It’s a natural reaction for brands to walk on eggshells in hopes of avoiding a PR disaster. Should you jump right in or turn the other cheek? Admit the facts or deny the truth? Certain situations, however, cause a knee-jerk reaction to “act now, think later,” leaving a company without any plan for dealing with consequences.

Take Chick-fil-A for instance. The company recently stated its stance on gay marriage. It managed to simultaneously cause an uproar that put its brand right smack in the middle of a sensitive topic — without any action plan for wading through the battle, both publicly and on social media.

Sure, everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion. But, what if the situation wasn’t a result of a communication blunder, but rather a service or product problem, customer dissatisfaction, industry buzz or other scenario where a simple response just won’t cut it? No matter the reason behind a cry for help, following some tried and true advice can be one of the best decisions a brand can make for keeping its image and reputation intact.

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Does your company name carry negative connotations in the marketplace? If so, it may be time to take a cue from Osama Bin Laden. (If he wasn’t dead, that is).

It’s been just over a year since the anniversary of one of the most successful counter-terrorism operations in U.S. history — the day our elite Seals ended the life of arguably the most feared and hated enemy of our country in recent times. Osama Bin Laden, the architect of 9/11 and numerous attacks on Americans and others, is now fish poo.

As we all now know, it wasn’t easy getting him. He had a network of operatives and protectors who kept him safe. As this network was slowly dismantled through the unending pressure of drone strikes and other military and intelligence operations, even Bin Laden knew he had a problem. Keeping control of all of the elements of Al Qaeda proved very challenging. Many times, his terrorist operations ended up killing Muslim civilians (collaterally and sometimes intentionally), as well as their usually intended “infidel” targets. This started changing how Al Qaeda was viewed, and the change was one that Bin Laden took notice of based on recently released intelligence.

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Never underestimate the value of a web visitor. It’s never just a click. It’s not just a “hit” – it could be your next major customer.

But you’ll never land that new client if they “bounce” away after a few seconds, bored and uninspired. That’s why at Schubert Interactive we work so hard to make sure your site engages buyers right away – drawing them in to the content they really want.

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Corporations spend a lot of money on brand identity efforts – logos, corporate guidelines, etc. They want a professional corporate image that projects their brand promise to potential investors and customers. But their brand identity often falls flat when it comes to the corporate website.

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We’ve all been there before, type a web address, select a bookmark, or click on a link and you get this:

Default 404 error page – yuck, right? This cruel and indecent experience happens to millions of internet users every day. Why do we continue to suffer like this? It is, after all, 2012 and web technology has come a long way. That default error page is a missed opportunity for getting your web users back on track and and keeping the overall usability and brand experience high. Where are the custom 404 error pages?

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Sports fans across America are digesting Kentucky’s win in the men’s NCAA basketball tournament, which for most wasn’t a huge shocker. The Wildcats were not only a #1 seed, they were also the odds-on favorite. Big surprise, right?  But that doesn’t always happen.

Not once since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985, has the Final Four featured all #1 seeds. Not once. And in two years, 1980 and 2006, no #1 seed even made it to the Final Four.

So what does any of this have to do with B2B marketing? Well, making it to the Final Four is analogous to making “the short list” when your company is bidding to acquire a new customer.

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Web-centric marketing proves its power over print-only campaigns

At Schubert, we’re proud of the work we do for our clients. We’re especially excited to share our client success stories. We’ve been working with Nilfisk Industrial Vacuums Division for almost a decade. In that time, they have evolved with Schubert to harness the power of web-centric marketing, stepping away from print-only advertising campaigns. Here’s a look at an online marketing campaign that drove up their qualified sales leads by 40% and helped increase sales by 10% in 2011.

Facing the Challenge
After two years, Nilfisk’s stand-alone print ad campaign had run its course. The company was looking for a way to boost qualified leads for their specialty industrial vacuums and improve sales in a highly competitive market.

Creating the Solution
Schubert conducted market research and a program assessment. It found that Nilfisk was active online but the activity wasn’t generating leads. Schubert recommended an integrated strategy to deliver leads — not just clicks.

Tackling the Situation
Nilfisk’s stated goal was to generate qualified sales leads in three industries: food processing, pharmaceutical production and industrial manufacturing. At the heart of the program is a network of industry-specific websites (microsites) populated with branded content, including articles, podcasts and video.

Dust explosions was a topic no one was addressing in the target industries. It’s a risk they all share that stems from their industrial housekeeping practices. Employee health and safety are key concerns. The overall theme was, “In a World Full of Risk, Make the Safe Choice.”
Schubert designed and launched the three microsites, as well as online display banner ads, to deliver niche-specific messaging. The ads coordinated with Nilfisk’s ongoing print ad campaigns.

Schubert then created the content to educate audiences and demonstrate the risk reductions that specific vacuums could provide compared to traditional housekeeping methods. Content was promoted through Nilfisk’s blog and through social channels, including Facebook, SlideShare and Twitter. Videos on important industry trends were distributed through YouTube, the microsites and the corporate website. Users opted in to download the content, allowing Nilfisk to build a database of qualified sales leads.

Reaping the Rewards
In 2010 this program increased leads 40 percent to an average of 300 per month. In 2011, leads have increased to 388 per month. Current pace should result in an additional 10 percent increase over 2010. Sales are also up 10 percent over 2010 (as of 9/2011).

As my colleagues have pointed out in previous posts, mobile technology is growing at an ever-accelerating pace. Where users are accessing information is becoming more and more unpredictable. So is your website currently able to be responsive on any device?

For example, say you have a flash website that is interesting and dynamic on all desktops and laptops. However, if you visit it from an iPad or iPhone — FLATLINE. Your website is dead on arrival because flash is not supported by any Apple product.

Another example: A user visits your website from any mobile phone and your text is too small for them to read. BEEP, BEEP, BEEEEEEEP. Your site has flatlined again because the user will get tired of zooming in to read each page.

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For years, we’ve helped B2B companies better align their sales and marketing teams. When both groups work toward a shared vision and similar objectives, they increase bottom-line performance with more efficient sales operations and profitable marketing activities. Marketing contributes by raising brand preference while generating higher quality leads for the sales team. The sales team then engages with “qualified” opportunities, and concentrates their skill and effort to drive a higher percentage of wins through the pipeline. When both teams are working in simpatico, the results are impressive — increased sales revenue, improved efficiency and higher profit margin. It’s a beautiful thing.

In 2012, this B2B success formula hasn’t changed much. True alignment is powerful and continues to require early collaboration, common vision, mutual respect and a working synergy. However, another group also needs to be added to the alignment. The inclusion and active involvement of the IT department will be vital to B2B success going forward.

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