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- In a post at his eponymous blog, Tom Trush tells the story of a client who asked for help after a direct-mail lead-generation campaign failed to yield a single response. His prospects, insisted the exasperated client, were different. "Every time I hear this claim my ear drums rattle," says Trush. ... more
- Even before the recent furor over Amazon's sale of the self-published "The Pedophile's Guide to Love and Pleasure," and the subsequent less-than-stellar and social-media-inept response by Amazon, it seemed clear that the pioneering e-commerce giant had begun to fall behind the social-commerce curve. more
- In a brief Take 10 online tutorial at MarketingProfs, Jim Lenskold, president of Lenskold Group, spells out clear guidelines for creating targeted lead-nurturing programs that can help you boost conversions, reduce sales-cycle times and create more profitable and enduring customer relationships. Granted, that's a tall order for a 10-minute presentation, but ... more
- To launch your marketing programs, you need the green light from your internal executives—and that means building the business case for new media and new programs. Here's how to convince B2B executives that mobile poses a high-opportunity, high-ROI marketing channel—and can make a significant impact with their business-centric audiences. more
- Customer retention is ultimately driven by value. Even the best segmentation, targeting, positioning, creative messaging, or promotion with flawless execution will fall flat in the absence of value. To succeed, customer retention must be a top-down, companywide initiative. Here's how to get there in six steps. more
- Companies have discovered that a virtual-engagement strategy provides a new channel for reaching target audiences. Virtual-engagement platforms remain open 24/365 for connecting with prospects, customers, and employees around the globe. No wonder virtual engagement is on its way to becoming a key component of innovative companies' marketing mix. more
- "If you're like many professional service providers, you get a lot of business from referrals," writes Barbara Bix at MarketingProfs. But you may not realize how closely the referral process parallels the buying process. "[J]ust as you can accelerate the buying process," she notes, "you can accelerate referrals by anticipating ... more
- "The Web makes it too easy for your competitor to lure away interested buyers before your people have had a chance to contact them," warns Steven Woods in a post at the Harvard Business Review blog. And that reality, he argues, demands some fundamental changes in the B2B sales process. ... more
- Your sales and marketing organizations are the most critical links to customers. The alignment of those two organizations determines how well a company attracts buyers and sells to them. The relationship is more than just a simple handoff at the point a lead is generated; it is the foundation for ... more
- On the Web, customers want details, facts, comparisons, and feedback from other customers. They avoid the fluff and waffle and marketing hype. What the Web represents, more than anything else, is a shift in power: away from organizations, toward customers. Brands, politicians, even popes are being questioned more than ever. more
- With the near ubiquity of online social networks, you might think they're just the thing for your lead generation and nurturing programs. But before you take a spontaneous Facebook plunge, Ardath Albee of Marketing Interactions offers a few caveats. "The problem I find most prevalent is that companies have no realistic ... more
- Time is today's scarcest resource, and everyone is suffering from attention overload. Many marketers have therefore resorted to just getting louder (literally and figuratively). Rather than pushing (and annoying) customers, one way to break through the cacophony is via triggers that redirect customer behavior. more
- With vast Web-based resources now available to evaluate products and services, tech buyers are no longer dependent on Sales for information about purchases. Buyers don't want or need to engage with sales people until far later in the buying cycle. "Information is power," writes Don Fornes, Founder & CEO of ... more
- More than ever, your lead-generation program must include a strong nurturing component. A DemandGen survey, notes Cheryl Goldberg at the High-Tech Communicator blog, found that nurtured leads produce a 20-percent increase in sales opportunities versus non-nurtured leads. And—realistically—many of your leads will require at least a little nurture. "According to Brian ... more