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B2B Zone
Designed for B2B practitioners and backed by the IDM B2B Marketing Council, these pages offer easy access to up-to-the-minute articles, documents, professional development opportunities and events, all with a clear B2B focus, and all in one handy place.
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New Video: Making Sense of Metrics
[26 Sep 2012] Measurement is key to improving marketing effectiveness and justifying marketing spend. But what exactly should you be measuring, and what would you be wiser to ignore?
Latest Video: Aligning with Sales – An Impossible Challenge?
[14 Jun 2012] Aligning sales and marketing activity is one of the oldest challenges in the book – and it’s still one of the hardest to get right.
New Video: The Do's and Don’ts of Social Media
[21 Feb 2012] Social media is constantly creating new B2B marketing opportunities – but which channels most deserve your attention and resources?
Latest Technology Marketing In Mind Video: Rethinking the Art of Lead Generation
[12 Jan 2012] With exciting new tools and practices emerging for generating, scoring, profiling and nurturing leads, how can you stay on top of your game and deliver high-quality leads that turn into closed business?
New Technology Marketing In Mind Video: Building a Technology Brand In 2012
[01 Dec 2011] Discover expert advice and personal insight from a host of senior technology marketers from vendors including IBM, Microsoft and Psion, as they discuss the values and tactics needed to build a strong tech brand in an increasingly crowded marketplace.
New video series: Connecting with today’s B2B technology buyer
[11 Nov 2011] With today’s technology buyer enjoying greater choice - and power - than ever before, marketers must empower customers to stay loyal and become brand advocates.
Documents & articles
The IDM/Lisa Arthur interview - social media
[20 Apr 2012] The 2012 IBM Global CMO study revealed, amongst other things, an underpreparedness amongst CMOs for the impact that social media has had – and will yet have on marketing. IDM B2B Council Chair, Debbie Williams F IDM recently had the opportunity to interview Aprimo CMO Lisa Arthur, named one of “20 women to watch”, for her take on the social phenomenon and to ask what advice she would give to other CMOs and marketers.
Dilemmas, Dilemmas - Book review by Professor Bryan Foss
[10 Apr 2012] IDM Business to Business Marketing Council member, Professor Bryan Foss, reviews Julie Garland McLellan's book "Dilemmas, Dilemmas: Practical case studies for company directors".
The IDM B2B Customer 2.0 Playbook
[25 Oct 2011] Inspired by the hugely successful IDM B2B Conference 2011, and with the support of the IDM B2B Council, the Customer 2.0 Playbook has been generated to provide insights and opinion on and around new customer trends in the B2B environment.
B2B Marketing in 2011: the year Augmented Reality gets its big break?
[01 Mar 2011] Thoughts from IDM B2B Council members Earnest
Buyer Personas - under-used, but over-abused?
[01 Mar 2011] IDM B2B Council members, Earnest take a look at personas from a B2B perspective
Vital Statistics for every B2B marketer
[01 Mar 2011] Too many stats to take in? IDM B2B Council members, Earnest pull together those you really need
From social media to Social CRM – what customers want
[01 Feb 2011] The first in a two-part series from the IBM Institute for Business Value
Search Toolkit for the B2B Marketers
[27 Aug 2010] This Toolkit developed by the IAB B2B Council, is aimed to help UK B2B marketers to better understand the UK search market and how to use search effectively.
B2B Council White Paper: Sales & Marketing Alignment: the disconnect continues!
[13 Jul 2010] B2B Council Chair, Debbie Williams F IDM, explores the relationship between sales and marketing and how different approaches can create positive connections between these two functions.
Book Review - The Fundamentals of Business-to-Business Sales and Marketing
[13 Jul 2010] B2B Council Member, Simon Knight, Channel Marketing Leader for Dun & Bradstreet (UK & Ireland) reviews John Coe’s new book which aims to tie together the best of the old and the new as well as introducing a new sales coverage model that meets the needs of today's fast-paced, Web-based environment.
Book review - Raising Venture Capital Finance in Europe
[04 May 2010] IDM B2B Council member, Bryan Foss F IDM reviews this book by Keith Arundale, described as a Practical Guide for Business Owners, Entrepreneurs and Investors.
Top 10 tips for improving the usability of your website
[11 Mar 2010] B2B Council member, Lawrence Mitchell asks how well your website is working for you?
B2B Council member Pitney Bowes’ Report into SME marketing
[02 Dec 2009] What can small and independent operators do to get the most out of their marketing in the crunch and where should they be investing?
