I just read Seth Godin’s most recent blog entry and it really hit home. I just got out of a new business meeting where we discussed nailing down this particular client’s target market. Which is a completely feasible task. With the right research and industry knowledge, B2B marketers can target markets….or can we? Read the rest of this entry »
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. Read the rest of this entry »
PCs are for serious business people, and Macs are for students and long-haired artsy types who need to do stuff like photography, graphics and video, right? Well maybe, or maybe not. Apple’s computer market share has more than doubled recently. Apple’s Steve Jobs has done a number on consumers. Those students that Apple targeted in the 1980s have grown up and are now creating an adult-sized demand. “We want Macs!” seems to be the new mantra of business professionals. A stellar ad campaign and crafty marketing – such as paid placements in television and movies – are helping grow that seed that was planted so long ago. Talk about a long-term strategy!
What can you learn about this success story? You can look at what is behind the ballooning demand for Macs. What business people really want is what Macs deliver: simple usability, lightning-quick Internet access and video excellence. This is what B2B buyers want too. To learn about product benefits via the Internet and user-friendly tools. To be able to see, hear and trial products and services on their own – before the salesperson calls.
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. Read the rest of this entry »
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 … Read the rest of this entry »
According to “2008 Marketing Priorities and Plans,” the much-heralded report in BtoB Magazine’s December issue, marketing budgets are on their way up. The biggest winners in this marketing lottery are online/interactive media portals, which are likely cheering all the way to the bank (for more information about the online marketing tools poised for the most growth, see Brent Wilson’s post). BtoB marketers are cheering too, and with good reason; interactive media provides a wealth of engaging, innovative ways to reach customers, grow leads, and with the right follow-through, close sales.
I’m as excited to ride the interactive marketing wave as everyone else. As I read the survey summary, though, I was struck by the very last paragraph, which read in part, “The primary marketing goal for 2008 is customer acquisition, followed by brand awareness, customer retention, and other objectives.” That information wasn’t necessarily striking in and of itself, but the placement of the information within the report surprised me.
When did marketing’s actual goals become secondary to the tools used to achieve them? Read the rest of this entry »
“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. Read the rest of this entry »
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. Read the rest of this entry »
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.