If you’re marketing a technology product or service, MarketingSherpa just released a report that can help you generate more leads. Sherpa researchers asked 1,900 business technology marketers about their offers, marketing budgets, sales process and promotional tactics. They also asked 633 business execs about their technology buying decisions and their recommendations for reaching them effectively….Read More
What sets your product, service and company apart from your competitors? What value do you provide and how is it different than the alternatives? Your value proposition is the foundation of your entire business and the offers you take to market. When your market clearly recognizes (and appreciates!) the value you provide, it’s easier to…Read More
If you’ve read Chris Anderson’s The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More, you’re probably thinking about ways to implement his recommendations in your business. This post by Guy Kawasaki, The Wrong Tail: A Checklist for Long-Tail Implementations, is a great place to start. And if you haven’t read The…Read More
If you don’t already subscribe to Dave J’s B2Blog, I definitely recommend adding it to your reading list. Dave is a marketing manager at a major manufacturing firm in Grand Rapids, MI and offers tons of great insights on B2B marketing. This week he writes about a recent ThomasNet study that reinforces how critical a…Read More
Karl Long wrote this great post (11/24/2008 – no longer available) on the MarketingProfs blog today and I had to pass it along. The topic: Forms on your website – or as he calls them, the “red-headed stepchild of touchpoints.” As he points out, “it’s probably one of the first points at which the customer…Read More
If you’re looking for new marketing talent or a new opportunity, check out Monster.com’s new marketing channel designed specifically for marketing, advertising and PR positions. When you’re hiring, you can use the specialized search function and job postings to find candidates with the specific skills you need on your team. And if you’re a job-hunter,…Read More
I received several emails about my recent post on how to improve your copywriting. Rebecca Kalajian sent me a link to the UK-based Plain English Campaign, “an independent pressure group fighting for public information to be written in plain English. We have more than 10,000 registered supporters in 80 countries.” What a great idea! We’re all…Read More
June has flown by and Q2 ends tomorrow. Did you meet your quarterly goals? And are you on track to meet your annual goals? If you’re falling short, why not spend next week (minus the holiday, of course) planning the rest of your year? Even if you’re ahead of schedule, it’s still the perfect time…Read More
Thank you for voting for “Marketing Tips from the Trenches” in MarketingSherpa’s 2006 blog awards. It was an honor to be nominated, but alas, our blog didn’t qualify to win – it turns out that winners had to have started publishing before 2006. Yet it was great to be recognized when we’ve only been at…Read More
A reader emailed me yesterday to ask for good resources to improve her writing. Excellent request. If you want to improve your copywriting, here’s my advice! 1. Focus! What’s your point? Stay with it! 2. Show, don’t tell. Provide examples. Your readers want proof. 3. Be ruthless. Cut any word that you don’t need. Your…Read More
We often talk about the importance of branding in B to B marketing. Every time you communicate with prospects and clients – on the phone, the web, in a campaign or a meeting – you have a chance to reinforce your value proposition and differentiate from your competitors. But it’s difficult to create a brand…Read More
We’ve been in the trenches all day and almost missed the news flash – we’ve been nominated for MarketingSherpa’s coveted “best blog” award, B to B category. We’re honored to be nominated – we’re in terrific company. But let’s be honest – we’d really like to win. Who wouldn’t? If you enjoy and find value…Read More
If your business were a color, what would it be? Red? Blue? Brown? Green? Many entrepreneurs and established companies have trouble choosing colors. A designer may present a series of logos in a variety of colors. And all too often the team will choose the colors that they like best. But choosing a color isn’t…Read More
Could an extra spark of creativity help your business today? This week? This month? If you don’t think your team is at its creative peak, there are plenty of simple, fun exercises that will stretch their thinking, juice up their ideas, and generate more big ideas for your business. Barbara Reinhold provides 10 quick tips…Read More
Many B2B companies are just getting started with paid search marketing. If you’re one of them, you’ve discovered it can be a great vehicle for finding prospects when they’re searching for solutions. And hopefully you’re doing a great job of converting that traffic into qualified leads and sales. You’ve probably also discovered that converting traffic…Read More
I was listening to Tony Robbins last night – is he not the most infectious speaker on Earth? And it’s so easy to apply his techniques to marketing strategies and tactics. For example, how passionate are you when you talk about your company, products, experience, etc.? Are you as enthusiastic and confident as you should…Read More
I recently added the popular Lifehacker blog to my reading list and am enjoying their posts (they recently highlighted a wiki article about how to erase a Sharpie from your whiteboard — very handy). Lee’s first tip: Get your team excited! No enthusiasm, no results. They need to have a stake in the outcome and share…Read More
If you’re in the process of naming your company or a new product or service, you’re going to invest a lot in that name. You’ll spend tangible dollars on brochures, signs, marketing collateral and stationery; there are also intangible costs like name recognition, brand equity & goodwill. Before you finalize your name, make sure you…Read More
While many B to B marketers have moved their budgets from direct mail to email campaigns, I’m a huge fan of direct mail. I use it for lead generation, lead nurturing, and customer promotions, and my campaigns run from simple sales letters to creative pieces with sizzle. A key challenge in making direct mail work…Read More
Let me start by saying I’d love to be able to sell ice to an Eskimo. But you know what? Eskimos don’t need ice. They’re surrounded by it. Unless I have the most incredible, cheap or convenient ice on Earth, I’d be a lot better off selling to prospects who aren’t already in the arctic….Read More