Really great content around B2B Marketing again this month. Here's what the social signals said was the best content and the hottest topics. The following are the top items from featured sources based on social signals.

  1. Ten reasons to blog – even if nobody reads it- grow - Practical Marketing Solutions, November 7, 2010
    Building an engaged community through a business blog can be extremely difficult — sometimes impossible. Look at companies like General Electric who do an amazing job with their blog and yet have almost no “community or comments at all. There must be some good business reason they do it, right? . There better be. Why not use it?
  2. 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. The survey generated over 270 responses from B2B marketers - and the results are in!
  3. Monitor your social media in less than 10 minutes a day- inblurbs, November 26, 2010
    Social networking is very essential for today’s online business world. If you want to get success through your online blog it is essential that you get some social media help so that you can grow faster and get better profits. Online blog needs various marketing methods to get converted into big business. Facebook Insights. Google Analytics.
  4. Buyers Set the Pace for B2B eMarketing- Marketing Interactions, November 16, 2010
    The ability to instantly publish content, send email, and Tweet give the impression that speed is a marketer's friend. Maybe so, maybe not. But, just because we can push content out more rapidly than ever, doesn't mean that your buyer's pace for making a purchase decision will match your stride. They have less.
  5. How Content Travels and Works in Social: Stories and People- Social Marketing Forum, November 28, 2010
    Content is a key element in all forms of marketing: without good and relevant content there are no emails, there is no sharing and your site or blog doesn’t rank in search engines. Certainly in this era where people actively seek information that is pertinent for their needs, questions or buying journey, personalized and valuable content is crucial.
  6. Twitter for B2B Marketing- MI6 Marketing Agency, November 18, 2010
    Author: Chris Herbert. Audience: Business Development Professionals, Marketing Managers, Channel Managers, Customer Service Professionals, Product Managers. Every Thursday night Jeremy Victor and a group of B2B marketers hold a B2B Twitter Chat session. These sessions are a tremendous source of ideas, insights and data. Learn more here ). PR Dept?
  7. 9 Indispensable B2B Social Media White Papers- Social Media B2B, November 2, 2010
    White papers and eBooks can be helpful resources when they’re well-prepared and provide usable information. Below are a list of 9 B2B white papers that have useful information for B2B social media marketers. Only one of the white papers requires registration and all were published within the past year. Published by Hubspot, May 2010.
  8. 4 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? There is now a Product and Services tab that lets you feature everything about your company and what you sell. I highly recommend you take a few minutes to start creating your Product and Services page, even if you can’t fully optimize the look and design yet. Ready to get started?
  9. Content Strategy and the Dying Art of Execution- Junta 42, November 4, 2010
    Don't get me wrong, content marketing strategy is critical to the success of a content marketing project. Not having a content strategy is like playing baseball without the bases (envision people running everywhere.not a pretty site). That said, I've seen a multitude of content strategies die for the following reasons. Lack of talent.
  10. The 9 Worst Ways to Use LinkedIn for Business- Hubspot, November 3, 2010
    LinkedIn is a powerful social network to connect with industry professionals, especially for B2B. People use LinkedIn to connect with coworkers and industry peers, get business advice, and even find new jobs. It’s a great place for businesses to make relevant LinkedIn users aware of their brand. Don’t Answer Questions. Of course not.
  11. The QR Code Quandry- Manhattan Marketing Maven, November 16, 2010
    There seems to be a flurry of QR code use. The 2D barcodes, originally developed in Japan in 1994 to track packages, are showing up in print ads, on billboards, on vehicles, on packaging and in TV spots for a variety of brands. Are they the next cool thing or are they useless? The mechanics of QR code use are rudimentary in the United States.
  12. Get ready. Social scoring will change your life.- grow - Practical Marketing Solutions, November 21, 2010
    There is an interesting, and perhaps alarming, trend brewing on the social media scene. Take a look at a couple items in the news last week: The Palms Hotel in Las Vegas is providing perks to guests based on their Klout score (an assessment of social media influence)**. People are now curating lists of the most influential bloggers by Klout score.
  13. Oracle’s Updated Social Media Policy- Paul Gillin, November 24, 2010
    Dated 11/22/10. Most hyperlinks have been removed because they refer to pages behind Oracle’s firewall. This is a well-crafted policy. The Oracle Social Media Participation Policy applies to. All blogs, wikis, forums, and social networks hosted or sponsored by Oracle (e.g., blogs. oracle. com , wiki. oracle. com , mix. oracle. com , forums.
