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B2B Lead Generation Articles on b2b marketing
- Could AT&T kill the iPhone Brand?
Buzz Marketing for Technology | Sep 10, 2010 | Permalink
According to a study conducted by Gartner, the first quarter of 2010 witnessed a whopping 707 percent increase in Android sales. As a result, the sales of the Google Android OS-based smartphones have surpassed the sales of the Microsoft Windows Mobile-based handsets around the world. And this month I saw a stat that said the sales [...] Related posts:- Why is Google Scared and What it means for B2B Marketing! At a recent dinner with a buddy of mine from...
Social Media – is it really mainstream in B2B Marketing? So I ran across some interesting stats last week when...
Sharing is how you build a Brand In a recent BusinessWeek article featuring Tony Hsieh from Zappos...
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- Mobile Codes and B2B
B2B Marketing Confidential | Sep 10, 2010 | Permalink
Over the past decade, I’ve been involved with many projects to “de-tangle� digital marketing for big companies. Big companies want to know what’s out there in the digital landscape, and how it all fits together. Most importantly, they want to know why the latest trend is important to them. Take Twitter, for example. Is it a real, honest-to-goodness life changer that will be used addictively by a whole generation of digital influentials? Or, will it be the Segway scooter of web 2.0, a tool in search of a solution, that enjoys a surge of activity followed by a slow decline into boredom and malaise? I won’t comment on Twitter (at least not for now), but I will mention a truly cool tool that could be very, very important for B2B marketers.QR codes were invented in Japan in 1994 an...
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- 10 Tips for Using Twitter And Email Marketing for B2B
Anything Goes Marketing | Sep 10, 2010 | Permalink
I was told that every blog needs a "top 10 post" and I thought today would be a good day to write one on a topic that is growing in popularity. That topic is Twitter and how best to use this tool for your B2B marketing efforts. I thought I would take a stab at providing tips on blending a tried and true tool like email with Twitter. Let me know what you think and if you have additional tips (
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- Lead generation metrics should emphasize opportunities not just leads
B2B Lead Generation Blog / Brian Carroll | Sep 10, 2010 | Permalink
I was asked to write a response to this question, "In what ways have metrics evolved with the increase in digital B2B marketing? Suggest one ROI metric that you have found to be very effective." Read ClickInsights: What ROI metric...
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- Webinar: Beyond Lead Generation - Helping Sales Drive Revenue with Jeff Thull
B2B Lead Generation Blog / Brian Carroll | Sep 10, 2010 | Permalink
The purpose of B2B marketing and lead generation is to help the sales team sell; however marketers can often get so wrapped up in driving campaign activity they seem to forget it's about driving sales conversion and helping the sales...
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- Most important B2B Marketing Metrics For CEOs
B2B Lead Generation Blog / Brian Carroll | Sep 10, 2010 | Permalink
Today CEOs expect marketers to provide metrics and to be accountable to meeting their numbers just like sales people. They do have a bunch of activity metrics and some squishy metrics like brand recognition. At the same time, most CEOs...
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- Could AT&T kill the iPhone Brand?
Buzz Marketing for Technology | Sep 09, 2010 | Permalink
According to a study conducted by Gartner, the first quarter of 2010 witnessed a whopping 707 percent increase in Android sales. As a result, the sales of the Google Android OS-based smartphones have surpassed the sales of the Microsoft Windows Mobile-based handsets around the world. And this month I saw a stat that said the sales [...] Related posts:- Why is Google Scared and What it means for B2B Marketing! At a recent dinner with a buddy of mine from...
Social Media – is it really mainstream in B2B Marketing? So I ran across some interesting stats last week when...
