The down economy pushes B-to-B marketers to embrace digital tactics: b-to-b marketers tinker with online channels, watch social media emerge and fret over fitting it all into a marketing mix dominated by conventional approaches. As the current recession continues through 2009, a company’s marketing mix must produce sales-ready results using less expensive channels.

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Take a look at who your customers really are Most multichannel marketers think of customers in straight-forward terms: females, 45 to 60 years old, $75,000-plus household incomes, for example. These broad-sweeping demographic descriptors have a place in customer definitions but aren’t the end-all, be-all in defining who does business with you.

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Two principles guide ICM. First, the customer portfolio – the universe of prospects and engaged customers with the brand-is an organization’s most strategic asset. Second, an organization’s ability to optimally manage and grow the value of this customer portfolio is the key differentiator between market leaders and, well, everybody else.

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Your marketing efforts are under attack! They are costing more to produce and getting lackluster results, right? Your efforts must be stepped up in order to survive. In most cases , every marketing effort your company has produced could have been stronger, more strategic and garnered better results. Almost every time the culprit that keeps you from stellar results can point back to the kickoff meeting.

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Lead scoring takes on new meaning in today’s competitive marketplace
“Why can’t I get more qualified leads?” the sales manager pleads. “You give us inquiries, but we don’t know what they want, when they want it or if they are budgeted. It would help to know if they are qualified to buy.” He continues, “You send them a package of literature, and marketing doesn’t reach out to them again. How about giving us more qualified leads and skip the raw inquiries?” Sound familiar?

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Which works best for B-B generation – inbound or outbound marketing? Inbound refers to prospects contacting marketers “out of the blue,” because they are actively interested in specific products or services. Conversely, outbound marketing requires marketers to reach out and touch prospects proactively, e.g., with a postcard, telemarketing call, e-mail or magazine advertisement.

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Asking questions and understanding your customers’ business is the foundation of great service.
I’ve heard estimates that more than 60 percent of customers who moved their business to a different supplier did so because they were dissatisfied with the people who were servicing their business. They felt that they weren’t understood and received poor customer service.

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Virtual events have all the benefits of an in-person meeting without the expense and headache of actually going to one.

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Pattie Maes and Pranav Mistry demo SixthSense | Video on TED.com.

This video presentation from TED shows is pretty interesting-beginning Minority Report type of stuff. The fact that it does iconic gestures and is possible on any surface (non-computer) are great.  The ramifications for social media or inbound marketing are just the least of it. The commercial aspects-consumers finding out more information suited to thier profile-are fantastic. Have a look.

How to combat “too-good-to-be-true” objections

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