You might be saying, “Hey Schubert…enough about the content already!” I hear you. We’ve been blogging about it quite often lately. But, that just means it’s something we believe in. And, according to the recent “2010 Content Marketing Spending” study, we aren’t alone.

B2B Magazine’s article states that 56% of surveyed marketers plan to increase their budgets this year. The percentage of total marketing budgets going to content increased also, up to 33% this year.

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If you’re working in marketing or any form of public relations, you have to be aware of the how social media is changing the face of the industry. Need real proof of just how all-pervasive social media have become? Check out this out.

That’s right, there is a social networking site for llamas and alpacas. Well, not actually for the woolly beasts (they find it tough to type with hooves), but people with an interest in these animals. “Lama Journal has been created so people who have an interest in alpacas and llamas, can come to one central location online and share information such as photos, videos, and much more…”

If there’s a social network for llama lovers, you can bet there’s one for your B2B target market. Now you need to get out there and start communicating with them.

Today’s Web 2.0 world and its social nature demand that companies continuously create and market content to draw users back to their Web sites. But that can be intimidating to many marketers.

“Where are we going to get content?” they moan.

The fact is that many companies are sitting on treasure troves of high-value content, but they just don’t know it. If you want to find out how you can use existing marketing materials to create content for your social media use, check out our free e-book.

Oh, and by the way, creating an e-book is just one way to repurpose existing materials into great content.

Most B2B companies post some news releases on their web site. Others go a step further, posting resources like corporate backgrounders and bios that are useful for trade journalists.  That’s great, but do they realize how much more opportunity there is to gain a competitive advantage? 

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A tweet today by social media thought leader Chris Berger led me to an interesting post on Ragan.com about the use of social media by the leaders of several large associations for professional business communicators. While Lindsey Miller did a nice job on the research, what I found particularly interesting was the comment posted by IABC President Julie A. Freeman in response to the story.

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How exciting to see that B2B mainstay social networking site LinkedIn  has unveiled a new mobile version for iPhones! Called LinkedIn for iPhone 3.0, the new app boasts a Facebook-like user interface and a new search interface.

Some of the most useful features for B2B marketers are the new Favorites functionality that lets you access most-used information quickly and an Updates view to highlight the most recent changes with your connections. The app also integrates Inbox and your address book so you can easily download your connections into your iPhone contacts. Another exciting feature called “In Person” mimicks the popular “Bump” iPhone app to let you instantly exchange contact information when you meet another LinkedIn member in person. It uses Bluetooth wireless technology to transfer the info from one phone to another. You can also mark profiles as favorites while on the road, so they can be added to your home screen and sync contact information with your CRM system.  All in all, this is a very nice app which I recommend for all LinkedIn members. Thank you LinkedIn!

This 1-minute video from Google shows its new real-time search feature announced last week. This is big – even for B2B marketers!  Now, ”tweets” from social networking site Twitter will show up in search results as conversation bubbles.  Here’s the kicker.

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If we’re only as strong as our weakest link, shouldn’t we find that faulty link fast and bring it up to par? With 2009 quickly coming to a close, it’s a perfect time for marketing professionals to evaluate this past year and see where they can best focus their efforts in 2010. What was a weak link in your marketing program?

I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of B2B companies felt they didn’t invest as much time or energy as they would have liked to in social media. While tight budgets may have limited companies’ abilities to devote resources to exploring social media, its application and value to B2B marketers continue to progress. 

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Have you noticed the sudden explosion of video ads? They’re sure hard to miss, and that’s the point. Unlike the animated banner ads of the “Web 1.0” era – or what I like to refer to as “flip book ads”, video ads engage the user in a way animated gif’s or even Flash ads can’t or haven’t. And this makes sense as 90% of Americans list TV as their primary source of news…we are a visual society.

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Any sales professional will tell you that despite all the tools and tactics that have evolved over the years, most deals are closed because there is personal chemistry between the parties – the buyer simply likes the seller. Yes, even in the “sterile” and prolonged B2B buying cycle, closing deals usually comes down to the personalities of the individuals involved. So why, then, do so many business people keep their personality out of their marketing? Why do we feel the need to keep our prospects at arms’ length?

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