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I ran across an interesting blog post " The Crisis in Marketing " by Erik Bower from MarketBright where he talks about current Marketing methodologies not keeping pace with the pressures in today’s business environments: volatile markets, pressure to prove marketing's impact on sales pipeline, reduced budgets and headcounts, new tactics such as social media, etc. MORE
Tweet. If you haven’t yet done your marketing plan for 2010, don’t panic. There is still time. If you have already done your plan, check it against some of our marketing planning success tips below. Marketing Plan Success Tips. Keep it simple. Marketing plans don’t need to be elaborate. If you have the essential elements, the most important factor for success is your ability to execute the plan consistently and systematically. MORE
This is one of a series of occasional interviews with top practitioners on topics of interest to business-to-business lead generation, marketing and new business development professionals. My guest today is Dianna Huff of DH Communications. Dianna helps businesses with their B2B marketing communications content strategy and implementation. MORE
Who says B2B marketers are lagging in social media? If they are out there, they aren’t reading this blog. Of the top ten posts on my blog this year, only one did not involve social media. Though I’m supposed to be an objective researcher, I have to admit bias here. I think the social media phenomenon is the most exciting and important thing to hit communications in my lifetime. So writing about this stuff is fun. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I do writing it. MORE
Around this time last year I wrote about some Predictions for 2009 and while I would say 8 out of 10 have already materialized and the other 2 are on their way, it has become clear that this year was the year we past the point of no return on Social Media. Recession or not Social Media was on a roll ignited by the visibility of events like Obama’s win and Iran’s election protests. So that begs the question - what’s on the horizon specifically for BtoB for marketers next year? MORE
Honestly, why do we think that sophisticated B2B buyers are going to follow our brands on Twitter or become our fans on Facebook? The answer is we don’t. Even if we believe deeply in the power of social media, we all have that gnawing feeling deep in our guts that says that there’s little reason for a busy, intelligent person to want to receive frequent updates about our brands when those brands produce complex services and products with two-year sales cycles. MORE
Summary: LoopFuse offers attractive but limited demand generation functions at an easy-to-swallow price. It’s been nearly a year since I took my first close look at the LoopFuse OneView demand generation system. I didn't write about them because the vendor was planning some major improvements and it made more sense to publish a review after these in place. We reconnected in December and the product is now ready for its close up. MORE
At a recent ANA conference I was interviewing Brian Wallace VP of Digital Marketing and Media for RIM when I heard him say “2 years from now- if I still have a Director of Social Media – I should be fired!&# and after thinking about that I can’t help but agree with him. MORE
My checklist for optimizing the lead generation process so far has included six steps: the mindset of not pushing ; repairing the rift between sales and marketing ; creating the ideal customer profile (and the un-ideal customer profile as well); agreeing upon a universal lead definition that fits your company’s goals and culture; importance of a well maintained database ; and, in step 6, I outlined a multi-modal approach and discussed its importance in the lead gen process. MORE
We have grown accustomed to short, quick messaging methodologies and unable to read detailed information for a substantial period of time before becoming distracted by events that require our immediate attention. What impact does this have on the readers of our white papers? How do we ensure that our white paper is not only read but also acted upon? Jonathan Kantor addresses this question and more in his new book Crafting White Paper 2.0: MORE
Cold calling. Feel a shiver move up your spine? Too bad. It’s a shame that you, like many others, choose to dismiss cold calling as a lead generation tool (there’s that shiver again). I’m not saying that its reputation hasn’t been earned. I just think everybody is going about it all wrong. I love this analogy from Mike Schultz, Publisher of RainToday.com : Fail at something enough, and it's easy to dismiss the whole tactic. (No MORE
Content isn’t just about text anymore. In fact, too much text can harm your efforts to engage an audience. With peoples’ shortening attention spans, you need to think visually, and use powerful visuals to attract and connect with your audience. People now post over 14 million photos a day on Facebook. Video content isn’t far behind. Easy-to-use cameras, video cameras and cell phones make it incredibly easy to shoot pictures and record video, and then share it online. MORE
Around this time last year I wrote about some Predictions for 2009 and while I would say 8 out of 10 have already materialized and the other 2 are on their way, it has become clear that this year was the year we past the point of no return on Social Media. Recession or not Social Media was on a roll ignited by the visibility of events like Obama’s win and Iran’s election protests. So that begs the question – what’s on the horizon specifically for BtoB for marketers next year? MORE
