B2B Search Marketing often presents unique challenges for search engine optimization and managing profitable SEM programs. Columnists provide tips for common business-to-business search marketing issues such as lengthy conversion cycles, finding qualified buyers, the role search marketing plays in the overall sales process and more.

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How to Spice Up B2B Ad Creative Brainstorms In 90 Minutes Or Less

Feb 1, 2012 at 11:34am ET by Lauren Litwinka

Fact or Fiction? Writing search PPC ad copy promoting B2B brands, products or services isn't as fun as promoting some sexy, fabulous, coveted line of B2C goods because B2B, by nature, is boring. Fiction! Fiction, I say! Clever marketers embrace the opportunity to market B2B because they recognize and respect the challenge it embodies: To make the ostensibly boring not only saleable, but beautiful. The good news is this is a goal any ambitious marketer can achieve. Even you. All you needs is a creative mind (or team of creative minds), willingness to think outside of the box, courage to [...]

Related Topics: B2B Search Marketing | Channel: Search

4+ Recommendations To Enhance B2B SEO Initiatives

Jan 25, 2012 at 9:16am ET by Derek Edmond

The start of the new year is the ideal time for B2B search engine marketers to reassess website strategy and determine where enhancements could be made to benefit SEO visibility. With budgets still in review and benchmarks being set, focusing on site enhancements first could help maximize the benefits of all ongoing SEO initiatives, that are realized over the course of the year. Marketingsherpa just released its 2012 B2B Marketing Benchmark Report and two points helped shape this column. First, B2B marketers experienced severe declines in the tactical effectiveness of two top initiatives [...]

Related Topics: B2B Search Marketing | Channel: Search

Optimizing The Business Of Your B2B Search Program

Jan 18, 2012 at 9:01am ET by Brad Neelan

With 2012 stretched out before us, it’s a perfect time for B2B marketers to make sure that the year ahead is poised for success. By now you have laid the groundwork, and have clear learnings from your 2011 search efforts to build upon. But … are you operationally structured for success? The Importance Of The Business Architecture Marketers are often moving so quickly that they sometimes neglect to make sure they are operating from the optimal framework – their business architecture. Granted, doing exactly that can seem a bit like changing the tires on a moving car, but failing to [...]

Related Topics: B2B Search Marketing | Channel: Search

My Search Rankings Are Great! But My Traffic Sucks! Now What?

Jan 11, 2012 at 10:54am ET by Barry Bowman

Most of the time an increase in search engine visibility does generate additional organic traffic, but what should a B2B marketer do if it doesn't? Have you ever been a victim of this scenario? Below are three aspects of your SEO Program to analyze and improve to ensure that your SEO investment is generating website visitors, prospects and ultimately leads and customers. Track Rankings...But As A Secondary Metric Too often, B2B SEO programs are focused solely on increasing search engine rankings, and success is measured via ranking software and some type of "visibility score". In my op [...]

Related Topics: B2B Search Marketing | Channel: Search

6 New Year’s Resolutions For The Modern-Day B2B Community Manager

Jan 4, 2012 at 12:05pm ET by Lauren Litwinka

Ahhh, a New Year is upon us, and with it comes a tidal wave of resolutions and vows, sacrifices and goals. "I will exercise more!" "I will make nice with my in-laws!" "I will not drink so much!" … and so on. Resolutions are just that – things we resolve to do, or… to do less of… typically after learning the hard way what we were doing didn’t work, and it’s high time to try something different. Here’s a list of 6 New Year’s Resolutions for B2B Community Managers to consider while charging forth into 2012. Some ask the community manager to be more buttoned-down and calcul [...]

Related Topics: B2B Search Marketing | Channel: Search

5 B2B Search Engine Marketing Resolutions For 2012

Dec 28, 2011 at 10:18am ET by Derek Edmond

With the holiday season winding down and 2012 just around the corner, it's time to take a deep breath and get ready to plunge into the new year. When marketing teams get back from the New Year's weekend, you can be sure that new found vigor and excitement will be in the air. For B2B search engine marketers, it's time to seize the opportunity. Here are five resolutions top of mind on my list for 2012, and recommended for other B2B search engine marketers as the new year begins. Track More Leads 2012 is the year to stop working with blinders when dealing with Web traffic reports and evaluat [...]

