B2B TOUCHPOINTS

Technology marketers: buyer-centric content marketing with less noise

2013-05-11T22:52:00.000+02:00

When writing a small piece on content marketing strategy, I stumbled upon an old post I wrote about the 3-D content mapping approach of Arketi Group.

While visiting the Arketi site I noticed a paper, "The Outlook for Business-to-Business Technology Marketing in 2013" on the homepage.

I hadn't seen it earlier and as technology marketing happens to be my thing, I downloaded it. The paper contains some interesting data and evolutions and is based on the annual technology CMO roundtable Arketi Group organizes.
Read more »

Social business and society in an integrated and globalized era

2013-05-06T14:05:00.002+02:00

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? That famous causality dilemma comes to mind when looking at collaboration and globalization. And especially at how they influence each other.

In this millennium, the use of the term globalization has been increasing rapidly. Some see this uptake as a post cold war phenomenon. It probably partially is. However, digital technologies and new ways of collaboration enabled by new technologies and more collaborative information management approaches certainly contributed to it as well.

Especially the shift towards a real-time knowledge economy and the need for digital transformation in the digital business seems to play a role in this regard. The dissemination of knowledge was defined as one of the four basic aspects of globalization by the IMF in 2000. And of course there is the increasing penetration of the Internet, mobile and social technologies, etc.

Internet penetration across the globe - Jeff Ogden for Wikipedia

The roots of globalization go back way further than the post cold war era, let alone the age of telecommunications. And collaboration has played an increasing role in it, certainly after the colonial era. Social business is very much about collaboration and collaboration is a driver of globalization.
Read more »

The why of getting the CEO and CxO on board of social media – part 1

2013-05-05T22:20:00.001+02:00

Should the CEO (and some other members of the C-suite) use social media? Literally hundreds of surveys, blog posts and opinion pieces have been looking at the question. Most of the times the answer is a “yes” and often a “yes, but”.

That “but” often refers to the way the C-suite can/should be involved. There are many people telling you how to sell social to the CEO (and C-suite) and of course there are plenty of tips for the ‘social CEO’. But first things first. Why would/should a CEO use social media (or not)?

The answer is not that simple as some make it appear. There’s a huge difference depending on the nature of the activities of the business, for instance. And getting on board of social media does not equal using the social platforms we typically think of. Finally, what are the benefits and reasons?
Read more »

Marketing priorities in the B2B services industry: tactics and tools

2013-05-05T16:41:00.005+02:00

Is the B2B (IT) services industry adapting to a changing buyer behavior and shifting investments in marketing tactics and tools? The answer is obviously yes. Digital, social, content marketing, it's all there. However, the reasons why and the integrations deserve a closer look.

As I mainly work for B2B organizations in the ICT and marketing (technology) industry, I like to keep an eye on what marketers and buyers in those industries think, how their spending changes and how they adapt to an evolving buyer journey.

Especially the ICT industry has always been leading the way in digital marketing and business (and I'm not saying that because I started my career in it). The reasons are obvious I guess.

One of the organizations I closely follow is the ITSMA (IT Services Marketing Association). It's a paying membership community for marketing execs who market and sell B2B services and solutions. But as the name says, it's mainly for IT companies.
Read more »