Digital B2B Marketing

AUGUST 30, 2011

With complex buying processes, multiple stakeholders, and a high touch sales process, how important is a brand? The buying process in some businesses is clearly defined, but it is not rational. How do you maintain and build your woozle through each of the touchpoints in the enterprise sales cycle?

B2B Marketing 100

B2B Marketing Peer-to-peer B2B Touchpoints 100

Digital B2B Marketing

SEPTEMBER 27, 2011

So your sales consultant can contact me? The marketing automation machine lives on a diet of email and your sales process is built on the telephone. The problem is, your buyer’s process is not built on your email or your phone. The problem is, your buyer’s process is not built on your email or your phone.

Paid Search Agency 100

Paid Search Agency Marketing Automation Services PR Demand Generation 100

Digital B2B Marketing

SEPTEMBER 27, 2011

So your sales consultant can contact me? The marketing automation machine lives on a diet of email and your sales process is built on the telephone. “Why do you want my email and phone number again? No thanks, I’ll pass.” The problem [.].

Consulting 100

Consulting B2B Sales Marketing Automation Contact Marketing 100

Digital B2B Marketing

MAY 17, 2011

Ardath Albee has a great example of buyers driving the new research process in The Contagious Content Challenge. A buyer, educating themselves, resulted in a two day sale for a company with a 90 day average sales cycle. Your buyers will drive and control the research process. The Marketing Tactics that will Dominate.

Lead Generation 100

Lead Generation Sales Qualified Leads Generation Leads 100

Digital B2B Marketing

APRIL 2, 2013

The buying process may take 12 to 18 months. It is called a complex sale for a reason, but B2B marketers keep trying to fit it into a simplistic measurement framework: where did we get that lead? It is a complex sale, but most B2B companies will continue to use their simple measurement. Usually, the near term answer is no.

Top of Funnel 100

Top of Funnel Peer-to-peer B2B Work Management 100

Digital B2B Marketing

JULY 31, 2012

Sales cycles are long, measurement can be convoluted, and segmentation, lead scoring and sales and marketing alignment take traditional marketers into uncomfortable spaces. Until your marketing efforts create a level of demand, you are not setting your sales team up to succeed. B2B marketing is complex.

B2B Marketing 100

B2B Marketing Planning B2B Demand Generation 100

Digital B2B Marketing

JULY 7, 2011

There is not a simple rational process that will consistently create the same buying decision. A rational process may shape or support our beliefs, but they are still beliefs. A challenge faced by sales and marketing is the emotions that matter are not the easy ones to create. Beliefs are not absolute. About Eric Wittlake.

B2B Marketing 100

B2B Marketing B2B Paid Search Agency Demand Generation 100

Digital B2B Marketing

JUNE 11, 2014

Digital marketers are getting hooked on reporting bigger numbers, but in the process your marketing may actually be making a smaller and smaller impact. When you report this as a sale driven by marketing, you are taking credit for a sale even though marketing didn’t cause it. Marketing Influenced. Retargeting.

Doubleclick 100

Doubleclick Search Marketing Marketing Report Paid Search Agency 100

Digital B2B Marketing

JUNE 19, 2012

Since the majority of your social media activity will be public, and on display for all to see, a sales attitude poses a serious risk, turning off potential buyers. Caution: Do not force a sales relationship your audience does not want. Don’t be that guy.

Social Media 100

Social Media BtoB Media B2B 100

Digital B2B Marketing

MARCH 5, 2013

Most B2B marketing organizations start with a goal that looks like “deliver 18,000 leads to sales.” ” The lead goal was determined by the new revenue goal, the number of leads sales will need to reach the goal, and the portion of leads that marketing will need to contribute. It is easier said than done.

Lead Generation 100

Lead Generation Lead Scoring Lead Ranking Generation 100

Digital B2B Marketing

DECEMBER 11, 2012

If you don’t know who Sharon Drew is, she is the creator of Buying Facilitation and has written multiple books delving into how and why businesses buy, including the behind-the-scenes issues that sales, content and marketing automation often do not address today. is the length of the sales cycle.

Buy 100

Buy B2B Marketing Work Management Content Marketing 100

Digital B2B Marketing

JUNE 14, 2012

Your content supports the sales process and effectively communicates the value of your solutions to prospects. Identifying where to focus your Stage Zero content efforts can be an unnatural process for marketers accustomed to focusing on the buying process. You are ready to take your content marketing to the next level.