Marketing without Money – How 20 Top Australian Entrepreneurs Crack Markets with their Minds
[13 Nov 2009] A book review by IDM B2B Council Member, Andy Grant, Regional Marketing Leader, Northern Europe, Nortel
The IDM Business-to-Business Council Best Practice Guide
[19 Oct 2009] Return on Marketing Investment (ROMI) - find the key metrics to influence the Board & Justify your budget. By Deborah Robertson, Marketing and Sales Director, Easynet Connect.
The IDM Business-to-Business Marketing Council Book Review
[08 Oct 2009] Professor Bryan Foss, CEO and Founder of Foss Initiatives reviews the book 'Business-to-Business-Marketing, Advanced Marketing Series (AMS)' by Ross Brennan, Louise Canning & Raymond McDowell.
Publications & reports
The B2B Barometer® slide deck– Report 6 – April 2012
[13 Jun 2012]
The B2B Barometer® – Report 6 – April 2012
[13 Jun 2012] The B2B Barometer is a 'state of the nation' study for B2B marketers providing an up-to-date and definitive assessment of key issues and trends in the industry. This report contains the findings from the sixth wave of the B2B Barometer revealing allocation of B2B budgets across channels, effectiveness of lead generation by channel, marketing priorities, use of content and business confidence for both agencies and clients. (29 pages, FREE to download).
The B2B Barometer® – Report 5 – November 2011
[22 Nov 2011] The B2B Barometer is a 'state of the nation' study for B2B marketers providing an up-to-date and definitve assessment of key issues and trends in the industry. This report contains the findings from the fifth wave of the B2B Barometer revealing movement and allocation of B2B budgets across channels, attitudes to sales and marketing alignment and client confidence (30 pages, FREE to download).
The B2B Barometer® – Report 4 – March 2011
[15 Mar 2011] The B2B Barometer is the ‘state of the nation’ study for B2B marketers providing an up-to-date and definitive assessment of key issues and trends in the industry. This report contains the findings from the fourth wave of the B2B Barometer revealing shifts in media spend, social media trends and client confidence. (17 pages, FREE to download)
The B2B Barometer® – Report 3 – September 2010
[01 Sep 2010] The B2B Barometer is the ‘state of the nation’ study for B2B marketers providing an up-to-date and definitive assessment of key issues and trends in the industry. This report contains the findings from the third wave of the B2B Barometer revealing positive B2B market trends.
The B2B Barometer® – Report 2 – February 2010
[20 Feb 2010] The B2B Barometer is the ‘state of the nation’ study for B2B marketers providing an up-to-date and definitive assessment of key issues and trends in the industry. This report contains the findings from the second wave of the B2B Barometer.
The B2B Barometer® – Report 1 – June 2009
[02 Jun 2009] In conjunction with the Institute of Direct Marketing (IDM) and the Association of B2B Agencies (ABBA), Circle Research has developed a regular survey to take the pulse of the B2B marketing profession - the B2B Barometer. The first wave of this study canvassed the opinions of major industrial and commercial companies and especially those who account for a significant slice of expenditure on B2B marketing services. (15 pages FREE to download)
News & press releases
IDM launches programme for change at its annual B2B Marketing conference
[12 Mar 2010] The Institute of Direct Marketing will launch a programme for change at its annual B2B Marketing conference in May at a time when, according to the IDM B2B Marketing Council, "innovation must drive transformation".
Social Media gains foothold in B2B communications as marketers increase budgets but inexperience will compromise results
[28 Jan 2010] Social media usage in B2B marketing campaigns is set for further growth this year as 62% of marketers plan to maintain or increase their budget spend. However, lack of experience is proving a stumbling block for many, reveals the first annual Social Media Census published by Cyance in association with The Institute of Direct Marketing (IDM).
Events
The 9th Annual IDM B2B Marketing Conference Keynote: Why good business is better business
[13 Jun 2012] Kate Robertson of Euro RSCG Worldwide provided this year's outstanding and inspirational keynote, examining that what unites people is greater than geographical distance and national distinctions.
The B2B Metrics of Multi-Channel Marketing
[20 Aug 2010] We live in an increasingly complex multi-channel world where B2B decisions are influenced by online sources long before a sales person makes contact. The beauty of online activity is that it is all measurable, but how, as a B2B marketer, can you make the most of the explosion of channels and the insight that you can get?
At the B2B Knowledge and Networking Evening, IDM members and guests heard detailed case studies from Cisco and Reed Business Information. The presentations covered practical ideas to use when adding Twitter to integrated campaigns and a guide to the types of Metrics that can be used to optimise acquisition, conversion and retention programmes.