Posted on November 9 2009 Read more...

Five nails in the Trade Pub coffin

Here is another voice putting to words the paradigm shifts we have been witnessing in the last few years. But the important point is noting that things HAVE changed, and that we need to act accordingly.Tom Pick at WebMarketCentral Blog asks rhetorically Will Content Marketing Kill Trade Publications?:"The challenges faced by trade publications go far ...
Posted on November 6 2009 Read more...

Some new words, and one surprisingly 'old' word

The InfoCommerce Group just wrapped up their annual "Data Content" conference. In their weekly email, a list of new key words for the online database industry was offered up:EmbedmentAggregationGood EnoughCurationPlatformsHumansAt the end of that list was this zinger:"There are other keywords that came out of DC09, but, surprisingly, one keyword was barely heard at all:Google.While ...
Posted on November 5 2009 Read more...

Good shows make lively marketplaces, even in suffering industries

Last week we were at an trade show for automotive test market. Sounds like a scary place to be in 2009. Or more likely, a scary place to be spending your marketing money. The show floor was probably 20-25% smaller, and our booth became the last booth in the far corner. And who wants ...
Posted on October 15 2009 Read more...

Guest post: A marketer's advice for job hunting

Wow, seven years of B2Blog.com, and my first guest post!One of my regular readers, Adam Oakley, was recently downsized out of his B2B marketing position. As much as I was concerned for him, I was also curious as to his experience looking for a new job. Now he has a new job marketing software, a ...
Posted on October 6 2009 Read more...

Seth, fill THIS out!

Seth was swinging his guru-hammer awfully close to me today: Seth's Blog: Promiscuous dispersal of your email address:"I just went through the hassle of trying to get some B2B firms the details needed to give me an informed quote on a project.I visited eight sites. Six of them hide their email address. They use forms ...
Posted on September 30 2009 Read more...

Marketing automation? Shoot yourself in the foot?

There are two new technologies that professional marketing types are all a-buzz about:1. Social media2. Marketing automationSocial media is something you can experience for yourself and decide where you fit in.Marketing automation is a bit more vague. What am I automating? How does this replace what I already do? Or is it a whole new ...
Posted on September 23 2009 Read more...

Two new web services from my inbox

Maybe these are useful to some readers:1. Trade your contacts with others with the Reach Lead Network ala Jigsaw. Cool feature is that they can resolve 'social media' contacts (i.e. Twitter followers) into real contact info.2. If you are looking for new product/brand/company names to trademark, searching out conflicts is a pain. Well, until you've ...
Posted on September 16 2009 Read more...

Can shady stats sucker B2B marketers?

I've found that certain words can garner Google-gold.Having trouble with your computer? Be sure to add the word 'problem' to your search.Have a cold-caller on the line, add the word 'scam' to your search of their company.Here's an experience with a directory-service company...Second run-in:Two months ago I received a call to renew my vendor-directory listing ...
Posted on September 11 2009 Read more...

Ditch the pricing on your website!

Okay, I keep coming back to the discussion about whether it is advantageous to have pricing on your website. High-minded folks say you should because that is the #1 thing visitors are looking for, and will leave if they don't find it.But what would really happen? Brendon Sinclair, in the latest Sitepoint Tribune newsletter, tells ...
Posted on September 11 2009 Read more...

No, tell us how you really feel …

Some of my posts slowly collect comments over time. A number of those regard certain companies and scams. I let them live as dialogs for those who are interested in those things.Somehow, the comment someone posted earlier today on one of my posts from 2007 gets the lucky distinction of being linked back-to by me. ...