Content Marketing 100

Content Marketing Planning Eloqua Marketing Automation Services 100

Digital B2B Marketing

MAY 19, 2011

A strong brand opens doors for sales. No demo, trial or consultative sales process can change this. These impressions of your brand are far more powerful than a traditional advertising campaign and they happen before your prospect ever connects with sales. Ahh, brand. You want a strong brand , right? Not in B2B.

Advertising Agencies 100

Advertising Agencies Advertisements Advertising Brand Identity 100

Digital B2B Marketing

MARCH 12, 2013

Instead, you put your trust in your outbound marketing and sales process. Leave the primary communication to your followup marketing and sales efforts. Looking at most B2B marketing, the answer is clearly “no, you don’t.” You don’t really trust your content to deliver your message.

Content 100

Content Comparison Trust Marketing Distribution 100

Digital B2B Marketing

AUGUST 30, 2012

Listen for Anecdotes : Do you get feedback from sales discussions or your partners that your marketing is helping (or hurting) their efforts? Consistent Correlation is Your Friend : Is there an increase in ecommerce sales when you launched an insert program driving people to your locations? Instead, go talk to them.

ROI 100

ROI Autoresponders Advertising Agencies Correlation 100

Digital B2B Marketing

MAY 29, 2012

Your solution is delivering significant process improvements for large insurance companies. How do you get high-level sales meetings? How do you drive sales of your new higher price point and more profitable services to a new business audience?

Work Management 100

Work Management B2B Marketing Marketing Management B2B 100

Digital B2B Marketing

OCTOBER 11, 2012

As you help potential buyers through the process, they will become more familiar with you and your solutions as well, leading to an opportunity to make a sale. The outcome is really good marketing and business results. It is a level playing field you can be the best team, with the best marketing and the best solution.

B2B 100

B2B B2B Sales Advertising Agencies B2B Marketing 100

Digital B2B Marketing

SEPTEMBER 20, 2012

Priorities, pain points, information sources, buying process, motivations and roles are key pieces of information. eMarketing Strategies for the Complex Sale by Ardath Albee. Keep personas focused on the business environment. Information on their consumer profile is far less valuable in a B2B context.

Buyer Personas 100

Buyer Personas B2B Marketing Paid Search Agency B2B 100

Digital B2B Marketing

JUNE 23, 2011

Through the sales and negotiation dance, the cards were slowly revealed one at a time, with you and your prospect jockeying for advantage through the entire process. This change has turned demand creation upside down. In the past, your prospect held the budget cards and you held the information cards.

Peer-to-peer 100

Peer-to-peer Planning Mobile Marketing Budget Programs 100

Digital B2B Marketing

SEPTEMBER 25, 2012

Comparing LinkedIn to Klout The process to give someone +K on Klout is very similar to LinkedIn. +K-ers There is no difference between a brand new coworker or sales contact and a client that has worked closely with me and has first-hand knowledge of my B2B marketing experience and skill set endorsing me. But wait, there’s more!

Linkedin 100

Linkedin CAN-SPAM Ideal Customer Profiles Display 100

Digital B2B Marketing

NOVEMBER 6, 2012

Focusing on Linear Results Measurement Marketing measurement starts when a contact is captured and continues as contacts move into and through the sales pipeline. Any marketing that does not directly deliver contacts or move contacts through the purchase process in an observable way is not valued in this environment.

B2B Marketing 100

B2B Marketing Bundling B2B Marketing Proposals 100

Digital B2B Marketing

OCTOBER 18, 2012

These programs already run in direct mail, email and through your account or sales team, adding online lets you further surround your target. By targeting companies in the buying process, you can reach a broader set of decision makers and influencers than you can via email. Extend nurture programs.

Demand Generation 100

Demand Generation DemandBase Advertisements Advertising 100

Digital B2B Marketing

MARCH 1, 2012

Closely track the quality of contacts you receive from each source through the entire sales process. Even full transparency and review does not ensure good behavior, it is possible for any individual site in the list to promote your content inappropriately. Track your results.

Enterprise Management 100

Enterprise Management Advertising Agencies Banner Ads Marketing Management 100

Digital B2B Marketing

APRIL 11, 2012

In many B2B marketing organizations, marketing is expected to deliver leads and sales is expected to close. In a world of perfect sales and marketing alignment, marketing and sales have a common definition of qualified leads, the number of leads needed, when leads should be delivered and how the handoff from marketing to sales will function.

