Articles and Guides
The Short Term Impact Of Reduced Marketing Spending
What is the real impact of reduced marketing spending? Many suggest it is a false economy but the truth is it can often have a negligible short term impact on a business. The actions of marketing can continue to have an impact several months after they have left. The...
read moreIn House vs Outsourced Marketing
With the ongoing demand for more quality sales leads and limited internal resources to achieve that goal, an outsourced marketing agency can be an attractive choice. But is outsourcing really the best option given an in-house team will always be closer to customers,...
read moreB2B Marketing Strategic Planning – Why Bother?
The reasons for undertaking a B2B marketing strategic planning exercise are well established but too often I have seen the process hijacked or the result sitting on a shelf somewhere gathering dust. Is it still valid to allocate significant resources to the...
read more5 Ways To Build Credibility In B2B Markets
Assuming appropriate promotional activity has built awareness in the marketplace then, in risk-averse B2B markets, credibility is a key distinguishing factor. This post suggests five possible ways for a business to build the trust of its potential customers. Five...
read moreHow To Set Up A B2B Lead Generation Team
How should a B2B lead generation team be organised? What tasks need to be completed? What can be covered in house and what should be outsourced? The first step is to identify precisely what is (and what is not) a lead. Next, decide how far marketing nurture leads and...
read more4 Advantages and Disadvantages Of Inbound Marketing
Before considering the advantages and disadvantages of inbound marketing a definition is appropriate. According to David Meerman Scott ‘inbound marketing is about developing marketing activities that ‘pull’ people into your site, generally through compelling content...
read moreMarketing Campaign Analysis And ROI
Without accurate marketing campaign data, any marketing department will find it hard to justify its existence. Higher management needs to know resources employed are delivering the required return. How can marketing prove their positive impact on the business and...
read moreImproving The Marketing And Sales Relationship
The potential for conflict between sales and marketing in any B2B organisation is well known. It wastes time and effort and the opportunity cost can be enormous. In this post, we consider if a transition to inbound marketing could help improve the marketing and sales...
read more9 Key Inbound Marketing Skills
In B2B markets there has been a shift toward inbound marketing in recent years. This, in turn, has modified the skill sets required by marketers. Today the main skills required by marketers include: Strategy, planning and segmentation....
read moreThe Key B2B New Market Entry Challenges
The key challenges associated with entering a new B2B market are not as obvious as they may seem. Yes, you need a killer product or service that fits perfectly with the need of the marketplace but image, relationship and your people are also key. We consider the key...
read more5 Reasons To Use An External Marketing Team
What value can an external marketing team offer over the in house approach? Is an outsourced marketing agency just another cost or can they deliver real benefits? This post sets out to answer those questions. Outsourcing marketing to an experienced external marketing...
read moreThe Advantages Of B2B Market Segmentation
The time taken to undertake a B2B market segmentation process is rarely wasted. It can be all too easy for a sales department to lack focus and to chase the easy target, the prospects the competitors chase, or the contacts that are always open for a visit without...
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