your social media investment.

Business Blogging 100

Business Blogging Lead Scoring Lead Ranking Generation 100

The Point

NOVEMBER 16, 2011

In a recent post , the folks over at Silicon Angle applied their usual insightful analysis to the results of an industry survey by marketing automation company Pardot , a survey that reports fully 42 percent of respondents (all B2B Marketers) have failed to generate any leads from their social media campaigns.

Social Media 100

Social Media Demand Generation Agencies Media Leads 100

The Point

SEPTEMBER 6, 2011

When marketers embark on a formal lead nurturing strategy, opportunities for process improvement can arise in unexpected ways. That was the experience for iDirect , a leading provider of satellite IP communications based in Herndon, Virginia. All this presents real challenges for both demand generation and lead management.

Lead Nurturing 100

Lead Nurturing Lead Scoring Sales Qualified Leads Lead Ranking 100

The Point

MAY 28, 2019

Like so many other trends that first take root in the consumer realm, B2B companies are starting to take note, to the point where chatbots – programs designed to simulate (and stimulate) conversation with online users – are being heralded as the “next big thing” in B2B marketing. Inserting chat into a lead nurturing.

Demand Generation Agencies 127

Demand Generation Agencies Demand Generation Demand Top of Funnel 127

The Point

MARCH 7, 2019

Recently I was interviewed by the folks at Demand Gen Report as part of an article on current trends in email marketing , an article that you can read online here. With permission, a more complete version of the interview follows: (DGR) What trends are you currently seeing in B2B email marketing today? (HS) Direct mail? Chat bots?).

Deliverability 150

Deliverability Account Based Marketing ABM Demand Generation Agencies 150

The Point

JUNE 26, 2013

From a marketing perspective, does it matter if prospects actually attend Webinars once they register? Some would argue: no, especially if those who register are net new leads, where the real value is simply getting the person to sign up in the first place. First, a question. Use action phrases like “don’t miss” or “don’t forget.”

Webinar Metrics 100

Webinar Metrics B2B Thought Leadership Lead Nurturing Telemarketing 100

The Point

JUNE 27, 2012

For today’s B2B marketer, content is the fuel that feeds the demand generation engine. But when lead generation, lead nurturing , customer marketing and social media programs all require a constant feeding of new, compelling content, what do you do when the pace of new programs outstrips your ability to generate that content?

Campaigns 100

Campaigns Peer-to-peer Lead Nurturing Paper 100

The Point

OCTOBER 14, 2010

Earlier this week, Marketo , the marketing automation company, held its second ever user conference in San Francisco. Based on first-hand impressions, however, it’s not how the vast majority of clients are employing (or even thinking of) marketing automation. I’m just not sure the rest of us are quite there yet.

Marketo 100

Marketo Impressions Demand Generation Agencies Lead Nurturing 100

The Point

OCTOBER 21, 2009

Email marketing and marketing automation provider Silverpop just released a timely white paper (registration required) that gives new hope to B2B marketers looking for creative ways to increase response from email campaigns. Facebook dominates amongst social networks, but again, this could be due to the report’s B2C bias.

Landing Pages 100

Landing Pages Demand Generation Lead Nurturing Click Rate 100

The Point

OCTOBER 8, 2009

Except awareness and thought leadership represent only a fraction of the potential return from social media, and in fact (I would argue) place well behind the windfall that social media makes possible in the areas of lead generation and lead nurturing. expand company’s leads database and community of followers.

Demand Generation Agencies 100

Demand Generation Agencies PR Social Media Paid Search Agency 100

The Point

NOVEMBER 28, 2011

The demise of email newsletters as an effective B2B marketing tactic has been, to paraphrase Mr. Twain, grossly exaggerated. In fact, email newsletters can be a critical part of an ongoing lead nurturing strategy. It allows for greater flexibility in how people choose to subscribe: via email, Twitter, RSS, or Facebook.

Newsletter 100

Newsletter Tips Paid Search Agency Ad Frequency 100

The Point

SEPTEMBER 23, 2016

In B2B email marketing , does short copy always win over long? You won’t see or find many shorter B2B emails than the one below from BounceX , a New York-based developer of “behavioral automation tools for digital marketers.” billion active users, Facebook offers a unique and compelling platform for reaching the world’s consumers.

Email Campaigns 100

Email Campaigns Campaigns B2B Advertising Agencies 100

The Point

JULY 12, 2013

Here are 7 mistakes you’ll want to avoid, as illustrated by an email received recently from email marketing provider Silverpop : 1. Sell the content, not the company. By my count, the name “Silverpop” appears 9 times in this email, if you include the subject line (“Silverpop Webinar: 10 Email Marketing Ideas You Can’t Ignore”).

Webinar Metrics 100

Webinar Metrics Demand Generation Design Email Marketing 100

The Point

JUNE 1, 2010

The Facebook game Farmville has (at last count) more than 30 million active daily users. So where does this leave the B2B marketer? HS: What kind of companies are using games for marketing? MT: We build games for both B2C and B2B companies, as well as publishers. HS: Can games be a fit for B2B marketers?

Advertising Agencies 100

Advertising Agencies Demand Generation Agencies B2B Marketing B2B 100

The Point

MARCH 29, 2012

Capturing new subscribers is one of the most efficient ways to convert random visitors into loyal readers that you can nurture over time and eventually turn into actionable sales leads. If you post blog content to your Facebook or LinkedIn or Google Plus page, add those also. Offer downloadable content. Share this blog!

RSS 100

RSS Paper Case Study Case Studies 100

The Point

OCTOBER 25, 2017

But then inbound marketing happened. And the pundits said: no, no, the buyer is in control, he or she will decide when to respond, and B2B marketing is about being in the right place at the right time. Cue the advent of search marketing and Google AdWords.). Who has time for inbound marketing, they say. Be aggressive!

Account Based Marketing 127

Account Based Marketing Demand Generation Agencies ABM Paid Social Agency 127

The Point

NOVEMBER 23, 2021

Most B2B marketing benchmark reports are completely useless. webinars vs. ebooks), product category, and target market. webinars vs. ebooks), product category, and target market. Side note: this is a perfect example of a SaaS company leveraging aggregate client data to generate meaningful content for marketing.

Linkedin 130

Linkedin Cost per Lead Paid Search Agency Ads 130

The Point

FEBRUARY 4, 2013

You see a lot of so-called “benchmark reports” in B2B marketing circles, and most of them are, well: complete rubbish. Most surveys on the topic of B2B email marketing, for example, lump multiple offer types (Webinars, white papers, demos, free trials) into the same single reporting bucket, which renders the cumulative data meaningless.

Advertising Benchmark 100

Advertising Benchmark Paid Search Agency Marketing Report Demand Generation Agencies 100

The Point

AUGUST 6, 2012

Last week I attended (and was a presenter at) the Seattle edition of Marketo’s 2012 Social Marketing Rockstar Tour , a roving conference/seminar series being held this summer in cities nationwide. Marketo bills the event as an opportunity to hear, learn, and share advice on B2B social media marketing strategy.

Marketo 100

Marketo Social Marketing Peer-to-peer Demand Generation Agencies 100