Anyone who thinks it's easy to plan, promote, and execute a successful event has never planned, promoted, or executed a successful event. In any case, social media tools can make events easier.  "Whether you need to work with organizers, generate buzz, or share post-party photos, social media should be a primary weapon in your ... more

As we head toward the Labor Day weekend, you should start planning your marketing campaigns for the holidays. If you procrastinate (or worse, forget to plan for the holidays), you'll miss out on reaching your audience during the most wonderful time of the year. more

B2C brands have Facebook figured out. But B2B brands? Not so much. Yet, it doesn't have to be that way. more

With smartphones now the majority of mobile phones in the US, shopping via mobile is more popular than ever: 47% of American smartphone owners used a mobile shopping app in June 2012, according to data from Nielsen. more

If you're not using LinkedIn as a lead generation tool, argues Shelly Kramer at MarketingProfs Daily Fix, you may be missing out on a very good thing: "According to data from HubSpot, LinkedIn is the most effective source of new business leads among the three leading social networks (Facebook, Twitter ... more

Marketers who have adopted multichannel marketing practices are reporting solid business benefits across key metrics, including shorter sales cycles and higher ROI from marketing investments, according to a report conducted by Forrester Research on behalf of Sitecore. more

Among small businesses, marketing tactics such as email, websites, in-person interaction, and social media are viewed as most effective overall; however, among small B2B companies, nothing beats face-to-face interactions, according to a survey from Constant Contact. more

According to the IBM Institute for Business Value, 60-65% of business leaders think users follow them on social media because they want to be part of a community. But that isn't true: the primary reason users follow companies on sites like Facebook or Twitter is because they want discounts—which isn't ... more

How vital is mobile commerce becoming? Worldwide, mobile commerce is set to hit $119 billion by 2015. The projected amount of retail purchases made online by 2014 is 54%. more

So you've set your company's sights on selling to smaller businesses. Sure, they aren't the heavy-hitters, the star accounts, but their loyalty could provide a nice budgetary cushion for your bigger sales efforts. And they'll surely be thrilled to tap into your products or services, right? Well, hold on a minute. According ... more

Most CMOs (89.4%) say social data has affected at least some of their business decisions, and 21.3% say social data affects at least 1 in 5 decisions they make, according to a new report by Bazaarvoice and The CMO Club. more

"B2B sales is by no means easy. It requires not only skill, but panache," says Jesse Noyes in a post at It's All About Revenue. But over time, a buzz can develop in the field about what tactics are working best to turn prospects into valued clients. Noyes highlights eight tips ... more

The final stop of the MarketingProfs Smart Marketers Tour was the beautiful deCordova Museum in Lincoln, MA, on July 10, and it was our best-attended. Our guests were Jeff Mayersohn, owner of the Harvard Bookstore in Harvard Square, Cambridge, and Lou Imbriano, CEO of TrinityOne and former CMO of the ... more

If you're still wondering about the value of segmentation, consider these numbers from eMarketer, as reported by HubSpot: "39% of email marketers that practice list segmentation see better open rates; 28% see lower opt-out and unsubscribe rates; and 24% see better email deliverability, increased sales leads, and greater revenue." HubSpot's Corey ... more

"Hundreds, if not thousands, of solutions have been developed to automate lead-scoring," writes Peter Gracey at MarketingProfs. "However, those scores don't provide salespeople much valuable information." That's why he developed a scoring system that asks six questions—three before a discover call, three afterwards—and assigns up to six points. Here they ... more

It's easy to send "just one email with the same content to everyone in your database," writes Matthew Johnson at the Vision6 blog. "But how do you send that same email and make it relevant to everyone in your database?" The short answer is: You can't. And that's why you need conditional ... more

"Most companies are either under-qualifying or over-qualifying leads," says PointClear's Dan McDade in this episode of the Marketing Smarts podcast. He goes on to explain what he means and offers a three-point solution to the problem. more

Websites are great ways to relay lots of information—and that's a blessing and a curse, as business sites pack in as much about themselves, their products, their customers, their services, as they possibly can. Against that daily data barrage, the use of imagery can pay off big, KISSmetrics tells us in ... more

Only one in five B2B marketing and sales professionals (20%) say their demand generation campaigns are fully effective, whereas 80% say they are ineffective to semi-ineffective, according to a survey from Corporate Visions. more

If your company operates in the B2B sphere, there's a good chance your lead-nurturing program includes email campaigns with triggered messages. But if those messages are too robotic, warns Ardath Albee, they might do more harm than good. "Lead nurturing is not about sending out emails on a regular schedule just because you can," ... more

When you troubleshoot your lead gen program's lack of closed deals, be sure to examine your sales reps' role in the process. "[A]ll too often, despite their critical contribution to a business, sales reps can get in their own way," writes Al Davidson at MarketingProfs. "They are often their own ... more

How do you read a casual email from a friend? In all likelihood, you scan it to get the general idea, write a quick reply and click back to your inbox. But what if—below her sign-off—she adds a P.S.? "Suddenly, she's got your attention," writes Sid Smith in an article at ... more

Between next-generation smartphones, tricked-out apps, and celebrity-filled Siri commercials, it's easy to look at mobile as a set of breakthrough devices, tools, and channels. But that's not the lens through which marketers should be viewing mobile. more

If your email marketing campaign doesn't generate the kind of ROI you expect, take a look at your typical call to action (CTA). Does it tell a customer how to take the next step? Does it create a sense of urgency? "When your audience is left with no direction and no ... more

In April, the McKinsey Quarterly published "Demystifying Social Media" for businesses. The article illustrates how using social media right can enable "targeted marketing responses at individual touch points along the consumer decision journey." Here are four steps to take to meet consumers along the way and achieve social touch-point engagement: Monitor. Make learning what's said about ... more