Sharing is how you build a Brand In a recent BusinessWeek article featuring Tony Hsieh from Zappos...
more »
- Using Audience Targeting to Own the Latent Pipeline
B2B Marketing Confidential | Sep 09, 2010 | Permalink
B2B marketers are intimately familiar with the concept of a funnel or a pipeline. Whichever term you use--you might use both--the ideas are the same from company to company. A lead is entered into a system at some point in time. It might be someone inquiring on the web site, or it might even be a name from a list. From this point onwards, that lead can either move forward, do nothing, or drop out of the system. The resulting graphic looks like a funnel.Having covered that ground, let me state up front that this post is not about pipeline management, acceleration, nurturing, systems, or email marketing. This post is about a fundamental problem with the funnel concept as operationalized at most B2B marketing organizations today, and what I think is a pretty seminal idea on how to fix the ...
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- Email Autoresponders 2.0 in B2B Marketing
Anything Goes Marketing | Sep 09, 2010 | Permalink
Reflecting back on a long week I had the pleasure of meeting a number of new clients and seeing what they have accomplished as part of their online marketing initiatives. I am extremely lucky to see some of the most cutting edge marketing tactics being used and wanted to highlight some of them here.I was inspired this morning after my 11 cups of coffee by a former customer and now colleague,
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- Latest B2B Marketing Trends From SiriusDecisions Summit 09
Anything Goes Marketing | Sep 09, 2010 | Permalink
If you’re looking for an eloquently written post on how B2B marketing has changed and recommendations on what you should do, you’ve come to the wrong page. What I have done is reviewed the tweets from the latest SiriusDecisions Summit 2009 and captured points that I thought were interesting and categorized them. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to go (not without trying!) but as you’ll see from
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- My Bad Reputation -- B2B Marketing Best Practices That Need to Die
Demandbase | Sep 09, 2010 | Permalink
His message was different and refreshing in a room full of "inbound" marketers, to whom the thought of pursuing leads instead of just letting them stumble upon you on their own seemed downright distasteful. As if their reputation would be damaged by dialing a phone. Mike wasn't afraid to say "bulls**t!" and seemed to be the only one who wasn't ashamed to actually pick up the phone to generate leads. And he is our speaker next week...
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- Creativity: The Missing, Yet Critical Element For B2B Marketers
Marketo | Sep 09, 2010 | Permalink
Typical B2B marketing is dry and its strategy usually follows a traditional path. By adding creativity, you can increase results significantly.
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- Juan Eloqua's Grande Guide to Lead Scoring
Marketing Interactions | Sep 08, 2010 | Permalink
Eloqua has released the first in a series of B2B marketing guides labeled the Grande Guides. This first one is on Lead Scoring. To have a bit of fun, they've also created Juan Eloqua - who's quite a Bold and Smoky guy whose specialty is growing fine coffee and, of course, revenues. If you haven't met Juan, you should. The...
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- Could AT&T kill the iPhone Brand?
Buzz Marketing for Technology | Sep 08, 2010 | Permalink
According to a study conducted by Gartner, the first quarter of 2010 witnessed a whopping 707 percent increase in Android sales. As a result, the sales of the Google Android OS-based smartphones have surpassed the sales of the Microsoft Windows Mobile-based handsets around the world. And this month I saw a stat that said the sales [...] Related posts:- Why is Google Scared and What it means for B2B Marketing! At a recent dinner with a buddy of mine from...
Social Media – is it really mainstream in B2B Marketing? So I ran across some interesting stats last week when...
Sharing is how you build a Brand In a recent BusinessWeek article featuring Tony Hsieh from Zappos...
more »
- B2B Marketing needs a stronger Why
Buzz Marketing for Technology | Sep 08, 2010 | Permalink
Last year I wrote about how the balance of content has shifted. Bottom line is there is more content being produced by Users than by Publishers these days. Which means Publishers (or Marketers) are now the “white noiseâ€� in comparison to User Generated Content. Our messages are being drowned out by user generated content. This struck [...] Related posts:- The 4 P’s to Social Media Marketing Ok ok – based on the great response I got...
The 4 C’s of B2B Marketing We’ve all heard about the four P’s of marketing....
Using Content to Build Trust in B2B Marketing In the recent Edelman Trust Barometer report they detail out...
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- Could AT&T kill the iPhone Brand?
