Posted by: Jessica Shepherd, Project Manager

The much anticipated day has finally arrived. Your company’s new product is officially launching. While this is a major feat in itself, many argue that the grueling work is only just beginning.

Marketing your product is a key factor for a successful launch, and the process should begin well before the actual launch date. An increasingly critical channel for product marketing is the Web. And while the ideal situation is to have top organic listings and major presence on the major search engines from Day 1, in most cases, this is just a pipe dream. read more »

Posted by: Sam Eidson, Partner

Looking for an expertise-focused Web 2.0 tactic to increase your search engine visibility? If the fit is right, try personas. A persona is an online alter ego that corresponds to your unique expertise.

Start by creating an account using gmail, yahoo, or any other web-based email. In the place of your first and last name, enter a title that reflects your target keywords – “Nashville Tax Attorney,” for example.  read more »

Posted by: Jenny Bachner, Media Specialist

While many people turn to Google, Yahoo or MSN for their answers, others are moving to a more specialized form of search – vertical search.

Vertical search, or “specialized” search as some call it, is a form of internet search based on engines that focus on specific content. With regular search engines, web crawlers scan mass amounts of data to bring back general information about your topic of interest. However, when you have a specific question, and you are typically looking for the most direct answer, there’s no need to go hunting around on Google. Take the direct route and use a vertical search engine for your hunt. Vertical search web crawlers only crawl a highly refined database of information that is specific to your topic of interest.

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Posted by: Gloria Dutton, Marketing Coordinator

On my recent post about social media, someone asked a great question about how a traditional B2B company might venture into the social media space, so I thought I’d dig in a little deeper.

The difference between how B2C companies and B2B companies engage in social media comes down to target audiences and the online avenues they’re likely to explore. It’s important to understand, however, that social media is just as valuable a resource for B2B companies as B2C… if not more.

One of the great misconceptions about social media relates to what’s actually out there. When you first hear “social media,” you might think of trendy social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook. Since Facebook was originally designed for a college audience, it might not be the best match for your business goals right now. (That’s not to say that you should write it off entirely. With some knowledge growth and increases in use, it might just evolve into a worthwhile outlet for you.) read more »

Posted by: Sam Eidson, Partner

Keyword strategy is the foundational element of a successful B2B search engine optimization (SEO) program, and it’s not easy. There are SEO tools like keyword popularity analytics to help cover the tactical bases. They can help you narrow down a keyword list, an important step to make sure you don’t spread your efforts too thin. But these techniques won’t help if the keyword strategy isn’t linked to your business growth strategy. To achieve this, use a process specific to B2B.

Start by identifying which audiences you are targeting. Identify the individuals who have a role in the purchase decision of your target organizations – not just the decision makers, but also the users, influencers and ratifiers. Think through the information that’s important to each audience, and develop informational offers (white papers, webinars, ROI calculators, etc.) that will get them to a landing page and encourage them to consider your products or solutions. Sound like a lot of effort? It is. read more »

Posted by: Kayla Wagner, Account Manager

Like many industries, technology is under pressure in this downturned economy. Though tech marketing spending will increase this year, it will do so at a slower rate than last year due to financial concerns, according to IDC’s 2008 Tech Marketing Barometer. With 2009 just around the corner, that’s all the more reason to focus your lead generation and nurturing strategies.

As always, it’s important to tie your marketing efforts to analytical, measureable results. First, focus on the quality of your leads. Whether you choose to nurture them through a lead scoring system or an action-based system, cull out all spam and unqualified prospects. Send the sales team only those leads that are the best candidates for follow up. read more »