Jon Miller wrote an interesting article for MarketingProfs last summer that deserves a second look. Its title: "The Definitive Guide to B2B Marketing in a Recession." ('Nuff said?) One point that stands out in the article is this: a downturn is no time to be faint of heart. Instead, Miller ... more

In Part I, we suggested a few cuts to make in your current marketing budget to help keep your bottom line healthy during these tough times. Now let's take a look at a few line items you should probably keep intact—or even fund a bit more. According to Pat LaPointe ... more

The need to better align the sales and marketing organizations is generally well known. They are connected through their shared roles in motivating customer-purchase activities and divided by different cultures that concentrate on distinct portions of the customer-purchase funnel. There's no doubt that alignment is good, but what must you ultimately ... more

At a fraction of the cost of traditional media, 3M Canada not only generated immediate sales and new excitement around its Scotch Tape brand but also gathered invaluable intelligence about its target market and forged long-term relationships with consumers. more

You closely monitor the results of your paid-search efforts. Shouldn't you do the same for your natural-search program? In a recent MarketingProfs article, Netconcepts' John Thielmann says measuring your natural search performance is not only a good idea, it's imperative if you're reporting progress to higher-ups. So, where to begin? By establishing ... more

"For too long, too many marketers have underestimated the value of email's impact on offline retail," say Lisa Harmon and Alex Madison in a post at the Email Experience Council blog. If you focus entirely on generating online sales, they argue, you might be missing out on bricks-and-mortar opportunities. They've ... more

Email remains one of the least-expensive and highest-converting online marketing techniques out there, but few would argue it isn't past-due for a trendy facelift. Thankfully for the intrepid marketer, there are lots of programmers working on this problem, like little elves, day and night. And a whole passel of them apparently ... more

Welcome to MarketingProfs' inaugural issue of Marketing in a Downturn. We are glad you signed on to receive these once-a-week guides to navigating rough economic seas—and safely making it through to the upturn. We will chart this course together. But if you wish to opt out, just click on the link below. ... more

"Effective one-to-one marketing is more than just email," R.J. Talyor states in an article at MarketingProfs. "[Y]our subscribers and customers aren't always staring at their email inboxes. Rather, they're also posting, texting, watching, commenting, and they step away from the computer sometimes, too." Because of this, he recommends the development ... more

Boston College had just two weeks to inspire alumni and fans to make a last-minute trip to Florida after the school's football team secured its first conference title game. An enticing voice-marketing campaign quickly generated 5,000 ticket sales, netting $200,000. more

The news is out: consumers are changing their buying—and search—habits. SearchIgnite reports that users are taking longer to make purchase decisions online: the average time between when they click on an ad and convert on a marketer's website increased by 32.4% in Q1 2009 compared with Q1 2008. Ouch. In addition, ... more

When we highlighted Aaron Brazell's SXSW Cheat Sheet a few weeks ago, we made the error of assuming all of our readers would know what those four letters meant. As a result, we neglected to identify the Austin, Texas, festival-cum-conference by its full name—South by Southwest—or to explain that the ... more

Just because an email strategy works for one company—even one very like yours—that doesn't mean it will automatically work for you. "This is due to different cultures and expectations," says Debra Ellis in an article at MarketingProfs. "The only way you will know the best strategy for your organization is ... more

The iPhone and iPod touch positively swept the Engadget Awards, winning Gadget of the Year, Smartphone of the Year, Handheld of the Year, Portable Media Device of the Year, and, finally, a spot in Editors' Choice. So, what's this mean for you? It means you need to be ... more

Empty aisles. Echoing footsteps. Silence where there used to be chatter. Real-world retail is clearly suffering. And now new research suggests that if bricks-and-mortar merchants want to survive, they should go virtual big-time. Flatland is calling. According to the recent report, U.S. consumers are steadily moving ... more

A good landing page should tell a story. But filling the page with fluff isn't going to sell your product or service. There is a method to the madness behind the creation of a great splash or jump page. And it's a pretty systematic, organized, and detailed method, at that. more

Let's face it. The Web analytics process can quickly turn complex and frustrating. But a recent post at Marketing Jive suggests it doesn't have to be that way—at least for organic search. "There are a number of simple ways to filter through the numbers each month when you are measuring ... more

You've undoubtedly developed a great elevator pitch for your company, product or service—that informative-yet-concise summation designed for delivery in the time it takes to travel from the lobby to the 17th floor. But what about visitors to your Web site—do you have a punchy way of telling them, in two ... more

According to an iProspect and JupiterResearch study released last year, search users prefer "blended" search results—in which results are potpourried with videos and other media—over standard (slightly boring) text-only search results. Blended results (Google's term is "universal search") work like this: If you've got a restaurant, a search on your restaurant's ... more

"Oh, no! I thought that sale ran through today!" Your customer planned on grabbing a bargain, only to realize she got to your store a day after the sale ended. Is there any way you can still convince her to buy? Well, read on. One researcher recently worked with a ... more

While most of the email you send contains stand-alone content, it's worth considering an ongoing campaign that engages your customers with multiple messages. "A series of emails is a great opportunity to build top-of-mind awareness and recall for your brand," says Keri Palasz in a post at the Listrak email ... more

Do video ads work to turn viewers into buyers and passionate brand advocates? For starters, measurement of the effectiveness of video ads gets bogged down by syndication, viral distribution, viewing via social networks, and many other factors. So how can you find out if your video ad "worked"—an even more important ... more

When done properly, win/loss analysis provides clarity and insights into customers' perceptions of your product, experiences throughout the sales cycle, and expectations created by your company messaging. more

Want to improve your online conversion rates? Reconsider your registration page. Whether your conversion process includes registering for a demo, signing up for an e-newsletter, or making a purchase, there are particular rules you should follow. more

Small businesses need all the TLC they can get. Billing and invoicing online-solution provider FreshBooks knows that better than most. Its customer-centric focus is so fresh and refreshing, word-of-mouth has spread far and wide—and helped grow its user base 150%. more