B2B Lead Generation Results, By Source

Visits and conversions by source for www.b2bcommunications.com Sept 7 to Oct 6 2009

By Rebekah E. Donaldson

Here is a screenshot showing the sources of our website traffic that converted to leads over the last month. Looking at the chart, I answer:

• What does this chart tell you about lead sources?
• How much did you invest to get the site working this way?
• We need to generate leads – what’s the best way?

2010 Marketing Planning – Facts From MarketingSherpa

By Rebekah E. Donaldson

Everyone is supposed to be nailing down their plans for 2010 marketing efforts. What will go in your 2010 marketing plan?

As I write this, MarketingSherpa’s 6th Annual B2B Marketing Summit 2009 in San Francisco is winding down. And I don’t want it to be over. Every session, every speaker, and every piece of content was focused on helping attendees conquer the challenges of B2B marketing.

Here are links to get some of the facts you need for smart 2010 marketing planning.

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.

SEO services and SEO software – friends or enemies?

NOTE: A big thank you to Jep Castelein of LeadSloth on Demand Generation for his contributions to this post.

By Rebekah E. Donaldson

Say you are a CEO paying for search engine marketing services — also known as SEO services or SEM services. What result are you seeking?

Qualified leads, of course.

Today’s article is about the cheapest, most direct route to that result.

In particular, do you really need SEO consulting from people like me, if you can get SEO software for less?

B2B marketing ROI of a blog – with traffic and leads chart

By Rebekah E. Donaldson

I talked with Sacramento Business Journal senior reporter Kathy Robertson this week about the return on investment from the Red On Marketing Blog. Her questions got me thinking about why I do it, and this post is the result. 

To ground things in real world and tangible results, you’ll see a screenshot showing where our website traffic and leads came from this week.

Cris Rominger joins Red On Marketing Blog contributors roster

I’m pleased to introduce Cris Rominger as a contributor to this blog. 

In a world where 92% of B2B buyers turn to the web first when looking for service providers, effective internet marketing is essential. Cris will be writing about web marketing, search engine optimization, writing for the web and search engines, usability, conversion optimization, and user-focused design.

Cris’ insights are based on what works in the real world. Her 20 years’ communications experience spans web development, information architecture, user-interface design, usability, web copywriting, and search engine optimization.

Cris joined Business Communications Group in 2007. She helps our clients build B2B websites that engage business decisions makers, get to the top of Google search results through advanced SEO, and, through it all, stay focused on what it takes to build trust with savvy buyers.

Check out two of her recent articles posted at our company site:

• Website Content Tips
• Writing Web Content for the Online Reader

Discuss The New Rules of Outsourcing B2B Marketing 2009 e-book and checklist

Today Cris Rominger and I published a free B2B marketing e-book (550KB PDF) called The New Rules of Outsourcing B2B Marketing: What Marketing Directors need in a B2B marketing consultant today.

In it we discuss how the shift to inbound marketing affects Marketing Directors; the 5 essential traits your B2B marketer needs and why each is important; 10 questions to ask a prospective B2B marketing consultant; how to cut ROI guesswork; what B2B buyers are looking for; and why B2B marketing differs from B2C.

We’re hoping to hear feedback. Please weigh in. (Tip: to comment, scroll down to the bottom of an article.)

Writing web content – articles and training

Strong web content is the foundation of successful b2b marketing. My colleague Cris Rominger has posted two great articles on writing web content. And on Thursday next week is a training session by MarketingSherpa called How to Create High Conversion Lead Generation Content.

B2B website design: can comments save websites?

I’m working on a list of action items I have for our main website. Meantime, a thought struck me: is my site obsolete?

My web team may kill me for writing this. And for good reason. They’ve got blood and sweat in that nav, content and tags. So am I nuts? And which articles on this am I overlooking? I’m sure there are many good ones.

“Web Marketing in 2009″ – a SARTA seminar

 Cris Rominger and I will lead the Sacramento Area Regional Technology Alliance (SARTA) Leadership Series seminar titled “How to Succeed at Web Marketing in 2009″ on Wednesday, October 15, 2008.

What won’t fly in that 2009 marketing plan

Everyone is supposed to be nailing down their plans for 2009 marketing efforts. What should go in yours?

Top B2B marketing advice: MarketingSherpa cool-aid proves nutritious

I think I bought my first MarketingSherpa handbook in 2004. I bet customer records at Sherpa show exactly when it was. But whatever the date, I recall being floored. I used up a sticky pad entering placeholders, and used up a highlighter marking key points. And when I’d absorbed it’s content, I started viewing some of my pre-Sherpa work with chagrin. 

Chart: Search bears fruit

MarketingSherpa has just released a new chart showing how marketers perceive their ROI on organic search and pay per click.

Scanning: what we see vs. what designers build

Thanks to the growing popularity of eyetracking studies and heatmaps, we now have a better understanding of how readers scan a Web page or an email offer. Notice I used scan instead of read.

No one reads word for word, at least not while we’re assessing value. We glance, move our eyes in a fairly uniform pattern, and then move on.

Repurpose case studies for higher ROI

When it comes to differentiating and nurturing for high-value sales, content is king. And case studies reign as king of high-ROI content.

In addition to building credibility and trust, case studies enable prospects to step into the shoes of your satisfied client. They are also one of the most passed around content items within a prospect’s decision-making team.

To lift case study ROI, you can repurpose content in several ways:

Who’s the right marketing partner?

There’s a lot at stake for business decision makers today. To lower their risks, b2b buyers are looking harder during longer buying cycles. More and more decision makers are joining the committee – and they’re taking their roles seriously.