The challenge, then, is to maximize marketing productivity-to get more leads out of the same number of clicks. lead automation management vendors. These vendors are quick to point out that you've already paid for the traffic to your site through PPC, SEO, interactive PR , banner advertising or other activities; their services simply help you learn more about the 97% of visitors who don't immediately convert into a lead. They aren't so much "lead generation" as they are "lead extraction" services. It's also fully integrated with Salesforce.com. MORE >>

Zenith Optimedia reports in their Advertising Expenditure Forecasts that online advertising spend has doubled in the past 4 years and Forrester’s data indicates that it will likely double again in the next 4-5 years. We have also witnessed a dramatic rise in the number of digital touchpoints over the past few years from traditional email marketing and website click tracking, to banner ads, SEO, paid search, online events, communities, and the onslaught of social media channels such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, etc. Why Free? Why Now? Why Now? Why Free? Why Now?&# MORE >>

Technology adoption among consumers has picked up pace; marketers have changed their lead generation and engagement tactics to shift towards a less interruptive, more invitational focus; and sales professionals have had to adapt their sales methods to communicate with a consumer who has gotten better at dodging their calls. In fact, what Salesforce.com calls the Social Enterprise starts with developing a Customer Social Profile and interacting in modern ways. It’s more difficult than ever for salespeople to connect by phone, even when following up on inbound leads. MORE >>

That points to the evolving nature of the market, and the key functions of lead nurturing, scoring, and automated triggers becoming part of email marketing and other marketing solutions. Marketing Automation Software Guide published a  B2B Marketing Automation market map that shows a few other players I ignored for the timeline above, like SAP and Oracle because although they do have marketing automation capabilities it is not their core business (and I don’t agree with tagging Salesforce.com as a marketing automation solution). What do you think ? Very helpful article. MORE >>

Social Media in B2B Marketing - Survey Results - Everything Technology Marketing , November 16, 2010 The B2B Technology Marketing Community on LinkedIn conducted a survey earlier this year to explore the rapidly changing landscape of social media in the context of B2B marketing. Reasons B2B Companies Should Use Linkedin Company Pages, Plus 4 Examples and 4 Tips to Get Started - Modern B2B Marketing , November 3, 2010 Have you seen the changes to the LinkedIn Company Pages?  It’s a great place for businesses to make relevant LinkedIn users aware of their brand. blogs. MORE >>