B2B Marketing Blog

Before the internet, marketing would “fish” for new customers much like deep sea fishing. Get out to the deep water, get the right bait for the fish you’re trying to catch set your line out and wait. You feel the rod jerk, set the hook and reel em’ in. As my grandfather would say, through billows of cigar smoke as I forlornly watched my still rod on his boat anchored off some shoal in Atlantic waters… “you need to have patience”. (more…)

All the Web’s a stage,
And all the B2B companies merely players:
They have their products and their services;
And one company in its time runs many campaigns …

I read with interest a column in the March 10 issue of BtoB Magazine titled “Should your next hire be a theater major? Maybe.” The article asserts that the key ingredient often missing from B2B online creative is a strong point of view. It continues to say successful point of view requires showmanship, “that extra and sometimes daring ingredient” that makes B2B buyers — not unlike theater patrons — want to come back for more.

As it turns out, good old-fashioned theatrical skills, or at least the ability to think like an actor or director, are just as important online as they are on the boards.

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Trade media has offset lost print ad revenue by offering advertisers more online opportunities including a growing number of sponsorships. One of the more popular offerings is “e-newsletter” sponsorships which target their circulation with guaranteed distribution numbers to advertisers. Typically the cost of these e-news letter sponsorships range between $2,500 to $6,000 or more depending on the size of the email blast and the profile of the audience. This cost is significantly higher than passive web advertising in the form of banner ads or print especially when considering the size of the “real-estate” the sponsor purchases in the email. (more…)

Web 2.0 isn’t a novelty for B2B marketers anymore. Your customers expect it. A study by Marketing Sherpa shows that in addition to search marketing (aka SEM, pay-per-click, PPC), search engine optimization (SEO) and natural search are also growing like crazy. This puts pressure on marketing departments to greatly improve their companies’ Web sites, making them two-way portals that encourage interaction and build relationships.

Blogs are also going strong. While attending a session on B2B blogs, I questioned blogs’ current popularity. Our agency had a blog 12 years ago that wasn’t all that successful. (Of course, the word “blog” didn’t even exist then.) Our Internet team answered in a single word: “technology.” Back then everyone had slow computers, slower transmission speeds and very little storage. Now it’s totally different. Lightning-quick technology makes video, interactive and just about anything else, instantaneous – including blogs.

In other words, even though we’ve been doing this “interactive” stuff for a long time, now it really works – and it’s not just for “computer nerds” and retailers selling to the Pepsi generation. It can work for you and your sales. Embrace the future and reap the rewards.

According to a recent article in “Interactive Marketing” not enough care is given to the copy contained on websites. Too much effort is made on talking too much about the company and the features of the products, and not enough time is taken to really explain how your product or service can benefit the customer’s needs and wants. (more…)

When our agency kicked off its blog last May, it seemed like anything and everything inspired me to blog. Current events, other blogs, articles and even just having conversations with my colleagues all made me feel like the forces of the universe were crying out for me to blog … and so I did my best to please them by participating on this blog and others. But for some reason, at the drop of a hat, I lost that momentum and electrifying urge to type away. I felt that way for several months. It begged me to wonder why I went from being so compelled to blog to feeling like there really wasn’t anything I had to say. And for people who know me… it’s very unusual for me to have nothing to say! Could it be bloggers fatigue? Nah. I think I’m too young for that … (more…)

“Signs Point to Yes”

Is widespread adoption of new media strategy and tactics really in the horizon for the B2B world? I don’t have a Magic 8-Ball anymore (I swear), but if I did … I’m pretty sure that the response I would see through its blue, bubbly liquid-filled peep hole would in fact be “Signs point to yes.” Why such the confidence? Well, I could easily make lists of reasons — but you are probably still caught-up on trying to figure out the fate of your own Magic 8-Ball, so I’ll stick to what peaked my interest today. (more…)

Yahoo’s stock jumped 50% on Friday’s announcement that Microsoft has made a 41 billion dollar offer on the number two search engine. That is great news if you have your money in Yahoo stock but don’t pull your marketing dollars out of Google just yet. Google is the number one search engine and even if Yahoo and MSN combined their total search traffic they would still be a distant second. (more…)

As media director part of my responsibility is to research appropriate advertising outlets for our B2B advertising clients. Seems straightforward and it is. But what continues to amaze me is the lack of foresight by B2B publications and outlets. Many still don’t get it. They are clinging desperately to the old model, the old way of doing things, and at times, it is maddening.

Over the last week or so, I have been researching online outlets for a specific client request. My Internet travels took me to many places, some better than others. Many of the sites have a good grasp of how to allow access to rate information to people like me. They require some kind of registration, easy enough.

Others insist on offering a simple email address to write for information. Even more offer just a phone number (whatever that is). Apparently, I must speak with a sales rep. Not really a big deal, except the sales team almost never responds in a timely fashion.

The point? Instead of allowing me access to rates so I can continue to consider their site, I am at the mercy of the ad rep to get back to me. Unfortunately, their window of opportunity is closing. They have lost the advantage. More importantly, they fail to see the advantage. Too bad, too, because some of the sites had promise.

According to BtoB’s “2008 Marketing Priorities and Plans” survey, 60.1% of marketers plan to increase their overall marketing budgets next year… the biggest growth area??? Web site development… (more…)