Frontline Perspectives

We’ve all heard that content is king. That to build trust and gain customers, every B2B company should be creating online content that is relevant and valuable. And that’s true. But as communication evolves, what form should that content take? Should we continue to create content that’s a direct extension of our marketing efforts? Or should marketing departments take a more journalistic approach that focuses on content that improves people’s work lives, rather than promoting companies and products, knowing that the “gravy” will be improved SEO, influence and sales?

First, it’s helpful to understand how these two approaches differ. Read more »

On March 30, 2001, Salesforce.com, the leading cloud-based sales and CRM solution, announced it would acquire Radian6, a popular social media monitoring service.  “What’s this mean to me,” you might say. We’ll tell you. But first a little refresher. Read more »

You’ve probably seen them: futuristic-looking black-and-white boxes that look like the love child of a barcode and a postage stamp. They’re called QR (for Quick Response) codes and they’re popping up everywhere — like on the side of this bus — as the latest buzz-worthy tool to hit marketing.

Developed in Japan in the mid-90s, QR codes bridge the gap between the physical world and the digital one. Readable by dedicated QR barcode readers and the cameras on smartphones, the black-and-white boxes contain encoded information such as text, URLs and other data. Read more »

Your company probably spends a lot of time and money finding qualified leads. These are the folks who have raised their hands and shown interest in your business in response to your marketing efforts. Sounds good, right? So why is your sales force complaining about them? Read more »

Gaining a prospect’s trust — and maintaining a customer’s — is key to making sales. But if you’re like a lot of busy marketers, you may be making some common writing mistakes in your various communications. Before long, it can make your company look less than professional … and that can erode your clients’ and prospects’ trust at a time when you need it most.

Read more »