What strategies and tactics should you employ to maximize business results online? What are the leading marketing thought leaders saying about marketing strategies in 2010? How effective is demand generation software? How do you select the right market research to support your goals? Why is content marketing becoming critical? What key trends on the horizon do you need to be aware of? Can you fire your sales force?
Get the answers to these questions and more here in the best blog posts and articles of the past year on marketing strategy.
12 Marketing Minds, One Free eBook by Search Engine Guide
Jennifer Laycock previews a free eBook from Valeria Maltoni featuring thoughts on marketing strategy and tactics from 12 online pros including Beth Harte, Christina Kerley and Matt Dickman.
Don’t Forget the Brand in SEO, PPC and Social Media by Search Engine Journal
Garrett Pierson advises marketers to capitalize on their brands in all areas of online marketing, such as by search-optimizing for all common variants of company and product names, and presenting consistent brand images and messages across all areas of the firm’s social media presence.
Peter Guber’s magic formula for marketing success by iMedia Connection
Jodi Harris summarizes highlights from Mandalay Entertainment Founder and CEO Peter Guber’s keynote speech at the 2009 Entertainment Marketing Summit advising marketers to overcome resistance to change, create memorable stories and great content in order to motivate prospects.
101 Tips from 50 Small Business Bloggers by Open Forum
Glen Stansberry supplies a wealth of strategic guidance packed into short nuggets from a wide range of business thought leaders like Seth Godin, Anita Campbell, Mark Cuban, Jared Reitzin and Matt McGee.
The Marketing Automation & Lead Nurturing Myth by Nurture
A brief but insightful post contending that there is no such thing as “demand creation,” only demand identification and lead nurturing–and counseling marketers to undertake the right kinds of programs, then have patience.
Web Strategy in 2010 by baekdal.com
Thomas Baekdal offers a 22-point checklist for maximizing the way the web works today, from content generation and social media to calls to action.
A CMO’s guide to picking the right market research by iMedia Connection
Michael Estrin advises companies on how to find the most meaningful data for their tactics and brand, including using aggregators help you figure out which data are best for your needs.
What made the Digital Marketing World-Go-Round? 10 Takeaways from the MarketingProfs Digital Marketing World Virtual Conference by Modern B2B Marketing
Maria Pergolino wraps up the key takeaways from this virtual conference, covering areas from social media integration and landing page optimization to relationship-building and sales-marketing alignment.
Content Marketing / Custom Publishing Research – Marketers Telling the Story by Junta42
Joe Pulizzi reviews research from King Fish Media on the state of content marketing and provides some interesting statistics on the scope and ROI of custom content creation. His conclusion: “We are all publishers now.”
7 Free or Cheap Ways to Effectively Promote Your Business Online by Dumb Little Man
Actually, this post presents eight strategies for online promotion ranging from social networking and video to PR and local portal sites. It also includes links to additional resources to dig deeper into each area.
5 marketing megatrends you can’t ignore by iMedia Connection
The brilliant Adam Kleinberg expounds on five megatrends–including mass collaboration, constant connectivity and globalization–and details their impacts on marketing strategies.
Why Content Strategy is So Important by Acsellerant
Bob Leonard argues that marketers must become publishers, then details the seven components of a successful content strategy.
In Social Media, It’s Not Just Business, It’s Business-To-Business by Brian Solis
***** 5 Stars
Social media thought leader Brian Solis disects shifts in b2b marketing spending, making extensive use of data from eMarketer on metrics such as changing budget allocations, objectives of using social networks and other social media sites, ROI measurements and more.
Preparing for a world without salespeople by iMedia Connection
Reid Carr muses about how the rapid increase of online information and spread of social media are changing the sales process, particularly for younger consumers. Making the case that “companies need to adapt to the changing environment, in which the next generation of consumers doesn’t want to talk to your salespeople,” Reid provides guidance on how different types of firms can adapt to this shift.
5 Social Media Myths by Digital Tonto
A thought-provoking post on the true impact (smaller than you may think?) social media will have on other, more traditional form of media and information distribution. Well worth a read.
