"The iPad 2 is here and Apple apps are hotter than ever," writes Tom Ballew in a post at the B2B Insights Blog. "Now B2B marketers are starting to want their own custom apps and are making room for these gems in their budgets." How about you? Have you jumped on the tablet bandwagon yet?

If you're still undecided, you might want to consider Ballew's tips on using the iPad as a B2B sales tool. Here are three of them:

Create a custom iPad App. Although creating an iPad app can be an expensive undertaking, the payoff is an enhanced brand experience, Ballew argues. Your products are displayed "in razor-sharp definition and with video capabilities that are almost cinema-like. This allows your creative team to breathe more life into your interactive content, giving it more impact," he explains. Another payoff? Viewers can explore your offerings without being "tethered to the Web."

Create a tablet-ready microsite. If the thought of creating a custom app makes your blood run cold, here's another option: Add new functionality to your website. For instance, "an interactive product selector built for standard-sized Web browsing should work fine on the iPad," Ballew notes. (Just don't use Flash!) And while you're at it, add mobile optimization to your site—"all scaled-down and ready for iPhone, Android and BlackBerry users," he suggests.

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