Some 61% of B2B marketers say generating more leads is their biggest marketing challenge in 2012; however, nearly two-thirds say their marketing mix does not meet sales pipeline demands (32%) or they are unsure of whether their marketing mix is effective (31%), according to a new report by BtoB Online ... more

"Nearly every marketing expert will agree: For a [website] visitor to become a customer, you must take the visitor through three basic stages," writes Sookie Shuen at MarketingProfs. "Those stages are know, like, and trust." In other words, a potential customer won't become a paying customer until she knows what ... more

The use of social networks, particularly LinkedIn, among engineering, technical, manufacturing and industrial professionals continues to rise: 55% of surveyed tech professionals now use LinkedIn, up 18 percentage points, or 48.6%, from the 37% who did so a year earlier, according to a report by GlobalSpec. more

Those of us who spend a significant amount of time watching online video are likely smitten with the inspirational TED talks. But the local TEDx events are equally enchanting, and they offer great lessons in experiential marketing. more

Sales and Marketing alignment is not a new issue, but marketing and sales organizations should not ignore some of the newest best-practices for creating a strong, collaborative revenue engine. The steps outlined here will fuel that engine by helping to align sales and marketing teams. more

Though webinars are live and sometimes free-flowing, they should never be disorganized. Careful planning demonstrates respect for your attendees and their time. Here are 47 tips for hosting a webinar that'll wow your audience. more

At your next tradeshow, you'll likely be competing for the attention of a finite pool of attendees. So how can you best your competitors and capture (and keep) the attention of attendees? You've got to effectively incorporate mobile. more

When measuring the success of online display advertising, agencies tend to place great importance on performance metrics such as conversion, even for branding awareness campaigns, according to a survey from Maxifier. more

So you've developed a groundbreaking inbound content marketing effort that's pulling in prospects in droves! Congratulations! But here's a question: Have you adapted your internal processes to match your prospects' newly acquired expectations? As Ardath Albee notes in a post at the Marketing Interactions blog, when a clever new outreach effort ... more

Businesses that use primarily inbound marketing strategies for lead acquisition consistently report lower cost-per-lead (CPL) rates than those using outbound-centric strategies, according to the 2012 State of Inbound Marketing report by HubSpot. more

Lead scoring enables marketers to precisely measure the warmth of leads before passing them to Sales, thereby increasing conversion rates. But that can be tricky. Learn how to smooth out the scoring process—and get results. more

Lead generation is hard. Why make it harder by doing it without a plan? Learn how effectively developing your strategy, choosing your tactics, and building your list will help you find killer leads. more

Thought leadership—if done correctly—can prompt sales leads to come to you. But some companies still get it wrong. Learn why that happens, how to avoid major mistakes, and how to excel in thought leadership. more

When hosting a webinar, you want people to show up and you want to generate leads. But meeting those goals isn't easy. Here's a five-step plan that'll take the guesswork out of hosting an effective, successful webinar. more

When new visitors arrive at your website, you have two ways to seize the opportunity and guide them toward becoming customers. Both opportunities can evaporate in the blink of an eye—if you don't have the proper systems in place. more

"According to an old expression, even a man lost in the woods knows where he wants to go," writes Dan McDade at MarketingProfs. That adage can apply to the lead gen jungle as well. Say there's a disconnect that is undermining the success of your marketing and sales teams, and ... more

"Email is still the most effective marketing technique," writes Bill Rice at the Better Closer blog. "It's easy to automate and highly efficient at bringing in qualified new leads." But a successful email program doesn't just happen. You must convince prospects to open your message, read it, and take action. ... more

Conferences are ideal venues for plugging into the zeitgeist and networking with colleagues. But they're also expensive. "[And] if you happen to be an introverted marketer, which likely means a conference is not the most comfortable of settings, you'll need a strategy for ensuring your company gets its money's worth—in ... more

"When consumers hear of a local business that is not well known, it's only natural that they conduct some research before making a purchase," writes Nathan Hanks in an article at MarketingProfs. And when they do, they're most likely to choose results that appear first. "Thus," Hanks continues, "'owning' the first page ... more

Increasing your online sales isn't quick or easy, and it involves a lot of trial and error. Learn three steps that'll help you skip some of the guesswork and boost your website's conversion rate. more

Not every potential buyer approaches your business with the same enthusiasm or interest. In a MarketingProfs article, Paul McKeon identifies the four stages of the B2B buying cycle—and how to produce content specific to each one. The unaware buyer. "Content for the unaware buyer must be interruptive. It has to cause ... more

Ah, the B2B sales pipeline. That mish-mash of possibilities that can surprise, delight, or infuriate at a moment's notice. Is there really any way to predict the true likelihood of a sale by crunching pipeline data? Thomas Barrieau says yes—if you know what to look for. Writing at the Sales Operations ... more

Many marketers approach SEO by targeting the keywords in their industries with the largest monthly search volumes, but they often neglect the "long-tail" or low volume keywords, which when combined with multiple keywords can total, or exceed, the volume of the one desirable search term, according to a study by ... more

According to Dan McDade, the foundation of any lead generation program is the right offer—one that intelligently addresses a prospect's real problems. "When you fully understand their pain points and needs and can align them with a clear offer and comprehensive benefits, the sales nurturing process will leapfrog ahead," he ... more

Sometimes promotions work, and sometimes they bomb. But what makes a promotion tank? Here are eight deadly sins that companies commit—and that you should avoid—when planning and executing promotions. more