2009 has been a long year but as I reflect back on my many conversations, I've created a top 5 list of items to avoid in 2010: 1. Not having a defined social media strategy You would be surprised by the number of companies that say “yeah, social media is important but it’s not important to us at the moment”. In 2010 you will not have a choice but to make social media part of your overall marketing strategy. MORE
It’s no surprise that Direct Marketing response rates have dropped to a historic low with success rates in the low single digits. And further – that marketing organizations are becoming increasingly focused on Inbound Marketing (credit HubSpot for creating this term) which are a source of much higher response rates. MORE
I love the internet. Free stuff abound and sharing is easy. But there is so much out there that deciding on what to read is a job in itself. That's why I liked when the Modern B2B Marketing blog posted a list of must-read B2B marketing MORE
I recently participated in a group to evaluate the effectiveness of sales materials produced by an insurance company. The group included people of diverse professions, ages, and life experience. Yet it was interesting to see how quickly they reached consensus on one factor: which document had the most appeal, especially for motivating a purchase decision. The group's choice? MORE
I’m looking forward to heading down to Miami for the upcoming MarketingSherpa Email Summit 2010. Besides giving me a valid business reason to leave Minnesota in the winter (and if you’ve been here in January, you know why I'd want to), I’m even more excited about MarketingSherpa's new specific B2B track. As a reader of this blog, you should seriously consider attending the Summit for the B2B track. MORE
If you read this blog regularly, you know that I think that monitoring social media is one of four key aspects of a social media engagement strategy. Social media monitoring is a way to figure out what’s being said about your brand and reveals opportunities for engaging in conversations with customers and influencers. At its most basic, social media monitoring starts with what is known as the “vanity search.” MORE
This is one of a series of occasional interviews with top practitioners on topics of interest to business-to-business lead generation, marketing and new business development professionals. My guest today is Michael A. Brown. He is the B2B telemarketing and telesales consultant and telemarketing trainer whom I frequently recommend to our clients. Michael, first off, I know you hate to use the word “telemarketing.&# MORE
The great global economic meltdown of 2009 has passed, and we are still here and breathing, mostly a sigh of relief. It’s been a tough year for B2B marketers as many of us had to deal with decreased budgets, staff. MORE
Networking has certainly become important to our daily life. Whether light-hearted interaction with friends or communicating with business clients the world over, socializing is integral to our personal and professional relationships. Facebook has gotten most of the buzz in the past few years, allow. MORE
Are you responsible for B2B lead generation at a large company? MORE
Summary: Social Agency’s Spredfast helps marketers schedule social media campaigns the same way they schedule paid advertising. It seems like common courtesy to listen to an existing conversation before jumping in with a comment. If social media worked the same way, companies would first buy a monitoring system to track what’s being said, followed by tools to respond to comments made by others. MORE
Sales Lead Insights
DECEMBER 29, 2009
This is one of a series of occasional interviews with top practitioners on topics of interest to business-to-business lead generation, marketing and new business development professionals. My guest today is Dianna Huff of DH Communications. Dianna helps businesses with their B2B marketing communications content strategy and implementation.
B2B Lead Generation
DECEMBER 21, 2009
I’m looking forward to heading down to Miami for the upcoming MarketingSherpa Email Summit 2010. Besides giving me a valid business reason to leave Minnesota in the winter (and if you’ve been here in January, you know why I'd want to), I’m even more excited about MarketingSherpa's new specific B2B track. As a reader of this blog, you should seriously consider attending the Summit for the B2B track.
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Customer Experience Matrix
DECEMBER 14, 2009
Summary: Social Agency’s Spredfast helps marketers schedule social media campaigns the same way they schedule paid advertising. It seems like common courtesy to listen to an existing conversation before jumping in with a comment. If social media worked the same way, companies would first buy a monitoring system to track what’s being said, followed by tools to respond to comments made by others.
Speaker: Matthew Hawk, President of B2bTrainers
The term “sales enablement” applies to a dizzying array of best practices and technologies. In addition, there is tremendous competitive pressure not to fall behind. No matter where you are in your current sales enablement strategy, one thing is key: success ultimately rides on the habits of your sales managers & marketers. In this webinar, Matthew Hawk will lay out an in-depth schematic for your next-level sales coaching, demonstrate the key activities that comprise success, and walk you through several examples of sales coaching cadences that apply to all salesforce sizes.
