Customized Marketing Plans Can Make A Big Difference in B2B

A common rut that b-to-b marketers often fall into is the “assumption trap.”  They assume since a segmented set of prospects are all very similar on the surface, they likely share identical needs.
So they take a one-size-fits-all approach to their marketing, figuring the response will be the same across the board.
But just as two people from the same background [...]

When They Want Substance, Straight Forward Marketing is Good Style

Does this description apply to your prospects?
Introverted. Very technical. Love the internet. Don’t like sales people.
Maybe not entirely, but they likely share some similarities with the electronics engineers who were described that way in a recent profile.
Like them, most of your prospects don’t have much time or tolerance for marketing emails and calls. What they want are facts, not fluff.
The same [...]

Befriend Your Prospects First, Talk Sales Later

As you know, B2B marketing is often a long-term endeavor. With complex sales and decisions-by-committee, it can take months – even years – to turn prospects into customers.
So why would you want to make the process even longer? Well, patience has its rewards, provided you effectively nurture each lead from the start.
Brian Carroll touched on this [...]

Prospects, Not Marketers, Drive The Buying Process

Some traditions – like spring training - should remain unchanged forever. In the ever-evolving world of B2B marketing, however, tradition should be tweaked. Traditionally.
The common mindset among marketers is to build sales cycles that drive leads and compel prospects to purchase. But here’s the catch – marketers don’t drive the process. Our prospects are the ones behind [...]

Effective Integration Requires Right Time, Right Place

B-to-B marketers talk a lot about integrated marketing. In theory, the model works quite well. But executing those plans effectively is another story.
Too often, the integration is not done in accordance with how the customer is involved with information, and at what stage. A recent study by technology publisher CMP bears this out.
But first, some numbers: technology companies spend [...]

Survey: Most B2B Marketing Campaigns Need An Upgrade

Are there certain aspects of your marketing program that could be better? You bet — even the best of the best can get better.
And, according to a recent online survey, B2B marketers have “plenty of room for improvement” when it comes to making their direct marketing campaigns more effective.
The survey – conducted by marketing communications agency [...]

B-to-B Tech Company Makes a Direct Marketing Hit

I’m still trying to warm up to video-based marketing – even though I come from the MTV generation. I’m even old enough to remember when MTV actually played music videos!
If I recall, some were absolutely great. Most others weren’t. Even 20-some years later, that ratio hasn’t changed with video-based marketing. There’s still a lot of [...]

B2B Marketing Takes a Creative Page From Consumer Campaigns

B2B marketers have, for the most part, taken a back seat to their consumer-driven counterparts when it comes to the creative. But the gap appears to be closing.
An increasingly crowded marketplace has dictated the shift. To better reach prospects and cut through the clutter, B2B marketing has evolved with more integrated, provocative campaigns.
Not only has the creativity level spiked, but [...]