newsletter
Core is an industry newsletter with news, nuggets, and information on best practices in business-to-business marketing. With it, we share information vital to any organization looking to generate results and accelerate growth through intelligent strategy, branding, marketing and public relations.
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July 2010
5 Elements of an Effective BtoB Video
Over the past year, the use of video marketing has rapidly increased.
Researchers have found that half of Internet users watch videos at least
weekly and three-quarters watch professionally-produced online videos
regularly. Once considered complex and expensive, video is rapidly finding
its way into the BtoB marketing mix. So this edition of Core centers
on the five elements of effective BtoB video.
June 2010
So make way to start a Revolution…
Using a content management system (CMS) makes it much easier to update web content, by enabling non-technical authors to submit, edit or change content without knowledge of HTML. Today, open-source CMS systems like MODx are increasingly popular. Recently, Charles, one of Arketi’s digital designers, joined a group of developers, designers and web jockeys at the MODxpo 2010 in Dallas. He captured his thoughts about the conference, which drew more than 1,000 web professionals, to discuss the hottest and most advanced CMS.
May 2010
Recapturing unfulfilled opportunities
How often has your Marketing or PR team cultivated a lead that failed to produce a sale? And, how does your company address that lead? We have found that a large number of companies allow unfulfilled leads to fall into a great abyss, never to be contacted again. At Arketi, we recommend applying the principals of nurture marketing to recapture unfulfilled sales through strategic communications and continual outreach.
April 2010
Is your marketing content strategy still one-dimensional?
This year, BtoB companies will invest as much as one-third of their total marketing budgets in developing content to fuel lead nurturing activities. Unfortunately, for many, this investment will not pay off as planned in increased visibility, lead capture or better bottom-line results. What’s missing is an overall, well-thought-out and comprehensive content strategy. Or what we like to call it: 3D Content Mapping.
March 2010
Three Common Mistakes in Business Writing
Content is still king. According to Arketi Group’s survey of high-tech marketing executives, content has become the marketing fuel for companies seeking to gain market share and accelerate growth. Marketers are planning to spend significantly more on their content marketing efforts in 2010—according to a recent study—and this growing emphasis on content will place a premium on effective business writing.
February 2010
CMOs Discuss What 2010 Holds For Business-to-Business Technology Marketers
More than twenty marketing executives from leading technology companies throughout the Southeast gathered to share their thoughts on the state of B2B marketing in Arketi’s third annual Atlanta High-Tech CMO Roundtable. The proceedings from the event are featured in Arketi’s latest white paper, The Outlook for Business-to-Business Technology Marketing in 2010.
December 2009
Happy Holidays from Arketi
The entire Arketi team wishes you a wonderful holiday season and an opportunity-filled 2010. As 2009 draws to a close, we invite you to try your luck at the Santa Chimney Challenge and see what the North Pole elves are up to.
November 2009
Video a must-have for compelling BtoB engagement
Once considered complex a nd expensive, video is rapidly finding its way into the BtoB marketing mix. Given video’s ability to drive engagement with customers and prospects, it has emerged as a must-have tool for savvy marketers seeking a competitive edge. Video’s popularity among BtoB marketers is set to grow in the coming year so now is the time to start embracing the medium.
October 2009
Is postal mail more effective than e-mail?
Email marketing has matured to such an extent that many marketers have entirely dropped postal mail from their arsenal. But is that the right decision? This was the question posed in a recent issue of DMNews’ popular “Gloves Off” point-counterpoint column, and Arketi Principal and Creative Director Rory Carlton gamely took up the challenge of making the case that postal mail remains relevant in an electronic world.
September 2009
Webinars: A BtoB Marketing Win-Win
Belt tightening has caused B2B executives to retool their marketing campaigns in the recession. Coupled with a shift in the media landscape, more B2B marketers are putting their dollars online. Webinars are a great tool for generating leads, of course, but they can do much more: such as building thought leadership, and nurturing leads between a website inquiry and an in-person meeting during the sales cycle. When developing a B2B webinar, there are a number of important components to consider.
August 2009
Avoiding Common Media Relations Missteps
Every year or so, we’ll read a high-profile editor’s blog or reporter’s column that dismisses all things public relations and classifies media strategists as anything but strategic. While we shrug off the unfair blanket criticism and equate it to a reporter having a “bad hair day,” there are commonsense rules we can glean from these rants to employ in our media relations outreach.
July 2009
The value of loyalty marketing in a down economy
A high-value loyalty marketing program is one strategy that can help you engage
with – and reward – your loyal and near-loyal customers, while putting
you in a better position to grow your business. In this issue of Core, we
discuss tips and best practices to help you create your an effective loyalty
marketing program.
June 2009
Automate
or Die! Part II
Last month, we described the principles of marketing automation solutions.
This Core offers five specific recommendations for how business-to-business
companies can use marketing automation solutions to find, nurture and
convert leads more effectively – five proven tactics to
help optimize your marketing automation solution to support the Sales
team and deliver more qualified leads.