Related Topics: B2B Search Marketing | Channel: Search

Preparing For A New Era Of B2B SEO

Dec 21, 2011 at 12:12pm ET by Brad Neelan

The end of the year is always a time for reflection on all of the work and effort of the previous 12 months. There has been a lot of talk in 2011 about the end of SEO as we know it. But the reality is that there will always be a need for strategy when it comes to search engine positioning and capturing audience demand. Why B2B SEO Strategy Matters It is true that what represents exceptional SEO work has definitely changed in form and function from even just a few years ago. Many of us can recall the days of sculpting webpages to gain ranking through on-page techniques. But as we move into [...]

Related Topics: B2B Search Marketing | Channel: Search

Should You Expect Sales-Ready-Leads From Search?

Dec 14, 2011 at 1:01pm ET by Patricia Hursh

This is a mantra we hear far too often. Many B2B marketers expect their search marketing program to generate only high-quality leads that are immediately ready for sales interaction and closing. Question: Is this really realistic? Business Buying Is A Process Think about your own experience -- both as a consumer and, if applicable, as a business buyer. How do you use search engines? Do you only conduct a search only when you’re ready to choose a partner and purchase a product or service? Probably not. In fact, market research shows that business buyers use search engines throughout thei [...]

Related Topics: B2B Search Marketing | Channel: Search

4 Recommendations For Benchmarking B2B Social Media Performance This Year

Nov 30, 2011 at 12:12pm ET by Derek Edmond

Tis the season...to wrap up budgeting and forecasting for 2012. As the year begins to draw towards a close, the hope is that your search engine marketing initiatives have an upward trend attached to them. According to MarketingSherpa’s 2011 B2B Marketing Advanced Practices Handbook, SEO ranked as the fourth most effective B2B marketing tactic. For many of us, B2B SEO now includes some component of social media marketing. Even though social media was only the tenth most effective B2B marketing tactic in the chart above, 66% of organizations with a formal SEO process were integrating social [...]

Related Topics: B2B Search Marketing | Channel: Search

B2B SEO: 4 Quick Tips To Make Your Content Model Fresh

Nov 23, 2011 at 9:00am ET by Brad Neelan

Thanksgiving! There is nothing like the taste of fresh turkey when it’s hot out of the oven. However, the leftovers quickly lose their appeal after sitting in the fridge for a few days. Given Google’s Freshness update, B2B content could suffer the same fate. The Change At Hand The "Freshness" update is Google’s latest algorithm change that took place on November 3rd and has the search world in a stir. In a nutshell, Freshness is an expansion by Google in its efforts to provide relevance when query intent matches a topic that is time sensitive. But will the change have much of an eff [...]

Related Topics: B2B Search Marketing | Channel: Search

Redefining B2B Search Engine Marketing KPIs In Wake Of Google Encrypted Search

Nov 2, 2011 at 12:12pm ET by Derek Edmond

The news that Internet marketers will no longer be able to receive certain keyword-specific search referral data from logged-in Google.com users should be a concern to B2B marketers. With such an emphasis on lead evaluation and the importance of ROI in their marketing programs, every bit of data helps. Take a look at the top priorities for CMOs in the B2B space via MarketingSherpa's 2011 B2B Benchmark Survey: Arguably five of the top ten priorities for CMO will be impacted in some capacity by this search engine change. Will this make B2B SEO irrelevant? That certainly will not be t [...]

Related Topics: B2B Search Marketing | Channel: Search

Five Action Steps To Take In B2B Reputation Management

Oct 20, 2011 at 12:48pm ET by Susan Kelly

You’re actively monitoring the online chatter about your company. You’re utilizing a powerful social monitoring tool and have plenty of data. But are you truly prepared to respond when negative commentary about your business hits the web? One of the most effective ways to handle negative opinions in the marketplace is to proactively provide positive information about your firm. Here are five tips to actively respond to negative opinions and amp-up positive comments. 1. Update Your Company’s Blog Regularly If your company doesn’t have a blog, create one! In general, the more you [...]

Related Topics: B2B Search Marketing | Channel: Search

5 Unassumingly Powerful Tools For The B2B Marketer’s Arsenal

Oct 12, 2011 at 12:16pm ET by Lauren Litwinka

In a sea of shiny social media marketing services, both mainstay and emergent, it can be easy to lose sight of the tried and true goodies we use every day for seemingly unrelated tasks. There’s little room for pricy platforms with superfluous bells and whistles in the social-savvy B2B marketer’s arsenal. This post explores five popular (chiefly free) platforms authoritative in nature but often overlooked as useful tools for hardcore marketing. Leverage their insight for dead-eye targeting of paid search and social ads, identifying meaningful potential customers and friends via organi [...]

