B2B Marketing Tips

Marketing Sherpa recently published research showing shorter lead times for B2B sales cycles from 2010 to 2011. One reason for this may be that B2B marketers are offering more promotions during a weak economy to encourage sales. However, you don’t need to reduce your margins to shorten your sales cycle and close more sales. You can accomplish that by optimizing your sales funnel. There is a close relationship between the …

by Claudia Bruemmer Last week, Google introduced some new features in search results that make search more social and tie in with its Google+ social network. This latest change is called Search Plus Your World. The new features will display personal results in the SERPs, mostly from the Google+ network. Search Plus Your World is available to users who are signed in to Google and searching on https://www.google.com in English. …

TopTenWholesale’s newsroom has been publishing wholesale and retail news over the last six years, and our blog has been around since 2005. What articles do you think caught the attention of our readers over the last 12 months? To refresh your memory, below are the articles and highlights for our most popular stories of 2011.

Since B2B marketers have been dealing with smaller budgets, it is important to use the most effective marketing tactics for generating leads and conversions. Search engine optimization (SEO) and pay-per-click advertising (PPC) have proven to be cost-effective for generating quality leads and driving revenue. This article will provide some tips based on research (Marketing Sherpa, 2011; Google/Forbes, 2009; Google/Slack Barshinger, 2009) that can be used to improve your conversions and marketing ROI.

As you know, Google implemented its Freshness algorithm in early November to provide more relevance for time-sensitive queries. You can learn more about the freshness update in the “Catalyst POV on Google Freshness Algorithm,” which estimates the Google freshness update will affect 35 percent of searches in the SERPs. As a result, this update requires a major shift in B2B content strategy with a focus on recency, quality and relevance.

B2B marketers can take advantage of the power of email to enhance their image and sell more product. Email is a top digital marketing tactic, second only to search marketing. It is a cost-effective way to nurture your customers and prospects by creating and maintaining a relationship over time and throughout the long B2B sales cycle.

A new study from Accenture, “Making Social Media Pay: Rethinking Social Media’s Potential to Bolster B2B Interactions, Customer Loyalty, Revenues and Brand Reputation,” found that a majority of B2B companies are not using the power of social media. However, social media networking is a great new place for wholesalers and manufacturers to engage their prospects and customers.

Pay-per-click advertising (PPC) is an essential tactic used by many B2B marketers. A successful campaign requires skills in both ad creation and campaign management. Not only do you need to create compelling ad copy to get the click, you also need to create effective landing pages that convert. This article will discuss the elements of landing pages that translate into sales.

As you know, Google is making search more secure with encrypted search using SSL (secure sockets layer). This will happen when users search on Google.com, but only if they are signed into Google with a secure connection. How many searches does this involve? Danny Sullivan reported that Google estimates single-digit percentages of all Google searchers on Google.com will be involved, although many SEOs believe that estimate is low.

The Official Google Search Blog posted ten algorithm changes last week. One of these is the freshness update. That means the new Google algorithm now displays the freshest news in search results. Your news, blog posts, events and Google+ posts can now display prominently in search results when optimized for SEO. For instance, a search for occupy wallstreet conducted while writing this piece is shown below. The news was posted 15 minutes before this query was made.

A new report by online marketing agency Webmarketing123 reports that Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the top source of leads for both B2B and B2C marketers − better than PPC and social media marketing. However, more marketers (60 percent) will be increasing social media marketing efforts over SEO and PPC in 2012. Read on to find out why.

It’s smart for B2B merchants to optimize their site for tons of mobile and tablet users, as they will soon outnumber computers and laptops. More and more of your customers can now connect directly from their handheld devices, thanks to new technology. That means your website must visually accommodate all these users. This article tells you how to minimize your site while maximizing your visibility in the SERPs.

Business-to-business marketing is growing at a rapid pace, but B2B marketers have many challenges to face. What are these challenges? The answer comes from the Marketing Sherpa 2012 B2B Marketing Benchmark Report, which surveyed B2B marketers about marketing barriers and top challenges to success. Facing these challenges in today’s market makes it more important than ever for wholesalers and manufacturers to identify these obstacles within their own organizations and develop solutions that will keep them competitive.

While many people think local search optimization is only for B2C sites, recent research suggests it should also be a part of B2B marketers’ search efforts. Marketing Sherpa found only 35 percent of B2B marketers claimed a local business listing, and only 23 percent optimized for local search terms in organic SEO efforts. On the other hand, 43 percent of B2C marketers claimed local listings, and 36 percent optimized for local search. This article will explain how B2B marketers can benefit from local search optimization.

The IBM Coremetrics Online Retail Holiday Readiness Report is just out and is chock full of online shopping trends, as well as statistics and analyses. The report also includes best practices to help maximize your holiday returns. A partial summary of the report is shown below. Feel free to download your free copy for additional details. As you know, the 2010 holiday season was huge for online retailers. The Coremetrics …