  14. QR Codes Have Potential But Not So Easy to Use- Dianna Huff - B2B MarCom, November 7, 2010
    Tweet. I’ve noticed people on Twitter talking about QR codes, so of course they popped out at me while I perused the November 15, 2010 issue of Fortune. Specifically, companies are using them in ads: in this particular issue, Time , Fortune and Ford ran ads that included QR codes.
  15. Multiple-Personality Disorder in B2B Marketing Content- Marketing Interactions, November 7, 2010
    With the increase in publishing opportunities and the distribution of marketing across the enterprise (from field marketing to corporate marketing to demand gen to product marketing, and more), B2B marketers are sending a considerable amount of marketing content into the ether. The six choices included: product line. industry. solution. job role.
  16. Social CRM - How some companies are using it.- OnPath, November 19, 2010
    Yesterday we hosted an event titled: Social CRM: What is it? Should I care? Watch the recording here. Our panelists had a candid discussion about the merits of Social CRM. One of the areas that we did not have enough time to cover is real life examples of companies using Social CRM. How Real Companies are Going Social and Winning. Search Popularity.
  17. Sales Leadership: Time Management Tips- Your Sales Management Guru, November 29, 2010
    Sales Leadership: Time Management Tips. How to Manage a Successful To-Do List. Get in Habit of Doing a To Do List every day. Be Realistic and Aware of Your Limitations. Don’t Over Schedule Events. Allow for Time Cushions. Review Your List Every Morning. Ask yourself; “why me?” Is there someone else that can do this? Special Tips. Months). A=C/B.
  18. Convince The Boss Your B2B Company Should Use Social Media- Social Media B2B, November 8, 2010
    An individual in a B2B company usually realizes the value of social media for their employer before the company comes to that conclusion on their own. Oftentimes, convincing the powers-that-be that this is a space you need to be participating in is difficult. Here are four ways to make your point in a more effective manner: 1. Let’s face it.
  19. Content Marketing Basics: A B2B Marketing Cheat Sheet- Modern B2B Marketing, November 19, 2010
    In Marketo’s latest B2B Marketing Cheat Sheet about Content Marketing, we cover the basics of content marketing. In a previous blog post we reviewed the three Rs of content marketing – reorganize, rewrite and retire. In this post, we will summarize the basics. First off, how do you define content marketing? What is it?
  20. What Are Your B2B Customers Saying About YOU?- B2B Ideas @ Work, November 30, 2010
    I read a case study about social media on MarketingProfs that I simply had to comment on with this week’s blog. Though it’s a B2C case study, it clearly illustrates the importance of social media and, thus, is applicable to B2B marketing as well. Both monitoring and engaging are key, and you must remember to do both actively.
  21. 10 Steps to More Scientific Social Media Marketing- Hubspot, November 2, 2010
    I've spent nearly four years researching and analyzing social communications and contagious ideas for my Science of Social Media presentation. It is currently a front-runner for Slideshare's 2010 World's Best Presentation Contest (I'd love it if you went and voted for it. am extremely passionate about this subject. The Science of Social Media.
  22. Content Strategy vs. Content Marketing vs. Inbound Marketing- Junta 42, November 4, 2010
    I had the opportunity to present at Hubspot this week for the New England Content Strategy meetup. During the presentation (slideshare below), the group of content strategists and marketers spent over 30 minutes discussing the differences and similarities between content strategy, content marketing and inbound marketing.
  23. Focus. Focus. Focus: To Pop to the Top on Google- Content Marketing Today, November 5, 2010
    Pair of Seattle Personal Injury Law Firms Prove the Content Marketing Point. Marketing on the web is just like the old saw from the real estate world: "It’s all about location, location location." 34; On the web, there are two important meanings when it comes to the word "location." Enter the second meaning of "location."
  24. Value proposition example for a professional service provider- The Top Line, November 8, 2010
    Here’s an example of how a professional service provider can apply the do-it-yourself guide for creating value propositions in 3 steps. It uses the same formula as the green value proposition example I posted last week (immediately below). The value proposition formula. B2B strategic marketing consultant’s value proposition.