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Lead Generation Topics
, but I will mention a truly cool tool that could be very, very important for B2B marketers.<br/><br/><a href='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QR_Code'>QR codes</a> were invented in Japan in 1994 and are used a lot in Asia. They’re all over the place in India. The basic concept is simple—a mobile two dimensional barcode. Instead of putting barcodes on merchandise for use in payments, you can put them anywhere. Here’s what one looks like. This is the one for wikipedia's home page:<br/><br/><br/><a href='http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_30veOO2AATQ/SWfJzk_9ElI/AAAAAAAAAEY/8p5R-lTaREM/s1600-h/WikiQRCode.png'><img src='http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_30veOO2AATQ/SWfJzk_9ElI/AAAAAAAAAEY/8p5R-lTaREM/s400/WikiQRCode.png' id='BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289418175312368210' border='0' alt='' style='width: 185px; cursor: hand; height: 185px;'/></a><br/>Microsoft’s biggest announcement at this weeks’ CES was their version of QR codes called <a href='http://www.microsoft.com/tag/'>Microsoft Tag</a>. These are two-dimensional color codes that contain a lot of information and are very readable by mobile phones’ cameras. A key to adoption of these codes is ease. How close do you have to be to the code to take an accurate picture; how much light is necessary; how good does the camera have to be to pick out the contrasts in color. From what I’ve heard through some savvy friends, the new Microsoft technology is best-of-breed on all fronts. Here's what a Microsoft Tag looks like for B2B Marketing Confidential:<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><a href='http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_30veOO2AATQ/SWfMAVYYxII/AAAAAAAAAEg/9BlFkxA7yXU/s1600-h/b2bmktgconfcode.jpg'><img src='http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_30veOO2AATQ/SWfMAVYYxII/AAAAAAAAAEg/9BlFkxA7yXU/s400/b2bmktgconfcode.jpg' id='BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289420593481434242' border='0' alt='' style='width: 152px; cursor: hand; height: 152px;'/></a><br/>However, we’re back to the Segway question. Will this thing take off, and will it last? I think it will. For one thing, it’s taken off and lasted in the more mobile-phone-savvy countries already. For another, it’s got a lot of real, honest-to-goodness business applications. Microsoft points out several of these:<br/><ul><li><strong>Real Estate Listings:</strong> Snap a code of a for sale sign, take a virtual tour on your phone.</li><li><strong>Business Cards:</strong> Snap a code on a business card and download the person’s contact info. </li><li><strong>Dating:</strong> Print out a t-shirt with your code. If people are interested, they snap you and get your digits (my friend Jeremy came up with this, I agree, it’s a bit sick). </li><li><strong>Linking to Facebook / Twitter:</strong> Snap codes and people automatically see what you’re looking at and where. </li></ul><p><br/>There are lots of others that I’ve thought of for B2B marketers: </p><ul><li><strong>Put codes on retail displays / end caps.</strong> Snap the code and you download a coupon and get loyalty points</li><li><strong>Put codes on all of your hardware components.</strong> Snap the code and you’re automatically routed to the best tech support person for that device, along with the device’s serial number and configuration. </li><li><strong>Put codes on drug posters.</strong> Snap the code and a doctor downloads all the clinical data and prescription guidance. </li><li><strong>Put codes all over at events.</strong> Snap the codes to create a customer event portfolio, complete with time visited. The sponsors also know who you are, who else you visited, etc. </li></ul><p>There are probably 10,000 other applications. I came up with the above in three minutes; I think with some heads-down time you could come with many more meaningful B2B applications. So B2B marketers, start planning for mobile / QC codes in your planning. Some open questions:</p><ul><li>Is Microsoft going to out-innovate Google here for a change, or will Google release their much better version shortly and snap up all the share? </li><li>What does this mean for GPS integration? Didn’t even go there but imagine that… </li><li>Implications for privacy? Is there a way to streamline “opt-in�? </li></ul><p><br/>So, so cool. I don’t say stuff like this too often, but this is exciting.</p><div class='blogger-post-footer'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/36395142-4307494113981434002?l=b2bmarketingconfidential.blogspot.com' height='1' alt='' width='1'/></div>