Buzz Marketing for Technology
DECEMBER 22, 2009
At a recent ANA conference I was interviewing Brian Wallace VP of Digital Marketing and Media for RIM when I heard him say “2 years from now- if I still have a Director of Social Media – I should be fired!&# and after thinking about that I can’t help but agree with him.
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B2B Marketing Zone brings together the best content for marketers in the B2B industry from the widest variety of thought leaders.
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Sales Lead Insights
DECEMBER 22, 2009
This is one of a series of occasional interviews with top practitioners on topics of interest to business-to-business lead generation, marketing and new business development professionals. My guest today is Michael A. Brown. He is the B2B telemarketing and telesales consultant and telemarketing trainer whom I frequently recommend to our clients. Michael, first off, I know you hate to use the word “telemarketing.&#
B2B Lead Generation
DECEMBER 4, 2009
Cold calling. Feel a shiver move up your spine? Too bad. It’s a shame that you, like many others, choose to dismiss cold calling as a lead generation tool (there’s that shiver again). I’m not saying that its reputation hasn’t been earned. I just think everybody is going about it all wrong. I love this analogy from Mike Schultz, Publisher of RainToday.com : Fail at something enough, and it's easy to dismiss the whole tactic. (No
WriteSpark
DECEMBER 8, 2009
I recently participated in a group to evaluate the effectiveness of sales materials produced by an insurance company. The group included people of diverse professions, ages, and life experience. Yet it was interesting to see how quickly they reached consensus on one factor: which document had the most appeal, especially for motivating a purchase decision. The group's choice?
Advertiser: ZoomInfo
Every sales forecasting model has a different strength and predictability method. It’s recommended to test out which one is best for your team. This way, you’ll be able to further enhance – and optimize – your newly-developed pipeline. Your future sales forecast? Sunny skies (and success) are just ahead!
Buzz Marketing for Technology
DECEMBER 15, 2009
Around this time last year I wrote about some Predictions for 2009 and while I would say 8 out of 10 have already materialized and the other 2 are on their way, it has become clear that this year was the year we past the point of no return on Social Media. Recession or not Social Media was on a roll ignited by the visibility of events like Obama’s win and Iran’s election protests. So that begs the question – what’s on the horizon specifically for BtoB for marketers next year?
Anything Goes Marketing
DECEMBER 21, 2009
2009 has been a long year but as I reflect back on my many conversations, I've created a top 5 list of items to avoid in 2010: 1. Not having a defined social media strategy You would be surprised by the number of companies that say “yeah, social media is important but it’s not important to us at the moment”. In 2010 you will not have a choice but to make social media part of your overall marketing strategy.
Sales Lead Insights
DECEMBER 21, 2009
Are you responsible for B2B lead generation at a large company?
B2B Lead Generation
DECEMBER 18, 2009
My checklist for optimizing the lead generation process so far has included six steps: the mindset of not pushing ; repairing the rift between sales and marketing ; creating the ideal customer profile (and the un-ideal customer profile as well); agreeing upon a universal lead definition that fits your company’s goals and culture; importance of a well maintained database ; and, in step 6, I outlined a multi-modal approach and discussed its importance in the lead gen process.
Speaker: Christopher Ryan, Founder and CEO of Fusion Marketing Partners
Sales & Marketing departments that work together guarantee higher acquisition, better nurturing, and more effective sales. Join Christopher Ryan for this insightful webinar, presenting the wide funnel lead nurturing model. Don't miss out on this opportunity to get your teams working together and your revenue performance optimized.
Chris Koch
DECEMBER 23, 2009
If you read this blog regularly, you know that I think that monitoring social media is one of four key aspects of a social media engagement strategy. Social media monitoring is a way to figure out what’s being said about your brand and reveals opportunities for engaging in conversations with customers and influencers. At its most basic, social media monitoring starts with what is known as the “vanity search.”
The Effective Marketer
DECEMBER 8, 2009
I love the internet. Free stuff abound and sharing is easy. But there is so much out there that deciding on what to read is a job in itself. That's why I liked when the Modern B2B Marketing blog posted a list of must-read B2B marketing
Ambal's Amusings
DECEMBER 9, 2009
Content isn’t just about text anymore. In fact, too much text can harm your efforts to engage an audience. With peoples’ shortening attention spans, you need to think visually, and use powerful visuals to attract and connect with your audience. People now post over 14 million photos a day on Facebook. Video content isn’t far behind. Easy-to-use cameras, video cameras and cell phones make it incredibly easy to shoot pictures and record video, and then share it online.
