Archive for the ‘Internet marketing’ Category

Will marketing consultants and agencies switch places with in-house staff in a digital world?

Tuesday, May 25th, 2010

As a marketing consultant, I attend a lot of marketing seminars and marketing conferences to stay current with my craft.  Today, the buzz there is all about online marketing.

digital marketingTypical topics include content strategy, search engine optimization (SEO), social media, inbound marketing, marketing automation, and of course email marketing.  Spending in all of these areas is up–often at the expense of conventional advertising and PR.

There are several trends driving this transition.  One is that prospects are moving online so the marketers that wish to reach them must also move online.  Another is that advances in marketing technology have made it relatively easy for non-professionals to produce content that attracts and engages their audiences.

B2B marketing insights and tips compliments of MarketingProfs

Thursday, May 6th, 2010

So much to learn, so little time–which is why I was thrilled to have the opportunity to meet and learn from hundreds of other marketing professionals this week at Marketing Profs B2B forum.  What’s more we had a lot of fun and left with a lot of ideas that many of us are already putting into action.

B2B digital marketing best practices

Over two jam-packed days, we heard about best practices in areas like search engine optimization (SEO), content strategy, lead generation and lead nurturing, and social media.  We learned about what’s worked, what hasn’t, and why from Marketing VPs that have been there, tried that.

What are your marketing priorities for 2010?

Wednesday, December 30th, 2009

A quick search on Google indicates that surveys about business-to-business (B2B) marketing priorities tend to concentrate on tactics–rather than strategy. They also tend to focus on investments in various types of promotional activities, rather than the greater marketing picture. As for strategy, at least one survey seems to indicate that in a tight economy, B2B companies rank demand generation first and then raising awareness.

What happened to the focus on the customer?

The irony is that gaining deeper insights into customer, or prospect needs, rarely shows up as a priority, let alone a high priority. Why not?

Who reads blogs anyway?

Saturday, March 21st, 2009

Google the title of this article and you’ll find lots of statistics on who reads blogs. That said you may not know anyone who reads blogs. I believe that blogs are worth writing—even if no one reads them right away.

The reason? When readers are ready, the blogs will still be there. And that’s the power of on-line content.

Blog statistics track traffic and level of interest

I know this from direct experience. According to the statistics my blog collects, a lot of visitors find my blog posts weeks or even months after I originally publish. Most of these latecomers find my site when searching for information on a particular subject. Many stick around long enough to read several other posts. A smaller, but significant, number subscribe so they can receive future posts.

Is social media an oxymoron?

Sunday, January 25th, 2009

Wikipedia defines social media as “primarily Internet- and mobile-based tools for sharing and discussing information among human beings. Examples of tools this source cites include blogs, wikis, podcasts, and information sharing cites such as Linked In and Flickr.

Call me old-fashioned but I tend to think of interacting with machines—rather than directly with other people—as antisocial. But let’s not quibble over terms. Social media is all the rage at marketing conferences these days, so it’s fair game for this blog.

What got me thinking about this topic today was an event that I attended earlier this week at the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council (MTLC).

Internet Marketing Tips: A Marketing Consultant’s Perspective

Friday, September 19th, 2008

The staff at Accounting Web wrote a post on Embracing the Internet as a Marketing Tool. When I started to add my two cents, I quickly ran out of room. Luckily, I have my own blog on the very same site, so I decided to interrupt the series on the buying process model to share my comments below:

Here are some additional ideas that our accounting clients use to leverage the Internet when marketing their firms.

Using websites to market professional services

As a strategic marketing consultant, specializing in professional services, I advise my clients to first: