B2B marketers need to think like magazine editors

By Jack Burke

Archives are a wonderful thing. I ran across a story on how B2B marketers are changing the way they see their jobs in BtoB magazine. And those changes are driving organizational reboots. Most marketers see that they need more content on more platforms to reach customers and potential customers. Does this jibe with your marketing experience?

Contact, and lots of it

By Pete Kennedy

Came across some interesting thoughts on B2B engagement on a blog on emarketer.com. To put it very simply, the theory is that B2B marketers need to find ways to frequently stay in touch with customers and prospects.

One section of the piece states:

The complexity of the B2B buying process, compared to that for B2C, often demands more of marketers. Because of the longer B2B sales cycle, marketers must diligently fill the sales pipeline and continuously support sales by keeping prospects engaged with the brand during the sales cycle through the use of multiple touchpoints, like email or campaign nurture programs.

Is the cost of borrowing too low?

by Jack Burke
Is the cost of borrowing too low? That's what a couple of business people I recently visited think. It seems counter-intuitive--low interest rates should spur more business activity not less--but the businessmen I talked to say banks just won't take risks with so little in return.

Study: Flexibility, oversight keys to successful social media

By Jack Burke
A new study sponsored by SAS has interesting things to say about how businesses should look at social media. The gist is that, while many businesses have launched social media strategies with some success, they’re not taking full advantage.  Two points from the report stood out for me:

1. Senior executives should holistically integrate customer engagement across their company’s departments to capitalize on new insights into customer valuation: this requires organizational flexibility and the relinquishing of some measure of control. To achieve this, social media need to be understood and employed as tools in the service of wider business aims, not siloed as a discrete functional area.

2. Organizations must tread carefully, however, when extracting value from social media engagement, to avoid appearing intrusive or inappropriate to the very customers and social networks with which they are trying to interact. Moreover, a widespread inadequacy of formal governance policies exposes many firms to significant risks as they seek to derive value from social media – not only reputation hazards but legal compliance issues and the protection of their intellectual property.

Not even a 1-2-3-4 password?

By Pete Kennedy

I spent yesterday helping my 11-year-old son get his new iPod Touch up and running. It was a big day—the culmination of years of saving and birthday money.

Part of the process includes password setup. There is a password at seemingly every juncture. I found it a bit ridiculous.

While the 11-year-old has his iPod protected, the same can’t be said for a laptop loaded with legal information about the mortgage meltdown.

According to reports, including one on MSNBC.com, a laptop that has sensitive e-mail communications about a Goldman Sachs trader at the apex of the mortgage securities meltdown was found in the garbage.

Files intact. No passwords.

New York Times reporters eventually came across the laptop. It apparently has provided them with great background as they write stories about the case.

They’ll get nothing when the iPod Touch eventually makes its way into the trash.