  25. 12 Tips For B2B Marketers to Excel in Twitter- Modern B2B Marketing, November 16, 2010
    Any successful B2B social media plan includes strategies and tactics to forge relationships and build a brand. Building a brand through social strategies doesn’t happen overnight – it requires a sustained commitment using effective strategies for engagement and relationship building. ReTweeting. Reporting news. Original content. Hashtags. Thank you.
  26. Why Chris Brogan is invincible- grow - Practical Marketing Solutions, November 14, 2010
    I am fascinated with uber-blogger Chris Brogan as a cultural icon of the social media revolution. Whether it’s trying new business models or pioneering sponsored posts, he is our canary in the coal mine, exploring the leading edges of our field. But a post this week established a new milestone even for Chris. know how to read. Stop it.
  27. Email campaigns should be the start of the conversation- Follow the Lead, November 10, 2010
    Wither email marketing? Web users spent an average of 4.6 hours a week on social sites in September, compared with 4.4 hours on email, according to the recently released TNS “Digital Life” survey. While still a workhorse for b-to-b companies, e-mail marketing is getting increasingly stiff competition for mind share from social networks such as [.].
  28. Is the era of PR over?- Chris Koch, November 5, 2010
    Among the many interesting ideas thrown around at ITSMA’s annual conference this week was that the era of PR is over. As in dead. Don’t do it anymore. First, let’s define what PR means from the perspective of the customer (i.e., a journalist) and the customer’s customer (i.e., the readers of the journalists’ publications). Guard dog PR. It’s a myth.
  29. Employees Have No Clue if Their Company Has a Social Media Policy- Social Marketing Forum, November 29, 2010
    Almost 40% of British employees criticize their ‘workplace’ on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Furthermore, one in five admit slandering their bosses on them. These are conclusions from a survey done earlier this year by MyJobGroup.co.uk. Furthermore, 70% has no idea whether or not their company has a policy on the subject.
  30. New research puts Fortune 500 social media usage on display- grow - Practical Marketing Solutions, November 17, 2010
    The Center for Marketing Research at the University of Massachusetts released a new study of the Fortune 500’s adoption of blogging and Twitter. Highlights: One hundred-eight (22%) of the Fortune 500 companies have a public-facing blog with a post in the past 12 months. This is up from 16% in 2008. Blogging varied by industry type. Tweet This!
  31. Six Search Engine Submission Tips to Get Search Engine Traffic- inblurbs, November 12, 2010
    Six Search Engine Submission Tips to Get Search Engine Traffic. Online business is a platform of tough competition. You need to make use of each and every strategy to sustain in this competitive world. So to attain a position in this world of websites, you need to have a well optimized website. Attractive advertisements and other add-on.
  32. How to Kill Your Business with One Email- eMarketing Strategist, November 8, 2010
    First let me start by saying the following story was brought to my attention by my buddy Kimberly LeRiche owner of JKVirtual Office and Fan Page Marketing Magic. Why it’s important to give credit where credit is due will quickly become obvious. The following is a story about a woman who screwed up. So, let’s get started. institution. link]. Be nice.
  33. Brian Solis: Prominence is Earned Through Attentiveness and Corresponding Actions- Social Marketing Forum, November 26, 2010
    Brian Solis needs no introduction if you follow what is going on in social media marketing and new marketing and customer behavior trends. Earlier this year, Brian published his latest book Engage! which aims to “help businesses build, cultivate and measure success in the new Web&#. The creation of a human network, a grid of relationships.
  34. Segmenting IT buyers in Your Marketing Automation Campaigns- Lead Views, November 22, 2010
    Today’s post is by Ben Bradley, Managing Director at Macon Raine, Inc. For many new users of marketing automation tools, one of the biggest challenges is segmenting the CRM database in a way that drives results. We’ve assembled some simple best practices that you can use to build better campaigns. The list is not expensive. It is.
  35. Content Marketers: Think “Editorial”- B2B Memes, November 12, 2010
    One of the most exciting areas today in the realm of what we used to call publishing is content marketing. As befits a rapidly evolving discipline, there is no single, satisfactory definition for this new activity. But one word that rarely shows up in such lists is editorial. That’s a pity. Not that I object to content. who knows?
