The Marketing Maven: Industrial Marketing Blog & B2B Marketing Tips

Five Trends to Watch in 2008

The last few years have witnessed an ongoing shift in the industrial sector from traditional to online marketing. Suppliers, manufacturers and service providers are allocating more of their mix to online programs to build a stronger presence on the Web where their customers and prospects are.

Will this trend continue in 2008? Is anything new on the horizon? Here are five 2008 trends relevant to suppliers and manufacturers.

Everything I Learned About Sales I Learned Selling Cookies

By:  Chris Chariton

I’m the mother of two Girl Scouts and every year I face the challenge of selling cookies.  The Girl Scouts don’t mess around with cookie selling.  There are sales goals for each girl based on previous year sales and of course the goal increases each year.  And let’s not forget sales incentives (prizes) are available to the girls based on volume sold.  Sound a little like your sales organization?

Is it Time to Start a Company Blog?

While engineering, technical and industrial professionals have fully embraced the Internet for work-related purposes, their use of some of the newest online media is lagging. In a recent GlobalSpec survey, only 4% of engineers use podcasts for work-related purposes, and only 3% use RSS feeds. On the other hand, blogs are starting to gain some traction among this audience, with 13% using blogs for work related purposes.

With the new year underway, now is a good time to evaluate whether launching a corporate blog is a good strategy for your business.

Top 10 Marketing Planning Mistakes

Manufacturers, distributors and service providers in the industrial sector have more marketing choices than ever before, making it easier to maximize your marketing budget. However, even the most seasoned professionals sometimes fall prey to mistakes that are easily avoidable. The list below details 10 common pitfalls to avoid when planning your marketing initiatives for the year ahead.