B2B Marketing More Insight and Analysis

Microsoft's Steve Lamb talks about why his grandmother still inspires him and the threat, and opportunity, social media presents to B2B marketers.

Tom Chapman, social media strategist at Headstream PR, on why it's important to integrate mobile marketing with social media and how to make this convergence of techniques work

Marketing technology is fast becoming every marketer's best friend, with prospects for its future looking rosy, finds Anna Goldie. But how can businesses make the most of it?

With the range of marketing technology now on offer to all B2B enterprises, choosing the right platform for your business can be daunting. Dave Howell surveys the current marketing technology sectors and reports on how to ensure you buy the right technology for your business

Marketing technology that all B2B enterprises can implement has continued to diversify. Dave Howell outlines your technology choices and explains how to buy the right platforms for your business

Demand generation has been widely touted as the future of B2B marketing, but what is it, how does it work and – more importantly – is it as important as it's cracked up to be? By Joel Harrison

In today's marketing environment where digital technology leads the way, it goes without saying that your website should be up to scratch – especially as it is often the first point of contact a client makes with your company. Alex Blyth explains how to create the right impression

Off-the-shelf marketing tools have been available for some years, but one size rarely fits all. Increasingly B2B marketers are turning to custom-built applications to deliver their specific requirements. Could your company benefit from bespoke technology? Dave Howell investigates

Advances in technology means that webinars are becoming increasingly realistic tools for B2B marketers to use. But what exactly are they and how can businesses make best use of them? Brett Mathews reports

Trade exhibitions have been a staple in the marketing armoury of B2B companies for decades. But with the rise of Web 2.0 technology and a move to digital marketing channels, the virtual exhibition is becoming increasingly popular. But are these virtual spaces a fad or the future of promotion in the B2B sector? Dave Howell reports

The explosion in use of flat panel TVs and the continued development of integrated broadband are delivering a new digital marketing channel that businesses can use to enhance their interaction with customers. Dave Howell reports

Technology is increasingly transforming marketing, with new applications creating opportunities for highly trackable and responsive initiatives. But just as the systems themselves are evolving, so are the companies that are developing and supplying them, with a new breed of vendors offering highly flexible solutions. Dave Howell reports

Building accurate and targeted sales leads is a process that all B2B companies must embrace regularly. With a new breed of prospecting tools available, is access to high quality customer profiles now just a click away? Dave Howell reports

Trade shows, exhibitions and specialised conferences are offering unparalleled opportunities to profile potential new customers, so professionally managing your next event is crucial. Dave Howell investigates technology designed to enable this

Tracking a business's PR exposure and measuring the results has traditionally been more holistic than analytical. Increasingly however, technology is being used to help businesses ensure that communication spend is measurable. Dave Howell examines the current PR technology landscape and asks if this business component can ever truly be automated

Incentive based motivation techniques have a long history in the marketing industry. But with a plethora of products offering a myriad of different schemes and formats, how do you choose the right programme for your business? Dave Howell reports

Presenting to customers in competitive B2B markets requires more than just using PowerPoint slides. Dave Howell investigates new solutions available to help brands master the art of presentation

Dave Howell went looking for a concise definition of Marketing Resource Management (MRM) and uncovered a technology obscured by proliferating acronyms. With multiple vendors offering an array of platforms, choosing the right one for your business is easier said than done

Web analytics has come of age and now offers marketers the ability to precisely target online market activity and obtain crucial insights into how customers use their website. Dave Howell reports

Is CRM simply a piece of technology or a philosophy for effective marketing? Alice Johnson reports on current attitudes to this controversial acronym

Up-to-date business addresses are vital for B2B direct mail, but ever-changing data means they're hard to maintain. Address management software is said to solve this problem. How does it work and what potential does it have for businesses? Alex Blyth reports

Fractious working relationships between sales and marketing departments is a perpetual problem; one that can cause significant damage to a business' overall productivity. New technology, however, claims to be able to combat this issue. Alex Blyth reports

Planning and managing campaigns can be a complex and exhaustive task for marketers. Can the use of a project management system help to take out the stress and ultimately improve the success of a campaign? Ian Sclater investigates

New technology is increasing the opportunities for quick and effective market research campaigns online. But how do the results generated compare with offline surveys? Ian Sclater reports

Timely, accurate and comprehensive information is the key to business success. However, with a burgeoning marketing in business information resources, how do you choose the right service? Dave Howell reports

Can automation really signal the way ahead for customer management ? Alex Blyth investigates

In today's competitive market, ensuring website content is up to date could mean the difference between maintaining loyal customers and losing a sale. Content management systems provide the perfect solution. Dave Howell reports

Brand consistency is essential if all that money spent on corporate identity is not to be wasted and be a worthwhile investment. David Howell reports

Will the mobile phone ever really be a feasible tool in B2B? Perhaps, if it's placed in good hands, say Stephen Lee and Mika Huhtamäki, founders of software company Max Rumpus

Web analytics software is – in theory – the holy grail of marketing, offering the ability to generate unprecedented levels of insight into website visitors. But does it live up to the hype? Ian Sclater investigates

It was heralded as marketing's panacea but when it didn't live up to these expectations it was shelved, then derided. Today marketers are reapproaching CRM with a different attitude – one that may establish it as a viable weapon for marketers. Alex Blyth investigates

Overloaded inboxes have made many marketers look for new ways to keep in contact with business customers. Prominent amongst these, says Ian Sclater, is RSS

Technology has revolutionised how SMEs can target and market to their customers. Alex Blyth examines how to exploit every facet of modern marketing from online surveys to RSS to the latest in CRM technology

Setting up an online marketing store can homogenise sales collateral across the channel, cut costs and make for a very happy CMO, according to Kevin Freedman, CEO of Freedman International

From time to time new ideas threaten to turn marketing on its head. CRM was predicted to revolutionise marketing in the late 90s. MRM is being similarly hailed today. But is it revolutionary? What does it actually do? And most importantly, will it really make a big difference to marketers? Sara Goodwins looks at MRM up close

Nick Bolton, product marketing director at Mediasurface, says a structured approach to corporate website management issues can help bring about a truce in the ownership battle being waged between IT and marketing over ownership

Business needs must be placed ahead of system functionality when it comes to choosing a CRM solution, says Mark Woodbridge, marketing director of SeeLogic

Customer relationship management (CRM) systems cast a harsh light on the huge variety amongst organisations' client base, and the relative values of individual customers. Ian Sclater says marketers must leverage this information if they are to make their investment in CRM pay

Commoditisation of technology products and services has made branding more critical when marketing to businesses, according to the B2B Marketing IT Roundtable. Yet the insistence of many companies of making marketing subsidiary to sales looks likely to undermine this process