07 Feb |
Is Your LinkedIn Marketing Strategy Generating Business Leads or Just More Noise? |
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How useful and effective is LinkedIn for B2B lead generation? I’ll begin by saying what I have seen in recent times—I see LinkedIn as being a good forum of exchange for B2B marketers. Unlike more “personal” channels like Facebook, executives come together on a “professional” platform offering opinions and industry perspectives using LinkedIn Answers. Some of the most exciting management positions are sought and offered on LinkedIn Jobs. B2B events are announced and promoted using LinkedIn Events. Company websites and blogs are promoted via LinkedIn profile pages of organizations
Read more...31 Jan |
Facebook: What have you done for me lately? |
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As a B2B marketer your quest is primarily to find new, quality leads. You may have a mix of lead generation tactics and processes that have worked for you and some that didn’t. In recent times, you may have also tried Facebook marketing. Did it do something for you…by way of lead generation? I’ve been thinking a lot about social media and why it appears so exciting for marketers in general. So, does the leading social media channel, Facebook have B2B fans? I think it certainly does. Just like the star-struck fans of a Hollywood celebrity or pop star—fans that swoon at a
Read more...05 Jan |
Marketing Resolutions for 2012—Pick One, Many or All! |
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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...19 Apr |
Do People Provide False Contact Information Online? 69% of the time! |
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It’s true! Landing pages and web forms can bring inaccurate information into your database. Landing pages are increasingly gaining ground as a popular online marketing tactic. Organizations include a strategically designed landing page in their package of marketing tools because it offers them the opportunity to ask for visitor information. From downloading a whitepaper in exchange for an email address to requesting a free trial by providing more detailed contact information, individuals do respond to a compelling call-to-action in a landing page that catches their attention. I read an
Read more...13 Apr |
Account Mapping and Intelligence – A waste of time or worth the effort? |
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Do it right or pay the price. In one of my earlier blog posts, I mentioned that the best list for any B2B marketer to acquire is not one that is bought but one that is built and carefully nurtured over time. A good list for B2B lead generation must have a solid foundation for building organizational history. Sounds logical and easy, doesn’t it? The reality is that small and larger companies alike are having real issues staying on course. In the absence of a well-defined and disciplined process to build and maintain their internal list, several organizations are pouring money down the
Read more...05 Apr |
Can a small company think ‘big’ when it comes to B2B lead generation? |
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- Yes! Provided the right factors are at play In a difficult economy smaller companies are the first to feel the pinch. Lack of a demand generation strategy and process are the main reasons for lagging behind. Internet marketing has expanded product/service options, widened reach and shortened the buying process. Small enterprises need to re-invent their marketing strategies, get out there and pick up the pace to prevent being obliterated. How can they do this? Focused B2B lead generation – large companies know its value and smaller enterprises need to test its benefits first-hand.
Read more...22 Feb |
Twitter and B2B Lead Generation |
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When it comes to social media marketing no business wants to be left behind. It’s mostly free, elicits immediate response and has tremendous reach. Employees and executives are encouraged to ‘tweet’ new products/services and events, keep in constant touch with the target market and manage customer relations when the waters get choppy. And Hollywood thrives on it. However, while Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, etc. were earlier being used for B2C communications, today social media is being touted as a cost-effective B2B lead generation machine. Let’s look at some recent examples of
Read more...09 Feb |
Social Media and Common Sense – How Common is it? |
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For social media to work in a B2B context we need total alignment of all go-to-market tactics. Unfortunately, the “experts” are looking at social media as a single focus tactic, despite the fact that it is an unproven replacement tactic. If the end game is to produce a sales ready lead or speed up the process to a sales ready lead then organizations ought to start thinking integration and alignment. What is happening to your increased web inquiries, landing page visits, etc. that are being generated by your Internet marketing and social media activities? I see this whole issue as a more
Read more...23 Nov |
How to Avoid Becoming the Next Demand Generation Horror Show Star! |
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Having been in this industry for close to 2 decades, I have seen some real horror stories. Companies spending obscene amounts of money on lead generation — from inbound and outbound marketing to sales automation, leads database management, telemarketing, advertising, PR, direct marketing, and so on. Budgets blown away mindlessly and bank-breaking campaigns bringing little or no ROI. Sales reps suffering nervous breakdowns and senior executives coming under the axe for not meeting targets. Scary. If all of these are not horror stories, then I don’t know what else to call them. How
Read more...16 Nov |
The expanding social landscape – integral to lead generation? |
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Is Social Technology Integral to B2B Lead Generation? The scope of social technologies and their potential to help maximize B2B lead generation efforts is real and valid. But marketers must look beyond the eye-candy. Having a bunch of social media medals (logos and icons on your website) won’t do much for your sales team that’s out in the field trying to close the sale on a hot lead. But being active socially will definitely help establish greater credibility and increase visibility; both important factors that positively influence prospects about to make a purchase decision. It looks
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