Right now, you’re probably mentally running through your list of clients trying to figure out which ones to approach. Your criteria for selection is probably limited to who you think would be willing to participate. The good news is nearly all of your clients will be more than happy to help – so don’t use that criterion as a starting point. Instead, working with your sales team, look through your database for clients who have successfully implemented the offerings you want to promote and who are similar to the clients you want to attract. Favor big successes over big clients. Instead of choosing big name clients, look for clients who you believe can show measurable and undeniable success. It
Suddenly case studies are everywhere. Why? In the wake of the social media frenzy, we’re reminded that there are many things social media tools don’t do well – convincing prospects to buy is one of them. Because of the highly strategic sales process, B2B marketing requires a lot of copy – which is why advertorials, white papers, Web copy, and case studies were perennial staples. This was fine when people had time to read, but they don’t anymore – rest assured that the 40-page white paper and spiral-bound case study are definitely dead. The new case studies – sometimes called success studies - are tightly written, graphically appealing, logical, thorough, and to the point. There’s no more dr
Much of marketing ROI can be measured, but most of it cannot. There has been a mindset the last few years that for anything to have value it needs to be measurable—this is a trap. You can measure website traffic, media hits, click bait openers, completed contact forms, phone inquiries, customer loyalty, etc. Then there are some things that most people believe you can measure and you effectively can’t: brand awareness, customer sentiment, perceived value, etc. The things that can’t be measured with any accuracy all revolve around brand. B2B clients give well-branded companies greater leeway and more opportunities than their lesser-known competitors. This leeway includes: 1. Access: Anyone wh
So you have a ton of traffic going to your (non-ecommerce) website, but almost no one filling out contact forms, engaging in live chat, or responding via email or phone. In other words, a lot of traffic but no leads. If your sales team is confident in what you are selling and the market is steady, it’s time to start rethinking your landing pages. Following are a few basic rules for creating landing pages that capture leads: Offer something of value in exchange for contact information—you don’t have to create something yourself. For example, it can be an informative article from a technology publication. We use MIT Review articles sometimes. There is a fee involved, but it’s not that much.
