Corporate Logos — examples of what does, doesn’t work

By Rebekah E. Donaldson

One of the big laughs in the fake documentary film Spinal Tap came when the band took to the stage to sing of Stonehenge. The set was supposed to feature a replica of a section of Stonehenge standing an imposing 18 feet tall. Due to a miscommunication problem with the set designer, it shows up at a ridiculous 18 inches tall.

Here’s a story about one of my own screw ups, some tips from the trenches of corporate logo design — and 5 corporate logos that help illustrate how a logo can help — or hurt — its owner.

“Solution” is not the solution in B2B marketing communications

By Robert Celaschi

I won’t buy your product or service if you don’t tell me what it is.

B2B website design: 9 must-have qualities

By Cris L. Rominger

What are the 9 must-have qualities of a user-focused B2B website design?

When approaching a re-skin or redesign of your company’s website, it’s helpful to keep in mind both branding goals and user goals.

Copywriting marketing materials? How to speak prospects’ language

By Robert Celaschi

Copywriting marketing materials? The challenge is to ensure prospects are informed, not befuddled. An expert marketing copywriter gives tips on speaking their language.

Learn the social media secret handshake at IMU

By Rebekah E. Donaldson

Vendors and job applicants pitch B2B Communications each week. So far in 2009, about 1 in 4 indicate familiarity with social media. About 1 in 100 have engaged with us first through social media.

How can busy professionals get a grasp on marketing 2.0 — and start to engage and contribute? I recommend Inbound Marketing University as a foundation. After that, social media mentoring or coaching might be in order.

Six marketing gotchas CEOs can avoid

By Rebekah E. Donaldson

In a normal year, alot of missed opportunities can hurt sales. This year, they can kill a company. So it’s time to get deadly serious about avoiding marketing mistakes.

Are there patterns in the marketing mistakes small to midsize companies make? I think so. In particular, I’ve noticed at least six ”gotchas” when it comes to CEO-led decisions about marketing. In a new ebook called Six Marketing Mistakes that CEOs Can Avoid and a series of blog posts here, I’ll describe each one’s telltale symptom… and outline a better way.

B2C versus B2B – do B2B buyers feel more risk?

As featured in web marketing and e-commerce portal WebMarketCentral.com

Whether you’re marketing to consumers or business decision makers, you’re still marketing to a human being – right?

Yes — but decision makers may feel more risk when it comes to the average buying decision.

Using social media: copying others doesn’t work

It’s no secret that social media have become part of the mainstream culture: blogs, YouTube, online forums, networking sites and so on. We’ve been writing about the topic for a while, such as the impact of social media on B2B marketing and tipping points for business participation.

The secret is how to master these new tools for B2B marketing. There are few success stories out there, and copying others doesn’t work, according to Forrester Research Inc.

Cision’s Navigator moves into Web 2.0 world

Fans of Cision’s Navigator newsletter and website can look forward to a new version soon. Editorial director Kim Roberts says we’ll soon be able to rate articles, access new sections on social media, and dialogue with article authors and other readers.