We all benefit from the wonders of technology. From being able to track a teenager’s whereabouts, (shh, don’t tell), to never missing an episode of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, (yeah, keep that a secret too); technology enables us to conduct our lives in real and meaningful ways. The problem is, the more technology we use, the more we become tethered to it. Moreover, the very tools that are designed to boost productivity often have the opposite result.

According to a recent article in the New York Times, written by a productivity consultant, these very tools are undermining our ability to get work done. The culprit: we have so many options that we are often in a state of inertia because we don’t know what tools to use.

For example, how often have you said, “I’m in so many meetings that I am never able to get my work done”? Or, the other busy person’s standard line, “There just aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done”?

If you resemble these statements, you may need to adopt a set of best practices or ways to make quick decisions, while staying focused.

According to the article, there are several sequential steps you can take to become more focused and, as a result, complete regular and even major tasks. Here are a few of them:

• Write it down. The article suggests that people jot down everything that has their attention, including work and personal tasks. This exercise helps people feel in control.
• Assign goals to each task. Decide what results you want to accomplish for each task and apply a two-minute rule — that any action that can be finished in two minutes should be done in the moment.
• Organize reminders of your remaining “to-dos,” including emails you need to send and follow up phone calls you need to make.

The article goes on to state that people should make everyday decisions on a more conscious level rather than reacting to the squeaky wheel. To read the full article, click here.

The growth of various forms of one and two-way communication, including text messaging and social media, is causing some to question the viability of email as an effective vehicle for marketing campaigns.

But reports of the death of email may have been greatly exaggerated – at least in the BtoB marketing arena. A recent article in BtoB Magazine states that email marketing is alive and well with open rates trending upwards. The article, which includes survey results from a study conducted by a marketing company and the Direct Marketing Association, states that email open rates increased by nearly 8 percent in Q3 2011 – a fairly significant jump in a mature market space.

The article also includes information from a second survey in which 60 percent of respondents stated they plan to increase email marketing budgets. In the same survey only 55 percent of respondents stated that they planned to boost social media marketing budgets.

Even with the increased popularity of email marketing campaigns, communications professionals need to know and exercise best practices to ensure campaigns are effective and successfully engaging with customers and prospects. To start, know your audience (preferably with specific industry data) and, moreover, the audience’s collective tolerance level for email. The mass move to mobile means many recipients are viewing emails on tablets and other devices and marketers need to keep this in mind when developing content and determining offers.

To see the complete BtoB article, headlined Email Trends: Spotlight on Strengths, Challenges, click here.

Video killed the radio star and we all know what the Internet did to print publications, especially newspapers, which according to a Pew Research Center report, are operating with newsrooms that are 30 percent smaller than they were a decade ago.

But, technology in the form of tablets is bringing a silver lining to the cloud that has surrounded the newspaper industry for the past several years. According to Juniper Research, annual revenue from newspapers delivered electronically to mobile devices will surpass $1.1 billion by 2016. The Juniper report, titled “The Mobile Publishing Briefing,” credits much of this increase in digital subscription revenue to iPad adoption.

Juniper also predicts there will be 5 million consumers accessing eNewspapers over tablets and/or eReaders by the end of this year.

Newspapers are even tapping into the tablet craze by offering their own tablets bundled with digital subscriptions.

Earlier this year, Philadelphia Media Network began offering an Android tablet bundled with digital newspaper subscription content. The company, which publishes the Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News is selling the tablet, and today it’s available starting at $99.

That’s good news for tablet owners and, of course, newspaper publishers which will still be required to set digital subscription prices lower than print to reach mass adoption. But, for those of us, I mean you, who borrow newspapers from the office library or neighborhood coffee house, we may be out of luck until this phrase becomes part of our lexicon, “You have yesterday’s tablet in your office?”

There’s a saying, “Will it play in Peoria?” which questions whether a given product, person or event will resonate with mainstream audiences. In the face of increasing workloads and internal expectations, there are several, common concerns that are generating the collective attention of marketers today – regardless of geography.

