But the underlying idea of maximizing content with minimum investment is all too common in B2B as well, especially as business marketers scramble to keep up with the accelerating demands of content creation for lead nurturing and social media. Tags: Advertising Marketing Social Media Thought Leadership advertising B2B collateral content content marketing marketing search thought leadership  An article in MediaWeek on content mills like Demand Media and Seed.com got me thinking about the dangerous lure of cheap content in B2B marketing. Photo credit: FDR Presidential Library. MORE >>

Success story content, including not only case studies, videos, and profiles but, increasingly, social media content, in-depth ROI presentations, internal "how we got the win" selling stories, and integration into thought leadership publications. B2B marketers focused on high value solutions know that customer evidence is like gold. Great products may sell themselves based on features or price. Not surprisingly, sales people selling solutions say that customer references are their most valuable tool. ITSMA has found this repeatedly in sales studies. Benchmarking the Best. MORE >>

The company defined a new way of thinking about the role of technology in a whole host of social and economic issues. The fast-growing provider of "inbound marketing" tools promotes the concept relentlessly with a daily dose of useful content for marketers on how to build awareness and generate leads through search engine marketing and social media. For small business marketers and consultants focused on social media and search, HubSpot's master narrative about the why and how of inbound marketing is beginning to frame the whole conversation. Delivered." Make sense? MORE >>

Media fragmentation, information overload, and the power of social media make it critical that thought leadership marketers put substantial energy into getting the word out across a broad range of media and activities. For thought leadership marketing today, think multi-media, social media, and complementary online and offline engagement to build a strong presence wherever your stakeholders already spend their time. B2B marketers know they need to invest in thought leadership, and many have indeed invested more during the last few years. How should we promote it? Do the Research. MORE >>

More often, however, I see situations where the rhetoric far outpaces the reality: A large IT services firm aggressively (and expensively) using Twitter and other social media primarily as just another channel to pump out corporate-designed messages and content. For B2B marketers interested in moving beyond the rhetoric, there are some obvious next steps: Invest in social media, but make sure there's a heavy focus on listening and engaging; social media is first and foremost a tremendous vehicle for customer insight. Why do we hear so much talk but see so little action? MORE >>