Related Topics: B2B Search Marketing | Channel: Search

5 Tactics For Improving Visibility Of B2B Content Marketing Initiatives

Oct 5, 2011 at 12:21pm ET by Derek Edmond

It should come as no surprise that for B2B marketers surveyed in Marketingsherpa's 2012 B2B Marketing Benchmark Report, five of the top six B2B marketing priorities and challenges were related to lead generation process. More importantly, while brand awareness (the only priority outside of the lead generation process) was an important priority, its fourth place rank in importance narrowly beat out the challenge B2B marketers face developing lead nurturing initiatives. PDF Source Effective content marketing can become a central component of lead generation initiatives. Conten [...]

Related Topics: B2B Search Marketing | Channel: Search

B2B Benchmark Report Sheds Light On Lead Generation Through Use Of Search & Online Media Mix

Sep 28, 2011 at 5:29pm ET by Brad Neelan

The online B2B landscape is a challenging environment for lead generation. The champs are those who can prove themselves to be the right solution at all the stages when a customer is in the market. Oh, and these days, champions must do it all with minimal resources. To be ‘The Greatest’ B2B lead generator, you have to ‘float like a butterfly, sting like a bee’, and think like Muhammad Ali when aiming to increase and improve leads. Like Ali’s triple threat of a lightning left jab, a crushing right cross, and super human foot speed, successful performance driven B2B marketers mus [...]

Related Topics: B2B Search Marketing | Channel: Search

3 Steps To Ensure Accountability For B2B SEO Results

Sep 21, 2011 at 12:43pm ET by Shellie Foriska

Since every marketing dollar counts, especially in this tough economy, how can you get the most out of your search investment? Here are three critical questions every B2B marketer should be asking their agency or in-house search marketing team, to hold them accountable for results. Keyword Targeting Methodology Every effective search program is built on the foundation of research. Understanding searcher behavior and intent should be a critical component of your SEO strategy. Question #1: What methodology do you use to select target keyword phrases? Make sure your search agency or team has [...]

Related Topics: B2B Search Marketing | Channel: Search

4 Point Twitter Audit: Becoming A More Beloved B2B Brand

Sep 16, 2011 at 9:05am ET by Lauren Litwinka

Welcome back to the third and final installment of the B2B Community Manager’s Guide To Identifying True Twitter Friends. In our first two episodes, we explored hands-on tactics for locating target audiences on Twitter based on topical conversations, categories, content consumed, and respected power-users. By leveraging tweet-based search engines, user-powered directories, Twitter lists and other tools, both advanced and basic, we were able to hone in on potential customers, or in the very least, valued community members. Now that you, a B2B community manger, have capitalized on these [...]

Related Topics: B2B Search Marketing | Channel: Search

Before Or After The Form? Balancing Lead Generation & SEO Strategy

Sep 7, 2011 at 12:25pm ET by Derek Edmond

Recently, our company started working with a client launching a new B2B website, which incorporated a membership-based conversion action (IE, member registration). As we went through the checklist of SEO best practices for launch, a question arose on the visibility of content marketing assets being created. Where would the value-added material our client was developing, get placed for targeting our SEO keyword strategies? Our client had not really thought about this. There was no argument to the logic that keyword strategies required content, and content needed to be accessible to [...]

Related Topics: B2B Search Marketing | Channel: Search

5 Steps To Improve Your Customer Driven B2B Lead Generation

Aug 31, 2011 at 8:43am ET by Brad Neelan

To maximize online lead generation campaigns, B2B marketers need to focus on the multifaceted customer they serve. Design campaigns to meet their needs across the entire decision cycle and business buying process to achieve the optimal ROI from their program. The Many Faces Of The B2B Customer In the realm of the B2B marketer, one of the key challenges we face is the alignment of marketing efforts that meet complex customer needs. This can be found in all stages of the lifecycle from awareness and thought leadership, lead origination and generation, and the client engagement and business dev [...]

Related Topics: B2B Search Marketing | Channel: Search

What To Do When Your Brand Message Doesn’t Match How People Search

Aug 24, 2011 at 8:39am ET by Kristie Colby

SEO is all about words. Which words people search with; how to use them; and where to put them. Choosing the right keywords is imperative to the success of any SEO campaign. Unfortunately, selecting these keywords isn’t always as simple as it would seem. Many B2B companies have very specific marketing and messaging philosophies that may not always line up exactly with the way prospects search. What? We Can’t Use Those Words! This is not a new problem. It is often said that SEO is the art of compromise. There are times when a B2B company is presented with SEO recommendations and the re [...]

Related Topics: B2B Search Marketing | Channel: Search

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