This year’s Unica Annual Survey of Marketers found continued interest in the shift to online marketing, a greater emphasis on website personalization, and a general dissatisfaction with IT support for marketing’s technology needs.

However, marketers around the globe now are far more interested in how to create actionable campaigns; in essence, creating and sending information that makes their target audiences take action.

When marketers were asked about their key issues, “turning data into action” leapt into the lead for North American and European respondents. “Determining optimal channel and contact frequency,” an issue that ranked fairly low in the previous survey was also in the top. Despite the buzz and media hype, social media pulled in last with only 19 percent of respondents selecting it as a top issue.

The accelerated pace of mobile adoption is also piquing the attention of marketers who want to better leverage mobile into integrated campaigns. Forty-three percent of respondents say they currently use the mobile marketing, with another 23 percent planning to do so within a year. Yet, as with other tactics, marketers realize there’s work to be done to integrate these efforts into other marketing programs.

Measurement analysis and learning moved into the lead spot as the biggest bottleneck marketers face within their organizations, holding a solid 10 percentage-point advantage over last year’s number one, “IT support of marketing technology needs.”

Here are additional findings from the study that was published in a Harvard Business School Executive Education communications piece:

The results are based on the responses from 300 online and direct marketers with more than $100M in annual revenue, while the largest block (54%) reports $1B or more per annum, and management responsibilities across the complete spectrum of marketing roles with 35% marketing executives.

To read the complete findings from the Unica study, click here to access the PDF file.

Journalists are quick to disparage public relations professionals (often in rather public forums). Yet, every once in a while, reporters will “fess up” and recognize that strong p.r. pros are more help than hindrance.

Such was the case in a recent Ragan’s PR Daily story in which New York Times technology reviewer, David Pogue, announced this year’s winners of the Pogue Perfect Pitch award. After my initial shock of not reading one of my pitches, I rather enjoyed seeing how a couple of my public relations peers managed to stand out in the crowd.

While the approaches in the Pogue article may not work in the B2B technology world in which I live and breathe, the pitches were clever and every bit worth the reviewer’s shout out.

One of the Pogue Perfect Pitch awards went to Nikon.

Pogue had written a review of a competitive product in the form of a love letter. (“Dear Canon S95, I don’t often write love letters to gadgets. But you—you’re something special. Truth is, I’ve been searching for someone like you for years…”)

The response, from Nikon D80, was PR pitching perfection.

Dear David—

It has been far too long since our last encounter, and today I found out why. Imagine my horror to find your public proclamation of love for that floozy, the Canon S95, for the whole world to see. You called that little camera “something special?” Well, I remember when I was your one special camera, the one you could come to for anything. Photographing a soccer game? Done. Days at the beach? Easy squeezy. Amazing landscape shots on vacation? You betcha.

Is it because I’m so much bigger than the S95? After our years together, I would think you would accept me for what I am: a highly capable, semi-pro SLR that empowered you to take great pictures. Depth of field, fast burst rate, sharp focus, accurate colors—these are all things only a camera like me can give you.

Let’s not forget all the fun times we had with my friend NIKKOR, who was always willing to go to great telephoto focal lengths to please you. And sometimes our friend Speedlight joined the party to brighten the mood. You talk about physics? I’ll talk about chemistry. You, me, and your 18-200mm VR lens are a perfect match.

But I don’t want to be spiteful. I only want what’s best for you, and I think you are a great match for my cousin, the P7000. She is smaller and more powerful than most cameras, and leads the way for a segment of cameras that is quickly gaining in popularity, the high-end compact. She’s got a cute retro style that everyone loves, and full manual analog controls.

From Your First photographic Love,

Your Loyal Nikon D80

Even I will give credit where credit is due!

To read more on both pitches, including one sent via video, check out the full Pogue article at http://www.linkedin.com/news?actionBar=&articleID=383128931&ids=0Mc3wRe3kSe3cIcPwRcj0Mc3wPb3cSe3gUe3oUcOMPdj0TdP8Re3cIcjcVe38NcPwP&aag=true&freq=weekly&trk=yiaag-98

Bulldog Reporter, a publication that provides an inside view into the workings of media organizations to help PR professionals increase their effectiveness, recently asked journalists what sites and resources they use to generate story ideas and conduct necessary research to write stories.

