Andy Lombard says, “Social media can no longer be ignored as a viable marketing tool no matter what your industry. Social marketing has been able to convert leads and customers with unprecedented power by creating a community of loyal brand ambassadors. Social marketing is a powerful tool that is critical in B2B sales. B2B organizations are just beginning to embrace social and understand how to tie it back to their business objectives. Brands that don’t capitalize on it are handing the advantage to their competitors. Google Plus content appears prominently in Google search results, and authorship... [...]

Tara Chilla says, “Writing for a website is different from other kinds of writing. You have to make it short, sweet, and explanatory—and focus on communicating benefits, benefits, benefits. Oh, and also make sure you nail down relevant keywords and scatter them enough (but not too much) in the text. Writers who are new to writing copy for the Web have to learn what works and what doesn’t, and they have to learn fast. To make all that a bit easier, I’m going to discuss a few cardinal rules of business writing and effective online copy. Titles and search results snippets are... [...]

Allison Banko says, “When software company Lumension needed cut its costs, its marketing budget suffered the biggest blow. “Marketing is always a real easy place to look at, because unfortunately, it’s still considered — and has the perception of being — more of a cost center versus a revenue center,” explained Ed Brice, Lumension’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing. Though the department had to decrease its spend 30%, it needed to realign its strategy to protect its demand gen. Discover how Lumension leveraged retargeting online ads to increase leads... [...]

Megan Ritter says, “Sometimes it can be difficult to choose the right social network for your business. Sadly, you can’t make this choice based solely on the popularity of a network, because each social site attracts a different kind of audience. When it comes to marketing, it’s important to know your audience, as well as know how to reach out specifically to them. Pinpointing the right market for your message on social media can be an especially difficult task for B2B companies, as there are few networks where businesses tend to socially connect with one another. Thankfully, recent... [...]

Chris Reed says, “Many people say to me that they don’t generate any business through LinkedIn. I have a simple reply. You’re doing it wrong. There has also been some debate recently on the Econsultancy blog around whether Facebook is more effective than LinkedIn for B2B marketing. To counter this argument, here are five best practices to make the most of LinkedIn and achieve your business goals… 1. Get your profile right If you have a half complete profile, no summary, no job description, no photo, no company page, no content updates on either your personal page or your company... [...]

Jeff Rajeck says, “For marketers, picking a digital ad platform to use and to master is important and is taken with as much care as any major commitment or purchase. Here are some strong arguments why Facebook may be a better platform than LinkedIn for your B2B campaigns. Picking the right digital ad platform for your B2B campaign is one of the most important pre-launch decisions you can make. Sure, you can always change later as your results come in, but it’s worthwhile spending time and effort to learn about the platform so you make an informed decision. In my last post, I provided... [...]

Jawad Khan says, “With more than 300 million registered users, LinkedIn is one of the largest social networking websites in the world. But unlike Facebook and Twitter, which are more suited to B2C selling, LinkedIn is any B2B marketers dream platform. And its effectiveness has only increased with the launch of its own publishing platform earlier this year. This move has massively changed the way organizations could use content to boost their B2B marketing efforts and drive more sales. Having worked with leading B2B ecommerce portals like  Quality Trade, TradeKey and AliBaba, I can... [...]

Jeff Rajeck says, “Do you ever wonder which social network is best for B2B marketing? Me too, so I did some audience research and found some surprising results. Here’s how you can do it too. Even with all of the analytics available, it’s tough for a marketer to know the best platform for a new campaign. I mean, sure, you can look at your historical stats – clicks, conversions, and even ROI – but it feels like there are just too many variables to make an accurate prediction. And without having some idea of your chance of success, it can often feel like you’re... [...]

MarketingSherpa has released a case study titled “B2B Marketing: How Egencia combined old-fashioned outreach with modern marketing to propel its Client Appreciation Week”. Allison Banko says, “Your customers invest in your company — that’s what makes them your customers. But does that investment go both ways? Does your company invest in its customers? Every year during the week of Valentine’s Day, Egencia professes its love to customers through Client Appreciation Week. While the effort was born as a way to communicate thanks, the company’s third run of the... [...]

The latest article on  ‘MarketingProfs’ is titled “The Science of B2B Online Marketing”. Verónica Maria Jarski says, “Want to ensure your B2B online marketing program is effective? The following infographic by Circle Studio can help you create a successful B2B online marketing program. It breaks down B2B online marketing into six essential components: strategy, content marketing, traffic generation, lead generation, lead management, and analytics and measurement. Topping the list of essential components is strategy: “the foundation for your entire online... [...]