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Most businesspeople intuitively know that the key to successful marketing is having a marketing plan—a blueprint for action. But many companies operate without one, focusing instead on the issues of the moment without committing to a long-term strategy. A marketing plan does not need to be complex, but it does require several elements to be effective.

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Speak any language long enough, and you'll become fluent; take on the mindset of a strategist and you'll start to see things through a strategist's eyes. And others will notice the change in you--you'll find yourself more and more being called on to act as counsel on all matters customer.

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In today's increasingly post-literate culture, the idea of a 10-plus page linear narrative may seem out of date. But not so. The role of the marketing/technical whitepaper is on an upswing as companies recognize their effectiveness in communicating with audiences that demand authenticity and detail when making business decisions. The big problem with whitepapers, however, is that their length and complexity make them vulnerable to delays and budget overruns, usually in the late phases of the document review process. Here's how to avoid Death by Review.

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Salespeople are notoriously poor in following up on qualified leads. In fact, experts say, sales does not follow up on more than 70% of leads. Why? Field salespeople in most organizations are compensated, motivated, and managed to focus on short-term opportunities, not on the pipeline. Contrast that scenario with the strategic marketing experts at CenterBeam, a San Jose-based IT outsourcing firm that provides IT outsourcing services on a fee-for-service basis. By making the lead-generation process a cornerstone of its strategic marketing program, CenterBeam is getting many of its sales from long-term leads cultivated on the "farm"—and a ten-to-one return on its outside investment in the farmers. Here's how.

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Marketing operations enables an organization to run the marketing function as a fully accountable business. Marketing operations is about performance, financial management, strategic planning, marketing resource, and skills assessment and management. If you are considering developing a marketing operations function, this article outlines some the five primary responsibilities.

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Marketing effectiveness—achieving it requires an organization with the resources and know-how to achieve the fine balance between the art and science of marketing. In other words, it take a little of both to create marketing programs that meet measurable business objectives. Here are seven hurdles to marketing effectiveness, along with proven techniques for how to surmount them.

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As today's markets consolidate and become increasingly competitive, and as buyers become more sophisticated and demanding, customer references gain even greater importance. But many customer reference programs are stuck in outmoded thinking, and that could be significantly holding your company back. So how can your reference program evolve to meet today's challenges?

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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 accomplish to drive performance and profitability?

CONTENT TYPE: Article | TOPIC: Marketing Management

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 profitable revenue growth.

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Marketers have a tough job! No juggler's job has ever been as tough. With 13 or so online marketing channels (and just as many offline), the job of cross-channel marketing is difficult. But creating a successful cross-channel marketing organization is possible.

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This first article of a series focusing on lead nurturing asks and answers, "How do you achieve alignment between Marketing and Sales?" The series will cover 15 questions that are top of mind for companies.

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No question about it, brand loyalty is down since the recession. To fight that trend, marketers have been using short-term tactics—with diminishing results. Something different is needed.

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With the proliferation of marketing automation tools and increased pressure from the C-Suite to prove the value of Marketing, marketing ops management is gaining traction; for all but the smallest organizations, it is now a "must have."

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In B2B organizations, aligning sales and marketing goals with your current customers in mind can make the difference between meeting your quarterly goals and hoping next quarter will be better.

CONTENT TYPE: Article | TOPIC: Branding

When companies have high levels of brand admiration, they experience explosive revenue growth and improved cost efficiencies, and far greater access to the best talent and partnerships.

CONTENT TYPE: Article | TOPIC: Marketing Strategy

B2B marketing leaders who have experience with rapid growth give advice on the role of Marketing in such growth, what it means to think like a growth marketer, what challenges arise with scale, and how to approach those challenges.

CONTENT TYPE: Article | TOPIC: Account-Based Marketing

Account-based marketing is built on six processes that flip the focus from generating leads to courting the companies you want to do business with. An added benefit: total sales and marketing alignment.

CONTENT TYPE: Article | TOPIC: Marketing Management

Ask B2B marketers to identify what they are focused on, year after year, and they will say "revenue." Enter marketing performance management. As we enter 2017, five key changes will make MPM a greater priority than ever for B2B organizations.