No shocker that journalists are relying more heavily on social media to do their jobs; however it may be a surprise the extent to which they are visiting social media sites for “news” gathering purposes. According to the survey, 55 percent of journalists used Twitter to research stories in 2009. That’s a jump of almost 20 percent from the previous year.

Even more journalists – 73.4 percent – use Facebook for such research. And for reporters covering consumer technology, entertainment and arts/culture, that percentage is likely even higher.

Bye, Bye Blogs?

While journalists are relying more heavily on social media sites and microsites, blogs seems to be losing ground, according to the survey. But, although journalists are using blogs less, they are receiving more of them through subscribed RSS or e-mails feeds. Nearly 59 percent of journalists received at least one regular RSS or e-mail feed in 2009, up from 46 percent in 2008.

The Survey Also Said…

Despite the struggles that many local newspapers are facing to stay afloat, a larger majority of journalists – 77 percent- rely on their local newspapers to follow the news. The second most popular source was the New York Times.

Corporate websites remain a popular information source for journalists. Nearly 85 percent of journalists report visiting a corporate website or online newsroom at least once a month. However, they often find it difficult to uncover the information they need. Nearly half of the survey respondents stated that it is often difficult to find a) the organization’s media representatives, b) their contact information or c) press materials that address their interests.

As you plan your 2011 public relations programs, make sure that you are leveraging all appropriate vehicles and tactics to reach journalists with your story. And, by all means make sure that journalists, as well as customers and prospects, have a good experience when visiting your website.  

Click here to download the results.

Webinars are becoming one of the best and most popular ways to increase customer acquisition, according to a Forrester Research report referenced in a BtoB Online article earlier this month. In fact, an online survey of more than 600 companies found that more than 50 percent of respondents planned to increase their spending on webinars this year.

Before you line up speakers and send out invitations to your next webinar, consider the following tips to make sure your webinar engages customers and prospects and prompts them to buy your solutions.

• Timing is Everything. Denise Persson, VP-marketing and CMO of webinar technology firm ON24 Inc. suggested avoiding Mondays and Fridays, as both are peak in-office meeting days, which can drag down webcast attendance. The best time of the day is 1 p.m. EST, as this also accommodates West Coast attendees, Persson said.
• Practice Makes Perfect. Have presenters, whether they are in-house experts or third-party speakers, do a live run-through making sure length is right. You’ll also want to approve content and messaging, making sure it’s not offensive, repetitive or boring. On the day of the webinar, ask speakers to invite colleagues to sit with them during the presentation since having an actual audience will improve presentation delivery.
• It’s Not About You. BtoB Marketers often forget to keep the language customer focused. The webinar and all promotions and collateral produced for the event should reflect the pain points of the audience—not how your company sells its products. “Marketers are insular,” stated Michael Greene, interactive marketing analyst at Forrester in the Sept. 13^th article headlined, Webinars 101. “They use language that refers to their own internal specifications rather than looking at what challenges are facing the customers.” Catchy headlines that discuss the real take-away work well, he added.

For more information, or to read the entire article go to http://www.btobonline.com/article/20100913/FREE/309139986/webinars-101

To view some of Arketi’s recent webinars, go to http://www.arketi.com/webinar.html

We can thank telecommuters for easing traffic congestion and reducing smog in our communities. But, in the coming months and years, this growing population may be adding new challenges to our jobs as btob marketers.

According to a recent Forrester Research report, more than 40 percent of all information technology workers in the U.S., Canada and U.K. will telecommute by 2016.

The report was based on an online survey of more than 3,900 IT workers from companies with more than 100 employees. The increase in telecommuting will cause more companies to allow employees to use their own IT resources, including software, hardware and cell phones. Forrester has dubbed this phenomenon, “technology populism.” The analyst firm predicts that this trend will create an environment in which technology vendors must market to end-users, while also continuing to focus on CIOs and corporate buyers.

