B2B Marketing Blog
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Green is innovation's new frontier

Guest blog by Steve Hewson, marketing director of Toshiba TEC Imaging Systems   Once it was a minority interest. Today, it’s the mainstream. Green issues are undisputedly at the top of the business agenda. What was once the provenance only of single-interest groups is now embraced by almost all. There’s a science to prove climate change is real. A standing intergovernmental conference to fix it. And, for the first time, a UK MP elected to promote change. Green is good. If you think the business world hasn’t clocked that, just look at the number of organisations that now explicitly promote...
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Re-evaluation brings rewards

New business development requires a relevant strategic plan, says Julia Haviland, director of Brittain Marketing.There is no doubt that direct communication with prospect companies is a proven route for businesses to engage with key decision makers. There is also solid evidence that such channels can assist in delivering your product and service propositions that in turn can help achieve growth plans. The deliberation however, a dilemma for many marketers and sales professionals, is how do they position themselves in today’s market? More importantly, how do they differentiate from their competitors in today’s market?All too often I have had businesses ask...
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A 3-Point 'Recycling' Framework For B2Bs: Repurpose, Repackage, Refine

Diving into social media and mobile media can be quite daunting for B2Bs. After all, it's an entirely new way of marketing, communicating, engaging and selling. The tools may be easy, but the environment is complex. One-way messaging habits are now moot as these new media call for two-way (and multi-way) communications with our audiences. And programs don’t have finite start-and-end dates. Much to the contrary, they keep going and going... which means a lot of content is needed to cultivate and grow our initiatives. But, my beloved B2Bs, you have a BIG advantage. It’s just a shame that so...
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Every brand needs a magic notion, have you found yours?

What’s a magic notion? You already know. You already know because everything you know – from the ideas and beliefs you cherish to the products and services you use every day… all of these things were originally the product of magic notions. I believe a magic notion really is magic. It appears, seemingly, from out of nowhere. It transforms the world around it. It turns our preconceptions on their heads. And it opens up new, previously unimagined ways of thinking, being and doing. It is destructive, but also creative. It is subversive, sometimes even threatening, but it is also liberating....
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Is the customer king?

These days, consumers have more choice than ever before, through more diverse channels - from storefront to mail order to online. Expectation is higher than ever. Companies that fail to live up to that expectation find customers leaving without comment - the majority of dissatisfied customers will not complain, they will simply change suppliers. Those businesses that introduce an exceptional level of customer service are differentiating themselves from the competition in an increasingly saturated marketplace. Which is why it is so surprising that business, to a large extent, is still failing to address the issue of customer service. According to...
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Have a merry merry ....

I actually wrote this blog last year but was persuaded by my business partner, to just leave it. Now we are having exactly the same conversations, internally as well as with clients and I cannot be silenced anymore.   What is wrong with Happy Christmas?   My business partner says, “No, it’s Season’s Greetings, we don’t want to offend anyone.”   Who are we going to offend?   So the question is - would anyone be offended if a company card said “Have a Merry Christmas”? We are wishing good will to all. Every shop we walk past from as...
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The rise of the new buyer

Within many organisations, I sense there is a growing readiness to challenge everything and to ask searching questions.You have no doubt heard this in your own organisations: “Why are we doing it that way?”,  “Are we in the right markets?” or “How can we make this better, cheaper, faster, etc?” Marketers who sit at the centre of their organisations can lead this process. They can help their companies evolve and change to continue to prosper or, in some cases, even survive.However the challenge can now come from any source. Internally, a more diverse group of functions might feel empowered to...
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Acquired brands - ditch or nuture?

 When a company is taken over – what should happen to the swallowed company’s brands?   Mergers and acquisitions have characterised many B2B markets for at least the last 10 years – the recent Dow takeover of Rohm and Haas, and BASF’s takeover of Ciba show how valuable consolidation is perceived by senior management, even in the current credit crunch environment.   Much of the communication  relating to the rationale of any merger focuses on “synergies”, and we all know what that means. But what about the brands acquired? When a company’s history stretches back over decades, it’s clear...
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Debate: Should 'green marketing' be a priority during a recession?

Are business customers interested in the green credentials of a product or service in the current economic climate?...
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Q&A: Should 'green marketing' be a priority during a recession?

Are business customers interested in the green credentials of a product or service in the current economic climate?...
5 comments | Full story