B2B Marketing:
- Marketing Tools and Technology – How Does A Marketer Decide? @BrennerMichael hosts a roundtable addressing the question: “How does a marketer decide which technologies to test and use to grow their business?” There are 5 key takeaways gleaned from the experts: have a solid process, clear goals, a culture of testing and innovation and listen to customer needs.
- B2B Marketing Infographic: How are B2B marketers optimizing their funnel? @MarketingSherpa put together an infographic on the B2B marketing funnel based on their upcoming 2012 B2B Marketing Benchmark study:
Marketing Automation:
- B2B Marketing Automation Industry Size and Segments: @draab Looks into the B2B Marketing Automation industry, and sizes it by the number of clients. Penetration rates are still very low, especially (Relatively) for enterprise level. As David says in the comments, “marketers show anything from 10 to 30% say they already have a marketing automation system of some sort. Either the survey samples are highly biased, or marketers are using a much broader definition that includes email systems, CRM, etc.”
- Close the Gaps to Close More Sales with Marketing Automation. @sharondrew wrote an excellent post on an area where MA solutions typically come up short: delivering value before prospects enter the funnel.Interactive-timeline-of-marketing-automation: @jchernov of Eloqua put together an interactive timeline of Marketing Automation & Revenue Performance Management Industry. It’s pretty good but does not do enough justice to the very early pioneers like Market2Lead.
Branding:
- Versace’s facebook crisis: @shanebarnhill talks about Versace’s “brand-jacking” based on the company’s reputation for using the highly contreversial sand-blasting method for weathering their jeans. Shane has some very good points about the learnings for brands that face similar issues.
- Brand Loyalty and the Fall of Borders Books. @conversationage @Robert Passikoff breaks down the “final goodbye” email from Borders Books’ interim CEO, and how his assessment of the brand is misguided, which outlines what led to the downfall.