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The 6 Key Staples of B2B Marketing - and Other Manifesto Pledges

September 20, 2011 by Bob Apollo with 95 views

The dictionary defines a manifesto as a public declaration of intentions, opinions, objectives, or motives. It seems to me - as it does to the good folks at Velocity Partners - that this is an excellent time to set out a new B2B Marketing Manifesto. After all, as they point out, there has never been a more interesting, exciting or challenging time to be a B2B Marketer than right now… [read more]

4 Ways to Get Your Sales Reps to Ask Better Questions

September 15, 2011 by Matt Heinz with 63 views

Most B2B sales organizations have migrated to some form of consultative or SPIN selling these days. But even though your sales reps may be asking more questions, what separates good from great sales teams is often the ability to ask the right questions, better questions that more quickly and effectively drive interest, urgency and mobility towards a mutually-successful outcome. [read more]

Are B2B and B2C Really That Different?

September 12, 2011 by Matt Heinz with 91 views

I often wonder if we'd be more successful at B2B marketing if we thought of it more like B2C. In the end, we're selling to people, not businesses. People make the decisions, based on a mix of personal interests, professional aspirations, politics, etc. [read more]

10 Steps to Chart a New Course in B2B Marketing [from MarketingProfs Forum]

June 18, 2011 by Michael Brenner with 82 views

For those of you who followed my live-tweeting during Marketing Profs B2B Marketing Forum, I hope it was helpful. And for those of you who unfollowed me, I understand…My output has caused another Social Media Hangover. There was just so much great content and so many amazing people, I was like a kid in a candy store. But the... [read more]

How Marketers are Using Social Media for Business: New Report

April 27, 2010 by Tom Pick with 787 views

Whatever questions you may have about social media marketing, you’ll probably find the answers in the 2010 Social Media Marketing Industry Report from white paper guru Michael Stelzner.  This excellent study provides a wide array of answers, statistics and insights. If there was any doubt that social media has become... [read more]

Social Relevance Plays a Role In Vendor Selection

March 18, 2010 by Ardath Albee with 170 views

There's quite a bit of talk by B2B businesses about the presumed lack of true prospects actively engaging in social media. But, even more of a detractor to marketers is how to prove the ROI of investments in social media. IDG Connect's brief, Social Media and the IT Investment Process – Linking to Relevant Content: May the Best Vendor... [read more]

Time for lateral thinking about B2B selling

March 5, 2010 by Editor Bloggertone with 205 views

You have no doubt heard the saying ‘discovery is not about seeking out new lands, but looking at existing lands with new eyes’.  Well, that pretty much sums up the rationale behind lateral, or creative thinking. When something is very familiar, it can be a challenge to look at it a-fresh.  But it is only by so doing that new... [read more]

Email is Still the Sharing Superstar

December 27, 2009 by Ardath Albee with 265 views

Social networking may be all the rage, but when it comes to sharing links, content, pictures and ideas—email remains the star. And not just by a little bit. According to a StrongMail study, "fully 86% of sharing activity related to social programs run on [their] platform in Q3 3009 was done via e-mail. Facebook got only 6% of shares,... [read more]

27 Benefits from B2B Lead Nurturing

November 29, 2009 by Ardath Albee with 179 views

Many B2B marketers will tell you they have a nurturing program. If you ask them what benefits they hope to gain, they'll likely talk about the goals for the program in relation to the number of sales opportunity conversions or revenues produced from marketing-driven customer acquisition.Those are great goals, of course, and ones we need... [read more]

Audit Your B2B Website for Engagement

November 13, 2009 by Ardath Albee with 227 views

B2B companies say that improving their websites is a priority for 2010. I'm not sure exactly what they're thinking, but I do know that — before they do anything — they need to evaluate the website they have now in order to create a renovation plan.I suggest that an audit be conducted for each web page, or at least your main pages if... [read more]

Which is Better for Driving B2B Blog Traffic - Twitter or LinkedIn?

November 11, 2009 by Tom Pick with 217 views

I recently did a little test to determine whether Twitter or LinkedIn was more effective at driving traffic to a few specific posts on this blog. While the results aren't scientific by any means, they are enlightening.Various posts were promoted on Twitter (with retweeting encouraged) and to three relevant and popular LinkedIn Groups... [read more]

eBook: Tune Up Your Customer Focus

November 8, 2009 by Ardath Albee with 169 views

In my book, eMarketing Strategies for the Complex Sale, I talk about how B2B marketers need to really get to know their customers in order to improve their marketing effectiveness. One of the exercises presented in the book is The Customer Focus Tune-up. This eBook expands upon that exercise.In the eBook, I present:A breakdown of the... [read more]

Is Your Content Marketing the Conversation?

November 5, 2009 by Ardath Albee with 148 views

B2B marketers are focused on getting response to their content and outreach initiatives. They want click-throughs and replies and inquiries to result from the calls to action they flow through their marketing programs.But, what B2B marketers of complex sales need to focus on—in addition—is marketing the conversation. There are a variety... [read more]

Top Marketing Budget Priorities for 2010

November 2, 2009 by Tom Pick with 207 views

Given the continued high unemployment rate and uncertain prospects for economic recovery, marketing budgets will be tight heading into the new year. Most B2B marketers are likely to find themselves with fewer dollars to spend but more pressure to spend them carefully.In this environment, what are the three or four areas where marketers... [read more]

Best of 2009 (So Far): Twitter Tips and Tactics, Part 1

October 26, 2009 by Tom Pick with 314 views

Despite a recent dip in users, Twitter remains a hot social media platform (and arguably a better venue for b2b marketers than Facebook). Bloggers not only use Twitter to promote their content, but writing about Twitter frequently is their content.Want to learn more about how to use Twitter for marketing, which mistakes to avoid, and... [read more]

Create Content to Engage Early-stage Leads

October 20, 2009 by Ardath Albee with 155 views

Most B2B companies have lots of content for late-stage buyers. This includes data sheets, solution briefs, technical white papers, online demos, etc. If you evaluate your website content, you’ll likely see most of your content oriented around your product offerings and solutions. The gap I see most often is a lack of early stage content... [read more]

The Return on YES in Lead Nurturing

October 18, 2009 by Ardath Albee with 159 views

Lead nurturing has been proven to be instrumental in producing qualified sales opportunities for B2B organizations—when done well. The goal, of course, is for your content strategy to produce momentum during the buying process that consistently produces that outcome.But I'd like to challenge you to go farther. You've got to harness the... [read more]

3 Brand Marketing Trends That Will Continue in 2010

October 15, 2009 by Eric Tsai with 129 views

When you hear something enough times, it may be a fad. But when you start to see email spam about it, you know it’s a trend. That’s the case with marketing trends such as email marketing and social media. The problem with trends is that it’s usually a lagging indicator, which means to seize the opportunity you may need to be an early... [read more]

5 Ways to Wow Your Prospects

October 9, 2009 by Stephanie Tilton with 142 views

This summer, Knowledge@Wharton published an article that highlights a report titled "Discovering 'WOW' -- A Study of Great Retail Shopping Experiences in North America." The article points to five major areas that contribute to a great shopping experience: Engagement: being polite, genuinely caring and interested in helping,... [read more]

An Identity Crisis for the Sales Lead

September 29, 2009 by rlesser@directimp... with 180 views

Do you find it startling that many sales and marketing teams still cannot agree on the definition of a sales lead?The irony of course, is that the deliverable for sales is crystal clear - the sale. The contract is signed and the PO received. The heavy lifting from sales is finished and that of accounts receivable begins.But for... [read more]

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