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? As further context, the 4-1-1 Rule that Jon references is a principle intended for Twitter and credited to Tipping Point Labs and Joe Pulizzi of the Content Marketing Institute. Jon wrote the book on lead nurturing ( literally ) but, personally, I have concerns about extending Twitter rules into the realm of email marketing. MORE >>

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? well-crafted survey allows you to collect valuable profile data, learn what matters to your customers and prospects, and even identify qualified leads based on responses to key questions. Run a survey. MORE >>

Back in January 2009, Marketo came out with a webinar entitled, The Secret Sauce to Demand Generation: How Marketo Nurtures, Scores and Accelerates Leads through the Revenue Cycle. appealed, somewhat humbly, to my readers of the Modern B2B Blog  to explain that this was not to promote Marketo, but rather, share our own demand generation and lead management processes. Originally created to illustrate how Marketo achieved booming marketing results, this webinar soon became Marketo’s most popular resource. MORE >>

B2B marketers are no different. But while improving your marketing efforts is a laudable and necessary goal, some resolutions can lead you down a bad road when not completely thought out. Today, we spotlight 7 wholesale New Years resolutions your marketing team should avoid. We’re Going to Pass More Leads to Sales! Your first priority should be delivering better leads to sales, complete with data on how those leads have responded to your marketing efforts along with tools to help sales close deals. Attract leads? And Twitter! MORE >>

A couple of months ago, in a respected marketing Webzine, there appeared a case study detailing a software company that had gone to impressive lengths to make the most of their investment in marketing automation. The lead nurturing program they implemented included 40+ (yes, forty) separate and distinct tracks of emails, tailored to different audience segments, product interests, and stages in the lead lifecycle. The truth is – it’s not required to develop anywhere near 40 emails, never mind 40 separate tracks, to build a highly effective lead nurturing program. MORE >>