Gems of 2008: Ever sigh to yourself, "There just aren't enough hours in the day!"? You're not alone. Most marketers are overloaded and under-resourced. But it doesn't have to be that way. And managing your time more efficiently isn't the answer. more

A new whitepaper from ExactTarget—cheekily titled No Executive Left Behind—argues in its subtitle that there are 10 things your C-Suite must know about email. "You cannot assume that your C-Suite understands the critical role played by email in facilitating sales and maintaining strong customer relationships," ExactTarget's Jeffrey Rohrs says. "You ... more

"A good opt-in procedure lays the foundation for a strong email program," writes Loren McDonald in an article at MarketingProfs, "but a well-thought-out series of welcome emails will help turn your newcomer into a long-term subscriber." A proper welcome program speeds up engagement, notes McDonald, and reduces list churn "because ... more

To weather the current economic storm, companies must take a step back and assess their core business and brand for continued relevance. Dramatic changes in behavior by cash-strapped consumers have had an impact on respected brands ranging from Starbucks (closing 600 stores) to automotive giants, which have announced cutbacks in North ... more

In a recent post at eMagine's B2B Web Strategy blog, Matt Roche warns about the dangers of outsourcing your PPC campaigns—and then washing your hands of them. Oftentimes, when B2B marketers choose to turn things over to outsiders, he says, "they feel they never need to worry about [PPC] ever ... more

In tough economic times, one company set out to care for its people in a unique way. Toshiba America Medical Systems efforts to align and nurture its sales team means the team is now on track to exceed sales goals. more

When Ann Handley waxed philosophical on the subject practical jokes in a post at Annarchy, her readers filled the comment section with stories of their own favorite stunts. Most were personal in nature, but Mike Volpe of HubSpot noted that some of his best work-related memories center not on business ... more

"Most people are not very good listeners," write Don and Sheryl Grimme in The New Manager's Toolkit. The reason, the say, is that we spend our days juggling personal and professional issues, and find it difficult to focus entirely on those facing our employees and colleagues. When this happens, we ... more

Leading companies do not subscribe to the notion that marketing is a discretionary expense. They know that there is business opportunity during economic downturns, and marketing can lead the way. more

With the Search Engine Marketing industry in North America generating more than $10 billion annually, most marketers know that search needs to be a part of their plan. What they seem less certain about, however, is whether to manage SEM campaigns in-house, or to outsource them. How do you determine ... more

During the 12 years that Christa Carone has been with Xerox, the company has been on quite a roller-coaster ride, having gone through significant challenges back in 1999 through 2001/2002, when the company's brand and reputation really took a hit. Recently she discussed with Roy Young her work to strengthen the ... more

As fallout from the current economic crisis continues to mount, thoughtful people are beginning to ask what we can learn from this experience. In a post at Harvard Business Online, Bill Taylor highlights a Warren Buffett interview on Charlie Rose in which the billionaire investor responds to the question "Should ... more

The burgeoning online marketing industry has produced a veritable treasure trove of technologies and their associated tools to support your efforts. With this cache of options comes the need to be accurate in your selection, making sure the tool matches the objective. more

With the latest seismic shifts in the U.S. economy, it seemed a good time to check back to Jon Miller's "definitive guide to B2B marketing during a downturn," first presented last June in his Modern B2B Marketing blog. Here are seven of Miller's smart tips. 1. Use lead management to maximize ... more

"Marketing plans are essential documents for virtually any business," says Tim Calkins in an article at MarketingProfs. "[I]t is hard to do great marketing without a clear plan. Unfortunately, many marketing plans simply don't work very well; they add little value and end up on a shelf, collecting dust." How ... more

Paul Barsch, Marketing Director at Teradata, the business intelligence and data warehousing firm, is responsible for coordinating services engineering teams to define, build, and bring new offers to market. A self-described "information junkie" with over 15 years in marketing for information technology and consulting firms, Paul challenges all marketers to bring ... more

"It's hard to keep those marketing juices flowing if you are feeling bogged down," says Drew McLellan at his Marketing Minute blog. "Sometimes I have to give myself a reprieve. So I cone myself." Say what? It turns out that everyone in McLellan's office has a bright orange traffic cone. If ... more

OK. This one is for the sales managers. Grab a cup of coffee, and take a minute for a quick quiz. Daniel Sitter at the Idea Sellers blog has come up with some key questions to help determine if you're getting the most out of your B2B sales team. "Do ... more

You're in line at a store when the cashier answers the phone, speaks in a snarky tone, rolls his eyes, hangs up and then comments on the caller's stupidity while ringing up your purchase. Anyone would consider this an egregious example of poor customer service—black marks all around. But the Service Untitled ... more

If you're like us, you probably have one of those piles on your desk that keeps being moved from one corner to another. You know, that pile you need to get to but avoid because it will take some real effort to tackle? For many marketing professionals, marketing accountability, analytics ... more

In an ideal world, your entire team would demonstrate the skill and enthusiasm needed to make every marketing campaign a success. Unfortunately, though, you're going to encounter subordinates who don't measure up. In a post at Harvard Business Online, John Baldoni offers some quotes purportedly sourced from actual performance evaluations. Comments ... more

Running a small business can be a risky endeavor, but you don't have to reinvent the wheel when it comes to marketing. Taken from The Reach Group's Free Agent Formula—created by Cheri Hanson, Lisa Johnson and Cassie Pruett—here are the top five mistakes made by entrepreneurs: Creating a business that follows ... more

The top 10 challenges facing the interactive marketing community are very much the same as those facing the entire marketing community... in that almost every marketing professional must address the interactive/online marketing medium. When they are asked about top challenges, many marketers say things like "social media" or "search engine optimization" ... more

Many people think the power to restore our environment—to curb greenhouse gases, to clean up our air and water, to cut down on precious resources' ending up in landfills—lies in the hands of scientists and engineers, or lawyers and legislators. But the real power of green lies in the hands ... more

In a post at Harvard Business Online, John Baldoni says true leadership has little to do with your position on an org chart. Just because you have an executive title, that doesn't mean the people you manage consider you a leader. Earning that respect entails a number of different factors, ... more