B2B Marketing Traction
DECEMBER 28, 2009
Tweet. If you haven’t yet done your marketing plan for 2010, don’t panic. There is still time. If you have already done your plan, check it against some of our marketing planning success tips below. Marketing Plan Success Tips. Keep it simple. Marketing plans don’t need to be elaborate. If you have the essential elements, the most important factor for success is your ability to execute the plan consistently and systematically.
Speaker: Jay McBain, Principal Analyst – Channels, Partnerships & Ecosystems
We are in the middle of a major transformation of how companies go to market – in fact, 76% of global CEOs feel that their current business models will be unrecognizable in the next 3 years. Join Jay McBain from Forrester as he unpacks these future trends.
Customer Experience Matrix
DECEMBER 29, 2009
Summary: LoopFuse offers attractive but limited demand generation functions at an easy-to-swallow price. It’s been nearly a year since I took my first close look at the LoopFuse OneView demand generation system. I didn't write about them because the vendor was planning some major improvements and it made more sense to publish a review after these in place. We reconnected in December and the product is now ready for its close up.
Buzz Marketing for Technology
DECEMBER 15, 2009
Around this time last year I wrote about some Predictions for 2009 and while I would say 8 out of 10 have already materialized and the other 2 are on their way, it has become clear that this year was the year we past the point of no return on Social Media. Recession or not Social Media was on a roll ignited by the visibility of events like Obama’s win and Iran’s election protests. So that begs the question - what’s on the horizon specifically for BtoB for marketers next year?
Chris Koch
DECEMBER 29, 2009
Honestly, why do we think that sophisticated B2B buyers are going to follow our brands on Twitter or become our fans on Facebook? The answer is we don’t. Even if we believe deeply in the power of social media, we all have that gnawing feeling deep in our guts that says that there’s little reason for a busy, intelligent person to want to receive frequent updates about our brands when those brands produce complex services and products with two-year sales cycles.
Everything Technology Marketing
DECEMBER 8, 2009
I ran across an interesting blog post " The Crisis in Marketing " by Erik Bower from MarketBright where he talks about current Marketing methodologies not keeping pace with the pressures in today’s business environments: volatile markets, pressure to prove marketing's impact on sales pipeline, reduced budgets and headcounts, new tactics such as social media, etc.
Advertiser: ZoomInfo
Sales enablement is the strategic process of providing sales teams with the content, guidance, and mentorship needed to engage targeted buyers. It’s all about equipping sales professionals with the tools they need to put their best-selling foot forward. And if sales teams want to continuously sell better -- and faster -- their sales enablement process must have a game-winning strategy. It's time for you to start selling smarter - and hitting your sales number - with the best B2B database in the market. Get started today.
Ambal's Amusings
DECEMBER 8, 2009
We have grown accustomed to short, quick messaging methodologies and unable to read detailed information for a substantial period of time before becoming distracted by events that require our immediate attention. What impact does this have on the readers of our white papers? How do we ensure that our white paper is not only read but also acted upon? Jonathan Kantor addresses this question and more in his new book Crafting White Paper 2.0:
Marketing-Gimbal
DECEMBER 29, 2009
The great global economic meltdown of 2009 has passed, and we are still here and breathing, mostly a sigh of relief. It’s been a tough year for B2B marketers as many of us had to deal with decreased budgets, staff.
JotForm
DECEMBER 14, 2009
Networking has certainly become important to our daily life. Whether light-hearted interaction with friends or communicating with business clients the world over, socializing is integral to our personal and professional relationships. Facebook has gotten most of the buzz in the past few years, allow.
Buzz Marketing for Technology
DECEMBER 2, 2009
It’s no surprise that Direct Marketing response rates have dropped to a historic low with success rates in the low single digits. And further – that marketing organizations are becoming increasingly focused on Inbound Marketing (credit HubSpot for creating this term) which are a source of much higher response rates.
Speaker: Ruth Stevens, President of eMarketing Strategy
In a pandemic, it’s more important than ever to focus on retaining and expanding current customers. So, how can sales and marketing support the retention effort? Join Ruth Stevens as she dives into this fast-paced session and reviews the 7 key strategies for current customer marketing, to enable sales and expand customer value.
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