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![](http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http://b2bmarketingconfidential.blogspot.com/2009/12/using-audience-targeting-to-own-latent.html&title=Using-Audience-Targeting-to-Own-the-Latent-Pipeline&bodytext=B2B marketers are intimately familiar with the concept of a<strong> funnel</strong> or a <strong>pipeline</strong>. Whichever term you use--you might use both--the ideas are the same from company to company. A lead is entered into a system at some point in time. It might be someone inquiring on the web site, or it might even be a name from a list. From this point onwards, that lead can either move forward, do nothing, or drop out of the system. The resulting graphic looks like a funnel.<br/><br/>Having covered that ground, let me state up front that this post is not about pipeline management, acceleration, nurturing, systems, or email marketing. This post is about a fundamental problem with the funnel concept as operationalized at most B2B marketing organizations today, and what I think is a pretty seminal idea on how to fix the problem.<br/><br/>The problem with funnels is that they're missing a lot of the folks that are actually going through the purchase process. This is because we as marketers are dependent on our own internal systems to track these folks. Our own websites; our own emails; our own sales reps; you name it. However, we <em>know</em> there are many individuals with needs that are going down an awareness / consideration / trial / purchase process that we are <em>completely oblivious to.</em> I call this the <em>latent pipeline.</em> For analytics geeks, this should be a comfortable term. It is the implicit pipeline that we don't have information about but that we <em>know</em> exists.<br/><br/>I'd argue that the latent pipeline can be broken into two parts. The first part is the upstream part of the funnel that could be defined as "pre-company web site". This is when <em>latent prospects</em> are starting to think about their needs and what they're going to go do. Today, this is going to be largely addressed via search, assuming that we can intersect people when they type in search terms. There is no question that this is a powerful tool for intercepting prospects, but I'd argue that there's an even more powerful way to target them. More on that later.<br/><br/>The second part are the folks that are going through our stages, as defined via our systems, that we don't know about. So, when we have 10 leads that are "qualified", there are another 50 leads out there that are being qualified by other companies. We don't know about them, so chances are, we'll never get to pitch to them. Ouch! That's pretty harsh.<br/><br/>So, we've defined a pipeline that has an explicit and a latent component, that will look something like this:<br/><a href='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_30veOO2AATQ/SykLkQ_j19I/AAAAAAAAAGg/nRUzyUxD2u0/s1600-h/B2BFunnel.png'><img src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_30veOO2AATQ/SykLkQ_j19I/AAAAAAAAAGg/nRUzyUxD2u0/s400/B2BFunnel.png' id='BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415872744554485714' border='0' alt='' style='width: 416px; height: 357px; cursor: hand;'/></a><br/>This fundamentally changes the concepts of B2B marketing, when you think about it.<br/><ul><li>Acquisition marketing really becomes about understanding the top of the <em>latent funnel</em></li><li>The scope of CRM can be expanded to include not just leads / opportunities in <em>our</em> CRM system, but to leads / opportunities in <em>other company's</em> CRM systems</li></ul><p>I'm not suggesting that we all go do industrial espionage and steal other firm's CRM data. I'm suggesting that through online audience ownership, we can extend the CRM layer from the explicit to the latent, via display advertising. I already posted on this once, so <a href='http://b2bmarketingconfidential.blogspot.com/2009/10/verticalizing-intenet-marketing.html'>read that one.</a> Basically, I'm arguing that we need to take a few steps to own the latent pipeline:</p><ol><li>Understand our audiences</li><li>Map their typical B2B Internet behavior and map their pre-buying cues</li><li>Build analytical models to tag them</li><li>Target them via display advertising before they ever come to our site</li><li>Keep doing search marketing</li></ol><p>In other words, create a rich, targeted online tapestry that is always on, and no longer shackled to company web sites and email. B2C marketers are ahead on this, but B2B has so much more potential.</p><p>I know this needs more detail. Next post will be on how one might do the steps above and make it work.</p><div class='blogger-post-footer'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/36395142-1612949307234063484?l=b2bmarketingconfidential.blogspot.com' height='1' alt='' width='1'/></div>
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