  36. 6 Ideas to Get Your B2B Social Media Plans Started- Social Media B2B, November 4, 2010
    Your B2B company’s online marketing strategy needs to incorporate social media. The big question now is, “What, exactly, do we need to do?” The web is chock full of answers to that question. Keep in touch with your customers with social media. Social media outlets allow you to solicit feedback, answer complaints (and compliments!),
  37. 4 Unique Ways to Get Traffic to Your Blog from LinkedIn Answers- Hubspot, November 17, 2010
    LinkedIn is a great social network for small and large businesses to reach out to relevant prospective customers. LinkedIn Answers in particular allows you to find people publicly stating that they have a specific problem or need that your product or service would solve. It’s pretty awesome. Here’s what you can do: 1.
  38. Are Brands Ready to Be Media Companies? 4 Steps to Yes- Junta 42, November 18, 2010
    Read an interesting article from MediaPost this morning entitled " Are Media Brands Ready to Be Brands? 34; The question about whether or not media brands are like real brands has been asked every since I've been in the media business. Not be so tied to legacy revenue streams and experiment more digitally. an email newsletter). 0160;Why?
  39. Social Media Minute: Big-A List of Twitter Slang and Definitions- B2B Ideas @ Work, November 9, 2010
    Just when I started getting the hang of texting shortcuts and slang on my mobile, I found myself having to decifer a similar string of shortened, twangled words to stay within Twitter's 140-character limit. Here's the list, so far. Please share your favorites. An @reply will be saved in the user's "Replies" tab. ab/abt: Short for "about."
  40. How are your landing pages and blogger pitches?- Revenue Journal, November 4, 2010
    Two great studies surfaced this week that will really help you target bloggers more effectively and improve your landing pages. TechCrunch: 2010 State of the Blogosphere. Talks about how bloggers drive traffic to blogs (mostly Facebook and Twitter, not surprisingly, with LinkedIn being a distant third). read more.
  41. Lead to Revenue Management with Andre Pino of Forrester Research- Modern B2B Marketing, November 10, 2010
    I recently had a chance to sit down with Andre Pino, principal analyst for Forrester Research, to discuss lead to revenue management , a solution for overcoming the sales and marketing process gap. Phil Fernandez: I know you have been talking about lead to revenue management – tell us what that means, and some of the insights you’re starting to see?
  42. Why Facebook is more important than your house- grow - Practical Marketing Solutions, November 28, 2010
    “What’s going to be the next Facebook?&#. love debating the implications of social media trends with my students and this question comes up a lot. . My short answer is “There isn’t going to be one&# … a response which always results in surprised and confused faces! The psychology of Facebook. It’s a lifestyle.
  43. What the heck’s a “Lead” anyway?- Fearless Competitor, November 1, 2010
    What’s a Lead? With MarketingSherpa finding 8 out of 10 companies say the lack of quality sales leads is their #1 problem, companies are looking for leads.
  44. A Great Marketing Tool Built by Your Tax Dollars- B2B Sales and Marketing, November 15, 2010
    There has been no shortage of criticism of how the federal government spends our tax dollars, in particular over the past two years. But I found something recently that is worth every dollar, especially if you’re a marketer. But it also contains a wealth of information for marketers. You could literally spend weeks in this section running reports.
  45. Chris Brogan: All These Numbers Like Friends and Followers are Useless- Social Marketing Forum, November 26, 2010
    For those of you who don’t know, Chris Brogan is one of the world’s leading figures in social media. In his own words he’s ‘an eleven year veteran of using social media and both web and mobile technologies to build digital relationships for businesses, organizations, and individuals.’. ve been on this current run for a few years. Essentially.
  46. My Favorite Productivity Apps – Multimedia & Web- Paul Gillin, November 8, 2010
    Continuing on my post from two weeks ago about my favorite PC productivity tools, here’s another list of goodies. Most are free, all are bargains. Photo/video. We are all our own artists and layout editors these days, and with my crummy graphic design skills, I need all the help I can get. very cool option I’ve recently discovered is CacheViewer.
  47. Why Companies Need to F-R-E-E Their Case Studies- Stories that Sell, November 11, 2010
    A small software company recently ran an experiment… The company, which had been requiring registration to download its customer case studies, decided to unlock those stories on their website. Site visitors could read or download stories freely, without having to provide any information. The results were pretty shocking. Don’t miss out!
  48. How Social Media is Transforming the B2B Buying Experience- Buyer Persona Insights, November 28, 2010
    Image by dusan.writer via Flickr. This past year we’ve witness a meteoric explosion of social media, social business, and many other peripheral digital communications channels. 0160; Without question, social media has dominated the business news in terms of conventional media channels as well as digital media channels.