Top of Funnel 100

Top of Funnel Marketing Qualified Leads Sales Qualified Leads Advertising Agencies 100

Digital B2B Marketing

NOVEMBER 1, 2011

In contrast, the cost, complexity and feasibility of integration with existing systems and business processes is a key consideration for enterprise purchases. Do not forget who those people are, the magnitude of the decisions they are making, the expertise they have, and the buying process they are working within.

B2B Marketing 100

B2B Marketing B2B Barriers Marketing & Strategy 100

Digital B2B Marketing

JUNE 26, 2013

Your primary goal is to increase engagement, raise lead scores and pass a more active “lead” to sales as quickly as possible. After all, if someone was ready to talk to sales today, you wouldn’t need to nurture them! Sales Triggered. Nurturing needs to be approached with a long-term view.

Buyer's Journey 100

Buyer's Journey Sales Qualified Leads Blast Campaigns Marketing Automation Services 100

Digital B2B Marketing

OCTOBER 17, 2016

Involve sales early. If you have a great understanding of what your ideal target account looks like (or a well researched target account list), involve sales, with a consultative approach, earlier in the process. And if you aren’t sure if your blog posts should be considered fluffy… they are fluff.

Lead Scoring 100

Lead Scoring Lead Ranking Peer-to-peer Webcast 100

Digital B2B Marketing

MAY 5, 2011

Lead generation, for purposes of this post, is collecting registration information for content, in order to build a marketing database or deliver leads to telemarketing and then on to sales. Delivering leads for sales drives today’s B2B marketing organization. Sales Followup is Alienating Your Audience.

Lead Generation 100

Lead Generation Lead Scoring Lead Ranking Generation 100

Digital B2B Marketing

MAY 16, 2013

Sales needs leads in order to deliver revenue. So you focus on delivering leads and ensuring sales has what they need to close. What does marketing need to do to ensure sales, account teams and other groups responsible for each revenue segment will deliver? This is why the most dangerous opinion in marketing is your opinion.

B2B Marketing 100

B2B Marketing Planning B2B Paid Search Agency 100

Digital B2B Marketing

FEBRUARY 16, 2015

He recently joined Business Insider as the Sales Director for the Southeast, after a number of years with CBSi, parent to B2B technology focused properties ZDNet and TechRepublic (among others). Jumping Straight to Sales. It comes from the people who are hands on, doing the work in a wide range of situations. Toby is one of those guys.

Buy 100

Buy B2B Marketing Advertising Agencies Planning 100

Digital B2B Marketing

JUNE 7, 2012

SFA : Sales Force Automation. Marketing and Sales Pipeline Acronyms MAL : Marketing Accepted Lead. AQL : Automation Qualified Lead TAL : Teleprospecting Accepted Lead TQL : Teleprospecting Qualified Lead TGL : Teleprospecting Generated Lead SGL : Sales Generated Lead SAL : Sales Accepted Lead. SQL : Sales Qualified Lead.

Paid Content 100

Paid Content Lead Ranking Cost Per Click Cost per Lead 100

Digital B2B Marketing

APRIL 6, 2011

Half of the content was focused on how to use social media throughout the sales cycle and the increase in demand this drives. It was the silence of Twitter. Mind you, this was an event about social media and website optimization.

Social Marketing 100

Social Marketing B2B Marketing Enterprise Management B2B 100

Digital B2B Marketing

MARCH 1, 2011

We cannot measure the ultimate outcome (sales) with a long sales cycle and be agile marketers. It takes too long and there are not enough sales to provide meaningful insight into each element of a program. Step One: Choose Measurements Select one or two activities that are good early proxies for future sales.

Advertisements 100

Advertisements Advertising Planning B2B Thought Leadership 100

Digital B2B Marketing

MAY 14, 2013

Consider the following statistics: 57% of the buying process happens before a buyer contacts sales. Today, B2B marketing must always be on. Your prospects’ needs don’t map to your quarterly communications plan. 78% of B2B buyers start with search.

B2B Marketing 100

B2B Marketing Campaigns Planning B2B 100

Digital B2B Marketing

JULY 19, 2011

Create a personalized dialogue with each prospect at every point in the sales process! It is designed to replace the conversation that once happened directly between sales and a potential new prospect. This sounds like a pitch for marketing automation. While the result is valuable, it is not a dialogue.

Automation 100

Automation Conversion Forrester Marketing Automation Services 100