| News for business-to-business marketing professionals |
Marketing.org |  |
- Analysis: Facebook's B2B efficacy claims are backed by little data
Marketers are split on the value of Facebook for business-to-business selling, writes Erik Sherman. Facebook cites the example of a HubSpot campaign that reaped a 71% sales increase to counter disenchantment, but Dan Levy, director of small business at Facebook, "doesn't have general results for the efficacy of B2B marketing campaigns," Sherman writes. "It is true that Facebook users often are in business, and it is possible to target SMB-affiliations with the self-serve ad tools," Sherman adds, although "you will have to run tests" to see if it can work for your company. Inc. online (free registration)/Techtown blog
(2/19)     
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A number of variables factor into the decision to pursue a degree, but many prospective students cite cost as the single largest barrier to earning a degree. Download this white paper to find out what tuition benefits your employer may have and how to ask for help if they don't usually offer this assistance. |
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| Eye on Marketing |  |  |
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- Using human language gives brands a winning personality
The lines between personal and professional communication can be blurred further in a social media context, helping to humanize a brand, writes Corey Eridon. So when Intercom uses colloquial language to make a point about a potentially boring CRM tool, GE uses the label "Badass Machines" on Pinterest, and DropBox sends e-mails with "lovable design and personable, easily consumable copy," they're doing the right thing for their brands. Eridon lists several more examples of B2B marketers that "sound like freaking human beings once in a while." HubSpot.com/Inbound Internet Marketing Blog
(2/19)
- Apple continues enterprise inroads as BlackBerry falters
Apple continues to steal market share from BlackBerry at the enterprise level, according to Trefis. Two recent examples include the New Zealand government ordering 6,000 devices for police officers and Home Depot replacing BlackBerry smartphones with iOS-based devices. This is especially good for Apple, as corporate customers tend to be less capricious, and especially bad for BlackBerry, which gets most of its value from enterprise users, according to Trefis. Forbes/Great Speculations blog
(2/19)
| Tech Edge | | |
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- StrongMail will use Amazon Redshift to expand data access
StrongMail is signing up for Amazon Web Services's cloud-based data warehouse Redshift, allowing StrongMail customers access to large amounts of data. The move "attacks one of the industry's biggest pain points," says Bill Wagner, StrongMail CEO. "By removing the constraints of other marketing solution providers, StrongMail frees customers from limits on the amount, age and type of data required to deliver highly targeted and relevant messaging." DestinationCRM.com
(2/19)
| Innovation | | |
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- Why innovative products require marketing
Having a great product isn't enough in the current business climate; you also need effective marketing if you want to gain mass-market appeal, writes Ben Bajarin, a principal Creative Strategies. "The mass market ... doesn't necessarily understand why a particular flashy, shiny new gadget adds value to their life," he notes. Time.com
(2/19)
- Times newsroom's interactive innovation inspires ad side
An interactive graphic in The New York Times' online Arts section last fall was the inspiration behind a new ad format being offered for the paper's website. The Arts graphic allowed digital viewers to run a cursor over a painting to reveal another painting beneath. "We don't ever get a heads up from the newsroom, but as we discover something or see something we like ... we say to ourselves, 'Do we need their code or can we build it ourselves?' " said Tracy Quitasol, executive director of product marketing and ad platform innovation. Advertising Age (tiered subscription model)
(2/19)
| Association News | | |
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- BMA Kansas City Chapter -- Deadline this week for 2013 Fountain Awards entries
Entries must have been created between Jan. 1, 2012, and Dec. 31, 2012, to be eligible. Entries must be received by this Friday, Feb. 22. All entries must be business-to-business. See what it takes to win a Fountain Award at the 2013 Fountain Awards Celebration on Monday, March 18 at the Boulevard Brewery. Come to network, view all the winning entries and see who takes home a Fountain Award (or two or three)! This year's event will be a great opportunity to socialize with other B2B marketing leaders in Kansas City. Read more.
- Blaze: Wiersema to present B2B Agenda
Fred Wiersema wrote "The B2B Agenda" after sitting down with more than 100 business marketing executives and researchers to explore the issues and opportunities that are reshaping the field. The report, published by the Institute for the Study of Business Markets at Penn State University, finds the through-lines in our anecdotes, identifying trends and best practices. Wiersema, a business marketing leader and a distinguished ISBM fellow who chairs the organization's B2B Leadership Board, will present his findings at the 2013 International BMA Conference in Chicago this May. Read more.
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