May 2009
Automate
or Die! Part 1
Every day, dozens, hundreds, even thousands of prospective customers
are searching for solutions that your company can provide. Smart businesses
have figured out how to identify those prospects; rank them based on
how likely they are to buy, and how soon; engage them with content
that’s relevant to their stage in the buying cycle; and nurture
them as they move through the cycle – all in an efficient, cost-effective,
automated process.
April 2009
Crisis communications planning in a BtoB world
Crises occur every day. And although the universe of customers in the
BtoB world is often significantly smaller than in the consumer realm,
we believe BtoB communications professionals should increase their
crisis planning efforts and have a protocol in place in the event of
an incident.
March 2009
Web
2.0 - what is it and how much does it matter for a BtoB site?
Opinions differ on what (if anything) "Web 2.0" actually means. And
as a business-to-business marketer, you may be asking yourself how relevant Web
2.0 is to your site? The 2.0 sites that spring to mind first are mostly BtoC.
But we believe BtoB can benefit, too...
February 2009
CMOs Speak on What 2009 Holds For High-Tech Business to Business Marketers
Arketi Group’s second annual Atlanta High-Tech CMO Roundtable provided valuable insight into the current and future state of marketing within the business-to-business and technology sectors.
January 2009
Two Peas in a Pod: Positioning and Segmentation
If you’ve spent much time in technology companies, you know high-level messaging can be tricky. You have complex, multi-dimensional products. You want to be sure your competitors aren’t saying anything about their products that you don’t say. And you must tailor your messages to multiple buyers.
December 2008
Happy Holidays from Arketi
The entire Arketi team wishes you a blessed holiday season and a prosperous 2009. As 2008 takes its final curtain call, take a peak to view the magical Arketi Christmas tree and gifts!
November 2008
Can’t Sales and Marketing just get along?
If you’ve worked in a number of marketing organizations, you have probably experienced some that had a great relationship with the sales force, and some that didn’t. What is the difference? Why can’t Sales and Marketing just get along?
October 2008
The Role of Color in Marketing
Sure, color is important if you’re marketing fashion, cars or even
candy, but in a B2B market? B2B buyers are all purely rational decision-makers,
aren’t they? So just how important is color? Since color is something
people react to instinctively, typically without deliberation, it is
a powerful tool for creating an immediate impression. That’s why
color can be a great differentiator, even in a B2B environment.
September 2008
The Importance of Repositioning
Arketi Group recently interviewed Ajay Murthy, vice president of global marketing at Convergys Corporation, about his company’s recent repositioning. When Murthy joined Convergys, it had recently embarked on the creation of a new vision to better articulate the value the company brings to the markets it serves. Following more than a decade of growth and numerous acquisitions, Convergys had become a company with varied and seemingly unrelated lines of business. Murthy recognized it was time to develop brand positioning that tied the company’s collective expertise and experience together.
July 2008
Arketi Group Shares its Not So Common Desktop Favorites
We polled Arketi Group team members this month to learn more about their Internet surfing habits. From copywriting and design tips to PR and marketing sites, these not so common online resources are useful or just down right fun.
June 2008
Taking Thought Leadership by the Horns
Business-to-business technology companies often face two combined hurdles: how to generate content for marketing and sales and how to increase leads for the sales team. This article offers an approach to overcoming both hurdles.
April 2008
10 Must Haves for an Effective Website
In this edition of Core we explore ten must haves to ensure your website delivers maximum impact. This issue focuses on topics like search engine presence, target audience, messaging, website content and effective calls-to-action, to name just a few. Go on, give it a read, you might learn something new!
A Special Invitation From Arketi Group
Arketi Group is excited to share with you that – for the first time – BtoB magazine is bringing its popular B2B NetMarketing Breakfast Series to Atlanta. In addition, we are proud to say that three of the expert panelist at this event are Arketi clients. We know this is going to be an exciting, stimulating and thought-provoking event that B2B marketers will not want to miss. Information on the event and how you can register is in B2B’s announcement below. We hope you will consider attending – several members of the Arketi team will be there. See you there!
March 2008
Understanding Industry Analysts and What They Bring to Technology Companies
When correctly engaged, analysts can play a major role in successfully bringing a product or solution to the marketplace. Analysts can help technology companies better understand complex markets, avoid costly mistakes, pinpoint competitive threats and evolve offerings to better match buyers' requirements.
Arketi recently spoke with Micky Long, research director in the Strategic Service Management Practice at the Aberdeen Group. He shared with us some industry insight for companies interested in building a successful industry analyst relations program.
February 2008
So You’ve Created a Blog, Now What?
New media is all the rage for marketers these days, so for those just starting out on this digital endeavor, how can you optimize your blog? What blogging tools work best to drive traffic to your site? Arketi Group provides you with the tricks of the trade. From blogrolling to RSS, to social bookmarking and Technorati, you will be well on your way.