BtoB Magazine reported on this Forrester Research report titled, “What Technology Populism Means for Tech Marketers,” in its July 27^th issue. The article quotes Forrester analyst, TJ Keitt, author of the report.

“The proliferation of choice in endpoints is an important story because it shows that businesses are acquiescing to things that were historically no-nos,” Keitt stated. He also provides three suggestions to help marketers improve their reach and target end-users.

1. Emphasize ease of setup and use. “The quicker you can get someone up and running, especially if they are installing something on their own, the more willing they are going to be to recommend it to their friends and colleagues,” Keitt said.
2. Focus on specific job-use cases. When you’re marketing end-users, they just want to know how a technology is going to make their lives easier, according to Keitt. “Talk about which types of jobs will benefit and why it will be important to them,” he said.
3. Identify and enable influential end-users. “We’ve seen the incredible power of word-of-mouth and the power of social networks,” Keitt said. Look at the customer’s social network reach, and consult with these people when it comes to future iterations of your products.

To read the entire article, go to: http://www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100727/FREE/100729952/1428/FREE&template=printart

The Cain and Abel-like relationship between marketers and their sales teams appears to have gone the way of the horse and buggy, according to a recently-released industry survey by BtoB and a marketing automation provider.

While marketers still face their share of challenges according to the “B2B Marketer Skills Snapshot Survey,” most respondents stated that working with the sales team has improved over the last few years.

One respondent believes the economy has created an environment in which we all need to get along. Technology also is a key driver in improving the once antagonistic relationship between sales and marketing.

“Technology makes it easier to communicate in real time, and that enhances the relationship,” said Ernest Thompson, director-corporate marketing and branding for Guardian Industries, a global manufacturer of glass, automotive and building products. “Organizationally, there’s a trend toward compensation schemes that apply to both sales and marketing.”

Asked what would most help to alleviate their challenges, “increased budget” was the clear winner, followed by “bigger team/staff.” This result was consistent regardless of the size of the organization. Other key findings include:

• Asked to rank in importance the metrics they use to judge the success of an online campaign, revenue (87%) beat out gross measures such as click-through rate (53%) and Web site traffic (48%), seeming to indicate that, online at least, marketers have come to align their metrics with bottom-line business objectives.
• When asked about the goal and mission of the marketing department, the largest percentage of respondents picked “to drive qualified leads,” with more than half (52%) saying this was marketing’s “most important” mission.

Conducted between March 19 and April 5, 2010, the survey collected 544 responses, primarily from b-to-b marketing organizations. The read the full story, visit http://www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100503/FREE/100509997/1207/RESEARCH.

The new decade started with the planet’s most famous and well-known athlete facing unrelenting press coverage for his off-the-course activities.

If you didn’t see that news, you may have been wrapped up in the coverage of an automaker that ran into its fair share of negative publicity. In a year’s time, Toyota went from fan favorite (last February, Consumer Reports named the Toyota Prius Touring the best overall value among 300 cars in its 2009 Annual Auto Issue) to facing one image crisis after another, including a major recall and suspension of sales of several popular models.

Yet while Tiger and Toyota clearly dispel the old belief that there’s no such thing as bad PR, they are better examples of the adage that “failure to plan is planning to fail.”

While I can’t speak to Toyota’s or Tiger’s crisis communications plans before or after their infamous falls from grace, surveys have shown that a majority of BtoB marketers don’t have up-to-date crisis plans in their communications toolboxes.

As recently as 2007, a story in BtoB Online stated that about 53% of marketing executives had experienced a business crisis resulting in negative news coverage, declining sales or reduced profitability. But just about the same number (57%) said their company did not have a crisis response plan in place.

Although a BtoB technology company’s crisis is not likely to make Entertainment Tonight the pages of People or even fall into the “disaster” category, there are plenty of reasons, including many financial ones, to be prepared to communicate in the event the unexpected happens.