Go PRO Now
Get unlimited access to all of our exclusive marketing resources
by Glenn Gow
Though no one can deny the explosive popularity of social media, some hard-core justifications for its B2B use have yet to be laid out. Consider these four points before leaving social media out of your B2B marketing strategy.
more
Though the use of social media among the nation's smallest businesses surged in 2010—a trend likely to continue in 2011—email and brand websites are still the two most effective marketing tools for small businesses, according to a survey from Constant Contact.
more
Fully six in ten marketers (60%) say they plan to increase spending on virtual events and environments in 2011, while 42% plan to decrease spending on physical conferences and tradeshows during the year, according to a survey from Unisfair.
more
by Amanda Maksymiw
A corporate blog can be a key component of any marketing strategy. It can help generate leads, demonstrate a customer-centric culture, and engage your audience. Here are 30 ideas for creating a well-rounded corporate blog.
more
by Jenny Vance
Whether your new-business prospecting list is purchased or homegrown, your business can improve sales 100% or more. The key isn't just about how companies effectively work the phone but, rather, how they work the list.
more
After several years of making cuts, B2B marketing leaders are increasing their budgets 6.7% in 2011 over 2010 levels, with tech-services companies driving much of the expansion, according to a report by Forrester Research.
more
by Dan O'Sullivan
Dealing with prospective clients, including the inconsiderate ones, is just part of the job for many of us. Fortunately, you can make the experience a little less frustrating and time-consuming. Here are a few tips I've picked up.
more
Nearly one in four visitors to B2B websites referred by LinkedIn are enterprise visitors—those arriving at sites via corporate IP addresses—according to a report by LeadFormix. Among such leads, those referred by LinkedIn "groups" are the most likely to complete a form-fill, or convert.
more
by Heidi Jackman
Like a good meal with good friends, great presentations encourage sharing, interaction, and conversation. So sharpen your knives, oil your pans, and think like a top chef preparing a meal that will stimulate the senses, invite conversation, and demand involvement.
more
One out of ten presentations is now viewed via mobile device, up 640% over 2010 levels, with Apple devices the top choice for viewing such presentations, according to a report by SlideRocket.
more
"A drip campaign is a series of emails that are sent in a specific order at predefined intervals," writes Liz McInnis at BuyerZone. You might use campaigns to educate, nurture new leads or cross-sell to customers. Whatever your goal, her bits of advice, like the following, are likely to be ...
more
by Dean Rieck
Sales letters are powerful selling tools. They are a simple, direct way to generate sales leads and orders. But for many businesspeople, they present a daunting writing challenge. Use these 10 tips to write a winning sales letter.
more
by Barry Densa
When I saw this ad, I thought it was a joke. A parody, a satire, a lampoon... anything but what it really is—totally legit and serious. If ever there was a marketing message completely unaware of the modern zeitgeist (and offensive), this ad is it! Here's what not to do ...
more
by Jack Mitchell, Larry Senn, Teresa Laraba
How do customer service champs maintain their loyal following? Three key speakers at this week's annual Customer Experience Leadership conference preview their talks and share best-practices on customer-centric cultures.
more
by Lev Mazin
Market research surveys, though expensive and out of reach for many, have been around for ages. But there is now a revolution brewing in MR that makes it something even the smaller players can fully participate in.
more
Does your business spend time and money generating leads that languish neglected in a pipeline? "The industry wide statistic of 70% of leads never receiving effective sales follow-up is astounding," writes Maria Pergolino at Marketo. "With the mass amount of resources devoted to lead generation, the act of following up ...
more
In a post at the Lunch Pail blog, bride-to-be Casey Barto recounts a visit to a bridal expo. "On the day of the show with pen in hand, I scribbled my email address and name on the contact lists of vendors who interested me most," she says. What happened next ...
more
With sales growth the biggest challenge for business leaders in 2011, many say they are planning to deploy cloud technologies this year, hoping to shorten sales cycles and acquire new business, according to a survey from Hatsize.
more
by Oli Gardner
So far in our crash course on conversion, we covered the economics of conversion, why homepages aren't the best way to get results, and how to effectively use landing pages and calls to action to boost conversion. Our final installment covers page optimization and testing.
more
by Oli Gardner
Previously in our five-day crash course on conversion, we covered why homepages aren't the best choice for conversion success. Now, learn the five benefits of landing pages—and how to keep ad-to-page message alignment.
more
by Oli Gardner
In part three of our five-day crash course on conversion, you'll learn why your homepage is likely not the right choice for conversion success—and four reasons why you might want to forego using it as your landing page.
more
Mobile Web traffic to high-traffic e-commerce sites grew more than 300% during the 2010 online holiday shopping season over levels registered during the same period a year earlier, according to a report by Conductor.
more
by Oli Gardner
How do people convert? In simple terms, they interact at a designated conversion point. They do this—and are triggered to do this—by a call to action. In part two of our five-day crash course in conversion, learn how to effectively use a call to action.
more
by Oli Gardner
Conversion is the mechanism and process of pouring targeted consumers into, through, and out the other side of the marketing funnel. That is the essence of "Clicking Me Softly." Convince, don't coerce. Guide, don't deceive. In day one of this crash course, we'll explore the economics of conversion.
more
by Sean Geehan
Rebalancing your marketing investments is the way to sustainable, predictable, and profitable growth. That's why it's crucial to analyze where your budgets are going and identify where the biggest returns on spend are.
more
"A drip campaign is a series of emails that are sent in a specific order at predefined intervals," writes Liz McInnis at BuyerZone. You might use campaigns to educate, nurture new leads or cross-sell to customers. Whatever your goal, her bits of advice, like the following, are likely to be ... more
Does your business spend time and money generating leads that languish neglected in a pipeline? "The industry wide statistic of 70% of leads never receiving effective sales follow-up is astounding," writes Maria Pergolino at Marketo. "With the mass amount of resources devoted to lead generation, the act of following up ... more
Conversion is the mechanism and process of pouring targeted consumers into, through, and out the other side of the marketing funnel. That is the essence of "Clicking Me Softly." Convince, don't coerce. Guide, don't deceive. In day one of this crash course, we'll explore the economics of conversion. more
MarketingProfs uses single