  49. Driving Social CRM- Sales Intelligence View, November 23, 2010
    Paul Greenberg published an article on ZDNet called “Looking Back at 2010 – In 2010&# and he gave a great explanation of his methodically scientific approach to forecasting. customer 2.0 Dreamforce Enterprise 2.0 Microsoft Dynamics oracle crm on demand paul greenberg socialprise
  50. Increase Sales by Improving Customer Touchpoints- Sazbean, November 30, 2010
    You may think improving your website or your point of sale system or even your after-sales service will help increase your sales. They most likely will. But there usually are more places that customers (and potential customers) interact with your brand (touchpoints). Talk to customers to make sure you have everything on the list.
  51. Restaurants are Social by Nature- Marketing Edge, November 3, 2010
    Time 31:38 I love the Twitter cliche used by most every CEO skeptical of social media, “Who cares what you had for lunch.” In the case of restaurants, they all care that diners tweet their. Hitting on a single topic in marketing, social media and business communications. Quick and to the point.
  52. More on Marketo Financials: Despite Past Losses, Prospects Are Bright- Customer Experience Matrix , November 19, 2010
    Summary: Public data gives some insights into Marketo's financial history and prospects. Despite past losses, the company is in a strong position to continue to compete aggressively. Here’s a bit more on this week's $25 million investment in Marketo : a piece in VentureWire quotes revenue for Markteo as $4.5 million for 2009 and "triple that" ($13.5
  53. Savvy Speaks: Our Favorite eBook Examples from Around the Web- Savvy B2B Marketing, November 10, 2010
    Last week the Savvy Sisters sounded off about eBooks – what defines the medium and how to use them to your best advantage. This week we are sharing some links to great examples on the web. Michele I LOVE eBooks. While both of these pieces require registration, the are great examples that combine great content and design. Schaefer of {grow}.
  54. Social Media Success Starts with Listening- Webbiquity, November 16, 2010
    The grandmotherly maxim, “The good Lord gave you two ears but only one mouth for a reason&# applies to social interactions in general, but is nowhere more critical than in social media marketing. Without this information, the company’s social media pronouncements appear off-topic, unsolicited and out of touch. Follow the influencers.
  55. How B2B marketers can be winners at the game of tag.- B2BMarketingSmarts, November 17, 2010
    What was the best part of playing tag as a youngster? Not being “it,&# of course. Well, here we are conducting B2B marketing for our companies and we want to be “it.&# That’s because being “it&# means having a competitive edge, the most well-known brand, the biggest market share, and generating the most revenue. Make it true.
  56. Social Media 101: Content Marketing- PR Meets Marketing, November 2, 2010
    Most social media campaigns begin with a bang – you’re excited, have a lot of passion and are regularly posting, tweeting and engaging your audience. If social media marketing isn’t
  57. Dawning of the Age of Content Marketing in the Industrial Sector- Industrial Marketing Today, November 17, 2010
    Manufacturers and industrial companies have a reputation of being slow to adopt new marketing strategies and techniques. If you are a B2B marketer who deals with engineering companies, you know how difficult it is to explain the true value of content marketing to upper management and the C-suite. am referring to Miller Electric Mfg.
  58. B2B Mobile Marketing: 10 Key Mobile Arguments. Now With Audio!- CK's B2B Blog, November 5, 2010
    I've had several readers ask me to include audio in my slideshows and here goes! This important piece, which answers the "Why Mobile For B2Bs?, provides 10 Key Arguments to Turn Mobile Skeptics Into Mobile Supporters. and it's new and improved with audio (thanks to my new friends at Brainshark ). No problem!
  59. Want a Bigger Marketing Budget? Send Less Leads to Sales- B2B Lead Generation Blog, November 18, 2010
    If your 2011 marketing budget is tighter than you want it to be, trying giving sales less leads. According to Marketing Sherpa’s just-released 2011 B2B Marketing Benchmark Report , a whopping 80 percent of the 935 respondents said they pass unqualified leads along to sales. That’s a costly mistake. How much revenue could that potentially drive?
  60. Is User Generated Content building a Wall between your Brand and your Customer?- Buzz Marketing for Technology, November 24, 2010
    So here is a little fact that really scares me – User Generated Content has surpassed that of publisher content which means we marketers (or publishers) are the “white noise” to the User Generated Content “signal” they produce. So let’s dive into that for a moment …. Now take that same dynamic and put that in front of your brand. Tweet This!

Hot Topics