Best of B2Bento 2014

Hope your year is off to a great start. Let some of our most read posts from last year guide your marketing thinking (we even had a post that made B2B marketers look at online dating in new light!).

What are your top marketing priorities for the year? See how you can sharpen your campaigns for getting decision-makers on board with our marketing campaign model canvas. And make sure you avoid some common mobile marketing mistakes we have noticed.

Or if your aim is to move into new markets this year, remember to go beyond just translation of your content. Try out new approaches in telling your success stories with content marketing.

Marketing Campaign Model Canvas

A worksheet to plan and execute your marketing campaigns.

Identify prospect personas, create value propositions, plan out key activities and channels, define a metrics framework for your content, work out budgets, and project ROI – this canvas will help get management buy-in faster and deliver exceptional results for your campaign. Read more…

Mobile Marketing – You’re Doing It Wrong

Mobile marketing is not as simple as taking old tactics and implementing them for mobile screens.

Banner advertisements, for example, are interruptions for the user working on one task at a time in mobile. You might get high traffic and CTRs – but these could be due to “fat- finger errors” and will not result in conversion. The key is to make your content mobile-friendly. Read more…

Content Marketing Localization – Lost in Translation

Content marketers looking into localization need to go beyond mere translation.

The geo-cultural context and cultural nuances are important. Global references, metaphors and symbolism must give way to local insight.

For example, unlike the US where English is spoken nationwide, there is no ‘United States of Asia’ – each country has its own language, which means visuals dominate.

Includes a case study of how a global enterprise successfully expanded into the Asia Pacific region. Read more…

Case Studies versus Customer Testimonials in B2B Marketing

Case studies are invaluable to IT marketers for convincing buyers. But these are self-told success stories and tend to attract skepticism. They are also resource-intensive and have limited shelf life for fast-moving organizations.

Customer testimonials, on the other hand, are easier to obtain, and can stay relevant longer. Structured testimonials from independent sources, with specific details on how your product solved their woes, can enhance your credibility.

Case studies still have their place in the marketing mix. Try a blended approach by including the best parts of case studies and testimonials to add authenticity to your offerings. Read more…

5 Lessons from Online Dating for Your B2B Lead Generation Strategies

Yes, we said that. Online dating and B2B lead generation are not so different after all.

You start with your preferred ‘type’ – your persona. Then you make a good first impression. Make sure you don’t talk too much about yourself – listening is very important. Then, if and only if you have permission, take it to the next stage. Lastly, follow up without being creepy. B2B lead generation strategies also follow along similar lines. Read more…

Did we miss any of your favourite posts? Do let us know in the comments below.