24 Jan |
Let’s Put Social Media in Its “Place”…Remember that it cannot “Replace” Sales |
At a recent business networking event, an excited senior executive was telling me all about his B2B organization’s brand new social media marketing strategy. I was curious to know what kind of results the company is expecting to see. With much enthusiasm and palpable optimism, the executive told me they were planning to increase market share by 20% over the last year. Not a bad target I thought, although I did not ask for details on numbers. Yet, when I probed further to ask what other sales and marketing initiatives were being put in place to achieve that goal the answer shocked, but
Read more...Published Date: 24 Jan 2012
Category: Sales Leads, Social Media
Tags: brand marketing, monetize social media initiatives, social media marketing, traditional sales and marketing
17 Jan |
Does Your Social Media Image Match Ground Realities…or is it up in the air? |
Big brands are quick to communicate their “brand promise” across marketing channels. With the rapid evolution and near total adoption of social media marketing, it is now much faster and easier to communicate with your stakeholders. What the big boys need to keep in mind, however, is that actions do speak louder than words. Your website, company blog, Facebook and Twitter pages can say great things about your commitment to quality, customer service, blah, blah, blah…but if your target audience does not see this reflected in actual experience with your brand then you have a problem
Read more...Published Date: 17 Jan 2012
Category: Digital Marketing, Social Media
Tags: brand image, brand marketing, customer service, Facebook, social media channels, social media marketing, social media networks, Twitter
10 Jan |
Automation Tools—Friend or Foe (or do you even know?) |
I’m not an avid shopper and I stay away from the malls as much as I can; most definitely during the holiday shopping frenzy. So it’s natural that I thought the crowds would have thinned somewhat now that everyone is back to work and school. I had not taken into account the fact that now is the time all the duplicate gifts are being exchanged, new ones are being purchased with the generous gift cards received and everything that does not work the way it should is being returned by dejected consumers who had pinned their hopes on to that most exciting gadget, electronic item or appliance.
Read more...Published Date: 10 Jan 2012
Category: Lead Generation, Sales Automation
Tags: automation consultant, automation tactics, automation tools, b2b marketing, email program, lead nurturing, sales and marketing automation
05 Jan |
Marketing Resolutions for 2012—Pick One, Many or All! |
The number of people who get stumped by the question, “What’s your New Year’s resolution?” is huge. The pressure is all around and breathing down our necks…what if you are asked the question and don’t have an answer. We have all done it at some point; made up an impromptu resolution rather than appear laid-back and non-ambitious in front of people we believe are important to us. The thing is, on a personal level, making up resolutions that you really have not thought about and don’t care to strive for may be okay. After all, you are accountable to yourself. At an
Read more...Published Date: 05 Jan 2012
Category: Lead Generation, Social Media
Tags: B2B lead generation, B2B marketer, inbound marketing, integrated marketing, leads, leads database, marketing resolutions, sales, sales and marketing, Social Media, telemarketing, teleprospecting
22 Dec |
LEADing Numbers: Holiday Edition |
Since we are in the midst of the holiday season, we found some holiday statistics to share with you. For those of you thinking – how is this relevant to B2B lead generation – successful lead generation does not exist in a vacuum. Knowing events and other factors that affect your prospects and customer base is an important part of building a successful lead generation campaign. I also challenge you to think about how you can use this information to incorporate into your playbook. 1. First, even though it is the holidays – keep blogging and posting outstanding
Read more...Published Date: 22 Dec 2011
Category: Demand Generation, Lead Generation, Sales Funnel, Sales Leads
Tags: holiday, Lead Generation, Social Media
20 Dec |
A Review of the Top B2B Lead Generation Posts of 2011 |
Looking back over 2011, first thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read my posts and join in the conversation and improving approaches to B2B lead generation. If you are new to the blog or a regular subscriber, I thought it would be helpful to summarize the top five B2B lead generation blog posts of 2011 based on total readership, starting with the most popular: 1. Why Aren’t Your Sales People Following Up on Leads Provided by Marketing? It’s true isn’t it? That’s a fairly common situation in the B2B market. When the numbers are down and falling short of target,
Read more...Published Date: 20 Dec 2011
Category: Account Mapping, Appointment Setting, Demand Generation, Digital Marketing, Lead Generation, Lead Management, Lead Nurturing, Leadership, Social Media
Tags:
13 Dec |
Is Your CRM Wish List for the New Year Missing Something(one)? |
Holiday shopping until a few years ago was actually an event I used to look forward to. There was much excitement around everyone’s wish list for holiday gifts. Bringing home the treasures was another adventure; sneak ‘em in and hide them well until it’s time to hand them out. Or place them discreetly where your loved ones will run eagerly to look for them on the big day. Surprises came in bigger packages; bigger the better. In recent years, the Internet has changed all that. Shoppers can sit bleary-eyed at some insane hour of the night and order gadgets, gizmos and geek delights
Read more...Published Date: 13 Dec 2011
Category: CRM, Lead Generation, Sales Leads
Tags: CRM consultant, CRM tools, Lead Generation, leads, sales and marketing, sales automation, sales cycle
06 Dec |
Why Aren’t Your Sales People Following Up on Leads Provided by Marketing? |
It’s true isn’t it? That’s a fairly common situation in the B2B market. When the numbers are down and falling short of target, the blame game is at its best. Marketing tries to prove its contribution to the bottom line and insists that there are enough new B2B leads being poured into the sales funnel. The sales department isn’t able to close enough deals and a sense of doom and gloom just percolates company-wide. So what seems to be the problem here? Why aren’t your sales people following up on the leads provided by marketing? There could be a few reasons for this and they are
Read more...Published Date: 06 Dec 2011
Category: Lead Generation, Lead Management, Sales Leads
Tags: B2B leads, definition of a lead, incentive programs, lead generation process, marketing, number of leads, quality of leads, sales, sales performance
01 Dec |
More Social Media Lead Generation Statistics – the LEADing Numbers |
How is the social world from a numbers and lead generation perspective? Here is what we found this week: 1. No One Is Checking In? Some people are using applications on their mobile phone to “check-in” but the numbers are decreasing. According to Pew Internet and America Life Project, as of May 2011, 58% of smart phone users had a location based service on their phone but only 12% of them had checked in. Even though it may appear these geosocial applications are losing popularity, companies continue to gather geographical information about their prospects and clients. From
Read more...Published Date: 01 Dec 2011
Category: Lead Nurturing
Tags: social media statistics
29 Nov |
Social Media for B2B and B2C—A Carnival of Grasshoppers? |
Many years ago I watched a TV show called Kung Fu where the blind Kung Fu master calls his young student a “grasshopper” as a term of endearment for one who still has a lot to learn. A quick Google search led me to a scene I remember and I’d like to share it with you. Take a look— Now I’m not claiming to be like Master Po—mainly because I am neither blind nor old! But I was struck at the time by the old man who could see and hear things that others (including the young “grasshopper” boy) could not. My reason for bringing this up here on my blog is because I see a lot of
Read more...Published Date: 29 Nov 2011
Category: Brand Marketing Strategy, Demand Generation, Digital Marketing, Inbound Marketing, Lead Generation, Lead Management, Lead Nurturing, Sales Leads, Social Media
Tags: B2B social networking, Lead Generation, leads, ROI, sales, social media marketing, social media marketing for B2B, social networking
