B-to-B General Advice

SUMMARY: With an abundance of available marketing automation vendors, there is likely an automation solution that fits into your budget, marketing needs, and existing software (such as CRM).

This case study covers a global ERP software company that employed a marketing automation system which no longer fit its business needs. Learn the process the company used to evaluate 15 marketing automation vendors -- from assembling a team, selecting a new automation solution, and then implementing the software.

Also, see how this company increased deliverability from 81% to 99.6%, and open rate from 11% to 18%, while reducing unqualified leads by 341%. read the complete case study

SUMMARY: Gamification is a fun marketing channel, but it's really just for consumer marketers. Right?

Not so fast. B2B marketers have many opportunities to take advantage of with gamification. This how-to article includes two gamification experts who provide six tactics on B2B gamification applications.

The topics covered include motivating employees, getting Sales to engage with the CRM, driving online community engagement, driving website engagement for lead nurturing, and appealing Gen Y. One key takeaway: gamification is not about the games -- it's about measuring and motivating. read the complete article

SUMMARY: Your best-laid marketing campaigns can suffer when disaster strikes. You still have to get your message out, but you face a state of crisis and turmoil.

Discover strategies you can use in a time of crisis. Two marketing vets of two of the largest nonprofit disaster-relief agencies in the U.S share how they continue to solicit donations and get their messages out even when disaster strikes. read the complete interview

SUMMARY: In a struggling economy, organizations often feel pressure to accelerate sales pipelines and close deals that are currently in their systems. This week’s marketing research chart looks at the impact of this pressure on the average deal sizes of B2B companies. read the complete article

By Anne Holland, Founder

I woke with a start at four in the morning in a hotel room in Scottsdale, Arizona, where I was conducting research at a marketing trade show in October 1999.

Back then, as now, marketing, PR and advertising professionals were nearly deafened by a deluge of media "serving" them. Magazines, events, newsletters, etc., etc. But, as a 20-year veteran, I felt that huge amount of content hadn't been terribly... read the complete blog post