B-to-B Marketing

SUMMARY: Many companies rent lists and reach prospects who have never heard of them, even if it's not a best practice. The marketers in this article, however, earned great results by shifting gears to focus campaigns only on prospects who had prior contact with the company.

See how two emails and six phone calls generate an average 4-to-1 ROI for this healthcare IT company's lead generation. We include the team's contact schedule and show how the emails prime prospects for conversion. 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: Apps for the iPhone have generated considerable buzz in the consumer world, but do they have a place in a B2B marketing strategy? The answer depends on several key factors, including the nature of your audience and the functionality you can provide through an app.

We asked a marketer from a large law firm to share details from their recent experience developing an iPhone app. Read on for six key questions that will determine whether the approach is right for you, and how you can manage the process. read the complete interview

SUMMARY: The relationship between average deal size and length of sales cycle is tight. Smaller deal sizes typically lead to shorter sales cycles. Last week, we saw that average deal sizes for B2B organizations have decreased year over year. This week’s chart looks at the corresponding shortening lengths of sales cycles. 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