January 2008
Arketi Group Moves to New Office to Accommodate Growth
Arketi Group has more than doubled its client roster, team and now office space. We’ve moved into new offices to meet the needs of the agency’s growing team and client roster. Arketi Group is now located in a nearly 4,500-square foot office at the Druid Chase business park in the Brookhaven area of Atlanta.
December 2007
Happy Holidays from Arketi
From our team to yours, we wish you a blessed holiday season filled with laughter, joy and plenty of eggnog! As 2007 takes its final curtain call, take a peak to view the magical Arketi Christmas tree and gifts!
November 2007
Crisis
Communications... 8 Tips to Weather the Storm
Crises can happen at any time, and they often arise when you least expect them.
Hypothetically, if a major crisis happened to your company in the next hour,
would you be prepared? According to a recent survey by BtoB Magazine,
57 percent of companies do not have a crisis communications plan in place, yet
53 percent have experienced a crisis resulting in negative media coverage and
decreased sales affecting their company’s bottom line. Clearly, there is
a disconnect regarding the value of proactive crisis planning even if B2B marketing
executives experienced a crisis first-hand.
October 2007
Building
a Community Relations Program
Recently we spoke with Brooks Robinson, CMO of Cbeyond, an
Arketi client, about the importance of community relations and how
Cbeyond launched its program, Cbeyond Community Connections™. Cbeyond, an
IP-based managed services provider, developed a community relations
program to help the company and its employees connect with and serve
the community, while fostering personal growth. Brooks explained
what it takes to create a great community relations program, how
to keep it running successfully, and the benefits for both community
and company.
September 2007
The
Name Game … the 9 basic steps for naming a company or product
If you’re a parent, you know both the joys and jitters attached
to the naming of a child. Personally, we always thought that whole
child-naming process was flawed. After all, how do you know he’ll
be a "Henry" or she’ll be a "Hannah"? It
makes more sense to us to have a "getting-to-know-you period" with
a glimpse into the child’s personality and an inkling of who that
child really is - and might become one day.
July-August 2007
A
Closer Look at the 3R’s of Marketing and PR
Let’s face it, the days of bottomless marketing budgets are long
gone. Today, marketing executives have limited dollars and resources,
but the pressure to get the same number, if not more, of leads for their
sales teams is still there. So marketing execs must be smart about how
they use their marketing investment and look for creative ways to get
the leads they need. One guaranteed approach to help you get the maximum
return out of your marketing campaigns is to follow the 3 R’s:
reduce, reuse and refresh.
May-June 2007
Differentiating
Goals, Objectives, Strategies and Tactics
All too often, in today’s marketing world, the terms goal and objective or strategy and tactic are
used as interchangeable ways of saying the same thing. Plainly put, they
are not – and the resulting lack of precision can be problematic.
This is more than a semantic issue. This lack of understanding can cripple
a marketing plan or, worse, make it totally void of value.
March-April 2007
High-Tech
Research on a Low Tech Budget
When you give advice to management on messaging, campaigns and marketing
programs, what type of feedback do you receive? Do people ask you to
back up your claims with real-world examples? But when you recommend
that research be conducted to validate your assumptions, are you told, “We
don’t have enough money for that?” Many times, we marketers
want to test our beliefs in the market but know we have tight budgets.
However, even with a limited budget, there are a few research options
available that can help you back up your claims.
January-February 2007
Tips
for Improving Demand Generation
We are often asked, "What can I do to improve my demand generation
rate? How can I generate more leads?" While there are too many tips
to share in one newsletter, here are four ideas to get you on the road
to demand generation that works.
October-November 2006
Understanding
How Marketing Can Work With Other Departments
We are often asked what’s the best way for Marketing to work with … and
not counter to … other departments – like Product Development,
Product Management, and Sales. Many times it seems as if the line separating
responsibilities is blurred. While each company has its own twist on
what responsibilities fall to which department, here is a simple starting
place to understand the typical role these four departments have in an
organization and how they work together collectively.
August-September 2006
Services
Marketing for Technology Companies Workshop with Tech Guru Jeffrey
Tarter
This must-attend event on October 11th, is for technology executives
looking to increase revenue from current customers and attract prospects
with a fast-growing, high-margin services portfolio.
June-July 2006
Attracting
Robots to Your Website
In the battle between those who maintain the search engines, and want
them to rank sites objectively – and those who maintain the websites,
and want them to give their sites higher rankings – the exact workings
of the robots are a closely guarded secret. But some key features of
robot behavior can be divined, and from these, some simple rules arise
for making sites robot-friendly.
April-May 2006
Messaging
at its Core
We are often asked, what makes for a good message? How do I know
it will work or resonate? How do I get started? While there
are too many strategic messaging questions to answer in an email, this
newsletter discusses four ideas to get you on the road to a message
that works.
